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.
Hi Tracy,
I am trying to make my own deep conditioner with raw ingredients like mango, plantain and aloe Vera. I am not sure what phase I should put these ingredients in. I hope my question makes sense.
Hi Lacee,
Yes. I guess more of those would be water-based, so they’d probably be added with the water ingredients. If you’re using heat-sensitive ingredients, though, you’d want to add those at the end.
Keep in mind that food-based ingredients can feed microbes like bacteria and mold, so it’s best to keep those sorts of ingredients to a minimum if you want to preserve your conditioner well and keep your conditioner safe. The natural preservatives can do a good job of preserving a simple recipe, but as the recipe gets more complex, it may be more difficult to safely preserve for a relatively long period of time. I hope that makes sense too. 😉
You are the holy grail I have been searching for! I have learned that my hair does not like aloe (causes it to flash freeze/dry) or glycerin (I live in a desert), plus I want to eliminate as many toxins as I can from my environment, and not break the bank on hair care. Thank you so much for providing me with everything I have been looking for!
1) Can I use Shea butter for my oil?
2) If I want to add SZ Cetearyl Alcohol (50/50) for additional moisture, would I replace some of the oil weight for the cetearyl alcohol weight? I’m new to DIY hair care and I’m not sure how to substitute and add ingredients to a formula.
Thank you for your help and such amazing information!
Hi Tara,
Thank you! I’m happy to help!
Yes, you can definitely make this without glycerin and can use shea butter for your oil without any problems.
As for the cetearyl alcohol, yes, you could definitely try doing that. I’d start by switching out only a small amount and see how you like the result (maybe 1g). Depending on your findings you could either increase (to 2g?) or decrease that.
Keep in mind that the addition of the cetearyl alcohol will likely thicken the conditioner somewhat.
Good luck with it!
Hi Tracy, if using btms 50 , can you advise how much should i use instead? Thank you so much!
Hi Li Lian,
Just use the same amount.
This was such a great blog post, the best one I found for making hair conditioner. Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial and all the information you provide herein.
I was wondering if you have experimented with a co-washing recipe? I would like to follow this conditioner recipe and maybe add yucca powder as the cleansing component, would that work? And if so if i use the measurements in this recipe, how much yucca powder should I add? Does it go in at the final phase or while heating up oils? Thank you kindly for your time and help. I’m also reading up on your latest post about preservatives, it’s amazing!
Thank you, Nina!
Yes, I’ve tried and yes, you could try adding some to see what happens. I’ve done some experimentation adding a bit of surfactant to this, but was never fully happy with the results, which is why I never got around to posting a recipe. I should revisit the idea and try again, though. In the courses I took for haircare formulation, they added the surfactant to the water phase and actually heated them with the water to add them. With something like yucca powder, I’m not sure. You might be best to hydrate in the water and heat it with the water phase, unless the yucca extract is harmed by heat. (In that case you might want to add it in the end.)
I’ve only seen a liquid yucca extract, so I’m not sure what the powder is like or how it’s supposed to be used. What do the instructions say?
Hi.
I tried making this, but it came out with dry and rather sticky texture that separates a bit in bottle. Do you know why?
Is there a way to make it more slippery to detangle fragile hair?
Hi Stella,
That’s strange. It should definitely not feel sticky. BTMS is a cationic emulsifier- which gives a really smooth, slippery sensation. That’s what makes it so great for detangling hair and conditioning it.
Which BTMS are you using? (And where from?)
I’ve never heard of anybody having that issue before. To me, it seems like a problem with the emulsifier.
I’ve tried experimenting with using other emulsifiers for a hair conditioner and none provide the same slip and detangling ability of BTMS in my opinion.
Hello. Sorry for long delay.
I got Millard all natural emulsifying wax.
It came up when I searched btms. But does not say it on the package. Maybe a mistake, but I already opened it so now must use it.
Hi Tracy, I’m excited about trying out your recipe but I’m curious, with the preservatives in it, why only three months shelf life? I was hoping it would last longer. Thanks! Ngunan from Nigeria.
Hi Ngunan,
That’s a great question!
In actuality, the product should safely keep longer. I suggest making only 3 months worth of products with water in them as most of us who make products at home won’t be doing any sort of microbial testing. While mold is easy to see, bacteria is generally invisible to the eye (at least at first). I’m trying to prevent people from having issues.
The supplier I buy from recommended 3 months shelf life for home formulation, and I agreed that it was a good recommendation.
So, yes, if you are using good hygiene and measure things out accurately, etc., the conditioner will likely keep much longer without issues. I’m just trying to keep people as safe as possible. (I have more information in my guide to natural preservatives.)
If using stronger, more synthetic preservatives, it will keep longer too. I prefer to stick to the more natural alternatives and make smaller batches more often.
Hi Tracy,
I ordered the ingredients you suggested and have just made your customised conditioner!
I put the essential oil in with the other oils at the beginning. Is this ok?
Is it also meant to be a little runnier than a regular shop bought one? More like a smoothie consistency? If so, I think I’ve done it right.
Also, are you meant to use a lot less than a shop bought conditioner?
Hope you’re keeping safe!
Love fr Sarah
(Manchester, UK.)
Hi Sarah,
How long after making the conditioner did you write the questions?
Mine usually looks like it will be thinner, but then it thickens up in the next day or so.
You can pretty much use however much you normally use conditioner, depending on how you want to use it. If you plan on leaving it in your hair, you’d use a lot less. If you want to use it as a mask of sorts, you’d use a bit more and would leave it in your hair for 10-15 minutes before washing out. For day to day, though, I’d use what you normally use, more or less.
As for the essential oils, I usually add them in at the end because some EO’s are sensitive to heat. That said, most can tolerate some heat, and in this case, we’re mostly using them for scent, so as long as they still give a pleasant fragrance to your conditioner, you’re fine! 😉
We’re safe and doing well here. I’m usually working from home anyway, but having so many
distractionspeople at home does make it a bit more hard to focus on work. 😉Hope you are healthy and well too!
Hey. I’m really excited to try this diy conditioner out. I have bad eczema that reacts to something in commercial products.
Only problem is I don’t understand how to measure liquids in grams. Especially such tiny measurements.
What would that look like with standard measuring systems like OZs or Cups/Teaspoons?
Thanks
Hi Espania,
When making cosmetics, it’s more important to weigh out the measurements to make sure you have just the right amount. Digital scales these days are inexpensive and can normally switch from grams to ounces easily. I’d avoid trying to measure any cosmetics with cups or teaspoons. It just isn’t precise enough, especially when working with small amounts.
Hi Tracy!
Why did you use destilled water in your recipe? Can I use boiled tap water instead? Is it make any diffrernce?
Thanks!
Hi Ezter,
I use distilled water to make sure that there are no microbes or minerals that may affect the final product. In most cases, you should be fine with boiled filtered water, though. I like to err on the side of caution when making homemade products because I don’t do microbial testing on them and I usually use natural preservatives that aren’t as strong as the parabens. 😉
Hi Tracy, tried your conditioner recipe and it’s awesome. Best cream container I’ve used to date. I must however add that tweaking tree recipe a bit has given amazing results. I stay in India. Works great in this climate. I substituted the jojoba oil with hair nourishing moringa oil. Also added eos blend of clarysage, rosemary, lavender and peppermint. Result spider amazing. Thank you so so much for the recipe.
Hello Saroj,
Yes, I like to explain the reasons for using what I use to try to make it easier for people to adjust the recipes to suit them.
I’m so happy to hear it went well for you! 🙂
Hello,
I made the conditioner quit successfully, but my hair is EXTREMELY dry and while the recipe works, it’s not quite as moisturizing as I need. I took the basic recipe and added equal amounts of jojoba and argan oil and then in place of some of the water I used aloe. I was wondering if you had any advice as to how I could make it a bit more potent for my dryness? I’m just learning all of this, and I’m not sure which way to go, I’m not fond of conditioner bars, so I do want to keep working with the lotion type here.
Thank you for any advice. I appreciate it 🙂
Hi Suzi,
The main conditioning agent in the conditioner is the emulsifier itself, the BTMS.
BTMS is a cationic ingredient. Cationic ingredients give a conditioning feel.
If your hair is extremely dry, there are a few things that come to my mind that could help you. (I haven’t personally tried them yet with this recipe, but I think they could help you.)
1) Yes, you could try to incorporate more oils and/or butters. For some people that would really weigh down their hair, but in your case, it may be helpful to lock in moisture.
2) You could play around with the glycerin content of the recipe. Glycerin is a humectant that normally helps draw moisture into your hair, but in extreme climates, it can do the opposite. Normally, 5% is a good amount because more than that can make a product feel sticky. You may find that using more, or less, or none may work better for you! (This would depend on the climate where you live and your hair type.)
3) You could increase the amount of BTMS. That will also thicken the conditioner. It would also make it more conditioning.
4) You could add another conditioning agent like cetrimonium chloride.
I hope one of these ideas will help you find the perfect conditioner for your hair!
(You could also consider occasionally doing a sort of “hot oil treatment” with oils or something like my homemade hair butter.
Thank yous o much. I’ll try some of those to see what works.
Great! You’re very welcome!
I’m a little lost on whaT to do or where to get started. I have the following ingredients already :
BTMS 25 Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol
Germall plus liquid preservative
Jojoba oil / sweet almond
Water Wil be soaked in Green tea
Vegetable based glycerin
Essential oil for fragrance
I want to make big batch of a Slippery, moisturizing conditioner for long, thick, extra dry and split ended curly hair.
I think I have the basic ingredients down (I might add tiny amount of other types of oil like argon or something)
I just don’t know where to start, never done anything like this.
Any and all help would be so appreciated
Thanks
Hi Joe,
You can basically just follow the recipe I have up, switching out the argan oil for your oils.
The BTMS I used was BTMS-25, too, so…
Your preservative doesn’t need to be used in such a high percentage either. (I think it’s usually used around 0.5% or even slightly less.)