One of my goals for this year is to figure out a better hair care routine for both myself and my daughter…
But it seems like a vicious cycle!
You shampoo, you condition… something in the conditioner makes you have to shampoo again so the cycle starts all over.
After some research, I figured out that using conditioner isn’t THE reason why we have to continuously shampoo our hair, but I do know that using commercial conditioner certainly doesn’t help the cause.
So as I’ve been experimenting with various natural shampoo methods, every day has allowed me to experiment with various natural conditioning methods too.
And I think we’ve found a winner!
Before I jump in to the recipe, it helped me to to understand the purpose behind a conditioner in the first place, so I’m sharing that with you. Knowing this also helps to decide which avenue to take with your own homemade conditioner.
How Conditioner Works
First, do you remember those old Pantene commercials?
You know, the one that showed you what “normal” hair looked like under a microscope (a stick with tiny little sticks, coming straight off the sides) and then a side-by-side to what hair looked like with Pantene conditioner (a smooth, straight stick without any other sticks coming off of it)?
For those who don’t remember the Pantene commercials, imagine two trees, each with bark. On one tree, the bark sticks up and out from the tree. That’s shampooed hair.
On the other tree, the bark lies flat. So flat that you can barely tell there’s even bark. That’s conditioned hair.
The purpose behind conditioner is to close the cuticles (bark) of the strand of hair (tree), making the cuticles lie down close to the strand and in turn create smooth, supple and manageable hair.
All-Natural Conditioner Options
Commercial conditioners rely on all sorts of weird and unnatural ingredients (like these) to do this, but fortunately, you can achieve soft, pretty hair naturally with a few items that you likely already have in your kitchen:
- Acids. Specifically, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or whey.
- Oils. Nourishing oils like olive, coconut, vitamin E and jojoba are the most common.
- Herbs and Seeds. Think flax seed, chia seed or marshmallow root.
- Cold Water.
How Do I Know Which All-Natural Homemade Conditional is Best for Me?
I’ve broken this potentially complicated question into three simple questions. Your answers to these questions determines which conditioner is best for you.
- What do you have on hand?
- What can you afford?
- What’s easiest for you?
Super technical, right?
There is no one-size fits all recipe for homemade conditioner that will really truly fit 100% of everyone, so it boils down to having to test out a few options to see which works best for you. And if the above mentioned oils, herbs and seeds all do the same thing, then it just seems logical to start with what you already have, right?
But if by chance you experiment and don’t get the results you’re wanting, determine what you can afford. 4 oz of marshmallow root costs $5.50 while I can buy the same amount of flax seed at Costco for 22¢.
Plus I can put flax seed in my oatmeal, in my smoothies, and use it in place of eggs. I’m all about ingredients that serve more than one purpose!
Lastly, and what I consider most important, what’s easiest for you? It does no good to add a homemade conditioner to your routine if it’s difficult to make. We want this natural living baby step to be effective yes, but it needs to be easy in terms of practicality.
Methods We Tried and Failed
I first found a super cool recipe for turning flax seed into a homemade conditioner. Essentially you combine ground flax seed with water, let it sit, strain the resulting gel and then dilute the gel with water to make conditioner.
Except I couldn’t strain the gel for the life of me! I tried this twice, stirred for what seemed like forever on both attempts, and not a single drop of gel came through my fine mesh sieve.
Super cool recipe fail.
With flax seed out of the picture, I tried subbing chia seeds instead. I KNOW those things gel up like crazy, so why not, right?
Wrong.
I couldn’t get the gel to strain from the chia seeds either, and I tried this twice too.
With Mr. Crumbs staring at me in the kitchen, hovering over a pot claiming to make homemade conditioner and yet NOTHING to show for my efforts except a bunch of gelled up chia and flax in my sink, I started to wonder why I was trying to reinvent the wheel…
So I went back to the cupboard, and pulled out what I needed to start testing for myself the most popular homemade conditioner.
Methods We Tried and Worked
Diluted apple cider vinegar is by far the most popular conditioning rinse, but apple cider vinegar isn’t the only acid you can use. Lemon juice has a slightly higher pH but works just as well, and some of you readers out there shared that you use homemade whey to conditioner your hair.
Go you!
To keep the playing field fair, I broadened the testers to include both myself (short hair, above the shoulder) AND my daughter (long hair, down to the small of her back)… whom the latter is prone to extreme tangles and random shouts of “OUCH!” during the combing process.
We went out on a limb and tried all three, and even a few combinations of them together. To start, we tried pouring it on in the shower and leaving it on, as well as pouring it on and rinsing it off.
We also tried spraying it on and leaving it in post-shower.
Of all the rinses we tried, diluted apple cider vinegar worked the best when we poured it on and rinsed it out. It worked well on my own hair, and surprisingly very well on my daughter’s hair too!
Yes, the big long mop that sometimes misses a brushing and is often found in the swimming pool was a tamed beast with this homemade version.
Minor tangles, no tears and beautiful hair. I can handle that.
Our Current Conditioning Method
The only downside to using diluted apple cider vinegar as a homemade conditioner is that it can cause the hair to feel dry. We’ve since reduced how often we use the rinse to every other day in the shower, and using it as a spray-in conditioner on an as-needed basis.
To combat the “excessive” dryness (that really isn’t that excessive), I rub less than a pea-sized amount of coconut oil in just the ends of my hair. This is fairly difficult to do, since my hair is short in the first place, but I imagine all is well (i.e. don’t look like a grease ball) so long as I avoid the hair line.
Here’s my daily routine:
- shampoo
- apply homemade conditioner
- rinse with cold water (doing my best to get just my hair, and not my body!)
- applying coconut oil to the ends once every 7-10 days
We do the same routine with my daughter, except that she doesn’t shower every day and we usually use the full rinse every time.
You can get a FREE jar of coconut oil at Thrive Market through this link! Get a free 15 oz jar of coconut oil AND a 30-day free trial to Thrive Market when you spend $29 or more (free shipping on orders $49+).
DIY Homemade Conditioner
Supplies
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (how to make it at home)
- scant 16 oz water
- 16 ounce glass jar
Method
Combine the ingredients in a 16 oz glass jar and shake well to combine. To apply, shake well and pour directly on the hair. Rinsing is optional.
Additional Recipe Notes
This recipe is what works for us, right now. You might need less or more acid depending on your hair type.
Some people don’t rinse out the conditioner, but I’ve found that this reduces the chance of my hair feeling straw-like when it’s dry.
Turn this simple conditioner into a nourishing conditioner by infusing the water with herbs. Simply use the herb infusion technique described in this post and swap it in place of the plain water in this recipe.
Since keeping a whole jar of conditioner in the shower isn’t ideal with a long-haired 5 year old nearby, I keep the jar under the sink and keep a small plastic travel-sized bottle in the shower, refilling it as needed.
Cost Breakdown
- lemon juice: $0.02 (per Tbsp)
- apple cider vinegar: free (we make our own from apple cores and peels)
- water: free
Total cost of DIY Homemade Condition is 2¢ per cup. One cup lasts about a week, so your total cost for one month is 9¢.
Wow! I had NO idea we could save so much in conditioner alone!
Other Natural Hair Care Posts You Might Enjoy:
- Homemade Shampoo Bar
- Homemade Liquid Herbal Shampoo
- 4 Common Mistakes when Washing without Shampoo
- How I Wash My Hair without Shampoo
- All Skincare & Beauty Posts
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Hi
Thanks for this. I am about 2 weeks in using only homemade soap. My hair is a grease pit. Your info was valuable. One question. At the end of the conditioner section you mention the cost of lemon juice, but i didn’t notice it being mentioned earlier. How are you using the lemon juice?
Thank you againg, Grant
There is a transition period when you opt out of chemical, making you dependant on their products, laden shampoos. Bear with it. Your body was meant to NOT have all those chemicals and when it realizes it’s not being subjected to them anymore, things work out beautifully, but in the beginning, it’s a long wait of OMG HAIR! Good luck; it’s worth it.
Ok, I’m going to throw everyone a curve here. I’m a guy with a fairly large beard. From your pic Tiffany, my beard is longer than your hair easily. Plus it’s the really kinky hair. I’ve got 2 problems. 1st is that being right under my nose, ACV gets kinda strong. 2nd I’m allergic to coconut to the point of an epipen and ER trip. I need something that’s going to help condition my beard, I already make a leave in oil with jojoba, apricot, argon and sunflower oils but I really need a conditioner. Any advice you can help with? Oh and as a bonus, I’m also a real bearded Santa so the smell of ACV isn’t really popular with the kids.
What about another acid, like lemon juice or whey? Or have you tried using essential oils? Geranium and lavender are great for hair!
Hi
What are YOUR suggestions?
Wondering if MCT oil could be used in place of coconut oil so it won’t get solid when it’s cool?
Absolutely LOVED this post, I’ll have to try out your recipe!
Thanks!
I hope I didn’t miss this already being answered in the comments above but why is it necessary to do a COLD water rinse after this conditioner? 🙂 Otherwise I am LOVING the goat milk soap and DIY conditioner – thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Cold water helps to seal the cuticles Krista. You CAN use warm, but you’ll get better “conditionerized” hair if you rinse with cold. 🙂
Rice water is a popular natural hair conditioner in Asia. It’s the white water left after you wash your rice prior to cooking.
Interesting! I hadn’t heard of that, but it’s worth a shot!
Awesome blog and great humor! 😀
Never occurred to me in my 50 years to make my own apple cider vinegar from all the cores I discard after juicing! Brilliant!
Thanks Katherine! 🙂
I have red hair and am concerned that ACV will bleach my hair (I remember friends using lemon juice when we were younger to get blonde highlights). Do you know if this a side effect?
Thanks!!
Not a side effect at all Shira!
I am interested in trying this. How much do you put on your hair? Can it be put in a spray bottle to apply to hair?
I put about 2-3 oz on my short hair (diluted), and yes you can put in a spray bottle. I actually prefer that method myself!
I know the AC vinegar works well for my hair but, it still left me with a frizzy mess of hair. I have finally found a PH balanced no-poo recipe that works.
1 can of coconut milk
1-3/4 cup aloe gel
mix together and freeze into cubes, melt before shower and scrub into hair and rinse. I have gone 4 days only using the coconut aloe mixture. Normally I would be using a leave in conditioner or something to hold my hair so it isn’t all over the place. Since using it, I haven’t had to use any leave in conditioner, just a few bobby pins to hold the shorter hairs back.
I would like to try this. You gave an amoint for the aloe vera but not the coconut milk. How much coconut milk do you use?
I realize you said one can but how many ounces are in the can you reference?
Tiffany, I’m kind of confused. The conditioner ingredient list has 2 items listed but step one in the written directions say to combine all three ingredients. Is there an ingredient missing from the list that should be shown? Thanks for any help you can provide!
Christine
Sorry Christine! I altered the recipe slightly, omitted lemon juice and using all ACV instead (we’ve been testing out both and this new formula seems to be easier, and work a bit better). I’ll update the instructions. 🙂
Thank you for this DIY Conditioner recipe. I have fine, long, straight hair to the bottom of my back. I’m so amazed that it feels like straw in the shower but after rinsing and towel drying, it combs through with minor tangles on the ends. I’m a convert and I tell everyone about it. As you mentioned, I put extra coconut oil on the ends on days that I’m staying home then wash & rinse the next day 🙂
Hi, I am transitioning from tinted hair to going gray! I have been using baking soda mixed with a ‘blue tint’ shampoo to help remove the gel that I put in as a heat protector (what a vicious circle), however once I have lost the last of the dry coloured tips to my hair I hope to not have to be so fussy with its care. In my much younger days I would infuse rosemary into rain water to rinse my hair with. (I had very very dark hair). I love the ACV rinse, but hated the smell of vinegar if my hair got wet in the rain or when I went to the hairdresser (I always found it embarrassing), so I added a few drops of lavender EO … problem solved!
I use baking soda for my facial and body scrub every few days, it is the best, even better than microbrasion. My husband hasn’t used shampoo for nearly a year, but still gets a slightly flaky scalp, so he now gets a teaspoon of baking soda, makes to a paste in the shower and voila!! That is his shampoo. I am going to try the ACV rinse again when I wash my hair in the morning … it is a tangle to comb the dried ends until they get cut out. My natural gray is lovely soft and shiny though!
Thank you for your post – I love finding this kind of information shared for free xx
You’re most welcome Catherine 🙂 Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Do you just mix the baking soda with water to form a paste as a facial scrub, then rinse off? Same with using it like a shampoo, too?
Hi Marci, yes that is exactly what I do. I just sometimes dip my damp fingers into the baking soda container if it is a morning scrub, or if I want a more intense scrub in the shower (e.g. I do back of my neck set – as opposed to harsher scrubbing!) I will put a about a teaspoon and a half in my hand and dribble a small amount of water in to make a paste. It probably depends how sensitive your skin is as to how much you use! If i use BS as a shampoo, I put about two teaspoons of BS into a plastic bottle, and fill it with warm water and shake it well to “dissolve” the baking soda before applying to my hair. It is probably a 400ml bottle I use.
I hope that answered your questions!! x
and I’m going to try the b/s paste on my legs. I am a water only showerer, but my lower legs still are dry, and flaking all the time. The rest of my body has adjusted. THANKS for the suggestion, as I’m a firm believer in baking soda, from laundry to face mask!
Charlotte Cee
Do you have any recommendations for herbs to infuse? I am really interested in working this way, but I have so much to learn 😉
Hi Leah – did you see this post?
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2015/02/simple-diy-liquid-herbal-shampoo/
There are a few recommendations for herbs, depending on your hair needs!
I have been using baking soda as my shampoo for more than 3 years and ACV as the rinse, with a cool water rinse. My hair has NEVER been healthier or softer than it is now and I am 54 yes old. I also only use basking soda as my face wash and have had clearer skin as well. Have always had adult acne, until BS came into my life.
Thanks for sharing BrendaLea! I hadn’t heard of baking soda as part of a facial routine. That’s a great tip!
I use baking soda and coconut oil as a face scrub. I love how how soft it leaves my skin!
I always use baking soda and raw, unfiltered honey as a wash in the shower and maybe once a week, I leave it on a little longer and then continue with my routine of massaging it into my face in circular motions like a facial scrub. I rinse and wow! My skin is soft and clear and feels great. Once every couple weeks, I add cinnamon to the mix because it energizes my pores so my skin feels revitalized.,I also have bentonite clay I make a mask with once every couple of weeks, mixing it with honey and/or yogurt to moisturize my dry skin. The only moisturizer I use at all is coconut oil, so I go pretty natural. All winter long my skin never gets that dry and scaly feel and appearance that it used to with commercial lotions, which I blame on the drying alcohol they almost all contain. I do use some Castile as my shampoo sometimes but other then that, only makeup am I guilty of, lol. And I’ve never felt better. ACV is great taken internally too, if you can stomach it. Keeps your health awesome!
hi. I’ve used baking soda for years for almost everything. I tried the no poo with b/s and found it too drying to reverted to water only washing and maybe once a month, b/s, followed by acv, to balance pH. When I want a true mask on my face, oily, large pores, I use fresh lemon juice, b/s and raw honey. Put on face for however long, doesn’t matter, but at least 1/2 hour, and then rinse, followed by witch hazel astringent to re-balance pH. I love the mask, a/c vinegar, lemon, and baking soda, although again, too drying for hair. Will buy a bottle of Jojoba oil as it is NOT A NUT, and therefore, NOT AN OIL (I can’t use ANY OIL/body totally intolerant. I have been using marula oil but it’s just too expensive.
anyway, hope this helps.
I think it is great that your flax gels so well! I use it to replace eggs and never get it to gel that well! Anyway, next time you experiment you can throw the gel in your pancakes instead of down the sink 🙂
I find that the best way to avoid dry hair is not to shampoo it every day. Saves time and money too 😉
I tried using the flax seed & water combo to make a homemade hair gel substitute once. I don’t think my hair would care for that as a conditioner, though. Like you said, everyone’s hair is different. What I have found that does work for me just so happens to have finally given me the happiest hair I’ve ever had. I make my own shampoo bars for washing – not as frugal as no poo, but way better than buying a good shampoo. Then I condition with an ACV rinse. I’ve never had an issue with it leaving my hair dry. Maybe it’s because I infuse the ACV with marshmallow root and lavender first? Not really sure, but I’m super happy with this system.
Great post!
What do you use for hair gel? I have curly hair and feel like my natural shampoo would work better if it wasn’t for the gel!
Www.naturlycurly.com. I have used flax seed to make hair gel. Put them both in pan on stove and heat on low until mixturethickens. I let it cool a bit, then pourr it into a clean knee high hose (walmart 50 cents) and use a pair of tongs down the length to get the gel out. Good stuff.
And toss the shampoo. You can wash your hair with conditioner, even sweaty, grubby kid hair. Only time shampoo is used on my hair is when I have it colored. 3 or 4 times a year. And my stylist knows.
There are a lot of recipes on the net for flaxseed gel.
I tried making the flaxseed gel but it does nothing for my curly hair. No hold at all. Doesn’t even eliminate frizz. I think for me, it might work better as a detangler.
Hi, I am a curly head too (type 2B to be exact) and am having the same problem going totally natural! Did you ever find a product to help hold your hair and keep the Grizzlies away??
I use gelatin and it works pretty well on my curly hair.
I mix 1/4 tsp gelatin with 1/4 cup of boiling water and store it in the fridge.
It lasts about a week if kept in the fridge. I use about a dime size amount to scrunch my hair after I get out of the shower. I find I like to use the hair dryer to finish drying it as it can be very crunchy if I don’t.
Yup, I use gelatin + hot water mixture for my very-curly hair too (in addition to being no poo + ACV conditioner rinse). Works great for me.
For the gel, I combine 1 tsp gelatin with 2 cups hot water, add some essential oils & sometimes a Vit E capsule. BUT very important — the shelf life isn’t very long, and it starts to smell if you leave it in your bathroom for a week+. So I leave a larger mason jar of it in the fridge and keep a smaller jar in my bathroom, which I replenish as needed. I used to use flax seed, but I like gelatin better.
I have been doing the diluted ACV with water rinse once or twice a week for almost two years now. I also only use local, handmade soap for my “shampoo” and both this winter and last my hairdresser has commented that my hair has not been nearly as dry and damaged as her other clients. I have very curly hair that frizzes with any sort of humidity, so her comments were music to my ears! If my hair starts to look nappy or greasy I just make sure to rinse with diluted ACV the next time I shower.
I also use shampoo bars. I love not buying something in a plastic bottle! And I rinse with ACV about once a week. My hair is very soft and healthy (even though it is very thick and coarse.) And I use jojoba oil with some 100% argan oil mixed in. I put a little bit of the oil on my hands, rub it around, and then rub it on my hair focusing on the ends. Then brush, brush, brush to distribute the oils well. This routine is great for my hair.
Hi Claudia, do you rinse your hair after applying the oils and do you apply them on wet or dry hair? Many thanks
I’ve been using the baking soda/apple cider vinegar combo for a while, and was especially surprised with the ACV. I have THICK, past-shoulder-blades hair, and I thought I had to drench it with conditioner all the time to make in manageable and keep it semi-untangled.
Glad I’ve found another method! Glad the ACV is working for you guys, too.
My only issue is that I do rinse it out once detangled in-shower because I prefer not to have hair that smells like ACV! Any recommendations there?
Recommendations for the smell? Maybe create an infused ACV using this method: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2012/07/diy-citrus-infused-vinegar/, maybe with orange peels or lemon peels? How awesome that it’s working for your thick, long hair too!!
I make the ACV rinse all the time. I like to add vegetable glycerin tor more moisture. And I also add essential oils because I don’t like the smell of the ACV. When I rinse it out, no more vinegar smell!
If you want to make flax seed gel, you have to boil the flax seeds and you a cheese cloth or panty hose to separate the seeds from the gel.
I found this after reading you article and thought I share what I found. In the comments folks were also having the problem straining the flax seeds and it was recommended to put the seeds in a large tea ball or panty hose while boiling in order to skip the straining step/problem. I am excited to try this conditioner on my hubby’s hair. He has a ton of crazy uncontrollable curls.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Flaxseed-Hair-Gel-for-Curly-Frizzy-Hair/
Thanks for sharing this!!
Great idea!
I bought citric acid powder and put it in my bath water to soften it. After reading your article, I ott some conditioner in my hand and mixed it with a bit of citric acid powder.
I then brushed it through before rinsing. It seemed to really help! I have heard that Couric acid will strip dyed hair color, though.