Hello, and welcome to our latest hair care recipe, how to make a DIY leave in Conditioner for natural hair. It’s a gorgeous formula designed to moisturize the hair from root to scalp. It’s packed full of wonderful ingredients that will leave hair feeling softer and smoother for longer.
It’s one of my new favorite recipes to make, and my family loves it too!
It’s a product that my daughter has been asking me to make for a long time now, and I’ve got to say that I am thrilled with the results. The consistency is just right as it’s slightly more fluid than a rinse-off conditioner and has a light non greasy feel.
As I mentioned, this conditioner was made with my daughter’s hair in mind, which is thick, long, wavey, and prone to frizz.
After a couple of applications, her hair looks great and is noticeably less dry and frizzy. Plus, it has more bounce, which was a great relief because one of my initial concerns was that it could leave my hair feeling heavy and limp.
DIY Leave In Conditioner Recipe
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Ingredients
Water Phase A
- 54 g Distilled Water
- 75 g Rose Hydrosol
- 3 g Glycerine
- 1.5 g D-Panthenol Powder
Oil Phase B
- 3 g BTMS-50 Emulsifying Wax
- 1.5 g Cetearyl Alcohol
- 6 g Safflower Oil
Cool Down Phase C
Video
Instructions
Measure Phases A + B
- In one of the beakers place all of the phase A ingredients and give it a quick stir to combine.54 g Distilled Water, 75 g Rose Hydrosol, 3 g Glycerine
- In a separate beaker place all of the phase B ingredients.1.5 g D-Panthenol Powder, 3 g BTMS-50 Emulsifying Wax, 1.5 g Cetearyl Alcohol, 6 g Safflower Oil
Combine Phases A + B
- Place both beakers into bain marie or a shallow pan of simmering water, making sure the water is not so high that the beakers are moving. Let them sit until the waxes have completely melted and the waters have heated through.
- Once melted remove both beakers from the water and quickly pour the beaker containing water (phase A) into the beaker containing the oils (phase B)
Homogonize The Emulsion
- Grab your blender and start blending, blend for a couple of minutes then leave the conditioner to cool for a few minutes. As the conditioner cools, keep an eye on it and, give it a quick stir with a spatula every couple of minutes. If you notice any separation, a good brisk stir or blitz with the blender should bring it back together.
- When the conditioner has cooled to 40c (104f) you will notice that the conditioner has thickened and you can leave a small trace across the top of the conditioner.
Cool Down Phase C
- Now it's time to add the cool-down ingredients (phase C), giving a good stir so that they are well combined.3 g Polyquat 7, 1.5 g Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, 1.5 g Geogard ECT
- The conditioner is now ready to transfer to a bottle with a flip-top lid or a pump bottle for easy application.8 oz PET Plastic Bottle
DIY Leave In Conditioner Application (‘How To Use’, ‘How To Store’)
Product Shelf Life: 6-12 months (with preservative)
Storage Instructions: Store in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight
Storage Notes: It’s important to choose the right container for this recipe. Because of the presence of essential oils, our container must be made from PET plastic, glass, or aluminum.
We always recommend pairing your DIY leave-in conditioner with a homemade shampoo for added benefit.
How To Use:
After washing, towel dry the hair so that it is just damp and not dripping.
Place a small amount of the conditioner in the palms of the hands and rob the palms together. After the first use, you generally get a better idea of how much your hair needs.
Start applying the conditioner to the tips of the hair working up toward the roots, but stopping a couple of inches before reaching the roots. Too much of the product on the roots can weigh the hair down making it look flat and lifeless.
Once applied give the hair a good comb-through so that the conditioner has been well-distributed. Then style as you usually would by using a hair dryer or allowing the hair to dry naturally.
In-Depth Analysis
What is a DIY leave-in conditioner?
A leave-in conditioner is a type of lightweight conditioner that doesn’t get washed off after applying it. So It stays in your hair all day, keeping it smooth and healthy.
How?
Mainly because It’s full of good ingredients like moisturizing proteins, and silicones that seal in moisture to keep frizz down, and keep those locks in top shape.
So, this means less static, fewer tangles, smoother combing, and protection against the daily wear and tear your hair goes through. In short, it’s like a protective coating for your hair!
If you have never made a conditioner before but have made one of our face creams, then you will notice that the method is very much the same.
The difference here is that the water-based content is much higher in a leave-in conditioner, and oils are kept to a minimum so that the hair is not being weighed down. Maybe we should be calling this a hair cream!
Ingredient Specification and Purpose
Our formula has a thin, fluid consistency which makes the conditioner super easy to apply and can be easily stored in a flip or pump top bottle.
Rather than adding an overpowering scent to the conditioner, we have chosen to add the delicate scent of Rose Hydrosol. This also adds a few additional benefits for the hair and scalp, such as hydration and soothing properties.
We are using BTMS-50 and Cetearyl Alcohol as our conditioning agents and emulsifier they give the conditioner a silky creamy feeling that helps to soften the hair and keep it tangle-free.
Polyquaternium 7 is a conditioning agent that helps to smooth the hair’s surface, reduce static, and enhance shine. It also adds some slip-and-slide to our DIY leave-in conditioner.
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein has been added to penetrate the hair shaft to strengthen and repair damaged hair and add volume.
As with most of our conditioners, we’ve added some Panthenol Powder to improve the hair’s moisture retention, elasticity, and flexibility.
Although we don’t want our leave-in conditioner to be heavy, we do need to add a little oil to provide nourishment and moisturize the hair. Safflower Oil is a light dry feeling oil that is known to strengthen and stimulate hair growth.
Substituting Ingredients
- Rose hydrosol: you could use another hydrosol of choice or substitute it for distilled water.
- D Panthenol powder: this can be substituted for liquid panthenol. However, this is not heat-stable, so you will need to add it with the cool-down ingredients.
- BTMS-50: you could try BTMS25; however, this is less conditioning, and I would also recommend changing the cetearyl alcohol to cetyl alcohol to make it less waxy.
- Cetearyl Alcohol: You could replace this with more BTMS 50 or use cetyl alcohol instead.
- Safflower Oil: another lightweight oil, such as jojoba or grapeseed, would be nice
- Polyquaternium 7: you could use honeyquat or replace it with more water or glycerin.
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, hydrolyzed silk, or rice protein would be my first choice. Green tea extract could be nice, or replace it with more water.
- Geogard ECT: another broad spectrum preservative would be fine. Always check the recommended usage rate and adapt if need be.
Final Thoughts
You would think that a diy leave-in conditioner would be a complicated process, but with some practice, it doesn’t have to be. An emulsion can be tricky to achieve your first time, but as long as you pay attention to the detail (e.g.
