Know The Basics To Make Your Natural Hair Homemade Deep Conditioner

Know The Basics To Make Your Natural Hair Homemade Deep Conditioner

Are you a little mixologist in the kitchen when it comes to making your own natural hair products? Or not so much? I know the sound of D.I.Y can make some of you run to the nearest hair product supply shop, but be aware that knowing a few basic steps can be a life saver when you run out of product or even to improve the ones you already have. I don’t consider myself to be a mixologist, but I know the basics around the kitchen when it comes to making my natural hair homemade deep conditioner.

 

 

When making your deep conditioners using solely natural ingredients you need to be aware that these won’t work in the same way as your store bought ones. For once, the latter can give an instant softness to your hair due to their conditioning agents that smooth the surface of the hair and make detangling so easy. Your homemade deep conditioner won’t have this immediate action, but be sure that the benefits are there they’ll just take a bit longer to show. Plus, who doesn’t cheer up to fewer chemicals in hair products when there is a natural counterpart available?

 

 

THE BASE


This is what you’ll use to give your homemade deep conditioner a creamy consistency. There are many things you can use for this such as fruit, vegetables, milk/milk cream, cereals or you can even use a little bit of your conditioner or deep conditioner.

 

FRUIT

BananasWhen used in deep conditioners these are great as their water content is high and they will hydrate your hair. Although it doesn’t look like it, bananas, for instance, are 74% water, plus they are very conditioning for your hair and help in providing some slip to your mixture. Many people also like using avocados as their lipid and protein content will moisturise, condition and help reconstruct your hair. I have also seen recipes made some exotic fruits such as kiwi. I’ve never tried it, but they are high in water, vitamin C, antioxidants and amino acids that help fight free radicals (premature ageing=grey hairs), sun damage and they hydrate your hair.

 

VEGETABLES

Again, with their water content, you’ll be starting off with a moisturising recipe for your hair. I have used carrots (cooked) for my hair and noticed that my hair was shinier. They are full of vitamins (C being one of them) for your hair that help combat hair loss, help with hair growth and promote shinier and stronger hair. Beetroot is also another vegetable I have used, not so much the pulp but the juice that I added to my base. It helps with an itchy and dry scalp, it thickens hair, makes your hair shinier, promotes hair growth and it will give your hair some reddish hues. Nice, isn’t it? I’ll have to try using the cooked pulp. Do your research and choose your vegetables.

 

MILK CREAM/ YOGURT

Milk cream/double cream will make your base very rich in proteins and lipids. It will moisturise, condition, give shine and help repair your hair. You can choose cow’s milk cream or even coconut milk cream, which is that thick white pulp. You can also choose a thick creamy yoghurt. If you’re looking to make a protein free mask skip on these or use less of them.

 

CEREALS

Don’t be so surprised, you can make great hair masks with these! I have used oats and cornstarch and they areOats perfect for your base. You can make them as thick or as thin as you want them, make them with milk or water as you normally do for your breakfast or to thicken sauces or soups. These are very moisturising and conditioning for your hair. Oats have vitamin B which acts as an humectant, it also forms a film around the hair strand locking in the moisture, protecting the hair from the environment and preventing hair-on-hair friction damage. It also gives shine and more elasticity to your hair. Try them! Read more about oats here.

 

CONDITIONER/DEEP CONDITIONER

If you don’t want to make everything from scratch just use your deep conditioner or conditioner and add your ingredients.  It will certainly help with detangling faster and no it’s not cheating, it’s all for the god of our hair.

 

If making an all natural base with fruit, vegetable or cereals make sure to blend your ingredients well. Use a food processor or hand blender or you risk spending your day washing your hair to eliminate small bits trapped in your hair. If you’re looking for a protein free base opt for fruit (no avocados), vegetables or cereals.

 

 

HUMECTANTS/MOISTURE


These are ingredients that attract and keep moisture inside your hair. A plus for our natural or transitioning hair that has difficulties in doing this and needs a little help. For these, you can use honey, glycerin, aloe vera or panthenol (you can make your own).

 

 

SLIP/LIPIDS


Oil pouring spoonFor these I generally use a vegetable virgin oil or a mix of them. I like coconut oil which penetrates the hair strand, prevents hygral fatigue, keep moisture in and helps prevent protein loss. Olive oil also penetrates the hair strand but takes considerably more time than coconut oil, so maybe think of adding heat when you apply your deep conditioner to your hair to accelerate the process at it opens the hair cuticles. Grapeseed, jojoba, avocado, argan, macadamia, castor oil, canola oil, are all good choices just choose your favourite.

 

 

Be mindful that heavy oils like castor oil can weigh your hair down, so you might want to use lighter oils. Vegetable oils will replenish the sebum that was taken when cleansing your hair. They lubricate your hair preventing tangle, help provide elasticity, solve scalp conditions such as dandruff, dryness, psoriasis, help with hair loss, promote hair growth and they also help in retaining water. Pick the right one for your hair needs. Know more about penetrating or sealing oils!

 

 

PROTEINS


Your hair can lose protein in a variety of ways and adding these to your homemade deep conditioner helps to strengthen your hair not only as a preventative measure but also to prevent further damage.  Read my article on the role of proteins on hair care to deepen your knowledge about proteins.

 

 

For proteins, you can choose between eggs, coconut milk, avocado, yoghurt, gelatin (unflavoured) or mayonnaise. I like using mayonnaise as it gives me great results. Eggs can be a bit a challenge at it can leave an unpleasant smell on your hair, but don’t worry just shampoo and condition afterwards or use a few drop of an essential oil.  With regular use, you’ll notice the beneficial effects of these natural ingredients on your hair.

 

 

EXTRAS


If you don’t like the scent of a particular concoction for your hair you always have the option to add a few drops of your favourite essential oil. It’s OK if you decide to add two or more ingredients from a specific category, I don’t believe you’ll be committing any big offence. Ahahah! However, when it comes to proteins I’d advise you to add them in instalments to see what your hair likes more. Read more about proteins.

 

Food Blender
Blend Well!

Again, don’t forget to blend your recipe well to avoid having any bad experiences. Adding heat to your treatment is always a good way (except for egg recipes) to boost the benefits and see faster results. Read this article to find out how you can do this.  Don’t be shy in making use of your kitchen ingredients to improve your hair’s health. Here are a few unusual ingredients for your home recipes.  If you find that homemade recipes are just not for you, or too much of a hassle and a mess then read this article to find the deep conditioner your hair needs. And why not finish your homemade deep conditioner recipe with the amazing benefits on an herbal hair rinse? Discover more here.

 

Were these tips helpful? Are you a little mixologist? What are your favourite recipes or ingredients?

 

Featured Image Credit: JFXie on Flickr (license).

10 thoughts on “Know The Basics To Make Your Natural Hair Homemade Deep Conditioner

  1. Wow this is pretty cool! As a guy I can honestly say I really never cared so much about hair products, especially conditioner. However, I can appreciate making it homemade and all natural! I’ve been seeing a lot of things lately about how many products in the stores sold all over have terrible chemicals in them that give you cancer and I honestly can’t believe they are allowed to continue selling them. I will definitely be sharing this article with my mother and sister and they will thank you ahead of time I’m sure!!! Keep it up the great writing!

    1. Hi Matt,

      Yes, there are lots of products out there made with chemicals that can have negative effects on our health. Thankfully there are also a lot of companies making products with natural and organics ingredients at an affordable price. Homemade recipes are a great way to avoid chemicals, save some money, and receive all the benefits from the ingredients. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Hello, thanks for great information, especially now after summer, when hair got so much sun. I heard about oils, especially coconut and olive, but never tried them.
    My favourite recipe is 2 spoons of honey, one spoon of sesame oil and two yellow of egg. Everything mixed together, applied to hair and after half hour washed. Usually it works leaving hair shiny and restored to previous state. One thing that I do not know how to rid, is a smell of egg. Nobody feels it, just me, but for sake of healthy hair, I survived.
    Thanks for great tips, definitely will check out for more.
    All the best, happy writing, Nemira.

    1. Hi Nemira,

      You have a great DIY recipe, I’m sure you can feel the difference after you apply it on your hair. As for the smell maybe you can use a few drops of an essential oil or you can wash your hair afterwards.

      All the best.

  3. Hi! Very nice article! I am also FOR less chemicals. I am using a mix or fresh yeast, honey, yolk and a bit of coconut oil. Works pretty good for me. It was a challenge when I moved in different country with different climate, my hair soon became like a hay. It is much better since I started to use this one. Thank you so much! I enjoyed reading!

    1. Hi Branka,

      Moving within the country can be hard on our hair with climate changes or hard water, but moving abroad can be even harder. I’m glad you find the right solution for hair and are now experiencing better hair days. Natural ingredients can take longer for us to see the results but they are worth it.

      Your recipe is interesting, what do you use the yeast for? What does it do in the recipe? I’m always curious to learn more.

  4. I’m not even into hair salon or any of this, and this content is simply beautiful! Very outstanding! LOVE IT!!

    1. Hi Steven,

      Thank you so much for your words, I really appreciate it! I always try to provide information that will help my readers and knowing that you’re not much “into this” and still find value in the information is very rewarding to me.

      All the best

  5. I searched Google today for info about using the cherry Lola treatment as a deep conditioner and thankfully came across your site in the search results. I have since spent the whole day reading through the various articles on your site and just wanted to say how truly amazed I am. I have been on a natural hair journey for over 1.5 years and searched for all kinds of info. There are a lot of sites out there with lots of good content, but this is the first site that that that is so in depth, with scientific references, covers any topic I think of and is so well ordered and flow into each other nicely.
    Your start here page was just what I needed and reading through those articles, there were references to other articles that answered the questions that come up, so I don’t need to go back to Google or search anther site. It has Ben info overload, but I just couldn’t stop.
    Thank you sooooo much! Yours will absolutely be my go to site from now on. I look forward to more reading. Jo

    1. Hi Jo,

      Thank you so much for your kind words. My aim when I created this blog was for it to be exactly what you express in your comment – a place where curly newbies (and all naturals) could come and search for Good, honest and backed up info in one place. I faced the same problem you talk about and I decided to act on it. I’m so glad you like this space!

      Thank you! 😀
      Monica

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