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

[ElevatedEnergy]

Thanks so much for this. I will definitely try the mango butter. love a msngo butter leave in from elasta qp so why not just try making it myself.

Actually, I saw a mango butter mix from naptural85 that I might give a whirl.

Yes @ the blacksoap shmpoo! I made a diluted one yesterday and my scalp was like ahh.

And yes you're right plants have protein, because they are living...so its hard to find something that wont have some sort of strengthening effect.

I dont have trader joes near me but Ive known about that tea tree tingle through naptural85. Would you mind sharing which live clean conditioners you like?

Im trying as much as I can not to do the store bought thing, but you make a good point about tangles as the hair gets longer

I have all 3 that the company makes...argan, coconut milk & fresh water. They all work well. You can find them at Target in the natural section for around $5 I believe.

Also I'd love to recommend my favorite DIY youtuber: DuchessGabrielle (hope I'm spelling her name right) When it comes to herbs, powders, oils, butters, kitchen ingredients...mannnn she is the best at profiling ingredients one by one and really breaking stuff down so one can get a solid understanding. She also talks about other stuff like preservatives, BTMS, vegetable waxes etc. but I'm not really interested in that part but it's all good to know. She's very thorough so don't start a video unless you got a little time to spare. LOL

 

[mzteaze]

I do my version of an oil rinse FIRST so it's different from @Sharpened .

I normally follow the Indian oil method which is simply applying warm oil to scalp then massaging & adding oil to saturation on length of hair. Let it sit on for 15 minutes (or as long as you like). Then rinse hair thoroughly with warm water before shampooing.

During the winter months, I steam with it on for no more than 30 minutes, cool then shampoo.

When it comes time for conditioner, I apply JBCO from mid shaft to ends of hair ONLY. Then apply conditioner.

My hair turns out very soft & shiny this way.

 

[mzteaze]

Yes Im bascically coming full circle cause when I joined 10 yrs ago I used to do the blended banana.

I hear you with the strings, Im thinking of straining with cheesecloth/nylons. Anyone ever tried straining banana with sucess?

If you are going to try banana, I highly recommend buying a jar of a natural baby food banana instead of using fresh. It's a lot less work.

 

[halee_J]

@Sharpened thank you!! My last encounter with an oil rinse a few years ago was fail. From what you're saying I used waaaaaaay too much. I love hempseed and wheat germ. Pumpkin seed is next on the try list for sure.

I will be hanging out with y'all in the oil rinse thread

Im afraid honestly to use castor oil as a rinse...its so sticky...and precious if its the good good jbco @IDareT'sHair I might try as a mix like @mzteaze hey lady what else is in your mix?

***thinking aloud****

How would a rinse fit into a regi where the DC also has oil...hmm I thinking might be too much? I dunno

@lulu97 thanks I will take a peep at those live clean condishes. and I will definitely check out that youtuber. I was a science major in college so I dig that sort of thing. I feel like Im starting over so Im back into sponge-mode, reading and learning as much as I can.

 

[Sharpened]

@Sharpened thank you!! My last encounter with an oil rinse a few years ago was fail. From what you're saying I used waaaaaaay too much. I love hempseed and wheat germ. Pumpkin seed is next on the try list for sure.

I will be hanging out with y'all in the oil rinse thread

Im afraid honestly to use castor oil as a rinse...its so sticky...and precious if its the good good jbco @IDareT'sHair I might try as a mix like @mzteaze hey lady what else is in your mix?

I can use castor oil alone, but I prefer to mix it. My favorite mix is castor and hempseed with some EOs. Unfortunately, my hair hates olive and sesame oils.

Babassu oil is the only one I use before wetting my hair. I let it penetrate for an hour or more, and when the water hits it, my hair melts and I can detangling with it.

 

[mzteaze]

@Sharpened thank you!! My last encounter with an oil rinse a few years ago was fail. From what you're saying I used waaaaaaay too much. I love hempseed and wheat germ. Pumpkin seed is next on the try list for sure.

I will be hanging out with y'all in the oil rinse thread

Im afraid honestly to use castor oil as a rinse...its so sticky...and precious if its the good good jbco @IDareT'sHair I might try as a mix like @mzteaze hey lady what else is in your mix?

***thinking aloud****

How would a rinse fit into a regi where the DC also has oil...hmm I thinking might be too much? I dunno

My mix is really just Curly Proverbz growth oil.. Lol. I really use what I have on hand.

If you want to use castor oil, just dampen your hair just a little. Castor oil works well on damp hair & allows you to make a little go a long way.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

I normally follow the Indian oil method which is simply applying warm oil to scalp then massaging & adding oil to saturation on length of hair. Let it sit on for 15 minutes (or as long as you like). Then rinse hair thoroughly with warm water before shampooing.

@mzteaze
Imma try this.

 

[Saludable84]

I used Hairveda which is castor, almond and herbs, for my oil Rinse. Worked like a charm.

 

[halee_J]

Update: I made 2 leave -ins

First one AVJ and glycerine Really liking this one thanks @classychic1908 soft moist hair. The glycerine counters the mild protein effect I was having with the straight avj



Second A "tea" with slippery elm and marshmallow root. Its very slippy but its not that softening to me...its gels up so Im thinking of may mixing with an oil or something I want to like this but the jury is still out.

Flax gel is still a go.

 

[halee_J]

I used Hairveda which is castor, almond and herbs, for my oil Rinse. Worked like a charm.

Nice! Im leaning towards a castor mix as well, did you do it between shampoo and condish?

 

[Saludable84]

Nice! Im leaning towards a castor mix as well, did you do it between shampoo and condish?

Yup. It really helps with detangling and I didn't need much.

I will see how it works long term, however, so far, I like it.

 

[Sharpened]

Yup. It really helps with detangling and I didn't need much.

I will see how it works long term, however, so far, I like it.

I am so happy to hear this working out for you.

Is there any other oil that has the same thick heaviness like castor oil, but lighter? That stuff clumps my coils almost like a gel does.

 

[Saludable84]

I am so happy to hear this working out for you.

Is there any other oil that has the same thick heaviness like castor oil, but lighter? That stuff clumps my coils almost like a gel does.

Not sure if you have tried hemp seed or rice bran, maybe even safflower.

Otherwise, wheat germ mixed with a light oil of your choice. It's like trying to get the same consistency with different results.

I'm extremely out of touch with oils because I wasn't having success and left them alone. I will need an alternative to castor if I plan to do twists afterwards. Right now I just have a WNG, so the clumping worked when bunning.

 

[Sharpened]

Not sure if you have tried hemp seed or rice bran, maybe even safflower.

Otherwise, wheat germ mixed with a light oil of your choice. It's like trying to get the same consistency with different results.

I'm extremely out of touch with oils because I wasn't having success and left them alone. I will need an alternative to castor if I plan to do twists afterwards. Right now I just have a WNG, so the clumping worked when bunning.

I have used all three; hempseed comes close and that is the one I mix with castor. These coils are defiant, so I guess heaviness is what I need.

Without water, oils are near worthless to me.

 

[classychic1908]

Update: I made 2 leave -ins

First one AVJ and glycerine Really liking this one thanks @classychic1908 soft moist hair. The glycerine counters the mild protein effect I was having with the straight avj



Second A "tea" with slippery elm and marshmallow root. Its very slippy but its not that softening to me...its gels up so Im thinking of may mixing with an oil or something I want to like this but the jury is still out.

Flax gel is still a go.

Glycerin and water mix is also very moisturizing if you don't enjoy AVJ.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Update: I made 2 leave -ins

First one AVJ and glycerine Really liking this one thanks @classychic1908 soft moist hair. The glycerine counters the mild protein effect I was having with the straight avj



Second A "tea" with slippery elm and marshmallow root. Its very slippy but its not that softening to me...its gels up so Im thinking of may mixing with an oil or something I want to like this but the jury is still out.

Flax gel is still a go.

marshmallow root/slippery elm gives my scalp the itchies. After experimenting with it a few rounds, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble. I still have a butt load of both too. *ugly cries and slides down the wall*


As a leave in, I've now switched to this recipe:

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel (I like the GNC brand)
2 tablespoons any conditioner
1 tablespoon Ayurvedic oil

It's pretty much my version of the kimmaytube recipe. My hair stays moisturized between wash days using this. I don't have to moisturize my length or ends anymore like I used to.

My hairline does dry out in between wash days from getting the runoff from washing my face but a little bit of rosewater & mango butter every few days knocks that out.

 

[Sharpened]

marshmallow root/slippery elm gives my scalp the itchies. After experimenting with it a few rounds, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble. I still have a butt load of both too. *ugly cries and slides down the wall*

I can take them off your hands. PM me a price.

 

[halee_J]

marshmallow root/slippery elm gives my scalp the itchies. After experimenting with it a few rounds, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble. I still have a butt load of both too. *ugly cries and slides down the wall*


As a leave in, I've now switched to this recipe:

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel (I like the GNC brand)
2 tablespoons any conditioner
1 tablespoon Ayurvedic oil

It's pretty much my version of the kimmaytube recipe. My hair stays moisturized between wash days using this. I don't have to moisturize my length or ends anymore like I used to.

My hairline does dry out in between wash days from getting the runoff from washing my face but a little bit of rosewater & mango butter every few days knocks that out.

After 2 days, I agree with the itchiness from the marshmallow/slippery elm. I'm disappointed because I was liking how it made my hair feel.

Funny thing is I used slippery elm for a while with fenugreek and never had itchiness. Oh well.

Where's a good place to get mango butter?

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

After 2 days, I agree with the itchiness from the marshmallow/slippery elm. I'm disappointed because I was liking how it made my hair feel.

Funny thing is I used slippery elm for a while with fenugreek and never had itchiness. Oh well.

Where's a good place to get mango butter?

I buy my mango butter from a company called Oslove Organics. They have a company website you can purchase from, but I purchase from their amazon store instead to get free shipping. LOL

 

[halee_J]

I buy my mango butter from a company called Oslove Organics. They have a company website you can purchase from, but I purchase from their amazon store instead to get free shipping. LOL

Awesome thanks! I love am azon prime

 

[halee_J]

After 2 days, I agree with the itchiness from the marshmallow/slippery elm. I'm disappointed because I was liking how it made my hair feel.

Funny thing is I used slippery elm for a while with fenugreek and never had itchiness. Oh well.

So update on the slippery elm/marshmallow root. Scalp definitely did not like as a leave-in. I had itchiness and more shedding than usual. But Ive used it before in rinse out with no problems so I'm going to stick to this week in DC and see if I can get away with it that way. The slip from these are so good.

Speaking of DC, I'm pretty pumped about what I whipped up this week. Great slip, made my hair soft and I easily detangled my hair.

I want to share this "recipe" but I literally made this up today so bear in mind its still a work in progress:

Dried Kelp (yes seaweed) 3 "hand" sized pieces soaked in a 1/3 cup of water
A really grossly overripe banana
Glycerin 2 tsp
Honey 2 tbsp
Evoo 2 tsp
Acv 1 tsp
Marshmallow root+ slippery elm
Lecithin (from sunflower) 1tbsp

Put everything in a blender including seaweed water. Feels so good on including my scalp. The kelp has a lot of mucilage so it was super slippery honestly I didn't need the marshmallow + elm tea

Cons: next time ill have to try straining the mixture through a knee high cause there were albeit tiny, but definite particles of kelp in my hair. But I'm really enjoying how my hair feels so I don't mind that much and above all my scalp feels soooo amazing. It feels soothed.

 

[halee_J]

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.

 

[imaginary]

I dont think I have much to add beyond some of the great info in this thread, but have you tried layering when you DC? Not just mixing the oils into the DC but puttting a thick/moisturising oil on your hair first, like castor oil or a cocoa butter mix, and then applying your DC mix on top of that? I've found that I get better results with the latter.

 

[halee_J]

@imaginary no Ive never tried oils under a DC, thats an intriuging idea! You mentioned cocoa butter, does it really soften your hair? I actually bought some the other day but so far only been using on my skin, its such a hard butter, I’m afraid it will also feel hard on my hair.

 

[imaginary]

@imaginary no Ive never tried oils under a DC, thats an intriuging idea! You mentioned cocoa butter, does it really soften your hair? I actually bought some the other day but so far only been using on my skin, its such a hard butter, I’m afraid it will also feel hard on my hair.

I mix my cocoa butter with castor and olive oils because it's just way too hard on its own. I find it's much more moisturising than shea butter. It's a bit too heavy for me to use in my hair regularly (most butters are for me), but it really helps with my DC.

 

[Aggie]

Okay subbing... Thanks for starting this thread @halee_J. I will update when I start to use up some stuff that are taking forever and a day to get here.

 

[halee_J]

I mix my cocoa butter with castor and olive oils because it's just way too hard on its own. I find it's much more moisturising than shea butter. It's a bit too heavy for me to use in my hair regularly (most butters are for me), but it really helps with my DC.

Ok cool makes sense Would you say your hair is fine? What are the ratios like, cocoa to other oils?

 

[halee_J]

Okay subbing... Thanks for starting this thread @halee_J. I will update when I start to use up some stuff that are taking forever and a day to get here.

@Aggie Im sure there are others who are in the same boat and hopefully will find this useful. Looking forward to your posts

 

[imaginary]

Ok cool makes sense Would you say your hair is fine? What are the ratios like, cocoa to other oils?

My hair is definitely fine. I'm probably medium density and a type four so it looks thicker than it is. And honestly I wish I could tell you. I kinda just add oils and wait for it to cool down and if it's liquid (during the heat of summer) or soft to the touch (during the cooler months) then I'm happy. I try to have mostly cocoa butter and castor oil with olive oil really just to thin it out more.

 

[halee_J]

@imaginary its cool I don't measure either thanks your description makes sense