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Homemade hair conditioners are great for keeping your hair soft and shiny. And while many commercial products contain harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances, and dyes that can damage your hair over time, this homemade hair conditioner bar contains minimal, natural ingredients to nourish and strengthen hair.
This post was originally published on July 7th, 2020, and has been updated with more relevant information and a revised recipe.
Making these homemade conditioner bars was certainly a process of getting the perfect recipe nailed down.
In the end, though, I think we finally have the perfect solid conditioner bars to moisturize and repair damaged hair.
Beginning my hair care journey years and years ago with a simple DIY dry shampoo spray, I had made it a goal to convert all the hair products I used at the time (and ones I’ve added since) over to a more natural alternative.
What is a hair conditioner bar?
A hair conditioner bar is essentially a homemade hair conditioner in a solid form. They are becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons, including they are great for travel and are inexpensive to make.
Homemade conditioner bars are straightforward to make and will last forever! Well, not quite forever, but a little goes a very long way compared to liquid conditioner.
Why make your own hair conditioner bars?
Let’s face it; it would be a whole lot easier to go the natural route by simply buying natural, organic hair care products.
But as you probably know, without your personal money tree, it’s hardly practical.
In addition, many products labeled ‘natural’ often turn out to be not all that natural after all.
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Conditioner bar recipe
What You Will Need
- Cocoa butter
- Coconut oil
- Emulsifying wax
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin E oil
- Essential oils (optional)
- Double boiler or a small glass bowl and saucepan
- Silicone molds
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and emulsifying wax to a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can place a glass bowl over a pot of water and bring it to a boil.
Once the ingredients are melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. You don’t want it to ‘set up’ just cool enough to work with.
Finally, add the remainder of the ingredients in with the oils and stir well.
Transfer the melted conditioner into silicone molds to harden.
They should be ready to pop out of the molds in just a few hours but definitely allow the conditioner bars to harden for 2-3 days before using to receive the maximum life out of them.
How to use conditioner bars
Rub your homemade conditioner bar between your hands and apply it to the hair. Use a wide-tooth comb to evenly distribute the conditioner for curly or thick hair.
Leave the conditioner in the hair for several minutes before rinsing with warm water.
For tangly hair, follow up with a DIY hair detangler spray.
Why I chose these ingredients
Each of the ingredients listed below are necessary for making a long-lasting, effective hair conditioner bar.
Cocoa butter
Cocoa butter smells as good as it sounds. It is very versatile with incredible benefits for the skin and hair.
With its fantastic moisturizing properties, cocoa butter works excellently at conditioning the hair. In addition, it provides shine, protects against split ends, and softens hair.
And best of all, any leftover cocoa butter can be used to make homemade chocolates!
Coconut oil
Oh, the superfood coconut oil! You probably would be more shocked if it didn’t appear in this conditioner bar recipe. I buy coconut oil in bulk and use it daily for skin care, hair care, and even in the kitchen.
Coconut oil is very moisturizing, and can help with dandruff, dry scalp, split ends, and hair breakage. I even have a coconut oil hair mask, which is ideal when your hair needs a little extra TLC.
Essential oils (fragrance)
Essential oils are a great way to add a beautiful scent to your conditioner. And the sky is the limit when it comes to which oils to choose. In this case, I went with the refreshing citrus aromas of tangerine and lemon.
Give this combination a try, make up your own blend or give one of the blends below a try.
Choosing the fragrance
Wild Forest for men
- 6 drops sandalwood
- 3 drops rosemary
- 3 drops lemongrass
Floral Fresh for women
- 5 drops lavender
- 3 drops of clary sage
- 2 drops of wild orange
- 2 drops lime
Gentle and Calm
- 3 drops lavender
- 1 drop of Roman Chamomile
Why you will love these conditioner bars:
Have a super long shelf-life. Homemade conditioner bars are one of my favorite products to make. I love that they can last for years with very little money out of my pocket.
Little to no impact on the environment. These conditioner bars are made using eco-friendly ingredients naturally derived from plants.
The recipe can be adjusted even after the bars are made. So while this conditioner bar recipe will work for most hair types, If you do find the need to fine-tune some of the ingredients, simply melt it back down, make your adjustments and let it reharden back in the molds.
A travel-friendly hair care product. Your hair deserves so much more than a travel-sized hotel shampoo/conditioner. Bring your conditioner bar with you for your next holiday travels or last-minute work trip.
P.S. Don’t forget your travel-friendly DIY shampoo bar to take along with you.
FAQs/Tips
- The conditioner bars will last between 60-100 washes. Remember, less is best.
- These bars are very effective, perfect for anyone who washes their hair once or twice a week.
- Shelf life is right around 2 years when stored properly. I.e., a cool, dry place.
- Cocoa butter can be substituted for shea or mango butter. Note: using shea butter will result in a softer bar.
- Coconut oil will melt at temperatures over 76°. If that is the case, you will need to store these bars in the fridge or a cooler area in the home.
Wrapping up
As with any natural conditioner, if you are making the switch from conventional products, there will be an adjustment period as your hair adapts to the new routine.
Be patient and trust me; it is totally worth it, and you will be thrilled with the results!
During this transition time, remember that this DIY dry shampoo is your friend and washing with a homemade natural shampoo is a must.
Please note, that this is an updated recipe. I have had many readers comment that their hair felt greasy after using.
And while training your hair to adapt to natural products or more infrequent washes, the hair is going to be more greasy. I was able to make a few adjustments to help with it.
Thank you for reading. I hope that you found this hair conditioner bar recipe to be just what you were looking for. And if you love natural hair care products, be sure and check out some of these popular products below!
- Homemade nourishing hair serum
- DIY hair spray
- Natural DIY clarifying shampoo
- Cold-process shampoo bars or hair growth mask
- DIY leave-in conditioner
Homemade Conditioner Bars
Equipment
- Double Boiler
- Silicone molds
Ingredients
- ½ cup of cocoa butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon of emulsifying wax
- 1 teaspoon of vitamin B5
- 10 drops of vitamin E oil
- 8 drops of tangerine essential oil
- 4 drops of lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Melt cocoa butter, coconut oil, and emulsifying wax in a double boiler. Or make your own double boiler by placing a glass bowl over a pot of water and bringing it to a boil.
- Once the ingredients are melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. You don't want it to 'set up' just cool enough to work with.
- Finally, add the remainder of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- Transfer the melted conditioner to the molds to dry.
I have been using these conditioner bars for about two months and love them! I experimented with how to use it in my hair. I could not get it to rinse out without washing several times. One time I decided to just leave it in my hair and was amazed by how it also acted as a styling agent. I have type 2B curly hair and it seems to be made just for my hair type. I no longer need multiple kinds of styling agents depending on the weather and can use just this bar. I wash normally with a shampoo bar then just before I get out of the shower I rub the bar through my hands and work it through my hair (sometimes several times). I have never had the bar “lather”, it is always similar in consistency to a lotion bar (waxy and slightly oily). I went to a fancy salon for a hair cut and they were amazed by how soft and healthy my hair was then shocked when I told them what I used on it. My only issue with the bar is that after it got down to about a ping pong ball size (I made them in silicon baking cups so they start out looking like peanut butter cups) the consistency had changed and it was goey with bits of sand like pieces throughout it. When it got to this stage I had to stop using it on my hair because it wasn’t working anymore. Why did this happen? Otherwise, great recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing! I am so glad you like it! I am wondering if it because of the way it is stored in the shower? I have never had that happen so I am unsure. I know when I get to the end of any soap bar it gets a little gooey, not really sure why.
Yes I wondered that as well. I’m storing one in a Tupperware container in the shower and making sure no water is left in it to see if that makes a difference.
Shea butter goes solid at room temperature and makes little granules. You can melt the whole thing down again and it will be fine.
It’s the coconut. Leave it out. No matter how much you wash it sticks like
Glue and makes your hair dry. I personally use cocoa & Shea and add little amounts of oil & essential oils & wax. I added such little amounts and it worked, I think to many oils & wax is being added. Ps don’t forget the butters are greasy anyway! Hopefully that will sort out the issue
which essential oils would you recommend?
My favorites for hair are rosemary, lavender, and tea tree.
Will these leave your hair greasy ?
Some readers say yes, while others love them! I guess it depends on hair type. I am working on a second conditioner bar for all hair types now.
I’m wondering if the conditioner bar is affected by hard water? I have hard water and I was told some conditioners and shampoos may not work properly.
Yes, that is definitely a thing! It may be better to try the liquid conditioner.
Hey Laura,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Been looking around for a strategy for making conditioner bars and this method was very approachable. I appreciate the great tips for adding rosemary and lavender. I already add lavender to my shampoo bar so this should pair nicely. I tried using black Jamaican castor oil mixed with jojoba oil as a carrier oil. Cant wait to try them out!
You’re welcome!
I am having trouble getting it out it is really thick when people put it I. Their hair and they have to wash their hair several times to get it all out
Try following up with an apple cider vinegar rinse.
Hi there! Is the vitamin E oil necessary or is it just an additive to help preserve the bars?
Thanks!
Correct! You can leave it out if you want.
Hi, so I made these conditioner bars and tried it on my hair. Unfortunately after using the bar my hair is really thick and sticky and I can’t get the product out. It’s incredibly hard to wash out even though i’ve used shampoo at least four times now to try and get it out.
I followed the recipe exactly apart from I used 1 + 1/2 cup of shea butter & 1 + 1/2 cup mango butter. In your video you used one cup of each shea, mango and cocoa so I used 1 +1/2 cup of two instead.
Any advice would be much appreciated!!!!
Following as I’m having the same issue!
Me too! I’ve now washed my hair twice with only shampoo and there’s still residue!
Hi there, thanks Laura for sharing your beautiful recipes. I am a big gun of doTerra too and have using them for over a year now. I made the conditioner bar with my daughter following the recipe and it turned up really good. Unfortunately, I have used it today for the first time and it has left my hair really greasy, even though I rinsed it with plenty of water. Not sure what I might have done wrong as it has worked for other people, I will probably use it as a body lotion in the shower, but if you could give me any advice that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks 😊
I am having the same issue – I put them in the refrigerator and they are firm, but still “greasy”. I am in New England, so it’s nowhere near 70 degrees. They seem perfect for a lotion bar, but I really needed conditioner bars…Any advice on this?
Thanks!
I would store them in the fridge.
Terrible! Did you even try this on your hair before publishing 4 washes later and my hair is still messed up and terrible looking!!!
Try doing an ACV rinse. This recipe works well for some hair types but not others. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
I think people are just used to the squeaky clean fee of normal shampoo. Natural shampoo leaves your hair a little thicker and feeling different at times because your natural oils aren’t being striped out of your hair. Acv rinses do help soften your hair.
Agreed….just tried mine for the first time (completely hardened, btw) and my hair is SOO oily and sticky. Wouldn’t rinse out at all! Hoping it will at least add moisture like a mask until I figure out how to get it out….lol
You may have used too much, you only need a small amount. Also, you can try following up with an ACV rinse.