Get healthy and shiny hair with this homemade DIY conditioner recipe. It uses rosehip seed oil, rosemary, and peppermint for amazing results that look (and smell) incredible!
I love all-natural conditioners—they have helped make my hair healthier than it’s ever been. I have thick, wavy hair that is prone to drying out and breaking. So, I need a conditioner that is thick and nourishes my hair while making it stronger at the same time. The natural ingredients in this rosemary conditioner have been essential for transforming the look and feel of my hair in the best way!
When I make my own conditioner, I am able to choose the options that work best for my hair. There are so many ingredients straight from the earth that do amazing things for my hair. I was truly shocked at how much better my hair looked once I switched to a natural hair care routine.
After a few different tries, I perfected a recipe that both smells and feels amazing. It uses a combination of pure essential oils and vegetable glycerin. It’s not overly complicated to make, and you’ll get some aromatherapy benefits from those heavenly oils as you make it, which is always a benefit!
By the way, if you need something to help keep your hair looking nice in between washes, try this DIY dry shampoo recipe too!
What Is DIY Conditioner?
DIY conditioner will replace any conditioner that you use in the shower. This isn’t a leave-in recipe, you just use it as you normally would any other kind. This particular version will protect your hair from breaking, and provides some excellent benefits for your scalp too.
Here’s a closer look at the essential oils that I used and what they do for your hair and scalp. It’s fascinating how powerful and gentle they are. All of these essential oils have properties that have been used for skin health for years.
Benefits of Rosemary for Hair
Rosemary essential oil is one of my favorite oils to use in hair care products. I adore the light, clean scent and how it helps with scalp and hair issues too.
Some of the things it helps with includes:
- Increases circulation on the scalp
- Stimulates hair growth
- Relieves flakes and itch
Plus, you just can’t beat the uplifting scent of rosemary. It’s sure to perk you up when you feel drained after a long gardening session.
Read even more about the benefits and uses of Rosemary in this post.
Peppermint Hair Benefits
Speaking of uplifting and energizing scents, peppermint oil is also super beneficial for hair.
Not only is this oil filled with fatty acids that will nourish your hair, but it also has lots of minerals and nutrients too. There is calcium, copper, folate, iron, and vitamins A and C. It’s kind of like a multivitamin for your hair.
There are also antiseptic and antimicrobial properties in it that will cool the scalp and fights dandruff. I love putting it in my conditioner because it makes my hair so shiny!
Rosehip Seed Oil Benefits
Rosehip seed oil also has lots of fatty acids, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also has antioxidants that will boost your collagen and moisturize your scalp.
It’s known that a healthy scalp means healthy hair, and rosehip oil is so good for your skin. Additionally, rosehip seed oil can also increase the strength of your hair, preventing it from breaking.
Benefits of Macadamia Nut Oil for Hair
The smell of macadamia nut oil reminds me of the beach. It has lots of the same properties of rosehip oil, but it has additional phosphorous and sodium too. It is very nutritive, reconstructive, and hydrating oil.
What is Biotin?
Another ingredient in this DIY conditioner is biotin. Biotin is a naturally occurring vitamin that is found in eggs, milk, or bananas. It is an important part of enzymes that break down fats. All those natural fats from the oils need the biotin so your body can use them effectively.
You can find these capsules online or at any store where vitamins are sold.
How to Make Your Own Conditioner
When you make your own bath and beauty products, it’s very important to disinfect your tools and workspace. Even if all of your ingredients are organic, you can still contaminate your conditioner from your clothes, hands, or even your water. That’s why I use distilled water and disinfect everything very carefully.
There are three phases: the aqueous (water) phase, the oil phase, and the cool phases. Each phase describes when to combine the ingredients.
You will measure all of the aqueous ingredients into one heatproof container. Then, measure the macadamia nut oil, BTM, and cetyl alcohol into another heatproof container. Finally, measure the ingredients that can be damaged by heat – like the preservative and essential oils – into a third container for the cool phase.
Ready? Let’s make some conditioner!
Natural Rosemary Mint Conditioner Ingredients
Makes 1 x 200g bottle
Aqueous Phase Ingredients
- 105 g distilled water
- 47 g rosemary hydrosol (you can also replace this with lavender hydrosol or distilled water)
- 4 g vegetable glycerine
Oil Phase Ingredients
- 20 g macadamia nut oil
- 8 g BTMS 25
- 8 g cetyl alcohol
Cool Phase Ingredients
- 8 g leucidal (preservative)
- 4 g rosehip seed oil
- contents of one biotin capsule
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
Make It!
Before you start, sterilize everything with alcohol. This is extremely important, so be thorough.
Next, use a kitchen scale to measure the oil ingredients in a heatproof container like a beaker.
Then, measure all of the water ingredients in another heatproof container.
Now we’ll heat both of these ingredient sets. Create a double boiler and heat both the oil ingredients and the water ingredients until it gets to 160 degrees.
Keep both the water ingredients and oil ingredients at 160 degrees for 20 minutes. Similar to canning, this helps to kill off any bacteria, which is definitely crucial
Add the oil ingredients to a mixing bowl first and then pour in the water ingredients.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. They should thicken up quickly and cool down.
Once the ingredients have reached 80 degrees, you can add the cool phase ingredients. Remember, these ingredients are heat-sensitive and will break down at higher temperatures, which is why they’re added at this time.
Continue mixing until it’s thick and fluffy. Now you can add it into a sterilized container.
That’s it! You’ll need to use this conditioner within six months.
How to Use DIY Conditioner
Use this in the shower after you use your shampoo. I like to let it stay in my hair for about five minutes to permeate. Then, rinse it off completely and then follow up with your normal hair-drying routine.
More Natural Beauty Recipes with Rosemary:
- DIY Dry Shampoo with Lavender and Rosemary
- Natural Hair Serum with Rosemary and Jojoba
- Energizing Rosemary and Spearmint Sugar Scrub
Rosemary Mint Conditioner
Equipment
- Beakers
- Alcohol
Supplies
Aqueous Phase Ingredients
- 105 grams distilled water
- 47 grams rosemary hydrosol
- 4 grams vegetable glycerine
Oil Phase Ingredients
- 20 grams macadamia nut oil
- 8 grams BTMS 25
- 8 grams cetyl alcohol
Cool Phase Ingredients
- 8 grams leucidal (a preservative)
- 4 grams rosehip seed oil
- 1 biotin
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions
- Sterilize your equipment and workspace with alcohol.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the oil ingredients in a heatproof container like a beaker.
- Measure all of the water ingredients in another heatproof container.
- Create a double boiler and heat both the oil ingredients and the water ingredients to 160 degrees.
- Keep both the water ingredients and oil ingredients at 160 degrees for 20 minutes. Similar to canning, this helps to kill off any bacteria.
- In a mixing bowl, add the oil ingredients first and then pour in the water ingredients.
- Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients. In a large bowl, they should thicken up quickly and cool down.
- Once the ingredients have reached 80 degrees, you can add the cool phase ingredients. Remember, these ingredients are heat-sensitive and will break down at higher temperatures, which is why they’re added at this time.
- Continue mixing your conditioner until it’s thick and fluffy.
- Pour it into a sterilized container.
- Use the conditioner within 6 months.
Hi, can you substitute distilled water with coconut milk?
Hi Jennifer, I have not tried this but I think the conditioner would spoil very quickly so with the effort required, I wouldn’t want to make it in small batches. If you try it, please let us know.
Hi Stephanie!
I’m super excited to try this out. I may have missed this in the post, but about how much does this recipe yield ?
Hi Bree, It makes 200g. Just a smidge more than that, like 205g but it should fit in a 200 ml bottle or two 100 ml bottles.
id rather not use the macadamia nut oil is there anything you recommend I switch it out with?