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Revisiting The DIY Moisturizing Hair Detangler
Posted on October 3, 2012 by Dawn Michelle in DIY, Hair
I decided to revisit a previous DIY hair recipe that I created over a year and a half ago. Now that my hair is longer I was curious how the product would work and if I’d even still like it. I wanted something that would make my hair feel soft yet still give shape to my curls.I was also looking for something that I could easily make for my hair as a leave-in to extend the use of my current cleansing/leave-in conditioner since the ingredients cost much more.
I co-washed my hair as usual leaving a bit of conditioner in my hair, and applied the DIY Moisturizing Hair Detangler as my main leave-in. I made it without the silk amino acids since I didn’t have any. I honestly don’t think you absolutely need the silk amino acids although some love it. I used the detangler then added a bit of shea butter focusing on the ends of my hair.
To my surprise my hair was soft, shiny, and curled up exactly as I like it. There was minimal effort making this leave-in and I love DIY beauty products that are extremely simple now that my schedule seems to stay busy. I also appreciate that I can use it daily, gently finger detangle my hair as needed, and not have product build up. Now that I’ve been formulating more complicated products, I adore one step formulations when the clean up is effortless.
The DIY Moisturizing Hair Detangler works well for wavy and curly wash and go hairstyles as well as twists and braid outs.
I’m in awe how inexpensive this product is to make as well as how effective it is. Guar gum is the main ingredient to give this product a jelly like consistency which makes it easy to apply and the perfect natural detangling product. The original recipe does not contain any oils which is perfect for naturally oily hair and scalps, yet you could add a teaspoon of your favorite oil or more if you desire. Xanthan gum isn’t a replacement for guar gum in this recipe.
Please note that this is a water based recipe that does not contain preservatives. Although essential oils help to extend the life of a product they are still not preservatives. This will last refrigerated for 1-2 weeks. I tend to use the DIY Moisturizing Hair Detangler up before the week is over. Go here for the recipe.
One thing that I’ve learned since doing the Curly Girl Method is that hydrated hair is easier to detangle and style.
Keeping my ends trimmed has helped a great deal with single strand knots and tangles in general. I try to dust my hair (very minimal trimming) every two months. I’ve also been playing around with twist outs versus braid outs which I’ll get more into another time. In general co-washing with a good natural conditioner has been the key factor with hydrating my dry hair.
What natural products have helped with your hair?
(Image by D Sharon Pruitt)
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10 Responses so far.
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Azuha...
Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.
~Osho
~Osho
Shea Moisture hair care products are perfect for my kinky coily hair. I’ve been using them for about 2 years now.
I also like Alba Botanica Leave-In Conditioner. It’s super moisturizing without being greasy. It also has TONS of slip.
In addition to store bought products, I use natural ingredients for hair care — coconut oil, castor oil, Lily of the Dessert aloe vera gel & flax seeds (via DIY Flax Seed Gel).
Hi mangomadness, I haven’t had fresh aloe vera in a few weeks and hope to pick some up this weekend. Thanks for sharing and have a beautiful weekend!
Hello, I love your website, and all of your articles. I am wondering your thoughts on using your recipes on non-curly hair? I have straight hair with a little bit of wave to it, pretty normal hair type, not dry or oily, and I’m wondering your thoughts as to if your recipes would be suited to that hair type as well? Thank you!
Hi Amy,
I’m so happy that you love the site! You can definitely try the hair recipes on this site. My intention was to give options for all hair types although not everything works for everybody. There are many different types of recipes though.
Some DIY hair products that you may want to try are simply pure aloe vera, catnip or other herbal hair rinses, deep conditioning with coconut milk with or without oil, etc. Some of my readers have said that they use a little bit a jojoba oil as a leave-in and that’s it.
Some things to steer clear of for fine, normal-oily hair is too much oil or glycerin in leave-in products. Try simple natural ingredients alone and then play around with adding other ingredients so that you can see what your hair likes and what works for you. Also make small batches during the trial and error stages when trying new recipes. Are you trying to go no ‘poo or just use more natural products? I’ve listed a bunch of natural hair care products here as well.
Best Wishes!
Thank you so much for your thorough answer Dawn! I think I will make my first order from Mountain Rose Organics soon and start playing. I am not really trying to do no ‘poo exactly, just trying to use more natural products in general, and cut down on the plastic waste that comes with buying normal shampoo & conditioner bottles as well.
I guess my biggest struggle, like you mentioned a bit in your latest smoothie article, is that I already make a few other bath/body products already, and I am currently in a phase where I’m trying to learn to be more organized and do a little every day so I have the time to do things like make my own products. But, the more unnecessary I purge from my life, I realize the little bits of time I gain back, that help give me time to do things like make my own beauty products, for instance, which is rewarding in so many ways-personal satisfaction, monetarily, producing less waste, etc.
Hi Amy,
Balancing all of the things that we want to do is challenging yet cutting out the clutter with things and unnecessary demands on our time is so helpful. I have so much to share with this plastic free journey. It is a lot more challenging than I thought yet by making your own products and supporting companies that produce natural products with plastic free packaging is wonderful and helps tremendously.
Talk more soon!
~Dawn Michelle
Hi Dawn Michelle,
I love your DIY recipes. I just recently tried your Moisturizing Hair Detangler and my curls were amazing. However, I did get a pretty bad white clumpy buildup. I did use aloe vera gel instead of juice. Could that be the reason for the buildup or do you have any suggestions on how I can adjust the recipe? Thanks.
Hi Lori, I could be the aloe that you used, but I’m honestly not sure. Is the aloe gel you used all natural pure aloe vera, or does it have a long list of other ingredients? If it does have filler ingredients, it just might not be mixing well with the recipe. I do use aloe juice for this recipe and the consistency never clumps. You also may want to see if the products that you are using with it may not match up. Let me know what you find out. Best wishes!
Hi Dawn. Loving your blog! I just wanted to know your views on okra mucilage as a detangler. I live in Nigeria and I’ve stopped using any commerical products on my hair and skin. It has been very successful, but I need something with slip to detangle my hair. The herbs you recommended are not found here, well not easily, so i thought okra has mucilage how about that? Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Thank you Chineze! I have still not tried the gel that okra produces for my hair, although I’ve been hearing more and more about it since another reader had mentioned it to me awhile back. During this time I’ve read a lot of women raving about okra gel as a hair detangler. If that is easy for you to find and use definitely give it a try. It is all natural and easily available.
Just like creating any hair product from a food source such as flaxseed gel, which you could also use as a detangler and gel or rinse out if you like, it will need to be refrigerated and will most likely last about a week or so if essential oils are added. If you would like to make large batches, I would suggest freezing the gel in an ice cube tray and using single portions as needed. I’m sure that you could play around with mixing aloe vera into a gel if it seems too thick as well as for added moisturing properties and even some oil if needed. Be creative and have fun with it!