How to Make a Simple Handmade Conditioner Easily

Sometime back I shared my shampoo making process. Since then I have dabbled upon different recipes to make solid shampoo bars. 

My hair loves these bars that use ingredients from my pantry and kitchen garden. Also, they make wonderful handmade gifts for Christmas and other festivities. Not to mention you can even create the shampoo bars for commercial purposes. 

These bars are mild and low on the lather. Hence, there is not much of a need for a conditioner. But I still use my regular ACV rinse to reduce the static and keep itchiness at bay. 

But during my last visit to the mountains during winters. I felt a need for a little more conditioning for my hair. 

The winds and low temperature weakened my hair strands. That is when I realized that the acidic rinse was not enough. My hair did need a protective coating to withstand the harsh temperature. 

If you live in a warm climate, then you are good with the apple cider vinegar rinse. But if you live in a cold environment. Then, you might want to check out my natural leave-in hair conditioner recipe below. 

The recipe is so good that you can even make it in bulk and sell in batches.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase any of the products mentioned in this article through routing via the links in this post. Then, I may end up receiving a certain monetary percentage from the sale. Though the one who purchases through the link does not end up paying anything extra apart from the mentioned MRP on the product. Full disclosures on the Affiliate Page.

Hair Conditioner Ingredients

1. Shea Butter – 40%
2. Coconut Oil – 40%
3. Grapeseed Oil – 20%
4. Few drops of essential oils (Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint are good.)
5. Molds
6. Wax heater / Bain Marie

You must use pure ingredients to make this bar. Else, you will not get the benefits. Not all kinds of butter and oils are the same. For instance, you cannot use the usual coconut oil which contains paraffin wax. 

Paraffin wax is a petroleum derivative. Thus, not good for the body. That is why I use the oil which is organic and cold-pressed.

Moreover, it is important to not expose these fats to a high temperature. Else, the heat destroys their goodness. That is why I use a wax heater. The wax heater auto switches off after reaching a certain temperature. Thus the fatty acids do not get exposed to a high temperature. 

If you do not want to invest in a wax heater. Then, you can use a bain-marie on your regular cooking stove.   

• Save

Simple Solid Conditioner Recipe

1. Heat shea butter and coconut oil.
2. Once the above oils melt. Switch off the heat, and add grapeseed oil.
3. Then, add the essential oils and stir.
4. Pour the hot oil mixture in a mold.
5. The bars will set to solid at room temperature. Then, release the bars from the mold as they are ready to use.

How to Make Hair Conditioner to Sell

As you can notice, the recipe to make an all-natural hair conditioner is so easy. Unlike the traditional conditioners, this one is not in a liquid or a creamy consistency.

Though you can increase the ratio of grapeseed oil to get the conditioner in a liquid state. By that, I mean increasing the grapeseed oil to 40% while keeping both the other fats equal at 30% each. 

But then, you will need to add a natural emulsifier for hair conditioner. That is because of the varying physical states of fats used in the recipe. Shea butter and coconut oil turn to solid at cold temperatures. The drop in temperature separates them from grapeseed oil. Thus, to keep all the fats in the same consistency. You will require an emulsifying binding agent.

But since my recipe is for the solid form of conditioner. Therefore, it does not require an emulsifier. Moreover, it is easy to pack, label, and ship. Thus, you can make a huge batch for your handmade business at one sitting.  

How to Use the Solid Conditioner

If you are new to the world of handmade cosmetics. Then, the thought of using solid shampoo bars and conditioners might perplex you. 

But believe me, it is not difficult to use hair products that are not in a liquid state.

Much like the soap bars. You can use both the solid shampoo and conditioner on wet hair. You can start by rubbing the bars on damp hair to either get lather/conditioning benefits. 

Though you wash off your hair after shampoo. But you need not do the same after using a conditioner bar. Rubbing the bar along the strands of the hair a few times is enough to coat them with oils. Due to the low temperatures, the oils stay on the strands as a protecting layer. Thus, the handmade conditioner bar is a wonderful leave-in-conditioner.

After Thoughts on Using the Solid Conditioner Bar

Living a no-poo lifestyle for the last 5 years has controlled my scalp’s oil secretion. My hair does not get oily or dry as it used to when I used SLS hair products. 

That is the reason I do not require a conditioner. Except for the cold environments, my hair stays good. 

This conditioner makes my hair supple and nourished. I use the bar on my hair ends. You can use it on your entire hair strands depending upon your needs. Also, frizzy curly hair would need more of it vis-a-vis people with straight hair.

The bar stays solid at cold temperatures. But it loosens a little in the washroom due to the heating. Hence, it becomes easy to smear on wet hair when the temperature increases.

Another benefit of this conditioner bar is that it is good for the environment. It does not require plastic packaging. Thus, you can carry it with you without much fuss. I wrap mine with a towel. Though you can also carry it in a tin box.

In Conclusion

If you operate a handmade cosmetics business from your home. Then, I am sure you are in constant need of simple recipes to add to your product range.

If you are wondering how to make shampoo for commercial purposes. Then, the solid bar recipe is conducive to business. It is simple to create and requires fewer materials to package. Thus, it is easy to create and sell.

You can use my hair conditioner base recipe to create multiple product variants. You can play with the essential oils to cater to specific hair requirements. 

As long as you maintain the ratios of waxes double to that of oils. You will get a solid bar even at tropical temperatures. But if you are rather comfortable with the traditional liquid conditioners, then you can make use of my low poo conditioner list.

Header Image Source: Pixabay