Homemade Hair Conditioner

Making your own spa-quality treatments at home is easy and surprisingly cheap once you know which ingredients matter the most. Because of my thick, curly and long hair, conditioner had long been something I allowed myself to splurge on to keep my hair healthy. Most conditioner recipes are one-time treatments or masks. Here's a quick and easy recipe you can use daily to save your scalp from chemicals and save your wallet some dinero.

Homemade Hair Conditioner
Old shampoo bottle
2 cups warm filtered water
4 tsp olive, avocado or coconut oil
2 tsp jojoba, grapeseed or sweet almond oil
5 drops essential oil of your choice

Combine all ingredients of choice and pour into the old shampoo bottle using a funnel or a measuring cup with a spout. 
TO USE: Wet your hair with warm water in the shower. Shake up your bottle of conditioner to mix and apply liberally to scalp, massaging it in. Flip your hair over and apply from the base of the scalp upwards. Finally, apply directly to the ends of your hair. Let sit for 1-2 minutes then wash out with moisturizing shampoo or baking soda rinse.

The coconut and/or olive oil are the real moisturizers in this recipe. Coconut, avocado and olive oil all have the same amino acid chains that the human body naturally creates to moisturize your skin, so they are exactly right to penetrate your hair. The more moisture in your hair, the less brittle it is and the more elasticity it gains.

The jojoba, grapeseed and sweet almond oil are lighter oils, known as carrier oils. These keep the heavier oils from sitting limply on your hair.

The essential oils are good for scent or for medicinal properties. If you have a sensitive or itchy scalp, add tea tree, peppermint or neem essential oils. If you're just looking to smell good, you might want to check out lavender, orange oil or patchouli. Cherry, vanilla and almond extracts also smell wonderful.

Enjoy your naturally luscious hair! And until next time, keep it clean!