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Conditioner Bar Recipe – Natural Handmade Conditioner Bar

Posted by Kelly Hair, Natural Beauty 294 Comments
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This recipe has been a long time coming. After all, my natural shampoo bar recipes have been popular for many years now.

I now have this recipe below, plus another that’s more formulated for all hair types here: Natural Conditioner Bar for All Hair Types

I’ve been very happy with using a diluted apple cider vinegar spray as a conditioner for many years (add a little lavender and vanilla essential oil and it smells wonderful). But recently I was traveling and realized it would be a lot more convenient if I didn’t have to worry about a bottle leaking. Plus, a conditioner bar would take up a lot less space.

Natural Conditioner Bar Recipe from Simple Life MomWhy A Conditioner Bar Recipe?

As I just mentioned, having a conditioner bar can be very handy when traveling. But there are a lot more benefits:

  1. Conditioner bars are frugal – a small bar lasts a month or more and once you’ve gathered the ingredients you can make a number of bars for yourself and your family.
  2. They travel easily. They dry quickly and make traveling simple with no worry about spills.
  3. They are healthy. If you make sure you know and understand each ingredient, then you know you are using something that will nourish your hair and scalp, not just make your hair look nice.

You can buy shampoo bars in my shop

Safety Precautions

Most recipes that you will find for conditioner bar recipes have Behentrimonium Methosulfate, which is an ammonium salt made from Rapeseed oil. It’s generally considered safe, but no one can point to any research that states that it is good for skin or hair.

I feel like the research is lacking too much, so this is one ingredient I’d like to skip.

Natural Conditioner Bar Recipe from Simple Life MomCreating the Best Conditioner Bar Recipe

I really had to start from scratch to create these conditioning bars. There’s a lot that goes into a really good conditioner bar. I had to do a lot of research and a lot of experiments. And there’s a lot that I want in a bar.

I want it to have only nourishing ingredients, nothing questionable.

I want it to have the right pH. Shampoo bars are slightly alkaline, so you want ingredients that will be slightly acidic. For example, cocoa butter is slightly acidic, so it pairs well with other slightly acidic ingredients like shea butter and bees wax.

Oils don’t have a pH, so in choosing oils I needed to look at oils that are beneficial to sealing and nourishing the hair shaft like jojoba, argon, coconut, and avocado oils.

I also want it to have the right hardness. It needs to dry nicely, stay hard, but not be too hard where it doesn’t lather and spread well.

Natural Conditioner Bar Recipe from Simple Life MomHow to Use

This is VERY important! A few of you have mentioned how your hair feels greasy after using these conditioner bars. You are using way too much.

These are oil based conditioner bars that should last months.  They are designed to condition and moisturize at the same time. You put only a little onto your hands and start by working into the ends of your hair and then rubbing hands throughout the rest of your hair. This will keep most of the oils at the ends of your hair where it is needed, but will also condition the rest of your hair.

Put your head under warm/hot water and work hands through hair to distribute. This works wonderfully on my thick, curly hair. If your hair is thin or tends to be greasy, you may have a better experience using an herbal hair rinse.

Conditioner Bar Recipe

Makes 4 one-ounce bars

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons Shea Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Bees Wax
  • 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Mango Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Argon Oil
  • 1 Teaspoon Avocado Oil
  • 30 drops Lavender Essential Oil (or other essential oil of choice)

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients, except essential oil, in a double boiler. I like to use a glass measuring cup in a saucepan of boiling water. Stir on and off until melted.
  2. Add essential oil and stir.
  3. Pour into molds (makes 4 one ounce bars). If you don’t have a mold, use muffin liners in muffin cups until cooled and hardened.

Natural Conditioner Bar Recipe from Simple Life MomHow to Use Condition Bars

After washing and rinsing your hair with a shampoo bar, rub conditioner bar between your hands to get a light layer on both hands.

Spread into your hair, taking care to avoid hair around your face (because that hair usually becomes oils first) until last.

Using warm to hot water, rinse your hair. This will make sure it spreads throughout your hair and the hot water will insure it is spread evenly.

Towel dry, brush, and you’re ready to go!

As I said above, I also now have a conditioner bar that is formulated more for all hair types here: Natural Conditioner Bar for All Hair Types

Natural Conditioner Bar Recipe by Simple Life Mom


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294 Comments

294 Comments

Leave your reply.
  • Geri Sofias
    · Reply

    December 10, 2018 at 10:55 AM

    Hello,
    I love the idea of a conditioner bar. I was wondering if you had an alternate to shea butter. I know it has all sorts of healing properties unfortunately I’m allergic to it. Thanks for your help.

    Geri Sofias

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 12, 2018 at 6:29 PM

      You can replace it with mango butter. It will make a harder bar so add less bees wax.

  • Lacey
    · Reply

    December 10, 2018 at 11:21 AM

    I want to try shampoo and conditioner bars! The ingredients sound great! Wonderful post, thank you for sharing!

  • Cezie
    · Reply

    December 12, 2018 at 4:25 PM

    Is there another option if I wanted to substitute the mango butter?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 12, 2018 at 6:26 PM

      You can use more shea butter. This may make them slightly softer.

      • joyce
        · Reply

        June 1, 2020 at 2:53 AM

        May I use as co wash?

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          June 3, 2020 at 10:28 AM

          It won’t cleanse. It is just a conditioner.

  • Carol L
    · Reply

    December 13, 2018 at 11:34 PM

    Thank you for this post! I love the idea of a conditioning bar! I have used shampoo bars for years now and I love the idea of them. I also usually just use ACV (or rather, a homemade Queen of Hungary’s water) as a rinse. but this sounds interesting. I’ll have to make a batch and see how I like it. I do have a question, though. I have asked several times on blogs where they use mango butter: I’m allergic to mangoes (they are in the same family as Poison Oak, to which I am HIGHLY allergic). I know that it is the skin. leaves and probably bark that has the urusiol….but not sure about the seed, which I think is where the butter is from. Do you think it would be safe for me to use mango butter? Don’t ask me to ask a doctor: they all seem totally oblivious about the relationship to Poison oak!(although it was a doctor in Hawaii who made me aware of the two being related). I just wondered if you had ever heard of the mango/poison oak relationship or if mango butter has the urusiol…?
    Thanks!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 15, 2018 at 10:40 AM

      I have heard of it. I react to the mango fruit because my system interprets it as a high tree pollen intake and my mouth feels burned. My sister has the reaction to the oils in the skin of the fruit as you described. We both have used mango butter without any reaction, but everyone is different. I could have no reaction at all and you could respond because our immune systems are programmed differently. That’s why some essential oils and herbs do wonderful for one person and do nothing for the next. We’re so majorly complex it’s truly amazing.

  • Mellisa
    · Reply

    December 14, 2018 at 12:50 AM

    What other oils do you recommend. I was thinking rosemary for dark hair and chamomile and lemon for blonde. Not sure of quantities though

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 15, 2018 at 10:35 AM

      You can use a few drops of those essential oils. If you want to infuse an oil before hand that would be wonderful too. Those don’t add to color that much so really anyone can use them, not just dark or light hair. Rosehip is another wonderful oil on the hair.

  • Fame
    · Reply

    December 14, 2018 at 11:53 AM

    Omg I’ve been looking for a recipe with no BTMS in It. Thank you so much going to try tonight.

    Question… do these end up crumbling? I was reading reviews that if you don’t use BTMS and cretyl acid the bars crumble…

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 15, 2018 at 10:33 AM

      No, they have a creamy oily texture and don’t crumble. Let me know how they work for you. I’m interested in if I can tweak it for different hair types.

      • Kathleen Dodge-DeHaven
        · Reply

        June 9, 2019 at 4:14 PM

        What a wonderful, knowledgeably written article. I have really fine, thin hair; it tends to be a little dry now because it’s color-treated.. You were talking about tweaking your recipe for different hair types. Do you have any ideas? I’m going to try your original recipe for my husband’s hair which is waist-length, thick, and wavy.

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          June 11, 2019 at 9:31 AM

          I would still use it very lightly. You can even try to use it before applying the shampoo and see how the mixture results. If it doesn’t work for your hair type, use apple cider vinegar diluted 50% with water.

        • linsey
          · Reply

          September 4, 2019 at 5:25 PM

          add some thyme essential oil. It is famous for thickening / strenghtening your hair <3

      • KadriPiibe
        · Reply

        October 30, 2020 at 5:11 PM

        Hi,

        Does it mean that rinse with vinegar is off the list.

        Best regards
        Kadri it

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          November 3, 2020 at 5:52 PM

          I still use a 50% diluted vinegar rinse as a conditioner. I use this bar as a deep conditioner about once a month, sometimes more.

  • Annelie
    · Reply

    December 15, 2018 at 7:18 AM

    Good day.
    Would it be possible to send me your Shampoo Bar recipe… Beind a newcomer on your blog… As TODAY. Please and thankyou
    ANNELIE : NIGEL.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 15, 2018 at 10:32 AM

      There are a lot on my site. Just use the search bar at the top right.

  • Julie McC
    · Reply

    December 15, 2018 at 12:57 PM

    Hi there,

    I’ve just found your website and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. I can’t wait to get making the conditioner, Nettle Shampoo Bar and Green Tea and Rose Facial Cream. In the facial cream and conditioner beeswax is one of the ingredients, can you recommend a vegan alternative? I also wanted to ask of you have a recipe for a deodorant bar?

    Loving your website and everything you’re creating.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 18, 2018 at 8:38 AM

      Hi Julie! You can substitute bees wax with Candelilla, Bayberry, Carnuba, or Organic Soy wax if they are sustainably sourced.

      • Dana Bannister
        · Reply

        October 3, 2019 at 1:13 PM

        Hi Kelly, I just tried to make some vegan conditioner bars substituting Carnuba instead of Beeswax and they are not hardening enough to take out of the muffin tin/liners. Any suggestions? TYIA

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          October 7, 2019 at 6:34 PM

          Yes, just remelt and add more of the wax.

  • Sarah
    · Reply

    December 15, 2018 at 1:50 PM

    What is the ratio of essential oil to batch? 1%?

  • Cristina Correia
    · Reply

    December 17, 2018 at 3:52 AM

    Hello in this Conditioner Bar can avocato be substituted buy another oil? Thank you so much.
    Cristina

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 18, 2018 at 8:33 AM

      Of course. Use what you have.

  • Janis
    · Reply

    December 26, 2018 at 5:17 PM

    Hi, just made these. Can’t wait to try them. Is there a cure time for them?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      December 27, 2018 at 4:32 PM

      No, just use them when they are cool and hardened.

  • Lana
    · Reply

    December 27, 2018 at 8:58 AM

    I’ve been using the shampoo bar (avocado and lavender) and I was already happy enough, but now with this conditioner bar, my hair looks AMAZING! 😀
    My hair is super thin, curly (3a) and oily on the roots/dry on the ends. I feel now that once I stopped using all the chemicals products that I’ve been using all these years to “fix” my hair, and started going natural, my hair is more healthy than ever.
    I just want to say thank you for sharing this things with us <3
    Bless u

    ps: the conditioner will last foreeeeeeeeeever hahaha I've made half of a batch and still seems that I have product for at least 6 monts

  • Kristi Stone
    · Reply

    January 2, 2019 at 9:03 AM

    I love this idea, though I have never used a conditioner bar before. I think I’ll try it this year! Thanks for the idea, pinning it for later!

  • Heidi
    · Reply

    January 3, 2019 at 6:20 AM

    Over time does the use of this clog the drain?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      January 5, 2019 at 9:15 PM

      Most remains on your hair, so I don’t think it would. We haven’t had any problems at all (and my husband is very particular about that kind of thing in our shower – no shea butter based shaving creams for us!). Definitely let us know if you have a different experience.

      • Heidi Shuman
        · Reply

        January 7, 2019 at 7:45 AM

        Thank you!

        • rachel
          · Reply

          June 15, 2019 at 6:15 PM

          Is there something you can use instead of coconut oil? My family has an allergy to it

          • Kelly

            Author
            June 17, 2019 at 9:04 AM

            Yes, just use a little less of another liquid oil and increase the cocoa butter slightly so that the hardness is the same.

        • Nadia
          · Reply

          January 24, 2021 at 1:35 PM

          Hello I’m going to try this can l use olive oil and almond oil instead of argen oil and avacado oil, also can l use some vitamin e oil in it along with the Shea butter cocoa butter mango butter and coconut oil plus the bees wax and can l use fragrance oils or is it just essential oils also can l use mica powder to colour them thankyou

          • Kelly

            Author
            January 24, 2021 at 6:21 PM

            You can make those substitutions. Just remember that every substitute changes the end product’s effect on your hair.
            I never use fragrance oils due to their toxicity.

  • priscilla
    · Reply

    January 8, 2019 at 11:33 AM

    if no mango butter and i don’t want to add more shea what other option?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      January 8, 2019 at 6:48 PM

      You can add one Tablespoon of Cocoa butter. You’ll have only slightly less in volume, but the consistency should be about the same.

  • Nate
    · Reply

    January 8, 2019 at 8:17 PM

    Do you have weights for the ingredients instead of tablespoons? My beeswax is in block form so not as easy to measure spoonfuls. Thanks!