Many soap and cosmetic makers measure their recipes by weight in grams and heat their ingredients to specific temperatures. I do not have a kitchen scale that weighs in grams and speaks; and I do not have a kitchen thermometer that talks; so I have to improvize. I work my recipes by proportions after much experimentation; and I will be posting my measurements in standard cooking measurements for the benefit of both blind people and people who just need such things.
So without further ado, the OMG it’s really hair conditioner! recipe, with a little commentary.
If you are used to store-bought conditioner (aka Panteen, which I used once upon a time), this will be extremely different for you. You do not use it by filling up your whole palm and slathering your head, then rinsing it out, which is the way most people apply conditioner to their heads. Furthermore, it will not leave your hair feeling slippery smoothe when you jump out of the shower. If this is your expectation of a hair conditioner, it is important that you leave behind all expectations before trying my recipe. Do not think about what your wet hair will feel like. Think only about what you want from your dry hair. Your wet hair is only the stage in between. I say this because when transitioning to a home-made conditioner, it is easy to examine your wet hair and think, “Oh, yuck!” especially as the hair’s natural oils are restored. The important thing about your wet hair is that it should be light and springy and your brush should move easily through it.
Depending on several factors, you may need or want to alter this recipe slightly. Those factors include the humidity level in your climate which influences the frizz factor in your hair; your hair type (fine, damaged by heat or coloring, perms, etc.); your skin type (dry, oily, mixed); and your preference for scent. I live in a somewhat humid climate; my hair is fairly fine; and my scalp type is mixed. Many hair care recipes call for sweet almond oil; but the recipe I began with suggested using a different oil if this was too oily. I chose not to use sweet almond oil and hoped for a medium texture outcome.
The recipe uses glycerine as well as emulsifying wax as binders. Due to the high water content, this is probably a good idea. If you remember your grandmother always putting lotion on her hands and it being soft and sticky, glycerine is one of the agents responsible for the soft/sticky effect. It has a similar effect in this recipe. I was not sure whether I would like it until I actually tried it in my hair.
The recipe:
- 8 oz water (I used 6 oz distilled water and 2 oz rose water
- 2 tbsp emulsifying wax
- 2 tbsp glycerine
- 2 tbsp carrier oil (I used 1 tbsp jojoba and 1 tbsp grapeseed; original recipe specifies 1 tbsp jojoba and 1 tbsp sweet almond)
- 6 ml argon oil
- a few drops essential oils of your choice (I used a very small amount of teatree and rose)
Note: Always use distilled water as opposed to tap water when making cosmetics. Tap water will introduce microbes that will contaminate your recipes.
Combine wax, glycerine, and carrier oils in top of double boiler or microwave safe bowl and heat until wax is melted. In a separate bowl, heat the water until warm (not hot). I heated the bowls together in the microwave for about one minute 20 seconds. Your mileage may vary.
Pour water into oil a little at a time and mix with a wire whisk. When all the water is added and you have mixed for a final time, allow the mixture to set for a while and cool before pouring into an empty bottle. I usually whisk a few more times during the cooling process to be sure the oil and water don’t separate.
After bottling, shake periodically as it continues to cool so that water and oil do not separate. You can put it in the refridgerator for a while to aid the setting process. Shake after removing. It will thicken but will remain somewhat thinner than you may expect.
This makes a nice leave-in conditioner; and I was very surprised that I had no frizz.
I buy all of my oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. They are one of a very few companies whose reputation I trust with regard to essential oils. If you have purchased argon oil, aka “Moroccan oil”, in retail stores or hair care locations, you will likely notice a difference if you buy it from Mountain Rose. There are many reasons, much too numerous to discuss in this post. Whatever you get in other places isn’t necessarily bad for your hair. What you get from Mountain rose will go much farther.
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