Leave-in conditioner is a must-have hair care product in your beauty bag. But if you really want to pamper your hair and spare your tresses the harsh chemicals found in most store-bought products, then a DIY leave in conditioner is the way to go.
You’ll love the natural smooth feeling of your hair and the de-frizz effect many of these homemade leave in conditioners provide. Most of our recipes here take five minutes or less to make and should last at least a month, depending on the frequency of use.
So, without further ado, here is our collection of homemade leave in conditioner recipes for a healthy, smooth, and detangled hair.
1. DIY Leave in Conditioner Spray for Dry Hair
Are you looking for a budget-friendly hair care product which nourishes your hair root to end while offering 100% anti-frizz protection and amazing shine?
You’re in luck, because with four all-natural and cheap ingredients you can whisk up a great DIY leave in hair conditioner. Here are the ingredients:
- Jojoba oil – 5 ounces.
- Sweet almond oil – 5 ounces.
- Vegetable glycerin – 1 ounce.
- Rosemary essential oil – 15 drops.
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Pour all the ingredients into a spray bottle, give the mixture a good shake, and stir. Don’t worry if the ingredients are not fully incorporated, each one of the ingredients has a different consistency.
Thus, even though most are oils, they won’t fully blend into the solution. Add water until the spray bottle is almost full and give the DIY leave in conditioner another good shake.
Here it is, your own leave in conditioner carrying amazing properties for your hair. Just remember to shake it before each use.
2. DIY Anti-Breakage & Pro-Growth Leave in Conditioner
If your hair is extremely dry, brittle, and with lots of split ends, you can use this highly nutritious leave in conditioner formula with ylang-ylang.
This recipe uses a handful of natural ingredients which are known to repair hair’s structure and encourage growth. Here are the ingredients you need to gather:
- Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
- Aloe Vera juice – 2 tablespoons
- Essential oils – 6 drops (optional)
- Ylang-ylang oil – 2 teaspoons
- Castor oil – 2 tablespoons
- Coconut water – 2-4 tablespoons
- Honey – 2 tablespoons
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Place the coconut oil in a pot on low heat and mix in the other ingredients as soon as it starts to melt. Then, turn off the stove and allow the mixture to reach room temperature.
This DIY leave in conditioner will make your hair grow faster, but it will also make it grow thicker due to the ylang-ylang & castor oils.
Note: If you are a coconut oil addict, you will love our collection of DIY hair masks! They require only natural oils and other ingredients to nourish your tresses and give them the healthy shine and weight you want!
3. DIY Leave in Conditioner for Sensitive Hair and Skin
Provided you are prone to allergies and easily break out into rashes, you likely want to steer clear of store-bought hair care products that are packed with harsh chemicals. Even some natural organic ingredients may wreak havoc on sensitive skin, scalp, or hair.
Vegetable glycerin, however, is known for its healing and nourishing properties. Moreover, it’s rarely a cause for concern with people prone to allergic reactions.
Protective for your skin and scalp, vegetable glycerin makes a wonderful DIY leave in conditioner for a smooth and shiny hair that’s easy to detangle. With no particular smell, it will be your secret sidekick in the fight against frizz and dry hair.
You will need:
- Vegetable glycerin.
- Water.
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Even when it’s mixed with water and essential oils that are fit for hair care, vegetable glycerin makes the ideal base for a hypoallergenic DIY leave in conditioner.
4. DIY Honey & Hibiscus Leave in Hair Cream
This DIY leave-in hair treatment moisturizes the scalp and reduces dandruff while also preventing hair loss.
In addition, this nutritious conditioner can also treat a handful of scalp conditions & does a great job at keeping frizzy, rebel hair in place.
Image Source: NiceandNaturalBeauty.com
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Hibiscus powder – 1 tablespoon
- Shea butter – 4 ounces
- Aloe Vera gel – 2 ounces
- Grapefruit seed extract – 1 tablespoon
- Essential oils – 1 tablespoon total
- Honey – 2 tablespoons
- Water or coconut water – 3-6 ounces
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Mix all of the ingredients (you might need to melt the shea butter first) and wait for the cream to cool down completely.
You can control the thickness of the product by adjusting the amount of water or coconut water you add.
5. DIY Leave in Conditioner for Curly Hair (Spray)
If you’re one to flaunt beautiful coils and springy tresses, you know how painstaking hair care can be. A host of hair care products is needed upon every single wash.
The biggest problem with curly hair is de-tangling part of it. As such, here is a DIY leave in conditioner for curly hair that should make the issue a problem of the past.
As we mentioned before, natural or vegetable glycerin is a common ingredient for a host of beauty products. This is mainly because it acts as an amazing moisturizer as it absorbs moisture from the environment.
Therefore, this DIY leave in conditioner doesn’t simply moisturize, but aids in reducing the dreaded frizz that’s inherent to curly hair.
Essential oils such as lavender, rosemary or orange smell delicious and come with many benefits for the hair. Aloe Vera Gel packs nourishing and moisturizing properties. So, here is how much of each ingredient you should use:
- Aloe Vera Gel – 1 (one) tablespoon.
- Vegetable glycerin – ½ (half) a tablespoon.
- Essential oils – 10 (ten) drops.
- Distilled water – 5 (five) tablespoons.
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Use a spray bottle to shake all the ingredients together. You may have to shake and stir several times until the Aloe Vera gel is fully incorporated.
Use this amazing DIY leave in conditioner on wet, damp, or dry hair and reap the benefits of a homemade anti-frizz, de-tangling, and nourishing conditioner.
Recommended read: If you struggle with curly hair that easily dries up at the ends while greasing up at the roots, check out our recipes for DIY dry shampoo!
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6. DIY Anti-Dandruff Leave in Conditioner Spray
If you are looking for a leave-in conditioner that can effectively fight off dandruff & flaking while also protecting the hair structure, this is the one for you.
In addition, this DIY leave in conditioner provides nutrients that will leave your hair supple, shiny, and smooth without compromising its volume.
Here are the ingredients you will need to get for this recipe:
- Distilled / purified water – 1 cup.
- Aloe Vera juice – half of cup.
- Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon.
- Lime juice – 1 tablespoon.
- Vitamin E – 5 capsules or 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Essential oils – 40 drops total.
- Coconut milk – half a can.
- Ideal for daily use
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- 100 percent authentic
Mix all the ingredients and pour the mixture into a spray bottle for easier application.
You can use this spray leave in conditioner between 1 and 3 times per week, depending on your hair type and how often you need to wash it.
7. Basic DIY Leave in Conditioner
Coconut oil is the miracle worker of beauty and personal care products. From body lotions to hand creams and shampoos, you’ll find coconut oil almost everywhere.
Well, in this case, coconut oil can be turned into the most basic DIY leave in conditioner you can use. You will need:
- Organic extra virgin coconut oil
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Pour a bit of coconut oil in your palms (depending on your hair length), rub them gently together to melt the typically solid coconut oil, and spread it through your hair with your fingers.
A bad hair day can easily come to an end with this simple DIY leave in conditioner for natural hair.
Moreover, if frizz and unruly hair is your main concern, coconut oil will bring all of these problems to an end.
Apply to damp hair to get that smooth feeling. In addition, coconut oil can offer amazing shine and softness to your lovely tresses.
With no whipping, shaking, or mixing involved, this must be one of the simplest DIY leave in conditioner “recipes” out there.
Image source: CurlsUnderstood.com
8. Clarifying DIY Leave in Conditioner
This recipe uses some of the lighter aforementioned ingredients to leave your hair clean, shiny, and properly moisturized.
The star of the show, however, is rooibos tea. Known for its antioxidant effects, this wonder plant will gently but thoroughly clean your hair and scalp.
Here’s what you will need:
- Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon.
- Rooibos tea – between 1 tablespoon and 2 cups.
- Your choice of essential oils – just a few drops.
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Simply mix all the ingredients and apply the solution onto your hair. Depending on your preferences regarding the texture of this leave in conditioner, you can adjust the amount of tea to mix into the coconut oil.
Recommended read: If you are struggling with greasy hair, you should also check out our recipe for no-poo shampoo in our collection of DIY natural shampoos!
9. DIY Leave in Conditioner for Dry, Frizzy Hair (Spray)
Image source: FashionMinutes.com
This DIY leave in conditioner for frizzy hair can be a wonder worker if your hair happens to be dry. Why? Because it contains nothing but nourishing oils with beneficial properties for the hair and the scalp. It’s a shine booster and your ally against split ends. Moreover, it nourishes your strands root to end and also helps your hair grow faster thanks to the castor oil. Here’s what you need:
- Avocado oil – 3 (three) ounces.
- Extra virgin olive oil – 2 (two) ounces.
- Almond oil – 1 (one) ounce.
- Castor oil – 1 (one) ounce.
- Coconut oil – 1 (one) ounce.
- Essential oils – 10 (ten) drops.
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Once again, put all the ingredients in a spray bottle. Give them a gentle shake and there it is. Your oil mist DIY leave in conditioner to be used on damp or dry hair.
Your hair will thank you for the added shine and sparkle and you will thank yourself for taking on the challenge to whisk up a homemade leave in conditioner that works so well.
10. DIY Honey Butter Leave-in Conditioner
If you are looking for a simple, yet highly moisturizing DIY leave-in conditioner, you will love this recipe! It uses honey to lock in moisture into the hair and it is the ideal choice for those of you who prefer the wash-and-go option.
The lavender oil adds a fresh touch and also increases the volume of the hair, while the jojoba oil nurtures and repairs the hair structure.
Here are the main ingredients you will need for this recipe:
- Coconut milk – half of cup.
- Shea butter – 2 tablespoons.
- Jojoba oil – 2 tablespoons.
- Lavender essential oil – 5 drops.
- Honey – 2 tablespoons.
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First, heat up the shea butter until it’s liquid. Be careful not to overheat it as high temperatures destroy the nutrients in such ingredients.
Then, mix it with the coconut milk and honey until smooth and add the oils drop by drop while still mixing.
Then, simply pour the conditioner into a spray bottle and apply it to the hair as generously as needed.
Conclusion
This is our roundup of the best DIY leave in conditioner recipes to whisk up for instant anti-frizz, extra shine, and longer and healthier hair.
Also, because they are homemade and mainly use all-natural ingredients, you can safely apply these homemade leave in conditioners onto your (small) kids’ hair, too.
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And if you lack the time and energy for a DIY leave in, here are some of the best (mostly) natural leave-in conditioners money can buy
Great recipes! What size spray bottle should be used? Thank You.
Hello Patti,
You can use these 16 oz. glass bottles if you’re using the exact quantities of ingredients as our tutorials do. These are great for storing the product for a few days or weeks, depending on how long it will last. However, if you’re only making enough for a single application, you can also go for these smaller glass or even plastic bottles.
I tried number 4 and could not get the Shae Butter and water to mix. It resulted in chunks of shae in the liquid. Any suggestions? I love the recipe.
Hi Cindy,
Did you try heating the shea butter first? Generally, you should always melt buttery ingredients or warm up oily ones before mixing them with water. You can also use a blender for better results. Hope this helped!
hi..use some emulsifying wax.it helps to blend the mixtures
I read your potisng and was jealous
For recipe 2, is that the amount of ylang-ylang essential oil a typo? 2 tablespoons seems like a lot, considering that essential oils are usually measured in drops.
Hi, Milcah,
We meant teaspoons, sorry for the typo.
Happy holidays!
For recipe 1, after mixing in all the oils it says to fill up the rest of the bottle with water. Is this based on a 16oz bottle? So about 4.5-5oz of water? Thanks in advance for the clarification!
Hi, Milcah,
A standard 32 oz spray bottle will be perfect.
Happy holidays!
I want to try the second one which has ylang ylang oil, but I want to know that for how many days we can store the product.and should I apply it all over the hair or only scalp or length of the hair. Pls reply soon..
Hi, Shima,
The product can generally be stored for a week in the fridge and you should apply it on the length of the hair to take care of split ends as well.
Have a happy holiday season.
Hi Number one states to fill the remainder of the bottle with water? What size bottle or how much water do I need to add?
Thanks
Wendy
Hello, Wendy!
A standard 32 oz spray bottle will be perfect.
Have a nice day!
Recipe #2 can you substitute coconut milk for the coconut water?
Thanks so much for the great recipes. Is there one overall recipe that you would recommend? Also, my daughters love yummy smelly products. I see some recipes talk about adding essential oils is this for smell? If so, can you get fruity smelling ones? Thanks! Becki
Good blog post. I want to thank you for interesting and helpful information and I like your point of view. Thank you!- I love to read this type of material Good and attractive information I take from it.. Thank you for posting such a good article.
Number 10 has honey in the titile but no honey listed in the ingredients?
I have heard that honey is very good for hair and skin so I am looking for a conditioner with this ingredient and was hoping yours would work.
Hi, Susan,
Both number 5 and 10 have honey listed as an important ingredient. Please check the article again to see the quantity for each conditioner.
Have a good day!
Do these recipes not leave the hair oily after use?
Hi Paulina,
A little goes a long way with these leave-in conditioners, so applying too much might indeed have this effect. We recommend taking a very small amount – just dipping a fingertip in the solution might be enough for medium-length hair – rubbing it all over your fingers, and then working it into your hair strands.
You can repeat the process if you believe it’s not enough or if you have very dry hair, but only after combing your hair to make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Hope this helps, make sure to get back to us after trying this out to let us know how it went!
Well I definitely liked reading it. This article procured by you is
very constructive for accurate planning.
Thanks so much for sharing such an informative and useful post. I appreciate your wonderful explanation. I will certainly dig it and personally suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
How long can you store number 3 for and can you recommend anything to make it smell amazing that won’t make the hair greasy or the product to go off quick?
Hello, Faye!
Firstly, you should check the storage advice on your glycerin bottle. Generally, after the seal is broken glycerin can be stored for 12 to 18 months. Be careful to keep your Leave in Conditioner in a cool place, away from sunlight.
Have a nice day!
This is really amazing. how about recipes to stop hair breakage?
You can try any of these hair masks to nourish your damaged hair.
What are the self-life of each diy leave ins?
Hi, Ciara! The shelf-life of each mixture depends on the expiration date of the products you use. So check the labels to determine it. Essential oils usually have a shelf life of 4-5 years while the aloe vera gel should be stored no longer than 6 months. We suggest making smaller quantities of conditioner and buying smaller bottles of essential oils if you don’t plan on using a leave-in frequently.
Thank you for sharing. I’m interested in No. 10, please what’s the estimated size of the cup to be used?
Hi! A 16 oz. bottle should be perfect.
Hi! I made the aloe vera gel, glycerine, water, and essential oil one, and it turned pink! Do you know why that happened? Is it supposed to happen or did I screw up somehow? I used lemon essential oil if it matters.
Hi, Heather! This most likely happened because glycerine turns pink in a basic solution. But this is no reason to worry because basic solutions are good for your hair cuticles; they swell up and soften. Let us know about your experience with this DIY conditioner.
Hi there! Are there any DIY leave in recipes which do NOT include coconut oil, glycerin, tree nuts or shea butter? I have a severe coconut and tree nut allergy (glycerin is a coconut derivative so I can’t use that either) and my hair HATES shea butter/oil. Any help would be appreciated!
Hello, Nayahri,
Sadly, most of the recipes for DIY leave in conditioner include either coconut oil or a derivative like shea butter. However, if you are ok with avocado, you can replace the coconut oil with avocado oil for a similar effect. We hope this will be useful to you. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks for the feedback!
At first thanks a ton to Diy Experience for sharing such a helpful article and I have pleased to get this blog page. I am new at this and consider me a newbie on this. Now I have a little question that can I use natural Conditioner or Henna or Mehndi leaves for my dry hair? Could you please suggest me? I will await your valuable response with great interest.
Anyway, I will save your article site and I will share it with my friends. I hope they will be benefited by this topic.
Hi, Amelia,
Henna has a tendency to leave the hair dry, so you should choose a DIY leave in conditioner that is rich in natural fats to solve this problem. Coconut oil is a great choice for hydrating and restoring hair!
Have a nice day!
Thanks for your valuable suggestion about dry hair.
It must certanly be able to reach whenever
today.
In recipe 2 can aloe Vera gel be used in place of the juice
Awesome post. kindly keep it up. I always like these kinds of tips your tips are really useful.i have tried these all home remedies with seal and shine light hair oil by naturalrizado.com. and I get 100% result my hair really stopped falling
Thanks so much for giving such an enlightening and useful post. I like your wonderful explanation. I will absolutely dig it and personally suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
Hello! Thank you so much for the great ideas on your DIY teachings. But my question is: on the curly hair recipe… How do i produce more quantity for sale?? How do I get the right measurement for more quantity production. Your swift response will be highly appreciated. Thanks
In#8 recipe can I add Shea butter