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Homemade Hair Detangler Spray

June 2, 2016 Updated on May 24, 2019 By Beth K 16 Comments This post contains affiliate links.

1.8K shares

With three long-haired girls in our house, we spend a lot of time brushing and grooming and braiding hair. Hair detangler spray certainly makes this job easier, but I was tired of buying bottle after bottle at the store. I wanted a natural alternative that really worked and used ingredients I already had in my house, thus this recipe for Homemade Hair Detangler Spray was born.


Homemade Hair Detangler Spray from RecipeswithEssentialOils.com

Let’s go deeper into my requirements because I don’t want it to seem like we just did a quick internet search and found this recipe that we’re presenting to you as our own. We only pass along recipes that work for us – real people using real products.

(See the actual results below on two of my daughters!)

Most of the recipes I found online were simply watered down conditioner. I had three issues with this approach:

  • That’s not really a recipe. Add water?
  • Conditioner isn’t actually meant to be left in your hair without rinsing. This would surely leave a residue.
  • Most of the conditioners people recommended weren’t natural and I didn’t have them in my house.

So I pressed on to look deeper into maybe using straight aloe vera gel with water. This is probably workable for some people. But I found that the aloe-only approach didn’t really leave great texture to the hair all by itself. I know it added nourishing components but I was still wanting more shine and volume from the product.

Next, I tried diluted vegetable glycerine. This really left the hair moisturized and shiny and full of body. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Just a touch of carrier oil is what we needed. I chose apricot oil because it has almost no smell and it’s really powerful so you don’t have to use a lot to get great results. You can choose another carrier oil that you have on hand. Remember to only use the amount called for or it will weigh down the hair and make it heavy and greasy.

Lavender Essential Oil in this recipe is primarily for the hair-brushing experience. The aroma adds calm and peacefulness to the activity. Plus, lavender is gentle enough for all members of your family.

Homemade Hair Detangler Spray from RecipeswithEssentialOils.com

New to essential oils? Learn more about how we use them and why you should use them as well.

Homemade Hair Detangler

Ingredients

  • 10 teaspoons distilled water
  • 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
  • 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerine
  • 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
  • 2 drops apricot oil
  • 1 spray bottle (2 ounce size)

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients in your spray bottle. Swirl to combine.
  • Store in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
  • To use:  Spray onto hair and use brush to gently smooth out tangled strands.

This recipe will have a shelf life of a few weeks. I make this in small batches and remake it often to keep a fresh batch on hand.

Homemade Hair Detangler Spray from RecipeswithEssentialOils.com

Essential Oil Recipes for Toddler to Teens eBook

More essential oil beauty recipes you might enjoy:

  • Foaming Face Wash
  • Nourishing Scalp Massage & Cleansing Hair Rinse
  • Overnight Deep Conditioning & Spray On Conditioner
  • Soothing After Sun Spray


1.8K shares

Filed Under: Beauty, Hair, Kids, Recipes Tagged With: lavender

Previous Post: « Fun in the Sun: Summer Survival Kit
Next Post: Lemon Blueberry Frozen Yogurt »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Randi Oesch says

    June 2, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    I wondered if I could substitute Rose water in place of the distilled water?

    Reply
    • Beth K says

      June 2, 2016 at 4:25 pm

      That sounds amazing! Plus since rose water is made with distilled water it will have the same great shelf life. What a wonderful substitution, Randi!

      Reply
  2. Laura says

    August 2, 2016 at 10:12 am

    This sounds awesome! What in it causes the shelf life? I would love to make a bigger batch!

    Reply
    • Beth K says

      August 8, 2016 at 5:12 pm

      Well, there isn’t really a “preserving” ingredient in this like witch hazel or alcohol like in regular detangler sprays you buy from the store. You could make a large batch and keep it in the fridge for a few months. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  3. juli says

    October 14, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    Do you think this would work for people of color? if not do you have an another recipe that might!

    Reply
    • Beth K says

      October 20, 2016 at 10:10 am

      I’m not sure. If you try it, please let us know how it works and any tweaks you make. We’d love to add your tips to the post if it goes well for you.

      Reply
  4. Amanda says

    January 4, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    Try fractionated coconut oil it will extend the shelf like.

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      January 4, 2017 at 5:04 pm

      Shelf life

      Reply
  5. Nada says

    March 14, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    Any substitution for vegetable glycerine ?

    Reply
    • Jenn says

      March 15, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      We do not have a substitute for that. You are welcome to experiment and leave it out, if desired. We did not test it that way, so the results are unknown to use. If you do find a great substitute though, be sure to let us know as we love options, too. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Manjinder says

    April 5, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Do you use this on wet and dry hair? Or just wet hair?

    Reply
    • Beth K says

      April 22, 2017 at 9:06 am

      I use it on both. When their hair is wet it’s great to add a little more moisture grabbing power. Mostly we use it on dry hair because otherwise that’s just an impossible mess.

      Reply
  7. Val says

    October 21, 2017 at 6:39 am

    I have organic almond and grape seed oils. Any preference of which is best for hair?? 🙂

    Reply
  8. Michelle says

    April 16, 2018 at 7:47 pm

    Does this weigh down curly hair?

    Reply
    • Diana M says

      June 4, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Hi Michelle! I use this on my daughter and she has very curly hair. I would start out with a small amount to see how your hair reacts and add more spray if needed.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Oh, What a Tangled Web To Un-Weave… – CONFESSIONS says:
    August 4, 2018 at 8:14 pm

    […] DIY Lavender Detangler: Another recipe I found online, but it calls for vegetable glycerine which I had to order. It also calls for apricot oil, for which I substituted jojoba oil (available at Trader Joe’s). The other ingredients are water and essential oils. It smells great but is slightly less effective than the vinegar-based one. […]

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Diana. I'm a naturally minded mother of two and essential oil educator. Oils don't have to be complicated! Let me show you how to use essential oils in real life, in your home, every day. I share tried-and-tested recipes to help you live a more natural life.

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