This is mango butter conditioner bar that looks and smells good enough to eat! And here’s the best bit, because they are so concentrated one bar should last you around 6 months.
I’ve been making lots of conditioners recently. Mostly the liquid kind. And I have to say I think I prefer making these. They’re a lot easier to make!
Simple To Make Mango Butter Conditioner Bars
These are very easy to make. In fact, I would say If you can make a lip balm you can make a hair conditioning bar just as easily. The hardest part of making these fruity mango conditioner bars was getting the melted oils and waxes in the mold before going solid. But we’ll come onto that soon enough.
There are three main conditioning agents in this recipe. These are mango butter, BTMS-50 and of course, our Seabuckthorn Oil. I’ve also included a little cocoa butter, which also lends some wonderful benefits for our hair. It also helps keep the bars stiff.
But we’ll talk more about these ingredients later in my post. First, let’s not waste any more time and dive right into the recipe.
DIY Mango Butter Conditioner Bar For Gorgeous Smelling Hair
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Equipment
- 1 Small Beaker
- Silicone Soap Mold a very small one
Ingredients
Phase A
- 32.5 g BTMS-50 Emulsifying Wax
- 7.5 g Cetyl Alcohol
- 2.5 g Cocoa Butter
- 3.5 g Mango Butter
- 2.5 g Sea Buckthorn Oil
Phase B
- 0.5 g Vitamin E Oil
- 0.25 g Orange Essential Oil
- 0.25 g Lemon Essential Oil (distilled)
- 0.5 g Preservative
Video
Instructions
- In a heatproof container, weigh the phase A ingredients.32.5 g BTMS-50 Emulsifying Wax, 7.5 g Cetyl Alcohol, 2.5 g Cocoa Butter, 3.5 g Mango Butter, 2.5 g Sea Buckthorn Oil
- Place the beaker into a bain marie or a shallow pan of simmering water, ensuring the water is not so high that the beaker is moving around. Let it sit in the simmering water until the waxes and butter completely melt.
- Once the wax has melted, we can add our phase B ingredients. This will include your vitamin E, orange essential oil, and lemon essential oil. Once combined add the Lavender Essential Oil and set aside.0.5 g Vitamin E Oil, 0.25 g Orange Essential Oil, 0.25 g Lemon Essential Oil
- Also, make sure you have the mold ready and waiting as the waxes can begin to harden quite quickly after removing them from the heat.
- The next part needs to be done swiftly to avoid the wax becoming hard. Add the the preservative and stir well to make sure it is fully dispersed within the wax but, work fast as we need to it to the mold.0.5 g Preservative
- Now, pour the mixture into our mold. If can pour it great, if not help it into the mold with a spatula, pressing it down so that it gets into all of the corners, and smoothing the top. If the wax becomes so solid that it's unmanipulatable, pop it back into the water bath and gently heat it through until it's pourable.
- Place the mold into the refrigerator to harden, this can take a couple of hours. Once the conditioning bar has hardened, it is ready to be removed from the mold.
Notes
How To Use & Store Mango Butter Conditioner Bars
Product Shelf Life: 6-12 months (with preservative)
Storage Instructions: Store in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight
Storage Notes: Providing these are kept inside, they should still be a solid during summer. You may find they’re a little softer on the very hottest days of summer.
How To Use:
- Shampoo your hair as normal
- Massage into the scalp and roots of the hair
- Work the conditioner to the tips of your hair
- Leave for 5 minutes to allow the product to sink into the hair
- Rinse, dry and style as usual
Frequency Of Use: Safe to use after every shampoo wash. It’s recommended that you wash your hair no more than once or twice a week.
In-Depth Analysis
Formula Inspiration and Theming
Ingredient Specification and Purpose
BTMS 50 emulsifying wax, although it’s more expensive and harder to source than other emulsifying waxes, its conditioning qualities are second to none and we feel you save money in the end by not having to put lots of other expensive hair conditioning ingredients in. Its the perfect wax for my diy mango butter conditioner bars!
Cetyl Alcohol, dry hair loves this stuff, it’s like an oil without the greasiness. It’s packed with hydrating goodness and keeps the bar going for longer.
The butter is there for nourishment, keeping the hair supple and frizz-free.
Seabuckthorn oil, hair conditioners always need a good oil in them i had a few to choose from, Argon, coconut and jojoba were all good front runners but seabuckthorn oil ticked all the same boxes and the golden orange color was perfect for my citrus, and mango theme.
Essential oils I’m always drawn to fruity citrus aromas in hair products. They just seem to energize in the mornings.
Substituting Ingredients
- We do not recommend substituting the BTMS 50, cetyl alcohol, or cocoa butter as these keep the bar nice and hard.
- Mango butter could be substituted for any other butter, you would need to change the name of the conditioner bar though.
- Sea Buckthorn Carrier Oil again could be subbed for any other oil however this is what gives the bar its lovely yellow colour. You could add a touch of mica to the melted oils to compensate for this or leave it naturally white. But remember that even those we’re using mango butter for a mango butter conditioner bar, we don’t have to make it yellow!
- Vitamin E is here to stop the oils from oxidizing. You could use rosemary CO2 extract.
- Essential Oils another essential oil of choice would be fine.
- Preservative you could change this but you need one that can tolerate heat to 140f (60c)
A Note On Preservatives
Although this is an anhydrous (water-free) product that doesn’t necessarily need a preservative. It’s most likely going to be sat on a shelf in the shower or bathroom and doused with water regularly. A preservative gives the bar some extra protection from mold or bacteria.
We are using Saligaurd PCG as its heat-tolerant at 104f (60c). Another great choice would be Optiphen ™ Plus which is heat-tolerant to 185f (85c). This preservative is soluble in water but we are using a large amount of emulsifying wax (BTMS 50) it will not be an issue.
Final Thoughts
That’s all I have for you my friends, I hope this mango butter conditioner bar has inspired you to get into that kitchen and whip up your very own. It’s a lot easier than you might think. Don’t let this one put you off because it really is great.
Let me know if you have any trouble making or using these bars. I’ll do my best to answer any questions in the comments below.
Hi Angela!
You mentioned Bisabolol is the Substitution List but it’s not in the actual recipe. Which phase and how much would be used? This recipe looks great and I’d like to try it, thank you!
Hello Stephanie,
I wanted to let you know that I changed the recipe a while back because Bisabolol wasn’t widely available at the time. However, I forgot to update my substitution list. If you’d like to include Bisabolol (which I highly recommend) you can add it at 0.5%. Incorporate it after the Vitamin E in Phase B, and reduce the sea buckthorn oil by 0.5% to compensate.
Hope this helps Angela X
I love all of your recipes and tutorials! I am looking for a formulation on a detangling spritz for hair. Do you have any formulations or guidance on this topic? Thanks again for all you do!
Hello, not yet, but definitely something to think about.
Angela X