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.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.
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.
Eria says
I’m confused as when I search this recipe it says that beeswax is used but then when I click the link to get the full recipe it leads me here and beeswax isn’t listed now in the ingredients. Curious if this is an updated link or if you stopped putting beeswax into it? If not, how much beeswax do you use? Thanks!
Laura says
It is an updated recipe, we just changed it to work for more hair types.
Gigi Bliss says
Can you add goats milk to the recipe?
Laura says
Yes, you can make a goats milk conditioner bar.
Linda says
I wish I would have though about this question before I posted my last one. 🙂
I noticed in your original recipe there is a carrier oil (example: sweet almond oil). But in the new recipe, there is no mention of a carrier oil. Are we still supposed to use one and if so, what would be the amount?
Laura says
The new recipe does not contain one. We found this recipe to work better for more hair types.
Linda says
Do you have to add the cetearyl alcohol and vitamin B? I have all other ingredients.
Laura says
It works best that way!
Christine Evans says
I used shea butter instead of cocoa butter. It’s been well over 24 hours and they haven’t set yet, still about 90% liquid. Could this be because of the difference in butters I used? The only other thing I did different was I used eucalyptus oil otherwise everything was exactly as the recipe says.
Laura says
Try placing it in the fridge or a cooler part of the home. Are house was too warm for them to set upstairs, when I moved them to the basement it became solid.
Naomie says
I swear you guys had a recipe with beeswax, mango butter and shea butter with no cetearyl alcohol and now I can only find this recipe. What happened?
Laura says
We just updated this recipe! It had a lot of great reviews, but a lot of people explained it was too greasy so we tweaked it and tested it. We find this one to work better for more hair types.
Naomie says
Okay I did find almost a copy of your old recipe and I found it to be too greasy too but I’m going to try this new one and I’ll come back and comment!
Laura says
OK let me know what you think! My husband and I have been using the new recipe for a few weeks and really like it.
Erica says
Oh shoot! I have been wondering the same thing!! Ignore my question below about the beeswax!! Haha!
April says
How long does it take these bars to harden?
Laura says
About 24 hours. Make sure they are in a cool place to harden.
Carrie says
I have a daughter that is allergic to coconut, is there another oil I could use I place of the coconut oil?
Debbie says
I made this recipe with equal parts of the 4 butters. , Cetyryl alcohol and it’s very oily. Can I melt it down and fix it?
Laura says
Yes, you can! We are currently updating this recipe and the new one will be live tomorrow morning!
Jane says
Hello, I’m reading through this recipe and it doesn’t list the amounts of each butter or oil. It sounds like a great recipe, but…how much is “equal parts”
Shea butter
Cocoa butter
Mango butter
Coconut oil
Beeswax
2 teaspoons carrier oil
10 drops vitamin E oil
20 drops essential oils (optional)
Double boiler or a small glass bowl and saucepan
Silicon molds
Laura says
It depends on how much you want to make. You can do 1 tablespoon of each or 1 cup of each, as long as it is equal parts it doesn’t matter the quanity.
Cathy says
Could I use 1/4 cup sheabutter and 1/4 cup castor oil and 1/4 cup beeswax?
Would oil work for conditioner bar?
Kim says
Do NOT EVER use this recipe. Because of the beeswax, it will turn out greasy and unreliable. Even whenever Laura says “oh just put it in the fridge” for what?? For it to be cold and greasy? This is a horrid recipe and is a waste of time and money
Laura says
Sorry, this didn’t work well for you, some readers love it! I have thought about changing the recipe, but I think it depends on hair type. It has over 200 reviews and most are great.
Joanna says
Is there a way that the conditioner bars could be made into an actual conditioner? like in a bottle? have you tried?
Laura says
I have a conditioner recipe that is not a bar on the blog that you can try.
Stella says
My conditioner didn’t blend together the Shea butter and mango butter was separated. What did I do wrong?
Amanda Pritchard says
Hi. I made this recipe and they solidified and looked great. Unfortunately when I used one, and rinsed with warm water, my hair had a waxy coating on it. I didn’t shampoo and dried it as normal, but it wouldn’t shift. The next day I had to wash my hair 3 times to get it back to normal. It was lovely afterwards, but there’s no way I could use it without shampooing afterwards
Laura says
You can also try doing an apple cider vinegar rinse after washing. It really helps! I have a blog post all about it.