Saturday, November 21, 2015

diy eléa hair conditioner with olive squalane & provitamin B5

eléa hair conditioner by Stella Crown
If you αre in the process of making your own shampoo, then the next step is making a hair conditioner. Creating your own cosmetics or cleansing products, it's a non-return journey: you will never buy again from the market even if these type of products carry a famous brand name. 

Speaking of which, detangling was always a big issue for me; painful process which meant losing more of my hair 😭 I started to use butters and oils but I never liked the sense of having flat & oiled hair but it was the only thing that helped. So, I searched, I studied, I experimented and I concluded that, 

the basic recipe for a simple conditioner usually includes:
  • 2-10% BTMS (cationic emulsifier)
  • 20% vegetable butters or oils, active ingredients, preservatives etc.
  • and water until the formula is completed to 100%
Then, knowing your needs, adjust the formula according to your hair, for example, I have oily curly wavy hair, which means I need a soft, lightweight, conditioner but that will nourish and hydrate my hair.
Today, however, I have prepared a recipe that is suitable for all hair types.

recipe for 200 g | 7.1 oz

phase a:
70 g | 2.5 oz nettle water
70 g | 2.5 oz rosemary floral water
12 g | 0.42 oz BTMS
8 g | 0.28 oz cetyl alcohol
6 g | 0.21 oz argan oil
6 g | 0.21 oz jojoba oil

phase b:
6 g | 0.21 oz olive squalene
6 g | 0.21 oz silk protein
5 g | 0.18 oz provitamin B5 (d-panthenol)
4 g | 0.14 oz vitamin F
4 g | 0.14 oz vegetable silicone
2 g | 0.07 oz natural preservative
1 g | 0.04 oz fragrance oil
  • Before you start making the conditioner, sterilised tools, containers and work surface. Don’ t forget your gloves.
  • In a beaker, pour all the phase A ingredients and place it in double boiler (bain marie). When the BTMS is melted, stir with a coffeee mixer until the mixture is homogenised. Continue stirring for about 1 minute and when the temperature drops to 35 degrees Celsius, add all the cold phase materials. Stir well and the conditioner is ready!
  • Nettle is the best herb for hair care. It stimulates and develops the hair while it is ideal for oily, normal and dry hair and fights dandruff and hair loss. Rosemary stimulates the scalp and the hair, is antiseptic and toning.
  • BTMS is a cationic emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions. It is used by its own and in combination with other emulsifiers. It is an excellent softener for hair, moisturizes and nourishes deeply. It is ideal for shampoo, conditioner, even for hair masks that you don’t have to rinse with water, but remain in the hair as it is particularly mild and doesn’t create any greasiness. Here, I combined BTMS with cetyl alcohol, which works in this phase as a softening agent and stabilizer.
  • Argan oil restore smoothness and shine to frizzy hair, while jojoba oil moisturizes and nourishes the hair, leaving it silky and soft.
  • Olive squalane repairs, smooths and overcoats the hair, forming a soft film on the surface and helps to maintain its hydration.
  • Silk protein is an excellent active ingredient for hair as it improves and maintains hair hydration, makes the hair soft, silky and shiny.
  • Provitamin B5 strengthens hair from root to edges, gives volume, shine and facilitates hairstyle, enhances hair growth and soothes from irritations and itchy scalp.
  • Vitamin F is used to protect by improving the quality of the hair and maintaining the scalp hydrated while regulating sebum secretion.
  • Instead of fragrance oil, I chose for my hair  a blend of essential oils to boost the properties of the conditioner even further. And because I loved the texture of the conditioner, I also use it as a shaving or body cream :)

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