DIY Homemade Leave in Conditioner that's No 'Poo Friendly

Make your own leave in conditioner/detangler that's No 'Poo friendly, chemical free, cheap, easy, and best of all - IT WORKS!

I have struggled with dry hair ever since I grew my hair longer than chin length.  Before I went No 'Poo and after, made no difference.  I have low porosity hair which is slow to absorb moisture.  I have done countless deep conditioning treatments, with and without heat, and while my hair felt nice immediately afterwards it didn't last.  This spray began working within days.  It's been a month or so now and my hair feels hydrated, soft, and healthy.  

How to Use

I use it every time I get my hair wet, whether I "wash" it or not.  At the end of my shower I spray it liberally through my hair and comb with a wide tooth comb.  I have another spray bottle with one cup water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and the same EO's.  After using the conditioning spray I spray in the vinegar rinse and don't rinse out.  I do this for a couple of reasons:

a) The ACV spray seals the cuticle, sealing the moisturizing ingredients in. It makes my hair ridiculously soft.  Kitten belly soft.  I want to run my hands through my hair all freakin' day soft!

You can omit the vinegar rinse if you like, or spray it in first, rinse out after a few minutes, and then follow with the conditioning spray.  Experiment and find what works best with your hair.  

I also spray the conditioner into dry hair and tie it up on top of my head in a bun when I go swimming.  The heat of the sun helps it penetrate and my hair absorbs much less chlorine or lake water since it's already saturated with this.  

Why did I use these essential oils?  I'm being totally honest here - for the fragrance.  I have a chemical-free hairspray from Etsy which is amazing and smells like Christmas morning.  I was trying to duplicate the scent.  I love that when I swish my hair I get a whiff of cinnamon.  But rosemary is good for hair growth, tea tree is good for dandruff, and many other oils are known allies of hair.  Feel free to omit them if you don't have them or don't want a strong fragrance.

Logic tells me that this needs to be refrigerated but I leave it in my shower.  I am on my second batch now and it has not turned or gone rancid since I use it up in about 2-3 weeks but if you are concerned about it, store it in the fridge.

Where to Buy the Ingredients

I find the aloe juice at Walmart in the laxative section or in health food stores as a dietary supplement.  Look for a juice vs. a gel (it sprays easier) and DON'T use the one that's meant for soothing sunburns.  Have you ever read that label?  It sounds like a chemistry experiment.  Pure aloe from the plant would be ideal but a juice that you can safely drink is the next best thing.  

Coconut milk - buy a can of organic coconut milk and pour it into an ice cube tray.  Then use one cube for each batch.  I have a whole bag of frozen coconut milk cubes in my freezer all the time.  I use them in smoothies, recipes, and mixed with aloe it's a great hair conditioner.

Distilled water - buy it by the gallon at the supermarket.  I use this to prevent having to keep the spray in the fridge.  Purified water would be my next choice but tap water will almost certainly go bad before you use it all up.

Essential oils - You can honestly use whichever ones you like best, either for their fragrance or for their hair properties.  Tea tree, lavender, rosemary, peppermint, and citrus oils seem to be the most popular.  Do your own research as to which you use, or leave them out altogether.

Carrier oil - EO's need to be diluted in a carrier oil, so use a hair friendly oil like avocado, coconut, argan, or jojoba.  Jojoba is most like sebum so that's my hair oil of choice.  I buy it on Amazon and I also wash my face with it doing the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM).


Does this work for you?  Tell me in the comments section!