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.
Beginner’s Guide to Natural Preservatives
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.
FAQs
You can, but it won’t really be the same. BTMS is what gives the conditioner its slip and detangling ability. Without it, you’ll end up with something more like a lotion, which doesn’t work nearly as well on hair.
Yes, but results will vary. Other cationic emulsifiers can work, but in my experience, they don’t give the same softness or slip. BTMS is still the one that consistently works best.
If you’re storing it at room temperature, no. Because this recipe contains water, it needs a preservative to prevent mold and bacteria growth.
If you really want to skip it, you’d need to keep it in the fridge and use it within about a week.
It’s best to use distilled water. Tap water can contain minerals or impurities that may affect the final product or reduce shelf life. If needed, you can use filtered water that’s been recently boiled and cooled.
This usually happens if:
The oil and water phases weren’t at a similar temperature
It wasn’t blended enough
The emulsifier wasn’t fully melted
Try blending a bit longer next time and make sure everything is fully heated before combining.
Small changes can affect the texture:
Too thick: reduce the BTMS slightly or increase the water
Too thin: increase the BTMS a bit
It will also thicken more as it cools, so don’t judge it too early.
Yes, but use a very small amount. A little goes a long way, especially for finer hair.
Absolutely. You can swap the oil for something else or use a blend. Just keep the total amount about the same so the consistency doesn’t change too much.
Yes, but keep it simple at first. Adding more ingredients can make the conditioner harder to preserve, so make sure your preservative can handle the final formula.
With a preservative, about 2–3 months is a safe estimate. Without one, about a week in the fridge.
Prefer a faster overview?
Easy DIY Hair Conditioner
Equipment
- pump bottle
Materials
- 83 g distilled water
- 5 g BTMS
- 5 g glycerin
- 5 g argan oil or other oil(s)
- 1 g preservative (or use your preservative at its recommended rate)
- 1 g lavender essential oil or other essential oils
- lactic acid (for pH adjustment, optional)
Instructions
- Clean your work surfaces, utensils, and packaging. (You can use alcohol to better sanitize surfaces.)
- Weigh out the distilled water.
- Heat the water over a double boiler while you measure out the oil(s) and emulsifier.
- Weigh out the oil (or oils) in a double boiler insert.
- Tare the scale and add the BTMS (or another cationic emulsifier) to the oil(s).
- 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.
- Slowly add the hot water to the hot oil mixture while stirring or blending, keeping both phases at a similar temperature (around 70–75°C / 160–170°F).Blend with an immersion blender (or stir vigorously) until the mixture comes together and begins to thicken.
- Allow the mixture to cool, stirring occasionally, until it reaches around 90ºF/30ºC. Then add the preservative, essential oils, and any other heat-sensitive ingredients. Mix well to fully incorporate.
- Test the pH of the conditioner. Ideally, you want the pH to be in a good range for both your hair (around 4.5–5) and for the effectiveness of your preservative. (It’s easiest to choose a preservative that works in that range rather than adjusting the whole recipe.) Adjust the pH down with a couple of drops of lactic acid (or, less likely, up with a solution of NaOH).
- Bottle your conditioner. Wait until fully cooled to cap the bottle to prevent condensation from forming above the conditioner. You can now use it as needed!
Notes
- Make small batches and use within about 3 months.
- You can substitute the argan oil with another oil or a blend of oils.
- Glycerin is optional and can be replaced with more water if preferred.
- If your conditioner feels too thick, you can reduce the BTMS slightly or increase the water a bit in your next batch.
- Use a broad-spectrum preservative suitable for water-based products and follow its recommended usage rate. Most are used at around 0.5–1%, but always check your specific product.
- Make sure your preservative works within the pH range of this recipe (around 4.5–5).
- For a full example of how to customize this recipe, see my example of a customized conditioner.
This post was originally published on March 9, 2017. It has been updated with new photos, clearer instructions, and a step-by-step video.
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!
What other proteins would you recommend if I’m allergic to wheat? Also, would the measurements be the same if I used something like silk protein instead? Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
You can find a variety of additives like proteins and vitamins that are good for your hair in cosmetic supply places. I’ve seen keratins, collagens, silk protein (as you’ve mentioned), soy protein, etc. So far I’ve really only tried playing with wheat protein and a variety of vitamins. I’m concentrating on paying with the main recipes for now, and eventually will start playing more with those sorts of things.
In most cases, you would use the same measurement, but it’s a good idea to check the amounts listed on the packaging of whatever you are using or to ask your suppliers. They usually give a range in which the product is normally used. When making a product that gets washed off, I usually don’t use as many additives because I don’t want them going to waste. In the case of this conditioner, you can really use it as either a wash off or leave-in product, so you can play with the amounts used accordingly.
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?
Hi,
Just came through your website because I’m looking for a home made conditioner for me and my little daughter since I’m spending a lot of money on conditioners that at last don’t really work. We have 3c/4a hair I would like to substitute the Argan oil (I don’t have it at the moment) with shea butter and maybe add inuline because we really have cuuuurly hair? with tangles everywhere…ahahahah. Do you think it might work? Do you have any suggestions? Thank you in advance!
Hi Gui,
Yes, of course! That’s perfectly fine to make that substitution. You can use any oil/butter that works well with your hair type!
I’ve never worked with inuline, but I don’t see a problem adding it. Just follow the directions from your supplier to add it to whatever phase they suggest (water/oil) and at the point they suggest.
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. 🙂