Hair,  Intermediate,  Tutorials and recipes,  Zero waste

This homemade conditioner bar is a real Mane Tamer

homemade conditioner homemade conditioner

The DIY conditioner your hair will adore

We don’t know about you but we love taking care of our hair! There’s nothing quite like running your fingers through your soft tresses and not getting them caught on a single knot or catching a glimpse of your hair radiating shine and beauty. To help us (and you!) have the hair of our (your) dreams, we’ve created a Mane Tamer: a solid conditioner recipe!

Thanks to its nourishing, hydrating, and detangling ingredients, this DIY conditioner leaves your hair soft and easy to style. Plus, its delicately floral scent makes it a real pleasure to use. Shower time just got even more enjoyable!

Making solid conditioner has many advantages. Indeed, a conditioner bar is both budget-friendly and environmentally friendly. Not only does it avoid waste, the solid product also lasts longer than the liquid version. It’s a perfect pairing with Nettle Head, our solid shampoo recipe.

So, let’s do our hair a solid and try out this Mane Tamer!

How to make a conditioner bar

IngredientsDIY conditioner

Oil phase

Powder phase

Aqueous phase

Cooling phase

Tools

Good to know!

  • We advise against substituting any ingredients as this may reduce the product’s effectiveness.
  • The vegetable oils and butters chosen for this solid conditioner recipe will not leave your hair greasy. The tapioca starch will also absorb lipids and help to harden the final product.
  • The glycerin and tapioca starch hydrate hair.
  • The cetyl alcohol helps detangle hair.
  • Here are some suggested essential oils for different hair types:

 Steps to follow

  1. Prepare and sterilize your equipment and workspace.
  2. In a small bowl, weigh the ingredients for the oil phase. Mix together and melt on the double boiler.solid conditioner recipe
  3. In a second small bowl, weigh the demineralized water and glycerin. Heat on the double boiler.
  4. In the first ramekin, weigh the tapioca starch. Once the oil phase has melted, add the tapioca starch and combine with the mini-mixer.homemade conditioner bar
  5. In the second ramekin, weigh the aloe vera powder and colloidal oatmeal. Add to the aqueous phase and mix well with the spatula.
  6. In the third ramekin, weigh the cooling phase ingredients. Mix together.
  7. Remove the oil phase and aqueous phase from the heat. Pour the oil phase over the aqueous phase and mix with the mini-mixer.
  8. Place bowl in a cold water bath and continue to mix. When the mixture begins to thicken, add the cooling phase. Mix well until it thickens.
  9. Pour the mixture into the mold and place in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Unmold. Your homemade conditioner is ready to use as soon as it has hardened sufficiently.

Use and conservation

Moisten your DIY conditioner bar with warm water, remove some product and apply to wet hair. Be sure not to use too much! Let set for a couple of minutes then rinse. This homemade solid conditioner can also be applied to dry hair (no rinse).

Allow the bar to dry between uses. Store in a cool, dry place.

Made in optimal sanitary conditions, the product will keep for 3–6 months.

 

 

10 Comments

    • Coop Coco

      Hello Marianna,
      You can find all the information about the conservation at the end of the article. You can keep it for 3 to 6 months and we advise you to store it in a cool and dry place (a metal box for example).
      Have a nice day!

    • Coop Coco

      Hello Luisa,
      The alcohol in this recipe (which is not an alcohol as we commonly know it) is a thickening and conditioning agent. We don’t have any ingredients to replace it.
      Have a nice day!

    • Coop Coco

      Hello Andrew,
      We have never taken the test but you could try. Note however that the texture will be different and that you will probably have to change certain proportions!
      Have a great day!

  • Desmadre

    Hi.. i wanted to try this recipe and i was wondering if i could swap tapioca starch for guar or xanthan gum, also i have cetearyl alcohol, and was thinking of use it instead of cetyl and stearic acid. If its possible, how would you advice the percentage of those substitutes? Thank you

  • Rio

    Hi there!
    I tried to make this conditioner bar 3times. I guess I haven’t made it correctly. The last time I made it was my hair got greasy. I didn’t add any extra ingredients, I followed 100% this recipe. Do you have any suggestions on which process do I need extra care about making? Thanks.

    • Coop Coco

      Hello Rio,
      It seems that this recipe is not suitable for your hair. It happens! The best would be to reduce the proportion of vegetable butters or even to remove them, but this will change the entire recipe and the final product may no longer be solid … Maybe you could remove some kokum butter and try to add more stearic acid (try with 2 or 3 % first).
      Hope that helps!
      Have a great day.

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