EspañolTake control of the ingredients that go into your hair products by making them at home. This easy, DIY hair conditioner uses natural ingredients to leave your hair feeling soft and tangle free, and is light enough to use as a leave-in conditioner too.
A couple of weeks ago I told you about how I had taken the Dressing Your Truth® course, and how I’ve been having fun trying to dress in a way that fits my energy Type. I’ve also been styling my hair differently and have been trying different colors when putting on makeup. As part of that process, I’ve also been letting my hair do its curly/wavy thing for probably the first time in over 20 years!
As I’ve gotten older, my hair has gotten more and more curly. I used to be really frustrated with it because I didn’t know what to do with it. I never thought of it as being curly, but instead hated the uncontrollable waves which ended up really being hair that was curly on the bottom layers and almost straight on the top layers. It never looked very nice, so I was forced to straighten my hair every day.
As part of the Dressing Your Truth course, you get a bonus video about working with your hair, even (especially) unruly hair like mine, to get the curls that you might not even know you have. The video gave me some ideas to help manage my curls, allowing my hair to do what it wants and still look good. Heck, it probably looks better than it did when I spent a lot of time trying to style it straight! I ended up trimming and layering my hair in a way that it would do just that, thanks to their ideas about “pruning” it as needed in certain areas.
They also gave tips for not ruining your curls with shampoo, something I had discovered on my own when I stopped shampooing it for several months as an experiment. (No, I didn’t stop washing it, I just stopped using shampoos that were drying out my hair.) I suddenly had new waves and curls!
Another thing that is really important for keeping your wavy, unruly hair from being a frizzy mess is a good conditioner.
Watch me make this easy, DIY hair conditioner:
Why make a homemade hair conditioner?
You probably know by now that I love to make whatever I can myself. I’m constantly experimenting with new oils, emulsifiers, waxes, etc., so that I can make more natural versions of the products that we would otherwise be buying. I love making my own products, not only because I love the challenge, but because I can choose every single ingredient that gets used.
The products you buy often boast that they use a certain oil or some other miracle ingredient, but most of the time they only use very minute traces of that ingredient and the rest of the product is filled with much more questionable chemicals (or is just water).
When you consider that the main ingredient of most conditioners and lotions is water, you begin to realize that you can save yourself a lot of money by making your own hair conditioner, even (especially) when you are using high-quality ingredients. In the end, not only is it possible to make high-end cosmetics yourself, avoid the toxic ingredients, and save yourself money, but it’s actually very easy.
This is the consistency. It looks and feels just like conditioner that you’d buy in the stores!
Making a natural hair conditioner: How natural is it?
For a while, I was trying to formulate all of my DIY beauty products and cosmetics using only “completely natural” ingredients, mainly whatever I could find in my refrigerator or pantry. Since then, I’ve come to the realization that I can live a natural lifestyle without feeling quite so crunchy (or greasy).
I’ve learned to make my own beauty products with safe ingredients, and they actually resemble the sorts of things I used to buy sans the extra chemicals.
I do use preservatives in my homemade conditioner and lotions because I don’t consider it safe to make and use emulsions without any preservatives to keep bacteria and mold out, but I am very particular about the safety of each ingredient I use. There are several preservatives available for home use that have been accepted by natural certifications like ECO_CERT and the strict BDIH, and that will allow you to make safe emulsions that will keep for several months (normally up to 3 months), even out of the fridge. Whenever I formulate a product, I try to use the highest quality ingredients I can find.
How easy is it to make your own homemade hair conditioner?
It’s so much easier than you could ever imagine, and once you try it, you’ll be wondering why you were spending so much money on chemical ridden conditioners from the store! If you can bake a cake, you can definitely make your own conditioner!
I’m really proud of this recipe because I really, really love the way it turned out. It leaves my hair feeling clean and soft, and I have used it as a regular conditioner, as a leave-in conditioner, and even as a cleansing conditioner in place of shampoo.
It’s a bit thick for a leave-in conditioner, but because I use a tiny bit of it in my hair after towel drying it, it is easy to get through all of my hair. I have to admit that I photographed the conditioner in spray bottles because I wanted transparent bottles that showed off the conditioner, and that’s what I had on hand. While I am able to use it with the spray bottles, I prefer using a pump bottle or a silicone travel tube instead. If you only want to use this as a leave-in conditioner, you could slightly lower the amount of emulsifier used to keep it on the thinner side for easier use in a spray bottle. I love that it’s light enough to allow my hair to curl as intended, all while conditioning it and keeping it untangled and frizz free.
As a cleansing conditioner (using the co-wash, aka. conditioner only, washing method) I have been able to use it for around two weeks without needing to resort to shampooing, but after about 2 weeks, I feel like my hair feels a bit heavy if I don’t use some sort shampoo, albeit a “low” shampoo, to really give it a fuller cleaning. That said, I’m working on experimenting with making my own shampoo or more fully cleansing conditioner to share with you here on the blog. Once I’m happy with my results, I’ll explain more about co-washing and how I use the method to clean my hair.
My hair has been a lot curlier with better defined curls since I’ve started using this and stopped shampooing my hair.
Can I personalize this hair conditioner recipe?
Why of course!
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I know that sometimes, even though I try to use simple ingredients, it isn’t easy to find the same ingredients worldwide. Plus, you may want to use different oils or hydrosols than me. I’ll share my basic recipe that can be easily customized, and then will share the specific recipe I’ve been using over the last months.
What is BTMS? Do I need to use it in this recipe?
The main, important, ingredient for making this conditioner is a special emulsifier that is really great for making hair products called BTMS (aka. Behentrimonium Methosulfate). BTMS is an emulsifier that is naturally obtained from rapeseed oil. It can be used as 2-10% of the final weight of the product, depending on the desired consistency. It’s great for helping to detangle hair, but is light enough to use in leave-in conditioners.
I chose to use around 5% in my hair conditioner. If you were to use less than that, you’d end up with a thinner product but it may also be a bit harder to keep the emulsion stable unless you were to add some sort of co-emulsifier. Using more than 5%, and you’d probably end up with a thicker mixture.
Should I use BTMS-25 or BTMS-50?
When I originally wrote this post, I have to admit that I didn’t realize that BTMS was marketed in different percentages. My supplier only referred to it as BTMS. I later found that mine was BTMS-25 which is a combination of Behentrimonium Methosulfate and Cetearyl Alcohol with the percentage of Behentrimonium Methosulfate falling between 25-30%. Many suppliers also offer BTMS-50 which is a combination of Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol and Butylene Glycol, with the percentage of Behentrimonium Methosulfate being around 50%.
Let me start off by saying that I formulated my recipe using BTMS-25, so I know for sure it works well with that emulsifier. BTMS-50 has a higher percentage of the active conditioning agent, but less of the fatty alcohol that can help moisturize dry hair. It may also make for a thinner final product. You should be able to use either effectively, but I haven’t personally tried this recipe with BTMS-50 as of yet, so I can’t vouch for it. My best-educated guess, though, is that you’ll end up with a wonderful, albeit slightly thinner conditioner, if you use BTMS-50 instead. If you do make this recipe with BTMS-50, I’d love to hear how it goes!
BTMS is an emulsifier that is perfect for hair conditioners.
What oils can be used?
My favorite oils for hair products are argan oil and jojoba oil. I usually use a combination of the two when making a conditioner for my hair.
Other great oils for hair, especially dry and unruly hair, are coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil. Castor oil is said to help hair grow faster, so you may consider using it if that’s a concern for you, but it can also be drying and feel sticky in large amounts, so keep that in mind. (You may want to combine it with other oils.)
What can be used in place of distilled water?
If you want to customize the water component of your conditioner, you can substitute part of the water with hydrosols like rose water or lavender water, or something like aloe juice. Floral waters also help give a nice fragrance to the final conditioner. While I love adding floral waters and aloe juice, keep in mind that if you use too high a percentage of botanicals like aloe juice (or homemade floral waters) that your final product will be more difficult to preserve. Natural preservatives aren’t as strong as the synthetics you are probably trying to avoid. Since you aren’t likely going to be able to test your homemade product for microbes, the safest bet is to use smaller amounts of those sorts of ingredients, and make smaller batches so that you end up finishing your product within a few months.
Should you use glycerin in your conditioner?
Glycerin is a humectant and it’s another water-soluble ingredient that you can use in place of part of the water component of your conditioner. It helps capture the moisture from the air to keep your hair moisturized, and it also helps with curl definition and frizz reduction! In the case of glycerin, you can definitely get too much of a good thing. Not only can it get too sticky if you use too much, but it could also end up working against you by actually pulling moisture from your hair and drying it in extremely dry weather if used alone. (It can actually cause problems for your hair in extremely humid conditions when overdone.) I’d recommend using up to 5% of the final weight of your conditioner, and if you are living in an extremely dry or humid climate, you may want to consider lowering than that or leaving it out altogether.
Which preservative should I use?
There are several natural preservatives that you can buy and use which will allow your homemade conditioners and lotions safe to use for around 3 months. Without a preservative, once you add water to a product you are introducing moisture that can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. A homemade product can have unsafe bacteria without you being able to see it. Without a preservative, you’d need to keep this mixture in the fridge to slow bacterial and mold growth, and, even then, I wouldn’t recommend using it for more than a week or two. If the idea of making your own products is to ditch the chemicals, you don’t want to replace those chemicals with potentially toxic bacteria and molds, right?
You can buy more potent preservatives, such as the parabens that many people are trying to avoid if you want your formulas to last even longer. I personally prefer to stick with more natural preservatives and make smaller batches, making a new batch every 2-3 months. Seeing as it takes me less than 30 minutes to whip up a new homemade lotion or hair conditioner, I think it’s worth it to me to know that I’m using a more natural product that is relatively freshly made at all times.
At first, I was using a natural preservative named Rokonsal. It’s a BDIH and ECO-CERT certified natural, mild, preservative that helps preserve an emulsion for 2-3 months as long as the pH is below 5. Most of the time I need to lower the pH of my homemade lotions and creams with a few drops of lactic acid when using Rokonsal as the preservative. An advantage of Rokonsal is that you only need to use a few drops, at a dosage of .2% of the weight in shampoo recipes or .3-1% in lotions and creams.
I recently bought and started using Leucidal, an ECO-CERT approved preservative mostly because it seems to be easier to find in the US (You can easily buy it on Amazon through the ingredient links). Now that I’ve tried it, I have to admit that it has some advantages, and I really like it. It works on a wider pH range (3-8), so in most cases you don’t need to add lactic acid to lower the pH before using it. (It’s still a good idea to invest in some inexpensive pH strips, just in case.) Leucidal is made from fermenting radishes with the Leuconostoc Kimchii bacteria. (Kimchi? Yum! 🙂 ) It doesn’t get much more natural than that, right? You need to add more Leucidal than Rokonsal (It should be used as around 3-4% of the recipe by weight when used alone), but it also has the added advantage of being able to augment the hydrating ability of homemade lotions and creams. It gives your final product a shelf life of 2-3 months.
Cosgard, or Geogard, is another broad spectrum preservative that helps protect your conditioner from bacterial and fungal growth. While it is a synthetic preservative, it is authorized by ECO-CERT to be allowed in organic cosmetics. I’ve started experimenting with Cosgard and quite like it. It only needs to be used at .2%- 1% of your final product. I usually use around 1% as I’m not testing my homemade products for microbes.
First I’ll Share with you the Basic Recipe, and then will share with you the recipe I’ve been using lately.
How to make a Basic homemade Hair Conditioner
Natural DIY Hair Conditioner
Take control of the ingredients that go into your hair products by making them at home. This easy, DIY hair conditioner uses natural ingredients to leave your hair feeling soft and tangle free, and is light enough to use as a leave-in conditioner too.
Ingredients
- 80 g distilled water
- 5 g BTMS
- 5 g glycerin
- 5 g argan oil or other oil(s)
- 3.5 g Leucidal or other natural preservative (1g Rokonsal)
- 1 g lavender essential oil or other oil(s)
Instructions
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Weigh out the distilled water.
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Heat the water over a double boiler while you measure out the oil(s) and emusifier.
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Weigh out the oil or a combination of oils in a double boiler insert. I love argan oil for hair and add it to pretty much every conditioner I make. I sometimes use it alone and other times combine it with other oils.
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Tare the scale and add the BTMS to the oil(s).
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Heat the oil and BTMS mixture over the double boiler until the BTMS has melted. Fully stir the ingredients together until well combined and remove from the heat.
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Add the hot water to the hot oil mixture. Ideally the water and oils should be at around the same temperature (around 70º-75ºC/160º-170ºF). Keep stirring until the mixture comes together and thickens slightly.
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If you find that the mixture separates like curdled milk rather than come together into a smooth, thick mixture, you probably had ingredients that were too cold or weren't of similar temperatures. You can usually easily remedy the situation by placing the double boiler insert with the mixture over the heat again, and stirring until everything comes together. Remove from the heat source again.
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Allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding in delicate ingredients like the preservatives, essential oils, or any other additives like silk or wheat protein that are also good for your hair. (See my recipe below.)
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Add in all of your final ingredients and stir together well. If you are using a natural preservative like Rokonsol that works at a pH of below 5, you may need to lower the pH with a few drops of lactic acid. With a preservative like Leucidal that works on a broader pH range, you probably won't need to do that, but it's a good idea to test your conditioner with inexpensive pH strips just to be on the safe side.
My customized, DIY hair conditioner recipe
Makes 100g, depending on the preservative used (close to 100ml)
Ingredients:
- 60g distilled water
- 20g aloe juice
- 5g glycerin
- 5g BTMS
- 3g argan oil
- 2g jojoba oil
- 3.5g natural preservative like Leucidal (or 1g Rokonsol)
- 2.5g wheat protein
- .5g d-panthenol
- 1g essential oils (I used lavender EO)
Preparation:
- Weigh out and mix together the water, aloe juice, and glycerin. Heat in the double boiler while getting the other ingredients together. (I usually just pour the liquids into a glass that I place in the pot of heating water of my double boiler while I’m measuring out the oils and waxes.)
- Meanwhile, weigh out the oils and BTMS in a double boiler insert.
- Heat the oils in the double boiler (I remove the glass with the liquid ingredients to make room for the oils first). I use a double boiler insert, and hold it over a small saucepan of water. Heat, while stirring, until the BTMS melts and is fully incorporated into the oils. Remove from the heat.
- Mix together the hot, water-soluble ingredients and the hot oil mixture (ideally both should be around 70º-75ºC/160º-170ºF), stirring constantly until all of the ingredients come together well and are emulsified. The mixture will continue to get thicker as is cools. (If your mixture separates, it’s likely due to a temperature problem. You can usually easily fix the problem by stirring it over heat in the double boiler insert until it comes together.)
- Once you’ve allowed the mixture to cool down, you can add in the more heat sensitive ingredients like the preservative, the wheat protein, panthenol, and essential oil(s). (If using a preservative like Rokonsol that needs a pH of under 5 to be effective, you may need to add a few drops of lactic acid to bring the pH down first. For more information about preservatives and emulsifiers, see my post about making a basic lotion.)
- Bottle your DIY hair conditioner. Wait to put the cap on until the mixture reaches room temperature to keep water from condensing on top of the conditioner.
- Use it within 3 months.
This post is also available in Español.
Any luck using essential oils? As a certified aromatherapist, I’m going to try substituting 1/2g rosemary and 1/2 g grapefruit essential oils instead of the leucidal. I can’t find a supplier that doesn’t charge ridiculous shipping fees to Canada. 🙂
Hi Angie,
While EO’s do have antimicrobial properties, they aren’t really able to provide broad spectrum protection against the bacteria and molds that could grow in your lotions and conditioner. You need to use a real preservative of some sort.
There are plenty of other preservatives that you should be able to find in Canada.
I use/have used Rokonsal, Geogard/Cosgard, Sharomix 705, and a few others. They are all pretty safe preservatives that work pretty well. (Most, if not all of them, are allowed by Ecocert for natural cosmetic formulations. I’d have to look them up again to be sure if all of them are.)
Hi – I would love to try this recipe, but would hope to make it last longer than the suggested 3-4 months using Leucidal. Do you have a suggestion for increasing the shelf-life of this product?
More Leucidal?
Or perhaps Optiphen Plus (Paraben and Formaldehyde Free)?
Liquid Germal Plus?
Germaben II?
Hi Wendy,
Well, to be honest, it’s a difficult question to answer without doing testing. I’ve had lotions and conditioners made for many months without showing any signs of anything going wrong, but that doesn’t mean that nothing is wrong with it. You can typically see mold growth, but not necessarily bacterial growth.
My guess is that the Leucidal would be enough to make a product that would last much longer, but because most home DIY-ers aren’t going to do any sort of microbial testing, I give the 3 months as a guideline to err on the safe side. That’s the time given to me by my supplier here in Spain that caters to home DIY-ers.
I have since read that Leucidal seems to differ from supplier to supplier, and that some seem to be more effective than others. Some of the natural cosmetic formulators that I have since met think that there are other stronger broad spectrum preservatives.
Germaben isn’t a natural preservative, so I’m guessing it is probably a preservative that will give a long shelf life, but it also has propylene glycol and parabens, something that many people who make their own cosmetics are trying to avoid.
Optiphen plus would be the more natural of the other options that you have mentioned, but I’m not sure about the shelf life.
I often use Cosgard/Geogard or another preservative called Sharomix 705. It’s an Ecocert certified preservative that seems to work pretty well and I quite like it. There are a lot of options, but, of course, when you aren’t testing your products for microbes, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and throw away anything that starts to look iffy in any way. 😉
Have you tried any polyquats?
Hi Tonia,
No, I haven’t tried them.
I’ve always read that they can bind the hair and leave a buildup, so I’ve stayed away for the most part. I look for gentle ways to cleanse my hair, and try to avoid anything that will leave a buildup so as not to have something else to remove.
Is it okay to use a microwave instead of double boiler, as long as the temperature is the same?
Hello Imogene,
To be honest, I’ve never tried melting anything like this in a microwave. I think if I were you, and didn’t want to use a double boiler, I’d probably just try melting it in a pot over very low heat. The double boiler is mostly just to make sure that you don’t burn the oils/waxes, but if you use gentle heat and keep an eye on everything, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Dear Tracy
I just love your blog
I’ve been using a lot of products that you’ve been sharing and I am so happy with it.
I also been using your hair conditioner.
Unfortunately I’ve been experimenting some hair loss lately and I just want to ask you if some product of the ones used in a recipe like this one can cause that – like btms, lactic acid or leucidal, for example. Also I would like to ask you about what can help to stop and prevent such a problem.
Thank you so much for sharing.
maria
Hi María,
Nothing that is in the conditioner should be contributing to any hair loss. (At least not as far as I know.)
BTMS is very common in conditioners, and it’s so good at detangling, that, if anything, it should help against losing as much hair to knots and tangles. I looked up all of the ingredients, and can’t find a link to any of them and anything like that. (I guess it’s not impossible that you have a sort of allergic-type reaction to something which could possibly cause an unusual reaction for you.)
I would look more into other changes in your life- like are you under more stress than usual? Have you been trying to lose weight and changed diets? (I find that even when I’m eating a very healthy diet, when I’m in actual weight loss mode, I lose more hair than normal until I move towards maintenance mode.) Certain medications are known to cause hair loss (like steroids).
I’d probably take a look at lifestyle changes, and if you can’t figure it out, I’d definitely consult with a doctor to see if they can help you pinpoint the issue. I wish I could be of more help!
I make my own conditioner, following a recipe very similar to yours, though I skip the glycerin as I live in a very humid area and I found it didn’t work for me. Instead I use inulin, it works wonders. I also prefer to use coconut oil, it’s more readily available and smells wonderfully. I usually make a larger batch and add Lamesoft to half of it to make a sort of cleansing conditioner or low shampoo or whatever you want to call it. My hair gets clean and it doesn’t feel dry nor heavy with it. I suggest you experiment with it. Greetings from Spain.
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so much for your comment! Lately, I’ve been making mine with coco betaine and/or a few other surfactants to use as a co-wash too. I haven’t completely gotten to a recipe that I’m 100% happy to share, though, as they seem to thin out the conditioner in a way. I have some Lamesoft at home and am running out of my co-wash, so perhaps I’ll give that one a try next time.
If you’d like to share your recipe on the blog- I’d be happy to post it after trying it myself and taking pictures- obviously giving you credit and the opportunity to say as little or as much as you like about it. (No pressure- I just know a lot of people are looking for one. I’m pretty happy with mine, but I’m not sure how long it will take me to be ready to post mine.)
So, you’re also in Spain. Your name doesn’t look Spanish (Daniela would be more so) 😉 , so I’m curious as to where you are from originally (if not here). 🙂
Great hearing from you!
I know this post is a year old but I’m hoping you might be able to answer my question. I use a shampoo bar with an ACV rinse. I would love to make a conditioner as well but I really don’t want to do 3 steps.
Do you think it would be possible to substitute some of the water with ACV to make the conditioner a little more acidic to restore my hairs pH?
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Dell,
You could try it-
What may be even easier, though, is just lowering the pH with a few drops of lactic acid after making it. (A little goes a long way.)
I don’t think you’d need to do the vinegar rinse if you get a decent pH on the conditioner.
I was never able to use either soap nor vinegar on my hair (after trying many times), but I do like the idea of compensating for the high pH of the soap with the vinegar.
Have you tried just washing with the conditioner itself? (How about 1 step instead of 3!) 😉
Lately, I’ve been adding a slight bit of surfactant to this conditioner recipe and it’s been working marvelously as a co-wash. I haven’t posted yet because I’ve been experimenting with when/where to add it (before or after heating), how much, etc.
It sometimes comes out a bit thin, which is why I’m trying to perfect that recipe before posting, but it’s worked perfectly for my hair.
I need to make 32 oz. Otherwise 9 times your amounts. If I do this and exactly put 9 times each weighed amount will the recipe still work? Also what are any substitutions? Is argan oil needed?
Hi Caitlin,
In theory, yes. It should work if you make sure to multiply every ingredient by 9. In practice, it may be trickier just because it’s a bit harder to emulsify larger amounts since it will take longer to cool, and you’ll want to stir while it’s cooling. I did have somebody write me to tell me that the recipe had worked well for them when they made it as written, but that it turned out much thinner when they doubled the recipe. I’m not quite sure why that happened- if everything was measured and multiplied correctly, or what.
As for the argan oil…
No, it’s not necessary. You can switch it out for another oil. You can also theoretically make it without any oil, but I haven’t tried it so I’m not exactly sure the result.
I hope that helps!
Hello thank you so much for sharing your recipe for the homemade conditioner. I can not wait to try it. I was wondering if you also had a homemade shampoo recipe? I am try to find one. Thanks
Hi Janet,
I’m definitely working on it!
I have bought a multitude of surfactants and have been experimenting. I’m pretty close to publishing a post about a co-wash type shampoo that basically adds a surfactant to this recipe in a way. (To keep my hair curly, it doesn’t do well with “normal” shampoos, and I definitely can’t use soap-based ones on my hair.)
Some people like using Castile soap based DIY shampoos, but the pH of soap doesn’t work well with my hair type. So, with the help of my husband, I’ve also experimented with coming up with a decent recipe for a more natural type surfactant-based shampoo. It takes a bit of time because I really like to experiment with recipes for a while before posting them so I can make sure I’m truly happy with them. I’m trying to avoid having to cringe at my older recipes if I later find they weren’t as great as I thought. 😉
I am also looking to see if I can find a blogger to guest post on my blog with a soap based shampoo that works for them. As I can’t really use it myself with my type of hair, it’s not something that I’d probably personally be doing, but I’d like to have the option for those who love making soap and soap based products.
Hello Tracy, Thank you so much for getting back to me! I made the conditioner and I really love it. Can you add coconut oil and/or powdered coconut milk to the conditioner recipe? If so how much would you add? Thanks again for sharing!! 🙂
Hi Janet,
You’re so welcome! I’m happy to help.
If you want to use coconut oil, you can either switch out one of the other oils for coconut oil- or you could switch out some of the distilled water for coconut oil. (This is to keep the ratio of other ingredients the same.) If you add more oil by switching out the water for the coconut oil, I’d definitely start experimenting with adding small amounts with each new experiment. I’d guess it would make a slightly more conditioning conditioner, but it may also get to be a bit too oily for using as a leave-in type conditioner.
As for the powdered coconut milk-
I’ve seen it added to soaps and things to give a creamier product. In this case, I’m not sure it would really help with that, though- it’s definitely something you could try, but I do have a warning…
Any time you add botanicals and other perishables, it can lead to microbial growth. We are using preservatives, so that definitely helps, but those who formulate cosmetics have told me that adding things like milks, plants, even aloe juice can make a product much more difficult to preserve. If you’re using a more natural type preservative, like the ones I usually use, it’s more of an issue than if you are using some of the stronger preservatives. As most of us who make products at home aren’t going to have a way to easily test for microbial growth, I like to err on the safe side, and keep those sorts of additives to a small percentage of my recipe in most cases. As always, keep your eye out for any signs of anything changing and throw out anything that looks like it’s going bad.
Hi I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but it looks good. I usually use asorbic acid as a preservative in my lotions. Would this be ok in this recipe? I prefer to use something I already have.
Hi Katie,
I don’t think that ascorbic acid can be used as a broad-spectrum preservative in any homemade product actually. While it may help ward off molds, I doubt it is helping preserve your lotions against bacteria.
I’d honestly stick to good broad-spectrum preservatives for any product you make. I’ve seen pics of what can happen when using a lotion with non-visible bacterial formation, and it’s a not-so-pretty red rash. Some good ones to consider are Cosgard (Geogard), Leucidal, Rokonsal, etc.
Hi! Thanks for the article. I’ve just finished a short DIY natural cosmetics course where we also made a conditioner, and we heated the water and oil phase in two separate heat resistant glasses on an electric stove. Is a double boiler better and why?
Hi Leva,
I’ve always heated in a double boiler to keep from burning the ingredients. You don’t really need to do that with the water phase, unless you are using delicate ingredients there, but in any case, I normally add the delicate ingredients as the product cools anyway. I’m sure you can heat both phases directly, but when I’m mixing up lots of different products, I’ve been known to get distracted. If you’re heating in a double boiler, it’s very difficult to burn the oils/emulsifiers/waxes. It’s much easier to keep a steady temperature.
Hello! I’ve been looking for a good DIY conditioner recipe and am eager to try yours. Can you tell me why you add the wheat protein and d-panthenol to your customized version?
Thank you!
Hi Hope,
Sure! Wheat protein and d-panthenol are both additives that have been shown to improve the quality of hair. Wheat protein can help repair damaged hair and make it stronger. D-panthenol (vitamin B5) nourishes hair and can help thicken it slightly. Expensive products use these sorts of nourishing extracts and other additives to be able to draw you in and justify why they are expensive. (The additives themselves tend to be on the more expensive side, but are used in very tiny amounts.)
Especially if you are going to be using this as a leave-in product, it’s a really great place to take advantage of adding nourishing ingredients that will stay in and work on keeping your hair healthy. You can personalize the main conditioner to suit your hair by changing up the additives, extracts, and humectants that you choose. I hope that makes sense.
Yes, very helpful. Thank you!
When I look online to find BTMS it seems to be sold as a percent of a total mixture. ie. 25% or 50% BTMS. What do you suggest? Thank you.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for the reminder to update the post with new information. My supplier didn’t specify, so when I wrote this post up, I used the name given to me at the time. I didn’t even know that there was more than one BTMS back then. After some investigation, I figured out that my BTMS was BTMS-25. That said, from what I’ve read, you should be able to use either here. If anything, BTMS-25 is more difficult to work with and harder to emulsify. I’ve never had issues with this particular recipe, but did have emulsification problems when using it at smaller concentrations in my roll-on deodorant recipe. I eventually made a recipe that would work with my BTMS, but I’m guessing that with the other one, you may be able to use less to get a thinner lotion for a roll-on without having the same problems that I did.
I love this conditioner! After making a single batch, I made a double batch but found that when I doubled everything it came out too watery. When doubling the water, I ended up needing to triple the oils (and also increased the preservative). Have you ever experienced this? Suggestions? I double checked my water measurements just to make sure I didn’t add more water than I thought….thanks in advance for your response!
Hi Maeve,
I’m so happy to hear you love this conditioner. I really do too. I used to be very picky about the conditioners I used because most wouldn’t help untangle my hair.
To be honest, I’ve never even tried making a double batch. I like to experiment with adding different things each time, so I stick with making smaller batches.
In my experience, though, this conditioner often takes a really long time to thicken up. (The texture changes completely overnight- vs. an immediate thickening with making homemade lotions with other emulsifiers.)
Could it be that you just didn’t leave it long enough to completely thicken? Perhaps with a bigger batch, it took much longer to finish the thickening process.
Adding more oils really shouldn’t necessarily thicken it either. To thicken it more, you’d want to add more emulsifier (in this case BTMS). That’s one more reason that I think it may have just been a time issue. Perhaps if you added more oils and re-cooked everything, it just evaporated some of the water off and eventually everything thickened up just because.
I don’t know- I’m only guessing. The important factor here is the BTMS, though. You need to make sure that was doubled properly.
I can’t think of any other reason why doubling the recipe wouldn’t work.
Thanks for your response. I did add more BTMS, but also added more oils and preservative because I didn’t want to throw off the ratio too much. Next time I will try letting it sit longer, and maybe I will stick with a single batch. Thanks again! I just got a package of silicone squeeze bottles in the mail so I’m ready to make more things :).
Well, sometimes it’s all about experimentation, and this wouldn’t be the first time that something strange has happened when repeating a recipe (I haven’t always had everything go perfectly either). As long as it works out in the end. 😉
Hi
I’ve started to make my own Conditioners and would love to experiment with honey but know honey can burn with the high temperature of the oils. When is the best Point to add the honey and what technique should I use?
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
I have to admit to never having tried adding something like honey to anything like a lotion or conditioner, so I had to look it up. I was worried that the honey might compromise the natural preservative as organic ingredients often can negatively affect their preserving qualities. I couldn’t really find much to support either way whether it would or not.
I did find this post about adding honey to lotions.
Because hone is water soluble, I’d add it to the water component and heat it with the other water ingredients. If you aren’t doing the heat and hold method, you won’t have it heated for very long, and the optimal temperature isn’t super high anyway. I don’t think you’d have any problems with burning.
I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it. I’m curious if it would make for stickier hair?
I have all the ingredients except for a scale and the preservatives (Rokonsol and the other one). Can I make this using a more natural perspective like from my kitchen and also without a scale using regular measurements like tsps?
Hi Diane,
You’ll need a preservative of some kind, or you’ll need to keep it in the fridge and it will only keep for a few days at most. There are many types of them.
As for working without as scale, I’m afraid it would be very difficult to get accurate results using teaspoons and such. The emulsifiers aren’t always sold in the same exact format, and some beads will be larger than others, meaning more or less amounts will fit into the spoons. If you plan on making these sorts of things- lotions, soaps, conditioners, etc., I’d definitely recommend investing in an inexpensive scale. You can find them for around $10. Here’s an example on Amazon that looks just like mine (it may be the same one).
Thankyou for sharing your recipe and knowledge- 😍🌹
You’re very welcome, Janice! Happy to have you stop by!
Thanks for these great recipes. My wife is loving it as I am making these for her. I have a very silly question. Is this a conditioned I can use after shampoo and wash it or I can apply it after shower and leave it like a hair lotion?
Thanks for your response.
Hi Lala,
This is a mild conditioner that can be used either way. I, myself, have used it both ways, and love it either way!
You have a lucky wife. 🙂
Hi…In my country they do not sell Btms in the form of pills, it is more like flakes. Can I use the btms in the form of flakes for the conditioner and instead of heating it I dissolve it with water? Thanks
Hi Maria,
I would think that you’d still need to heat all of your ingredients to get a good emulsion. Does it really just dissolve in water without heat?!?!?
I use wax flakes sometimes, rather than beads, but they still need heat to work.
hello Tracy,
thank you for sharing this recipe with us. I have a question regarding the emulsifier and the preservative you used in this recipe, I am not sure that I will find these specific types you mentioned in the market, so I was wondering if I can use other emulsifiers and preservatives ? I can get my hands on emulsifier such as : soy lecithin, potassium stearate, and mono propylene glycol, and for the preservatives I can get : potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, and calcium propionate. all of them are food additives, please recommend. also I would like to ask you for a shampoo recipe that would be great. Thank you ! 🙂
Hi Roa,
I have to admit that I’ve never tried any of the emulsifiers that you have mentioned, and am not sure if they would be strong enough for emulsifying lotions and creams. I’ve always stuck with the different emulsifying waxes and natural emulsifiers meant for making these sorts of products.
In all honestly, the emulsifier itself influences the way the final product turns out, so even if they would make a decent type emulsification, I’m not sure what consistency you’d end up with, and if it would make for a decent hair conditioner.
As for the preservatives-
I’m not sure how effective the preservatives you mentioned would be either. I think most of them are used as co-preservatives and aren’t broad spectrum preservatives that can be used by themselves for things like lotions.
I found this site’s info about sodium benzoate– and they suggested using both potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate together to help make them more broad spectrum as preservatives. That said, I’m not sure how even that works as they both seem to be very pH dependant.
Sorry to not have better news for you. You’d have to ask the suppliers for each particular ingredient to see what they have to say about them.
I’m actually working on a shampoo recipe. I recently started taking a class in natural surfactants, and hope to get some recipes up on the blog as I learn more and am able to elaborate decent recipes. If you’re having a hard time find even basic emulsifiers and preservatives, though, I’m not sure how easy it will be for you to find the surfactants needed for most shampoos and similar products. I buy all of my ingredients online and have them sent to me. They aren’t the sorts of things I can find locally either.
Dear Tracy,
Thank you for your reply I understand what you’re trying to tell me. I wish you all the best in the upcoming recipes you will post 🙂 .
Great! Thanks you, Roaa! 🙂
Hey. Love the recipe can’t wait to try it. My question is how long will it last if I make a large amount and leave it for a while??
Hello!
Well, it really is going to depend on the preservative you use. I normally use either Leucidal or Rokonsal. They’re both natural preservatives that are said to allow you to keep a product for up to 3 months. That’s what the bottles I buy say. I’ve heard from people who make natural products that use Leucidal in their products, though, and they think that it preserves for between 12-18 months. I’ve honestly used homemade conditioner that was more than 3 months old without noticing any differences.
I don’t test for bacteria in my homemade products, though, so I can’t really be sure if they have been populated with something that shouldn’t be in there.
I guess my short answer is it depends on how worried you are about possible bacterial contamination. The product should last 3 months without any problems. It will likely last many months more without you being able to tell that anything is different. Whether or not it could harbor contaminants that could hurt you in some way is a whole other issue.
In any case, once you have the materials on hand, you can whip up a new batch in around 10-15 minutes, most of which is getting everything together and heating up the water for your double boiler. (Which is why I’m normally making lotion, conditioner, and deodorant all at the same time.) 🙂
Hey, I really feel great that I came across your article. This is really nice and enjoyed reading it. I appreciate your knowledge of making our own natural conditioner. must say this is a perfect article for hair care. Thank you so much for giving your thoughts about hair care. This conditioner is extremely useful and super shiny. Thanks a lot.
This recipe sounds so good i cant wait to try it. I see in your personal one you use wheat protein. My family is gluten free. Wheat protein makes me breakout and my son is celiac. What is another protein we can use and do we Substitute it with some of the water? Like milk or coconut milk? If we use reg milk do we need to boil it? Thank you so much for your help
Kari
Hi Kari,
There is no need to add anything in place of the wheat protein. I add things like wheat protein in the hopes of keeping breakage down and helping protect the hair from sun and dryer damage. It’s also said to help with combability (if that’s a word) 😉 , although I find that this recipe works fine without it in that sense. To be honest, I can’t be certain that it helps or not, but I keep it in mine just in case. I’m really happy with the final product, so I just go with it.
I’m not sure about adding milk to this. Any sort of organic addition can possibly cut down the shelf life. Even with the aloe juice, I find that the mix changes color soon after having made it. That said, I haven’t really found it to alter the way the final conditioner works. Even months past the 3 month post (Yes, I keep some around to check these things), I find that there is no strange odor or any other sorts of changes, and the product works the same. At the same time, I like to err on the side of caution and keep organics to a minimum and stay with a short shelf life, just in case.
All of that said…
I’ve been tempted to try adding in some goat milk powder myself for curiosity- but haven’t tried it yet. 🙂
There are other non-wheat additions your could try in your formulation.
Biotin in a nice addition that is said to help with brittle hair. I sometimes use a natural hair product from the place where I buy my supplies that has a mix of biotin, rice extract, some amino acids, and, unfortunately, wheat extract.
You can also try increasing the panthenol in the recipe. The B-vitamin combo (of Biotin and Panthenol) is probably a great combo to have working together.
I’ll give ti some more thought- if I come up with other good additives, I’ll try to remember to add them here.
Hello!! I loved your recipe and I have a question… Could I make with the same recipe a body conditioner? If I leave the same oils, or use almond oil, take advantage of the wheet protein for the body, glycerin etc can I use it for hydration? Thank you very much!!!
Hello,
Thanks!
Yes, definitely! There isn’t really much of a difference between conditioners and lotions. Lotions tend to use different emulsifiers that give a bit thicker of a texture. This really could be used as a light lotion, though, without any problems. My bag of BTMS actually says to use it for light lotions as well as conditioners.
Thank you very much! I loved the idea!
Perrrrrfect! The body lotion is hydrating and light! I used jojoba and almond oil, rosewater, vegetable glycerin, wheat protein, pomegranate extract and ylang ylang essential oil! I must admit I used a little more than 5gr by accident but it made the lotion silky!
Hi I just tried your recipe for the first time, I made two batches one using your measurements. The second I doubled up the ingredients because I needed a bigger batch but it did not come out good.
I have to admit when I made the larger batch I did so without the scale. I converted it to teaspoons not sure if that’s where I messed up. I find this recipe tricky to measure out but I am so excited to try it. Any suggestions or recommendations you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Christina,
Just to understand correctly, the first batch turned out correctly?
What exactly happened with the second batch? Did it not emulsify correctly?
I’m happy to try to help you fix it, but without knowing the problem it is a bit difficult.
The measurement is a big part of the recipe- too much water and not enough oils or emulsifier will cause problems with emulsification. The same problems could also be temperature related.
The last possibility- is I’ve since heard there are different types of BTMS and that some emulsify better than others. The type I buy here in Spain hasn’t specified which one it is which doesn’t really help. I’d love to be able to try out a bunch of different types to be able to help others with any issues they may have.
Hi I’ve made this in a small batch and it was great. When I try a larger batch I cannot get it to emulsify. I’ve heated it beyond 80 Celsius to make sure it is melted. It looks as though the BTMS is floating on the top. This is the second attempt and same result. I have added some different Emulsifying wax to see if that helped and it has a little but still separates. I haven’t wanted to add too much of the cetearyl alcohol emlsifyer in case it affected to performance of the conditioner. The measurement have been double checked. Do you think it needs more Oils/fats? Any suggestions?
Hi Kylie,
When I’ve had issues with something not emulsifying well, there are a few things that I try…
1) I reheat everything together, and keep the mixture over the double boiler for at least 5 minutes, making sure to stir well as it cools. If it’s an especially stubborn batch, I whip it with a blender as it cools to ensure it stays emulsified. If I’m making a new batch of a tricky recipe, I sometimes will heat and hold both the liquid and fat components for several minutes before mixing them together.
2) As it appears you tried by adding some cetearyl alcohol, I add a bit more emulsifier sometimes, and that can also help, but, yes, it can also affect the texture. If you are wanting a deeper conditioner, that probably wouldn’t be a problem, but if you want a light, leave-in conditioner, it may or may not be.
3) Yes, adding more oil can actually help a stubborn batch. I still haven’t posted my roll-on deodorant recipe because, while it worked out really well for me with one emulsifier, I was having issues with other, easier to find emulsifiers not emulsifying well in the recipe. I refuse to put up a recipe that only occasionally works well for me, so, between batch and batch, I’ve drawn out posting it on the blog. What finally seemed to fix things was to add more oil to my recipe. I’ll be making a new batch, to make sure I get repeatable results, in the next few days and will hopefully be (finally) posting that recipe soon.
What are you having issues in the first place?
If you had both parts (water and oils) of the formulation heated well, and have measured correctly, etc., perhaps it has to do with the emulsifier used…
It may have to do with the different BTMS formulations. When I wrote this post, I wasn’t aware that BTMS is sold in different formulations. Mine doesn’t have any number specifications, so I’m not even sure which BTMS I use. Most people have given me favorable feedback on the recipe as written, even when they have used different formulations of BTMS, so I’ve left things as is without making mention of it. I think this is the first time that I’ve heard about issues with the recipe, but if I hear of more problems, I may have to address the issue. Do you know which BTMS you are using?
Of course, it could just be that larger batches need a bit more mixing, etc., to ensure everything fully binds. I tend to make small batches of everything, so I rarely even need to use a blender. Most people who make large batches of creams and lotions, always use a blender, though. It could just be that your large batch needs a bit more help to ensure everything combines well.
HI! I am very eager to try this, but wondering if you know how Vitamin E oil or Rosemary Extract would work as a preservative? I’m asking because I already have those on hand. Thanks!
Hi Kate,
Neither Vitamin E oil or rosemary extract are true preservatives. Both vitamin E and rosemary extract are great antioxidants that help keep oils from going rancid. They may protect mixes from oxidation, but won’t protect against bacterial and fungal growth.
If you are making body butters and other mixes without water, they are great additions to keep things fresh longer, apart from their other benefits, but as soon as you add water to the mix to make an emulsion like a lotion or conditioner, you have created the perfect medium for bacteria and molds to form.
Without a true preservative, you’d need to keep the mixture in the fridge, and should probably use it within a week or so. There are lots of inexpensive natural preservatives like Leucidal, Rokonsal, etc.- which are great to have on hand for creating homemade products. Once you have one, you can make lotions and all sorts of other products yourself. I highly recommend it!
Hi,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have curly hair and have been looking for a natural conditioner. So glad I found this. I live in a very humid area so I plan to skip the glycerin. Di I need to replace it with anything else ?
Thank you for the wonderful work you are doing.
Hi Khush,
Thank you! 🙂
You’re very welcome for the recipe! It’s worked well for me, and I now have much curlier hair than I knew! It’s definitely improved since I’ve been using this and using less shampoo!
It’s fine to skip the glycerin. You could replace it with more distilled water if you find that the conditioner is too thick. (You can either sub it out from the beginning, or add it in later if you find it too thick without it and want to thin it out.) If you choose to add more water later to thin out your conditioner, make sure to shake it well to incorporate all of the water with the other ingredients and preservatives. (You don’t want a layer of water floating on top of the conditioner because it could lead to bacteria/mold buildup).
I hope that helps!
I am so excited to try your conditioner recipe! Your hair looks a lot like mine and I have been searching for a Natural Conditioner recipe for several weeks. I just ran out of my store bought brand and am in desperate need! I hope to make this tomorrow. (I JUST finished my very first batch of your Castile Soap recipe – its cooling in glass jars now and it came together beautifully – THANKS!)
However, I have one question about the conditioner. I have a different Emulsifier. I have never used it before so I don’t know how it behaves. Its an organic wax emulsifier made from beeswax, lecithin, and carnauba wax. Also, I was planning on using Colloidal Silver (distilled) water instead of a preservative. Do you think the recipe would still work with these substitutions?
Hi Christa,
I’m so happy the soap worked out for you!
Yes, I’m loving the homemade conditioner so far. I’ll probably be working on making a thicker, more moisturizing hair mask soon for those who need something like that. For me, this is perfect, but when I was shampooing, I used to need to use thicker, more hydrating conditioners every once in awhile.
The main difference between a lotion and a conditioner is really the emulsifier used. The emulsifiers make a big difference in the texture, consistency, and overall conditioning of the final product. For that very reason, I can’t really recommend using a different emulsifier, especially without having it tried that specific emulsifier myself. I don’t know if it would leave a heavy feeling on your hair or not.
Some emulsifiers can be used for both lotions and conditioners. This one (BTMS) is one example; it is suggested for hair conditioners and “light” lotions. The other day, I shaved my legs in the shower and afterwards used this conditioner on my legs out of curiosity, and it was fine to use as a nice, light lotion.
I guess my point is that while I can’t promise it will be great for your hair, and it may not be (probably won’t be) suited as a leave in conditioner as this one, you could give it a try. Worst case scenario, if the emulsifier works, but it’s not great as a conditioner, you’ll still end up with a homemade lotion. I will say that I’ve heard that using lecithin as an emulsifier can be tricky (the beeswax and carnauba wax aren’t emulsifiers themselves and are used to help stabilize the final product.) I’ve never worked with it myself, so I have no idea what sort of product you’ll end up with. If I had to guess, though, my guess is that it will be heavier, and perhaps quite a bit heavier than this conditioner.
As for the colloidal silver…
I’ve read a little bit about it as a preservative, and while it does have antiseptic properties, I think most people who wrote on the topic didn’t think it was effective enough to use as the sole preservative. Even if it is, I’d have no idea to know how long a cream made with it would keep. It may be a good co-preservative with something else- like a product with alcohol or some other natural preservative. I, once again, haven’t used it, though, and don’t have a means of testing my products for bacteria and molds, which is why I like to stick to preservatives that have set guidelines for how long they are normally effective. That doesn’t mean you can’t try it, but be aware of the possible risks of using it as a preservative.
I wish I had better answers for you. Hopefully that helps somewhat, though.
Wonderful thanks for all the helpful information. I think you are completely correct about that emulsifier being better suited for Lotions – that is why I bought it in the first place! I forgot about that so thanks. I will pick up some BTMS instead. Also, the preservative you used is so affordable as well I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t use that instead of the CS. CS is much more expensive – I just happened to have some already on hand. SO – I will pick up my supplies from Amazon and get started! My hair can’t wait!
I wasn’t sure if you’d chosen those particular ingredients because they were further towards “natural” on the continuum, or if it was more for convenience because it’s what you had already on hand. I like to make things as natural as possible, but without compromising on the quality of my final products. I understand and totally sympathize with those that are stricter that I am and would prefer just using oils, or who are very picky about emulsifiers and preservatives, though. That’s why I was trying to be careful about not telling you not to do things a certain way, but I did want you to understand that there are risks involved when changing things up too. 😉
I’ve been using a lot of different emulsifiers and preservatives lately with the goal to narrow things down to just a couple of each that will allow me to make a large variety of products without needing 100 different ingredients, you know? Luckily, yes, they tend to be inexpensive and most last quite a long time, but my goal is to make things as inexpensive and convenient as possible for both me and my readers.
I explain a bit more about some of the preservatives and emulsifiers that I’ve been using in my post about how to make a basic lotion.
At first it seems like you’re spending a lot, when you have to buy a lot of ingredients, especially if you choose a lot of organic oils, etc., but, yes, in the end, you definitely save a lot of money. I’ve been making a great new face cream, and just that is a huge money saver. Facial creams are extremely overpriced in my opinion. 😉
Hi, Tracy!
I just found your blog and i’m so glad what i did what – this hair conditioner recipe is exactly what i need! But as know i have dry and damaged hair from bleaching i’ll try to make it with coconut and avocado oils.
You wrote what you want to work on some hair mask recipe – could we expect recipe in near future?
Thank you!
Hi Anna-
It’s funny- because I actually just made a batch yesterday of one that I’m liking so far. I want to try it out for a couple of weeks before posting it, but if I know you’re looking forward to it, I can get it up ASAP.
I used shea butter, argan oil, and aloe oil (which was just aloe macerated in coconut oil, but plain coconut oil would work fine). It uses the same emulsifier, but adds in another good emulsifier for conditioners called Tego Amid s 18. I’m not sure how readily available that will be in the US, so I’ll have to try giving an alternative recipe for those who can’t find it.
I do plan on focusing on more of these sorts of DIY posts in 2018, and am planning on taking a course that will help me formulate some good, natural recipes with surfactants.