Gentle Conditioner Bars

 Makes 2 x 50 gram bars

DIRECTIONS:                                           

• Weigh/Measure your cooldown ingredients and set aside for future use.  

• Weigh/measure the heated phase ingredients into a small saucepan and melt everything together over low to medium heat. The temperature should not need to exceed 70C. (invest in a laser thermometer, it is well worth it).  This takes around 12 minutes. Continue stirring to combine the unmelted into the melted mixture. Let some of the last bits melt within the warm mixture by removing from the heat and stirring. 

• If the mixture cools below 61C, the cool phase will bring down the temperature further and start to harden your mixture. It can be reheated gently if required. At low heat only, as to not degrade any of your cooldown ingredients.
• Add the cool phase to the heated phase and mix until combined. Your mixture will start to thicken, so you want to work fast to have nice uniform bars.  

• Pour into your mold and put into the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from your mold and let the bars sit for 24 to 48 hours to allow any excess moisture to evaporate.  If you do not find the time to remove from the mold right away, no worries, as they can be left there indefinitely. They should be solid when you pop them out of the molds.  Store them in a cool dry place.

To Use: Rub the bar in your hands at first, then onto wet hair. It will feel soft and silky, unlike a shampoo bar. Rinse and hand dry your hair.  As the conditioning is so high, colour treated hair can benefit. 

Substitutions

• For oily hair:  The BTMS can be 50% 25 and 50% 50.  Not recommended to use 100% BTMS 25 as the 50 is more conditioning, however, oily hair can handle less BTMS 50
• If you don’t have kokum butter, you can use cocoa butter instead. 
• It is not recommended to use other emulsifying waxes as they lack conditioning that hair needs. 
• Cetyl alcohol thickens and helps with a silky glide, unlike stearic acid that can be draggy. That does not mean stearic acid cannot be used.
• You can omit the panthenol & hydrolyzed proteins but make it up in your BTMS
• Dandruff prone scalps can benefit when using black cumin oil, however it can be substituted with shea butter. Keep in mind, there is a slight cumin scent to this wonderful oil.

Ingredient properties:

Aloe Juice – natural keratin to balance ph and helps with an itchy scalp.  Limit concentration to .05%  as aloe cleanses the hair follicle efficiently by stripping off extra sebum (oil) and residue from other hair products. Also helps with hair growth.  

BTMS-50 (and BTMS 25)- conditioning emulsifying wax

Kokum butter - moisturizer promotes hair growth

Cetyl alcohol– helps thicken and with spreadability

Shea butter - moisturizes and softens frizzies

Black cumin seed oil - anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antibacterial

Hydrolyzed honey protein – penetrates hair to provide moisture, shine, and luster. Improves wet-combability, reduces static buildup when dry combing. Vegans can skip this with no issues in the final product.

Panthenol powder – forms a smooth film over hair cuticles that enhance light reflection and makes tresses look shinier and glossier. A humectant that helps give body & shine and detangling properties to hair. It can cause curly hair to frizz, however

Hydrolyzed baobab protein (or quinoa protein) - a great silicone replacement

Vitamin E oil - Use the naturally derived kind. helps with hair growth & hair loss

Hydrolyzed silk protein - improves elasticity, resiliency, and restores the moisture balance) If you are vegan, skip this ingredient

Optiphen plus - broad-spectrum preservative  

Essential Oil Ideas