From providing the hair with moisture to controlling frizz to combating damage, among others, the benefits of a leave-in conditioner to hair, especially curly hair, cannot be overstated. However, unsafe ingredients in many leave-in conditioners out there can be a major deterrent when it comes to purchasing one for your curls. Not to mention that many of these products can a bit pricey. So, how about you try making your own leave-in conditioner with ingredients that you know and can trust? With items laying about in your kitchen/those you can easily grab at a local store, you can DIY the best leave-in conditioner for your curly hair. Ready? Let’s begin.
The Items You’ll Need
We’ll be using DIY enthusiast, UnivHair Soleil’s recipe to make this leave-in conditioner. The items you’ll be needing are:
- Okra (heads and bottom parts)
- Heat-resistant jar and cover
- Hot mineral water
- Whisk
- Filter bag
- Double boiler pot
- Avocado oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Fractionated coconut oil
- Melted mango butter
- Melted shea butter
- Emulsifier BTMS-25
- Vitamin E oil
- Lavender oil
- Peppermint oil
- Preservative (benzyl alcohol with dehydroacetic acid or any other preservative that is compatible with the ingredients)
- pH tester
- A pair of rubber gloves
Step 1: Prepare the Aqueous okra macerate, a.k.a the okra water
First things first, put on your gloves, as this will help keep your palms and fingers clean from the messy process. Then put about 45 pieces of okra (heads and bottom parts) inside your clean heat-resistant jar and pour the hot mineral water into it.
Leave this mixture to sit for an hour, but during this period, you’ll need to whisk at regular intervals. Whisking the content will ensure the nutrients from the okra disperse into the water faster. Whisk every 10 minutes and then cover.
When the time is up, you’ll notice that the water has cool down, and your okra water now has a bit of slimy consistency.
Then, it’s time to filter the water. Pour the content of the jar into your filter bag and extract the slimy water from the okra pods by squeezing the bag.
Step 2: Prepare the oil mix
In your double boiler pot, add one tablespoon each of avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and fractionated coconut oil. Next, add two tablespoons each of the melted mango butter and shea butter. After this, add three tablespoons of emulsifier BTMS-25. Finally, add the aqueous okra macerate, a.k.a okra water. Now here is the thing, the amount of okra water you add to the mix depends on the consistency you’d like. If you want a thick consistency, add less okra water. However, if you’d like a runny one, then add more okra water.
Step 3: Emulsify
Place the double boiler pot on the stove and stir with the whisk until all the emulsifier is melted. Continue stirring until you get your desired creamy consistency (you can choose to add more okra water if you want).
When the cream is ready, take the small bowl out of the boiler and put it in a bowl of cool water. Continue stirring with your whisk while the mix cools down to room temperature.
Step 4: Add your oils and preservative
Add 20 drops of vitamin E oil to the mix and stir well with the whisk. After stirring for a couple of minutes, add ten drops of lavender oil and stir the mix again. At this point, your mix should have cooled down. So, take the bowl of your mix out of the bowl of cool water. Then four drops of peppermint oil and stir well. Finally, add 15 drops of your preservative and stir well for a few minutes.
Yay! You have successfully DIY-ed your leave-in conditioner. Now, transfer the leave-in conditioner into a clean jar or container. To make sure the leave-in conditioner is right on track, you can use the pH tester to check for the pH (potential/power hydrogen). The result should range from between 4 and 5, as this is necessary for giving your hair smoothness and preventing unnecessary breakage, among other benefits.
You can watch the full video of the DIY leave-in conditioner process here on UnivHair Soleil’s YouTube channel:
Your DIY Leave-in Conditioner: A Multipurpose Use
Besides using this mix as your leave-in conditioner, you can also use it in these other ways:
1. As a rinse-out conditioner
After shampooing your hair, simply apply this mix next and leave it to sit for about 10 – 15 minutes before rinsing out in cool water.
2. As a hair mask
For that extra deep penetrating of moisture into your curly strands.
3. As a body cream
This mix will help to hydrate your skin. However, it is important to first do a skin patch test to see how your skin responds to the mix.
Will you be trying this recipe soon? Let us know in the comments.
