How To Make Leave In Conditioner

How To Make Leave In Conditioner

November 17, 2023

Are you tired of dealing with dry, frizzy hair that lacks shine and luster?

Look no further! We have the perfect solution for you - a diy leave in conditioner that will leave you with smooth and healthy hair! 

Making your own leave in conditioner, is not only more affordable, but also allows you to control what ingredients you are putting in your hair.

In this blog post, we've created a simple and effective recipe for a diy leave in conditioner that will restore moisture and softness to your hair.

What is a leave in conditioner?

A leave in conditioner is a hair care product that is left in the hair without rinsing. It is applied after you wash your hair and before you style it. They’re usually applied to damp hair that has been towel dried.

Leave in conditioners are different to a regular conditioner because they do not need to be rinsed out of the hair. They provide extra hydration, strengthen hair and help detangle.

They are suitable for many hair types including damaged hair, dry hair, frizzy hair or curly hair. Leave in conditioners are also great for a dry and itchy scalp, as it promotes hydration and can soothe the scalp.

Our recipe creates a creamy but light conditioner. It does not feel heavy on the hair and is effective at moisturising and reducing frizz.

Let's learn how to make leave in conditioner...

Ingredients

Method

Water and oil mixture

1. Heated water phase

  • Measure the water, panthenol, geogard ultra and glycerin in a heatproof beaker.

  • Place the beaker into a double boiler with heated water.

Checking temperature

2. Heated oil phase

  • Measure the BTMS 50, castor oil and avocado oil into a separate beaker.

  • Place this into the double boiler, next to the other beaker.

  • Heat both mixtures until they reach about 70C.

Combine oils and water mixture

3. Combine the mixtures

  • Leave the mixtures to cool slightly.

  • Pour the water mixture into the oil mixture.

  • Using a stick blender, mix the ingredients together until fully combined.

  • Once mixed, it should create a creamy leave in conditioner.

Testing pH

4. Test the pH of the mixture

  • Take 2g of the mixture and mix it in 18g of water until dissolved.

  • Using a digital pH meter, test a small sample of the mixture.

  • The pH of the conditioner should be in the range 4.5 - 5.5

  • Our conditioner mixture was 4.1, so we need to increase the pH.

Retest pH

5. If necessary, adjust the pH

  • If the pH of your conditioner is too low, make a sodium hydroxide solution.

  • Put on your gloves, mask and safety goggles. For more information about safety when using sodium hydroxide, click here.

  • Weigh 10g of sodium hydroxide and 90g of water.

  • Add the sodium hydroxide to the water and stir until dissolved.

  • Add 0.5g of the solution into the diluted sample that you used for pH testing.

  • Test the pH again, if the pH is still under 4.5, repeat the last steps until the pH is 4.5-5.5.

  • Once the correct pH has been reached, record the amount of sodium hydroxide solution needed and add this to the remaining conditioner.

  • If the pH of the conditioner was over 5.5, you can follow this process but use 10g citric acid diluted in 90g water.

Finished leave in conditioner

6. Pour into containers

  • Leave the mixture to cool and pour into a container of your choice.

  • Now your diy leave in conditioner is ready to use! We find it works best on damp towel dried hair.

Continue Reading

Now you've learned how to make a homemade leave in conditioner, why not continue reading?

Did you try our diy leave in conditioner recipe? Let us know how you got on in the comments below!

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