How to Make a Great Deep Conditioning Treatment

Making a General Purpose Deep Conditioner

Assemble your ingredients. You will want your conditioner to contain a mild detergent (like shikakai), an emollient (like olive oil), a protein or polymer source (like avocados or eggs) and thickeners (like avocado, bananas, or honey) in your conditioner. Have an acid like vinegar on hand to adjust the pH of the conditioner and pH paper. A variety of oils and botanical extracts can improve the scent, consistency, and add medicinal properties to your conditioner. Neem, gandana, roman chamomile, ghikumar and amla are alternatives to using shikakai.

Blend your ingredients with a food processor. Incorporate the ingredients slowly, adding them to water. Make sure your conditioner is of the desired thickness and that it smells pleasant, as you are coating your hair with this material and will smell like it. Use any fragrance or essential oil you enjoy. A natural option is the seed of the muscadine plant, which can be powdered and used for a musky scent.

Adjust the pH of your conditioner with apple cider vinegar. Add slowly, drop by drop, until the conditioner is at your desired pH. Measure using pH paper. Hair is naturally acidic, so test your conditioner to make sure it falls between 5.5 and 7 on the pH scale and does not damage your hair or scalp. Use soapy water to make the solution more basic if you overshoot and it becomes too acidic.

Apply to hair. Start with the tips and working toward the scalp (since conditioner is not used to cleanse or treat the scalp, but rather damaged hair fibers) then put on a shower cap. Wait for 20-30 minutes for a deep condition. You can heat the product beforehand to improve adsorption of the materials onto your hair cuticle.

Rinse out completely. Your hair should feel smoother and silkier as you rinse it. No film should build up, but if it does, perform a second rinse. The mineral content or “hardness” of your water will impact the coating and residue left behind on your hair.

Store or dispose of leftover conditioner. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a day or two; these are highly perishable ingredients. Rubbing rancid fat or spoiled produce through your hair will not produce the desired results. Multiple conditionings in a few days are unlikely to be needed, unless you wash your hair every day.

Producing a No-Protein Conditioner

Get your ingredients. Get a mild detergent like shikakai (optional for curly or kinky hair), an emollient, and a thickener. Avoid any protein sources like avocado or eggs. A simple recipe is olive oil and banana blended and treated with vinegar to an appropriate pH.

Blend your ingredients, without water. Use a blender or a food processor to combine your ingredients into a thick fluid. Make sure it is at the desired consistency, as your only fluid is your emollient, so add it sparingly to avoid making too much or too thin a conditioner. Add any botanical extracts or products you like to improve the smell and conditioning.

Adjust the pH of your conditioner. Make sure your conditioner is as close to pH 7 as possible to avoid altering the consistency or texture of your hair overmuch. Add vinegar, drop by drop, and test with pH paper, until it is in the desired range. Add soapy water in small amounts if the solution is too acidic.

Spread through hair and cover. Massage in from the tips toward the roots. Keep it in your hair for approximately 20 minutes, but effects should be visible within five to ten minutes. This conditioner is extremely gentle on the hair, but time beyond 20 minutes is unlikely to yield additional benefits.

Rinse your hair. This conditioner will likely take several hot rinses to fully remove. It should leave hair shiny and more manageable than before, without altering your hair’s curl. Repeat the treatment if desired, and experiment with different emollients and thickeners like coconut oil or shea butter and honey or carnauba wax.

Store or dispose of your remaining conditioner. You can store it in the refrigerator or freezer for a day or two, as these are highly perishable ingredients. Rubbing rancid fat or spoiled produce through your hair will not produce the desired results. Multiple conditionings in a few days are unlikely to be needed, unless you wash your hair every day.

Making a Conditioner for Damaged, Unmanageable Hair

Gather your ingredients. Avoid the use of a detergent, as this can damage the hair cuticle further. Maximize your use of protein sources to provide polymers to help repair damaged hair fibers. Consider using avocados and eggs as thickeners and polymer sources. Use mild emollients like shea butter or coconut oil.

Blend your ingredients in water using a blender or food processor. Make sure your ingredients are blending well. If you are using an emollient that is solid at room temperature, warm it up first. Add your thickeners, scents, and any additional botanicals you would like to add to the conditioner.

Adjust the pH of your conditioner. Add vinegar or soapy water drop by drop to acidify or basify the conditioner. Use pH paper to measure the pH of the conditioner. Make sure it falls within an acceptable range of 5.5 to 7, trying to hew closer to neutral.

Apply the conditioner. Spread it evenly throughout your damp, untangled hair, from your tips toward your roots. Cover your head, and let it sit for approximately 20 minutes. Heating the conditioner can help spread it and help compounds in the conditioner bond with your hair.

Rinse thoroughly. This conditioner should reduce damage to the hair cuticle or make some effect toward repairing it, reducing frizz, improving overall manageability, and produce smoother, more resilient hair. Repeat the treatment if you’d like.

Store or dispose of excess conditioner. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer for a day or two because these are highly perishable ingredients. Rubbing rancid fat or spoiled produce through your hair will accomplish nothing good. Multiple conditionings in a few days are unlikely to be needed, unless you wash your hair every day.