Homemade Hair Product Makers. Can We Have An Honest Conversation?

Bibliophile said:

@halee_J I'm glad you found a regimen that works.
90% of my hair journey was regimen building and trial/error.

I agree with using cocoa butter in your hair. It acts as a lightweight hair serum for me.

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Sharpened said:

Oh, you used it in the wrong order. Oil rinsing is between shampoo and conditioner, although some do it before shampooing or after conditioning. Conditioner can remove much of the excess (and so can hot water). The right oil will not leave you with hard or greasy hair as well.

Also, you used too much. I only use like 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per section and more drops directly on knots. That is why I use those nozzle bottles, so I can eliminate spillage, control the portions better and aim it right on the knots.


No problem! I thoroughly saturate my hair with running warm water, gently separating my hair as the coils relax and removing random sheds. This can take 5-10 minutes due to normal porosity. I ad the oil, 1/8-1/4 tsp at a time to each section (5) of my hair. I start finger detangling the easiest section first under running water and leave the hardest ones for last so those sections can adsorb more oil/water and hopefully loosen up. Sometimes, I will apply the oil, cover with plastic cap, and shower before detangling. That is mainly it.

Now, certain oils are very penetrating; in my case, that will be, from least to greatest, pumpkin seed, wheat germ, and babassu oil. Those really soften my hair and I can detangle with them, but I have to follow up with a sealing oil: castor (the king), hempseed (the prince), avocado, safflower, jojoba, rice bran, and grapeseed. If I don't, my hair fros quickly because water is evaporating. I am still trialing oils and posting results in the Oil Challenge thread.

I had thought my hair had hated oils until the Oil Rinsing thread hit. I was still mainly cowashing and clarifying with shampoo monthly. My coils never clumped until I started oil rinsing. I gradually by accident started doing more oil rinsing than cowashing, and exclusively oil rinsed during the TWA stage. In 2015, after I had buzzed it off again, I only did oil rinsing and never looked back. It was then I realized one of my issues, a flaky scalp (not dandruff) had disappeared. I am allergic to not only coconut oil, but the fatty alcohols derived from them.

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Chicoro said:

Is your oat water treatment recipe and process posted somewhere? I would like to see that. I'm reading that oat water cleanses hair due to saponins. Who knew? Well, you probably did but not me!

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halee_J said:

I realize I made this thread then abandoned it.

So. Update time.

I have not used any commercial products since making this thread, almost 3 months now and I plan to continue.

What have I been doing? Basically, most of what has been mentioned here.

The routine is the same I just swapped out for homeade concoctions:

Pre-poo: some kind of oil (recently ayurvedic I made a DIY fenugreek and I use ramakrishna brand mahabringraj oil )over a fenugreek paste or aloe on scalp

Washing: either diluted blacksoap (I loosely follow naptural85’s recipe on yt) essentially diluted and liquified with hot water and add carrier and essential oils OR a herabal hair wash which is making a paste of ayurvedic powders; mostly brhami and shikkakai. Lately Ive been adding amla for conditioning and slippery elm to make rinsing faster and also conditioning. I give my scalp a mini scrub with this concovtion too to get in my exfoliation.

Tea or avj rinse: I use mostly guava leaf for tea or aloe vera juice. I used a mixture of the 2 last wash and really enjoyed it

Deep condition: A homemade mix of verry ripe bananas honey oils and slippery elm

Leave-in: in the summer i was loving glycerin/rosewater/avj but now its cooling off I want to lay off the glycerin so im currently experimenting with Sliperry elm tea thickened with flax gel

Sealants: Oils that soften like evoo and argan, butters I like palm butter but I looove Mango butter.

I just want to say a big thank you ( because clicking like isnt enough) to @lulu97 @Colocha @sarumoki @IDareT'sHair @AbsyBlvd @classychic1908 @mzteaze @Bibliophile @Saludable84 @Sharpened @YvetteWithJoy @snoop I really appreciate and learned something from all of you

Oh and my hair is happy and MUCH more importantly, my scalp is getting back to normal . No more redness, soreness, itching. Shedding drastically reduced. My scalp had this sallow dull look to it and was always tight feeling with a weird, thin whitish cast no matter how much claifying, pre-poo, acv rinsing, finger scrubbing, moisturizing/spritzing/wetting or oiling I did. It was just unhappy. Now its soft, supple and you can see the skin is glowing and healthy. I really don't want to go back to commerical products.

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NicWhite said:

Hello @halee_J

Do you still follow the DIYs in this post and how do you like it 2+ years later?

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halee_J said:

Hey @NicWhite pretty similar!

Pre-poos havent changed much: some kind of infused oil and a scalp paste. Now sometimes henna.

Cleanse: This is the biggest change. No longer using any sort of foaming cleansers. I use mostly besan (chickpea flour). Sometimes Ill add in amla powder. I have experimented with oat flour and just straight ayurvedic powders. But because I use such heavy oils and butters besan works best because its good at removing oils without stripping

DC: Same! Banana is boss! I love me an overripe banana! So much moisture esp with some hibiscus and fenugreek

Post wash Leave ins: I like mostly AVJ now. This is moisturizing, but I dont really count it as that. It functions more like a pH balancer/cuticle closer/prep for detangling.

Moisture: Flax gel love this stuff its moisturizing and a great detangler it elongates and with the slip, the shed hairs and tangles are usually pretty easy to remove. (As you know I only finger detangle now) I infuse with guava leaves, which just means I throw in 2 leaves with the seeds small addition major difference. Flax gel just isnt the same without it.

Sealants: I have 2, which I layer. One is cocoa butter and evoo which acts like a serum further helping me detangle. The second is mango butter loosened with olive oil to make it more creamy.

And yeah that's me. Its been a process though as you have read through this thread, of trial and error.

What at that time I thought was a crisis was actually the best thing that ever happened to my hair

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NicWhite said:

Thank you for this. Chickpea flour you say. I have been using shikakai, soapnuts and most recently yucca. I may investigate chickpea flour.

Do you use a paste or soak the powder and use the fluid to wash your hair?

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halee_J said:

Chickpea flour for the win What I love about it too I find like I said its not striping and it leaves your hair softer. Its also simple add water and go! Plus its verrry cheap (esp from the asian/ indian grocer) and a little goes a long way.

To answer your question, Ive done both ways. Lately (last 6 months) I have been making a pancake batter paste. I apply mostly to my scalp, maybe the first 4" of my length if im really greasy. Massage well to make sure my scalp is clean and then work it down my hair and then rinse it out. I dont directly apply it to my length esp not my ends just like traditional shampoo only your scalp really needs it. When rinsing, I find it does a good job of removing buildup along the length.

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NicWhite said:

Chile, guess who just ordered chickpeas powder to wash her hair. I can’t wait to try it.

These days my family is like “is that to eat or wash your hair?” Lol

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Sally. said:

I’m having the same issue. I make most of my products but both my diy deep conditioners and store bought ones leave my hair feeling dry on rinse out. I think I’m gonna start adding more oil and honey to them.

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halee_J said:

Hey @NicWhite pretty similar!

Pre-poos havent changed much: some kind of infused oil and a scalp paste. Now sometimes henna.

Cleanse: This is the biggest change. No longer using any sort of foaming cleansers. I use mostly besan (chickpea flour). Sometimes Ill add in amla powder. I have experimented with oat flour and just straight ayurvedic powders. But because I use such heavy oils and butters besan works best because its good at removing oils without stripping

DC: Same! Banana is boss! I love me an overripe banana! So much moisture esp with some hibiscus and fenugreek

Post wash Leave ins: I like mostly AVJ now. This is moisturizing, but I dont really count it as that. It functions more like a pH balancer/cuticle closer/prep for detangling.

Moisture: Flax gel love this stuff its moisturizing and a great detangler it elongates and with the slip, the shed hairs and tangles are usually pretty easy to remove. (As you know I only finger detangle now) I infuse with guava leaves, which just means I throw in 2 leaves with the seeds small addition major difference. Flax gel just isnt the same without it.

Sealants: I have 2, which I layer. One is cocoa butter and evoo which acts like a serum further helping me detangle. The second is mango butter loosened with olive oil to make it more creamy.

And yeah that's me. Its been a process though as you have read through this thread, of trial and error.

What at that time I thought was a crisis was actually the best thing that ever happened to my hair

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Mapleoats said:

using all natural products, how do you find your styles hold up in this crazy Canadian weather? I would like to transition to mostly natural products but fear they won’t hold up as well to commercial stuff in humid or dry weather days? Also what’s your mango butter recipe? I haven’t read the entire thread so sorry if you already posted!

also, what do you mean when you say the cocoa butter mix acts as a serum?

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halee_J said:

They perform pretty well for me I find the key was elimnating shampoo and also being generous with oils and butters, esp mango butter.

I found that its so much easier to hold onto moisture than to lift the cuticle lose some moisture and then try to put it back in. Thats the cycle with foaming cleansers. It was a process becoming suds-free but now even things like shampoo bars or soapnuts are too much. I can never say never because I may return to them, but I have been happy without suds for sometime now.

When it is extremely cold (like now lol) or dry yes I may get a bit parched but a little extra heavy butter and oil and im right as rain

I loove mango butter. It's the only one I found that also really softens and moisturizes.

The "recipe" if we call it that because I never measure it's basically mango butter with enough olive oil to make it a creamy spread and then there is a little cocoa butter because I like how it makes my hair feel.

When I say cocoa butter acts like a serum I mean its not really moisturizing but it coats and defrizzes and gives a little slip, similar to silicones. Of course because its such a hard butter you have to mix it with a liquid oil.

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halee_J said:

Lol yeah I feel you, a lot of people stan for shea and it's so easy to find now, but it just doesn't do it for me. The best mb Ive found is a brand called cosmetic butters off ammy. zon. It is pricier than others but the quality is they have little trial sizes so you dont have to commit to a huge tub.

Cocoa butter I get is food grade and it smells I like ecoideas brand. Also on ammy but you can find it otg at bulk barn

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snoop said:

I've been using shea butter for the last year, but I'm starting to suspect that it's a lot like coconut oil and doesn't work well with the weather up here unless the weather is warm or unless it's heavily "watered down" with oils.

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Mapleoats said:

That makes a lot of sense!!! Hello, fellow Canadian?

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snoop said:

Yup! In the GTA.

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Mapleoats said:

Me tooo!!

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snoop said:

I've been using shea butter for the last year, but I'm starting to suspect that it's a lot like coconut oil and doesn't work well with the weather up here unless the weather is warm or unless it's heavily "watered down" with oils.

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