Easy DIY Hair Conditioner (That Actually Works)

Make your own DIY hair conditioner with simple ingredients you can customize. This real conditioner leaves your hair soft, smooth, and easy to detangle and can even be used as a leave-in.

When I first wrote this post, I had just taken the Dressing Your Truth® course, and it changed how I was doing my hair.

Up until then, I had been straightening it all the time. It helped me realize I didn’t need to fight my natural texture, so for the first time in over 20 years, I started letting my hair do its natural curly and wavy thing.

To help support my waves, I started washing my hair less often and using a homemade flaxseed hair gel. I used this conditioner as a co-wash during the week and my homemade clarifying shampoo about once a week. The difference was immediate. I started seeing waves and curls I didn’t even know I had, and now I can just let it do its thing and I love how it looks.

This isn’t just a mix of oils or a quick DIY shortcut. It’s a real conditioner, similar to what you’d buy in a store, but you get to control what goes into it and adjust it to suit your hair.

Watch the full tutorial

Here’s exactly how I make it step by step, along with ingredient tips, troubleshooting, and customization ideas.

Why make a homemade conditioner?

There are a lot of reasons to make your own conditioner.

When you realize that most conditioners are mostly water, it starts to make sense. You can make something very similar at home for much less, even when using high-quality ingredients.

A lot of products highlight a specific oil or “miracle” ingredient, but in reality, those are often only used in small amounts. The rest of the formula may include ingredients you may not love or may prefer to avoid.

When you make your own, you get to decide exactly what goes into it and what to leave out. That’s always been my main reason for making things myself. I like knowing what I’m using and being able to adjust things depending on what my hair needs.

It’s also surprisingly affordable, and you can reuse your containers to cut down on waste. If you’d rather skip bottles altogether, you can also try my homemade conditioner bar.

The ingredients

A basic conditioner only uses a few simple types of ingredients: water, oil, an emulsifier, and a preservative. From there, you can keep it simple or customize it with things like vitamins or essential oils.

To make a conditioner, we’re making a simple emulsion. It’s just like making a simple lotion. The main difference is the type of emulsifier used. In this case, we’re using a cationic emulsifier, BTMS, which is what gives this conditioner its conditioning properties.

What is BTMS?

The main ingredient that makes this a true conditioner is BTMS (Behentrimonium Methosulfate).

This is what gives the conditioner its slip and makes it easier to detangle your hair. Without it, you’d end up with something more like a lotion, which won’t have the same feel or work nearly as well on hair.

BTMS is what’s called a cationic emulsifier, which just means it has a positive charge. Hair has a slight negative charge, so the BTMS is attracted to it. It lightly coats the hair and helps smooth it so the strands don’t catch on each other as much. That’s what gives you that soft, slippery feel and makes it easier to comb through.

When I first shared this recipe, I described it as a “natural” conditioner because I had taken a course that used BTMS in their formulas. Since then, I’ve learned that not everyone considers BTMS to be natural, especially when it comes to stricter certifications.

That said, this is still the version I reach for most often because it simply works better for my hair. I’ve tried other options, but they just don’t give the same slip or leave my hair feeling as soft.

Substituting BTMS

If you’d rather not use BTMS, there are other cationic emulsifiers that can be used to make a conditioner.

That said, they don’t all give the same results. In my experience, BTMS gives the best slip and leaves the hair feeling the softest.

I’ve experimented with a few alternatives, and I’ll be sharing more details about those options in a separate post.

BTMS-25 vs. BTMS-50

When I first wrote this post, I didn’t even realize that BTMS was sold in different versions. My supplier just called it “BTMS,” but after looking into it more, I realized I had been using BTMS-25.

BTMS-25 is a combination of Behentrimonium Methosulfate and cetearyl alcohol, which acts as a co-emulsifier. The amount of the active conditioning ingredient is lower, but it tends to give a thicker, creamier conditioner.

BTMS-50 has a higher percentage of Behentrimonium Methosulfate, along with cetyl alcohol and butylene glycol. Because of that, it usually makes a slightly lighter conditioner.

Some people prefer BTMS-25 because it has fewer ingredients, while others choose to avoid BTMS-50 due to the butylene glycol. While it’s generally considered safe, some people prefer to avoid glycols or more processed ingredients.

You can use either one in this recipe, just keep in mind that the final texture may be a little different.

The oil phase

In this recipe, I use a small amount of oil to help soften the hair and add a bit of shine. I often use argan oil, but you don’t have to use it.

You can swap it out for another oil or even use a combination of oils, depending on your hair type and what you have on hand. Just try to keep the total amount about the same so the consistency stays similar.

Some oils are lighter, like jojoba or argan oil, while others like coconut, olive oil, or avocado oil can feel heavier. Shea butter can also be used, especially for thicker or curlier hair, but it may be too much for finer hair.

The water phase

The main ingredient in most conditioners is water, and this recipe is no exception.

I like to use distilled water because it doesn’t contain minerals or impurities that can affect the final product. If you don’t have distilled water, you can use filtered water that has been recently boiled and cooled.

You can also replace part of the water with something like a hydrosol or aloe juice if you want to customize it a bit.

If you start adding a lot of things like aloe, hydrosols, or other botanicals, just keep in mind that they can make the conditioner a bit harder to preserve, so it’s best to keep things fairly simple.

About glycerin

Glycerin is a humectant, which means it helps draw moisture into the hair.

That said, it doesn’t work well for everyone. In very dry or very humid climates, it can sometimes make hair feel dry or sticky instead.

If you’d rather not use it, you can simply leave it out and replace it with more water.

Adding a preservative

Because this conditioner contains water, it needs a preservative. There’s really no safe way around this if you plan to store it at room temperature.

Without one, it can grow bacteria or mold, even if you can’t see it right away. So this is one step you don’t want to skip.

The good news is that there are several preservatives available for home use that work well in recipes like this. I’ve used options like Cosgard (Geogard 221), Sharomix, and others over the years.

If you want to learn more about the different preservative options, I have a post about natural preservatives that goes into more detail.

Just make sure to use a broad-spectrum preservative and follow the recommended usage rate for the one you choose. Most are used at around 1% of the recipe, but always check your specific product.

It’s also important that the pH of your product works with your preservative, since some only work within certain ranges. I go into more detail about that in my post about pH in cosmetics.

Optional ingredients

You can also customize this conditioner with a few optional ingredients.

For scent, I usually add essential oils. I like lavender and rosemary, but you can use whatever you prefer. Keep the total amount low, usually around 0.5–1% of the recipe.

You can also add things like d-panthenol or proteins like rice or wheat protein to help support the hair.

If you’d like to see a full example of how this recipe can be customized, I’ve shared an example of a customized conditioner using aloe juice, different oils, and added ingredients like panthenol and protein.

How to make it

Making this conditioner is very similar to making a simple lotion. You’ll heat the water phase and oil phase separately, combine them, and then blend everything together until it forms a smooth, creamy emulsion.

Start by heating the distilled water in a double boiler. (1) At the same time, in a separate heat-safe container, combine the oil and BTMS and heat them until the BTMS has fully melted. (2) Once both phases are hot and roughly the same temperature, slowly pour the water into the oil mixture while blending or stirring.

At first, the mixture will look thin, but as you continue blending, it will quickly turn creamy and opaque. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Once it has cooled down to around 30°C/90°F, you can add the preservative, essential oils, and any other heat-sensitive ingredients.

After that, check the pH and adjust if needed. Then transfer the finished conditioner to your container and let it cool completely before closing it.

How long does it keep?

With a preservative, this conditioner should last around 3 months when stored properly. It will probably keep longer than that, but since we’re not doing formal stability testing at home, I like to stay on the safe side.

I still prefer to make smaller batches so it’s always fresh, and I keep an eye on it and remake it if anything seems off.

If you choose not to use a preservative, you’ll need to treat it more like a food. Keep it in the refrigerator and use it within about a week.

How to use it

I usually use this as a rinse-out conditioner after washing my hair.

Apply a small amount to the ends of your hair, work it through, and comb it through to help detangle. Then rinse it out.

You can also use a small amount as a leave-in conditioner, especially on damp hair. Just be careful not to use too much, as a little goes a long way.

You can also use it as a co-wash if you’re trying to wash your hair less often. Just massage it into your scalp and rinse it out well.

I’ve also used it between washes to help refresh my curls. I lightly mist my hair with water, then mix a small amount of conditioner with a bit of homemade hair gel (or flaxseed hair gel) and scrunch it through to bring the curls back.

You can store this in a pump bottle or another reusable container. I also like using silicone travel tubes since they’re easy to squeeze and work well if you’re taking it with you.

If your hair is very fine, start with a very small amount and adjust as needed.

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This post was originally published on March 9, 2017. It has been updated with new photos, clearer instructions, and a step-by-step video.