If you’ve got crazy long hair, or hair that you’re trying to grow out, or both (like me), you’ll probably find that your ends get a bit dry, especially if you are eschewing commercial conditioners like I am. I find that applying straight liquid oil to my ends leaves them distinctly oily for a few hours until the oil sinks in. So, I devised this awesome recipe for a great, quickly absorbed, nourishing hair balm.
Want to watch this project instead of read it?
Homemade Super Nourishing Hair Balm
30g | 1.06oz unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada)
15g | 0.53oz cocoa butter (USA / Canada)
15g | 0.53oz virgin coconut oil
10g | 0.35oz jojoba oil (USA / Canada)
10g | 0.35oz camellia seed oil
2g | 0.07oz castor oil (USA / Canada)
6g | 0.21oz walnut oil
11g | 0.38oz beeswax (USA / Canada)0.5g | 0.018oz Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lemongrass essential oil
5 drops rosemary essential oilWeigh everything except the vitamin E and essential oils into a small heat resistant glass measuring cup. Place that measuring cup in a small saucepan that’s got about 3cm/1″ of water in it, and bring that water to a gentle simmer to create a water bath to melt everything together.
Once all the butters and wax have melted, remove the measuring cup from the heat and stir in the vitamin E and essential oils before pouring into some tins. Carefully move them to the fridge to set up. A quick chilling will keep the unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) from going grainy as it cools.
To use, get a very small amount on your fingers. Spread it between your fingers and rub it into the ends up of your hair. You can use a boar bristle brush to spread it around a bit and massage it in. The balm should absorb almost instantly. If it doesn’t, you’re using too much.
This recipe makes 100g (3.3oz), which will fill just over three 30g/1-oz tins. You might consider halving the recipe, 100g is a lot!
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- Fundamentally, this recipe is 45g soft oils/butters, 15g brittle butters, 28g liquid oils, and 11g beeswax. You can play around with different oils within those categories to maintain a similar consistency—read this to learn more.
- The easiest oils to swap would be the camellia seed oil and walnut oil; choose other lightweight, fast-absorbing oils in their place. I would leave the castor and jojoba oils as they are extra lovely for hair.
- You can use a different essential oil blend if you like
I’d love to hear how this balm works for you—my hair loves it!
I’m going to give this a try. I’m trying to grow my hair out long for my wedding next year.
If you’re looking to grow your hair out you should head over to http://www.longhaircommunity.com/ and read some of the threads. It’s a wealth of information on hair health and growth!
I’m growing out my hair, and it gets nice and curly if I let it dry overnight, and just this morning, used one of my solid lotion bars as a bit of hair balm! Nice for curls, and not greasy at all!
I thought walnut oil was supposed to be dark but your picture is very light, I’m wondering if I need to buy some or if it could be left out. I’m brunette so it wouldn’t bother me if it did leave a slight stain.
The walnut oil I have is very pale, and slightly yellow. This balm doesn’t stain my hair at all, and I’ve given it to very blonde friends who haven’t had any staining issues either!
Do you have a coupon code for New Directions Aromatics or Whole Sale Supplies Plus?
camelia seed oil and kukuinut oil can I substitute these oils with any other? they are hard to find in the US. THank you
Nicole
Try the American New Directions Aromatics, there’s a good chance they’ll have them. Otherwise, grapeseed oil would be a good substitute for the camellia seed oil, and avocado oil would be a good substitute for the kukuinut oil.
Thank you for the substitutions! I have just started trying to make my own hair products, and since my hair is long, dryness on the ends is a big issue. I cannot wait to try this balm!
Great to “meet” another long-haired lady (or dude, lol), there sure don’t seem to be many of us these days (not here, anyways). Every so often I think about cutting my hair, but then I remember all my beloved Edwardian & Regency hairstyles and realize I will probably have long hair forever 😛
Do you have a coupon code for New Directions? I see you have the HUMBLEBEE code for several places like Essential Wholesale and Labs, Formulator Sample shop, etc.
Do you sell your products? I would love to buy the hair balm.
Patti—At the moment I do not, as I simply don’t have the time to produce everything in large quantities (or on demand) and get to the post office that often. I’m thinking about it, but no promises 🙂 Sorry! The hair balm is super easy to make, though—you should give it a try! It’s really fun.
Thank you for a quick response. and I will give it a try but do you have in US measurements? Thank you so much!!!
Pattie—You can easily convert grams into ounces or whatever Imperial measurements you need using an online converter like this one.
Thank you again!!
I just love that you make all natural products with ingredients that I can actually read and pronounce 🙂 This hair balm looks great!
Enjoy it! My hair sure does 🙂 And thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!
I have waist-length hair and notice at times my ends are very dry and brittle. I’m thinking about making this to try! Thanks for the recipes and all the hard work that you do to formulate them! Will let you know how it works!
Do it! My hair is also waist length and this balm is brilliant for dry ends, especially in the winter 🙂
I like the sound of this recipe a lot. But I am following the no sulfates regimen. Do you find the beeswax easy to wash out, I know it can cause build up. I do have sulfate free shampoo, but generally co wash (conditioner).
By the way, I am really enjoying reading about your creations, and you have such a way with words too.
As far as I know beeswax contains no sulfates (I couldn’t find any mention online of beeswax containing sulfates), so you should be fine there (I avoid them, too!). Because there is very little beeswax in here, and you apply very little of the balm to start with, it all just absorbs into your hair beautifully! Thanks for reading and enjoy your journey into natural hair care 🙂
Thanks for the reply. Sorry I did not explain myself very well. I meant can the beeswax be washed out without sulfates? But if you can wash it out ok then that’s good enough for me 🙂
I can’t say with absolute certainty, but in the amounts I use in this hair balm, it has never been an issue for me. It may well be if you make yourself a beeswax styling pomade, though 😛
Hi Marie, I made this recipe on Saturday. I used Mango Butter instead of Coconut Oil, and it turned out really nicely. I have been using it at bedtime, and it works a treat on my thick, long, curly hair. I hope you don’t mind but I have posted a link to this recipe on the britishcurlies.co.uk website as I think some of the other users will really appreciate some of your posts. Have a good day 🙂
Fantastic! I’m so glad it’s working well for you 🙂 And I’m thrilled that you like the recipe enough to share it with all your curly haired friends across the pond 😉
can i substitute shea butter with something else? its too costly in India… :/
Any oil or butter that is soft at room temperature should be a good substitute—coconut oil comes to mind first 🙂
ok thank you very much… 🙂
Thanks for sharing i shall be giving this a go my curly hair gets very dry! I chopped it all off and am growing it again so hopefully this will see it to a better condition.
I’m sure it will, Marie 🙂 I love this balm for dry ends, especially when I’m putting off trips to the hairdresser so I can have longer hair!
With the hair balm recipe is the “castor” mean castor oil? Thanks!
Yes! Sorry about that, I’ve fixed it 🙂
I am so glad to find your blog! My hair drags on the floor when it’s down, and my ends need lots of help. 🙂 I love staying away from chemicals because I feel better when I do, so thank you for sharing your recipes!
Wow, colour me impressed! My hair is just past my waist and people tend to think it’s pretty long—I can’t imagine it dragging on the floor, though! Wow! You must look like a Victorian princess 🙂 You should also check out my hair serum, it’s awesome for dry hair as well.
I will definitely be making some of that, too, once my order from ND arrives! 🙂
Ah, the days spent waiting for an NDA order to arrive… so much excitement and anticipation! And then the notification from UPS, and you wait all day to get home from work to dig into all those bubble wrapped goodies. Whee!
What happens for me is in the process of waiting, I find ANOTHER recipe on your site that I MUST try and it involves an ingredient I don’t have and didn’t order. Every single time.
Sorry 😉
I having been looking for a recipe like this! I can not wait to make it. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for reading, Meaghan! I love my hair balm, enjoy it!
“a 3:2:1 ratio” I’m trying to figure out exactly what this is. i.e 3mill, 2mill, 1mill?
Thanks will try it.
As with all ratios, it’s just “parts”—a part can be whatever you like. The ratio just has to stay the same so the scent blend is the same regardless of how much of it you make. For a recipe this size I used drops; either 3:2:1 or 6:4:2, depending on how strong you like your stuff to smell 🙂
oh my goodness!!!! where has this been all my life!!!??? this is a must-try..i have been trying to regrow my hair for awhile…and you’re so right-the ends get so dry! even using conditioner and a growth shampoo…where do you order your ingredients? preferably for someone on a budget(like me)…
I get pretty much all of my ingredients from New Directions Aromatics. Their prices are awesome and they have online stores based out of Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia, so you should be able to find a local one and avoid international shipping.
Marie
Like in Dusty question the 3-2-1 ratio is that drops? or “ml” ~also you list “Vitamin E” but don’t say how much. How much should be used? Thanks. Looking forward to making this….
Kathe Lynn
Wow! I love your website. So glad I stumbled across it tonight. I have Lupus and tend to have a lot of problems with m hair. I’m so excited to try this hair balm instead of just using straight castor oil. Your recipe sounds much less oily
I’m so thrilled you found my website, Gwen! I hope my hair balm really helps with your hair—I’ve found the solid consistency makes it much harder to over-apply, which is a major plus for me since I tend to fall victim to the more-is-better approach 😛
Thanks for answering the mystery 3-2-1 above now how about the Vitamin E, how much do you use for his recipe? Thank you in advance.
Kathe
Whoops, sorry about! That G&T I poured last night must have been stronger than I thought 😉 Go for about 1g, though if you have those little capsules I’d probably just use one or two of those.
Thanks Marie….I am set now! Happy to have this recipe.
Hi, I only have the liquid fractionated coconut oil. Is it the consistency that is needed in this recipe or just the coconut element? I also have Mango Butter, Macadamia Butter and Soy Butter. Not sure whether any of these would be a suitable alternative to Raw Virgin Coconut Oil. Which would you advise, or should I just wait and get the right oil?
You won’t want to use the liquid coconut oil as it has a totally different consistency from the solid stuff, so I’d recommend mango butter instead 🙂 In my experience, it’s the closest texture wise. That said, virgin coconut oil is a fantastic oil to have in your collection as it smells just divine!
Love the sound of this and will have to try it, but can you tell me do you have to wash it out after so long, or can you leave it in. thanks
You just leave it in and your hair absorbs it 🙂
Your post above you addressed Nicole about using other oils. See below answer.
Otherwise, grapeseed oil would be a good substitute for the camellia seed oil, and avocado oil would be a good substitute for the kukuinut oil
I do not see Kikuinut in the above recipe now and I thought saw it in the original. Did the recipe change? Also when we are trying to change the grams to US measurement there is a big difference of amount between a gram of oil and a gram of butter….any thoughts? Or was the recipe adjusted for that?
Thanks,
Kathe
Kathe—I’m not sure where the Kuikuinut oil came from at all. It was never in this recipe, but Nicole asked, so I provided a substitute 😛 You really are paying attention, well done!
Also, grams are a unit of weight, so the weight will always be the same between ingredients (of course), but the volume will be different. I find butters generally take up more room as they are not as compact as liquid oils due to their ability to hold air pockets and what not. If you measure everything out in weight (1oz. = 28.3495g) you won’t have any problems 🙂
Have fun!
I love all your DIY recipes. I can’t wait to try them out for myself. I’m so happy that you give all kinds of tips on things we women are always thinking about. Keep them coming! 🙂
Thanks for reading, Karla! It is much appreciated 🙂 I’ve got lots of awesome entries & recipes coming up, so stay tuned—I can’t stop coming up with them!
I’m in love with your blog, just spent hrs cruising and pinning your recipes to play with later. I’ll have to wait til I can order some new oils to try. thank you for inspiration!
Yay! Gotta love Pinterest 🙂 So addictive, but so wonderful. Thanks for reading & pinning, and let me know how your new creations turn out.
I just found your website, ironically while sitting and watching a wen infomercial….after seeing all your posts, I am more than intrigued and looking forward to perhaps trying some of the hair recipes out! Great blog!
OOh, do get into making your own stuff, it’s so fun! Let me know how it goes & feel free to reach out with any questions you might have 🙂
I wonder if this would work well on my daughter’s hair….she is biracial and has very curly, dry hair. It’s hard to find chemical free hair products for her. Going to give this a try!!
If you’re looking for a good moisture infusion you should also check out my hair serum and my hair mist 🙂
Can’t wait to try this!!
Enjoy it! I love this for my ends 🙂
Your site and projects are SO inspiring! I’m a follower and look forward to your posts, whether recipes or skin stuff.
Thanks for the time you spend!
Awww, thanks! And a big thanks for reading, Julie 🙂 I have lots of fun, but you’re right, it’s certainly time consuming 😛
Bugger Marie, I just made this recipe using up my precious ingredients. It’s very oily in consistency. I used fract. Coconut oil instead and also replaced the camellia oil with it. Only after I read the above comments on the FCO!Also replaced the jojoba with avocado oil. Added melaleuca, rosemary & lavender EO’s as wanted to use on my girls hair to deter nits.
Is there anyway I can re formulate it (eg melt & change) so it can be used for very dry skin, or should that be ok to use? On the hair it’s def. to oily :-(((
Sorry, for the complicated request. Only asking because I’m sure you know the answers 😉 thanks a bunch, Nadja
Aww, bummed Nadja! The problem here is definitely all of your substitutions—as you mentioned coconut oil is solid, fractionated is not. Also, camellia seed oil absorbs much faster than coconut oil, and jojoba oil absorbs way faster than avocado oil (avocado oil is also sticky on the skin after application). I formulated this recipe on being relatively fast to absorb, so that’s why the changes you made are so detrimental 🙁
Honestly, you could used this as is, but you could add some (more) beeswax or cocoa butter to thicken it up and turn it into a harder balm. That way it is easier to apply less of the balm, and it won’t be too oily (just don’t go past 20% beeswax for the entire thing or you will have a very tacky, draggy balm). You may find that this is just perfect for feet—soak them, scrub ’em, and slather some of this on before putting on a pair of socks and going to bed.
I also noticed you mentioned you were hoping to deter nits with this. This balm is only to be applied to the ends of the hair in very small amounts—just where the hair is dry and needs a bit of nourishing. Since nits are close to the scalp, this balm won’t help there. Trust me, you don’t want to apply this to the roots of the hair or you will look like an oily mess in no time! If you want to deter nits, try making my anti-frizz hair mist, though I would leave out the carrier oil if you want to spritz it near the scalp (since the scalp produces the oils in our hair, it doesn’t need any more added to it!).
Thank you for the great recipes you have on your site! Can I use cupuacu butter instead of the Shae butter? I ordered a small amount to try your lip balm recipe and would also like to try for the hair balm.
Yes, capuacu would definitely work instead of shea 🙂 I have also used mango butter in place of shea butter in this recipe. If you’d like to learn more about carrier oil substitutions, check out my article on it here.
How do you convert to ounces? With this work for curly hair?
Lory—do a Google search for a grams to ounces converter. Be sure you are not using fluid ounces, but weight ounces. This will work beautifully on curly hair, especially since curly hair tends to be drier than straight. Just massage a wee bit into your ends, brush it in with a natural bristle brush, and off you go!
Hi Marie,
I made your awesome hair balm and I LOVEEE ITTT! It is light as you mentioned, as long as you don’t put on too much. Mine looks different than yours though…it’s yellow, and a bit more liquid than solid. Only ingredient I substituted was the camelia oil for grapeseed. What may be the reason for the colour and consistency difference? I converted the grams to tbsp, so the proportions might be a little different. I went to buy camelia oil, and i got cameliNa oil, which I thought was the one, but then I learned that is a different oil! hhahahaaa
Awesome! I’m thrilled it’s working out for you 🙂 I would bet the colour change is likely due to inconsistencies in the colours of natural ingredients. Grapeseed oil is also green (whereas camellia seed oil is more golden). The consistency difference is almost definitely the fault of you switching the units (the other option is that you live somewhere it is 40°C all the time :P). Converting grams to tbsp is going to be roughly as accurate as converting a yard to pounds—they are totally different measuring systems, so you won’t be getting terribly accurate numbers there. The likely reason it is softer than mine is because solid ingredients are harder to measure by volume, and you tend to get less of them than you need. Think about a measuring cup filled with tiny pebbles vs. big rocks—one will obviously have a lot more air mixed in with the big rocks, meaning less rocks per “cup”. That means when it comes to things like beeswax and cocoa butter, depending on the size of the chunks, your measurements can vary wildly. All the same, though, it sounds like your balm is lovely and I’m thrilled you love it! You can always melt it back down and add a bit more beeswax if it is too soft for you 🙂
Thanks for your kind response! It all makes sense now! I don’t have a scale to measure in grams, is there another option to measure in grams without a scale? I think grams=ml. Is this correct?
No problem! I would really recommend grabbing yourself a scale—you can often get one for under $20 (probably less if you’re in the USA, where everything is cheaper…). They are SO useful! Less mess, more accuracy—perfection for DIYing, basically. You’ll also love it for baking, I promise.
Also, you’re sort of right about 1g=1mL—that is correct if you are working with water (and only water). 1g of water = 1mL of water = 1 cubic millimeter of water (which I think is pretty cool). The 1g=1mL is an ok rule of thumb if you are dealing with substances that have a density similar to water (some of the thinner essential oils), but once you step off into things like shea butter (and especially if you are working with larger quantities), it stops being accurate very fast. For instance, 250mL (1 cup) of sugar weighs 201g, not 250g like 250mL of water would.
Hope that helps!
Oh, and I just switched to using a wooden wide tooth comb instead of a plastic one and I am so happy! On another side note, I’m also trying to start using menstrual cups…what’s your thought on that? As you can tell, I’m going all out in the natural world! 🙂
Awesome! I love my wooden comb 🙂 So much less static, even in super-dry Calgary.
I have been considering getting myself a DivaCup—it just makes so much sense… but I have yet to make the plunge, haha. What are your thoughts on it?
Hey!
Looks like I will be investing into a scale some time soon! I’ve been having so much fun making homemade products. Well, on my way to more natural living, I kept reading lots of different sites of crunchy mommies, hippies etc, and got very useful information from different sites. I came across the discussion on menstrual cups, and I really read in depth on it, and watch some youtube videos as well, and decided, this is it! I’m going to give it a try! I ordered a Lunette (very similar to the Diva cup), it arrived in the mail today was soooo excited to use it, except I was not on my period LOL…only time I ever wanted to be on it. So I read all the instructions, prepared myself for it, was a little nervous, but tried it (for practice) and well it takes a learning curve to get it in right and all that, but they say after 3 cycles you really get the hang of it. But I figured, why not try it several times when I am NOT on my period, so no mess, just practicing and seeing what works and what doesn’t. I think its a GREAT investment, if it really works, save so much garbage from tampons/pads and $$$$. I am really early on in my learning, but since you are also a crunchy, and have been one for waaayyy longer than me, I really think that you should do some research and give it a try! You’ve got nothing to lose…but maybe $30 if it doesnt work, looks like for most people it does work. You have to be very comfortable with your inside and getting your hands in there, if you are squeemish about that, then it can be pretty difficult.
Awesome! You won’t regret that scale, I promise 🙂 Any news on your cup? LOL.
I love my cup! I like Lunette better than the Diva cup, though. I’ve tried both. It’s money well spent. The first few periods with it are weird, but then you get used to it and it is so easy!
I feel like I have a life during my period! I also use a cayenne/ginger cream for cramps which works so well. I still feel bloaty and not great, but it beats my pre-cup life ruled by tylenol!
Hmmm, perhaps I’ll take a look at the Lunette when the time comes to replace the Diva. Either way, they are both a HUGE improvement on the disposable methods!
I’d love to make this balm. I don’t have Camellia oil so I will use grapeseed instead per your recommendation. But I don’t have walnut oil either. What other oil can I use instead? Also, no lemongrass EO so I am leaving it out. I have orange, peppermint, lavender… can I use any of those EOs?
I’d probably just use more grapeseed oil instead of the walnut oil. For the EOs, just stay away from citrus essential oils—they can bleach your hair.
Can you substitute the Kukui oil for the walnut oil? I was a total dweeb and saw your recommendations for substitutions per a reader and ordered the Kukui oil then got totally mixed up that it wasn’t in the original recipe!
Hmm… for this recipe, that’s probably not the greatest idea unless you have very, VERY dry hair. Kukuinut oil is very thick and very oily, and absorbs really slowly. For this reason I love it in lip gloss. However, for hair, I think you’ll find it just doesn’t absorb the way you need it to as hair is not very absorbent at all. If you have thick, curly black hair, it’ll probably work beautifully for you, otherwise I’d probably replace the walnut with some extra jojoba or camellia seed oil. Thanks for reading & DIYing with me!
Hello! I found your page when looking up homemade hair products as I plan to ditch the toxic commercial hair products as much as possible. I already have some simple hair balm recipes, but this looks a lot more interesting! I always wanted to try coconut oil & shea butter to see what it can do for my hair.
Now I’m thinking of making this for my 3 month old baby beard (first time beard grower!), and of course I’ll give it a go on my normal hair. Good idea? Bad Idea? I plan to not use any essential oils for now, since it’ll be right under my nose.
I currently use a rotation of jojoba & extra virgin olive oil every other day. I apply it on my facial hair for 10-30 minutes, then shower with Free & Clear shampoo & a tiny bit of conditioner, dry it then brush with a boar brush. It works out ok, but I would like to try a “leave it in” balm.
I understand this balm is mostly for the ends of the hair, but I would still like to try it out on the ends of my facial hair. What do you think? I know I should be asking this on a beard forum, but I’d like to hear a lady’s opinion on hair too, especially if it’s her formula lol
Maybe a modified hair balm recipe for facial hair would be better suited??Regardless, I’m ready to buy the necessary ingredients, and to start having fun! starting with this balm..
Hey Michael! Sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you on this, I wanted to take the time to consult the two beard owners in my life—my brother and my boyfriend. Both have impressive beards, so I wanted to check with them. The general consensus was wonder around why one would bother moisturizing ones beard. I use this hair balm on the very ends of my hair—that’s hair that is 30+” from my roots, and prone to drying out. Beard hair, with the exception of Dumbledore & Gandalf types, is usually not this far from the skin, so it gets plenty of oil and moisture from the oils the skin produces. That’s not to say this won’t work for you, but you’ll need to be very sparing with the application, and realize that it may not absorb for you the way it does for me and my parched ends. Have fun with it!
Could i substitute the Walnut oil with Panthenol?:)
I’ve never used Panthenol before, but Google tells me it is water soluble, so no—it won’t mix in with the rest of the ingredients as everything else is oil.
So could I substitute it with any other Oil though?
More jojoba would do the trick 🙂
hi marie
i just asked a qstion it wasnt posted? just checking if this question will be posted?thx
Hi Susan—All first time comments, or comments with spam indicators (like lots of links) are held for moderation. No need to worry. This is the only comment I have from you, though.
hi marie
i tried to post my qstion on ur blog and i failed.i would like make your super nourishing hair balm to use on the scalp.i am afro arribean has dry hair .currently m using a hair balm thts costing 25us.it has
aloe vera,rose,chamomile,essential oils,castor,shea buter,carrot extracts,papaya,
thers no beeswax how was this product made no preservatives eitheri plan to reformulate your recipe using these products hoping i ll still have the same results without paying so muchmy recipe will be as follows
aloe extract,shea butter,coconut,soyabean,safflower,sweet almond,jojoba,meadowfoam,sea buck,carrot and papaya extracts,castor,apricot,peppermint,rosemary,menthol,please advice need to know what ratios i must use of each product?beeswax how much?thanks in advance
Hi Susan—the ingredients you’re looking to use include water soluble ones (the aloe, mostly), so you’re looking at an emulsion, not a straight balm, so this recipe won’t really work for you. I’d check out my ultimate hair serum and go from there. Reading my article on carrier oil substitutions should help 🙂 Be sure to store it in a pump bottle and make a relatively small quantity of it as it will likely spoil in a month or two without any preservatives since it has water in it.
Hi Marie,
I recently found your blog and love it. I am also new to the DIY thing. I really want to try this recipe although I have a few questions. I did read the carrier oil substitutions, which is really helpful.
1. I have a daughter with a peanut allergy, and possibly a tree nut allergy. I want to find a good substitution for the walnut oil, just in case. I believe you mentioned using more jojoba oil in another comment.
2. I also am having a difficult time finding camelia seed oil online. I checked ND and did not have any luck. I plan to check locally, but if I do not have any luck, what would you suggest, again leaving out the walnut oil?
3. What is the best way to store “unused” items, for future use? I have been researching storage and shelf life, but seem to get different answers for the same product. I would like to order some items to continue to make through the summer, but hate the idea of the items being on a delivery truck on a day with record high temperatures.
Thank you for your help and all your great ideas!
Hi Stacy! Welcome to my blog and to the wonderful world of DIY 🙂
1) Jojoba is a great sub for walnut oil 🙂
2) NDA has Camellia seed oil here. Otherwise broccoli seed oil is a nice choice.
3) The fridge is generally my first choice for products I’ll be using sometime in the distant future. Products that are made from 100% oil/butter generally last for ages—I am still using my first batch of this hair balm, made over two years ago, and it is still perfectly fine. That’s because your only concern is rancidity, not mould. As soon as you introduce water, though, that lifespan shortens dramatically. My lotions generally last about 3 months if I store them in a pump top bottle (putting fingers in things adds bacteria and shortens the lifespan). As for ingredients, keep them somewhere dark and cool—I have a cabinet in my basement that is idea. I’ve never had an oil go rancid on me, and I’ve had some for over two years 🙂
Thanks so much for reading, and have fun!
Marie,
I used this recipe as inspiration for a hair balm for my daughter. She has curly seriously dry hair. I didn’t have all your ingredients so I added some new ones and had to leave some out – like jojoba! Who misplaces their jojoba oil!?! I like what I’ve ended up with. Here goes:
1/2 oz Shea Butter
1/4 oz each beeswax, cocoa and coconut
1 1/4 Tablespoons neem oil
1 Tablespoon each kukui and Avacado
1/2 Tablespoon each Argon, Black Seed
1/2 teaspoon pomegranate
20 drops vitamin E
12 drops Lavender
8 drops Lemmongrass
4 drops Rosemary
Sorry I’m American and my kitchen scales only does ounces at the moment. It made about 3 ounces of balm. I added so much EO because neem is not a present smell, but is great for hair.
Within two application to her hair, it’s totally different, soft and less tangly.
Thanks so much for this recipe or inspiring my variation 🙂
Oooh, this sounds just divine! I’ve never worked with pomegranate oil before, I must keep an eye out for it. I’m thrilled to hear this balm is transforming your daughter’s hair, too. Three cheers for natural solutions!
Hi. Love your posts.
Do you think hydrolyzed silk protein can be added to this? Thanks.
Hi Donna! Hydrolyzed silk protein is water-soluble, and there’s no water in this, so it won’t dissolve. You could try if you have the powder, but depending on the particle size you may find it gritty. Happy making!
Is carnelia seed oil thick? I have everything kn this list besides for it! Other oils I have are: castor, avocado, broccoli (which I think I may substitute), sweet almond and sunflower.
Hi Bree! Camellia seed oil is very light and lovely, and it absorbs into the skin in a flash. Out of the options you listed, broccoli would be the best sub 🙂
Hi Marie,
I love the sound of this balm 🙂 I was however wondering if there was any way I can tweak this to suit my partners hair? Short, curly and thinning (unfortunately early in life!). I’ve been looking around for a hair wax recipe but can’t seem to find one (which would allow him to style while moisturising his hair, yay). You said this wouldn’t really be suitable to apply to the roots, but I was wondering if I could reduce the amount of oil to create a more waxy/less oily concoction?
Any ideas?!
Hi Fatima! If your partner doesn’t mind quite an oily/slick look to his hair, you could try this as a styling pomade. I don’t recommend applying it to the roots of long hair as it will just make it look dirty and unwashed, but men with shorter hair can often pull off that look in a sort of Mad Men way.
Unfortunately if you reduce the oil, you’ll just reduce the amount of balm as it’s 100% oils (wax is effectively an oil when it comes to how hair looks with it applied). Most store bought gels get their strength from plastic—ick 😛 For more styling strength from this you could try gently increasing the amount of wax, but be careful with that—it’s quite a strong thickener, and will turn the product very tacky if overused 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I’ll try increasing the beeswax ever so slightly hopefully to give it a bit more hold without getting tacky. Have you had any issues with washing this out?
I just realized how old this post is! How awesome that it’s still attracting people and helping people out 3 years later! This is the best home made balm recipe on the net (that takes less than 10minutes to find)! Good work, Marie! 😀
I haven’t had any wash-out issues, though I only apply very small amounts and brush them into my ends, where it’s absorbed nicely 🙂 I suspect applying large amounts of this will present wash out problems, so I’d apply it sparingly.
I’m really happy with how much longevity this entry has as well! It was one of my very first formulas and I still love it to bits 🙂
So I have just made this (or atleast, something similar) I used Argan oil instead of Jojoba, and Hazelnut instead of Walnut.
I have super duper long hair (like, cant-brush-the-entire-length-in-one-stroke long) and the ends are frazzled and have pretty much no hope of being saved. So I’ve been lathering my ends in this wax – I didn’t intend to, but my hair just seems to be downing this like no tomorrow! Every time I apply it, 20 minutes later it’s dry again!? But, after each application I’m noticing my hair looking shinier and healthier 🙂 success!
I suppose I’ll still have to chop it though 🙁 – it’s irritatingly hard work to keep applying product!
Thanks again, Marie!!
It sounds like we have really similar hair—long, and with an aversion to trims, haha 😉 I find this balm helps my hair stay and look healthy for up to about 9 months without a trim, but after that there’s really nothing I can do, and a trim is needed (sadly). I am thinking I should learn to do that myself, though, since my hair is long enough that I can easily reach all of it, lol!
Dear Marie
Want to try this. But, I don’t have bees wax, Recommend any subs? I actually think my hair does not like waxes even in this ratio to the other butters over all. And I have all the ingredients including even more butters. Maybe you can recommend a butter instead of the bees wax i COULD USe. Love your sites!!!! and your vibe.
Hi Shanti! There aren’t any non-wax subs for beeswax that will yield anything close to the same texture without seriously messing about with the entire recipe. You can just leave it out (or swap it for something like kokum or cocoa butter), just be aware that the final product will be quite a lot softer than what’s pictured here, which will make it harder to apply it judiciously, which is the point of the firmer texture. Have fun & good luck!
Woah! I can’t wait to try this! What size container do you use for this?
Also, I’m getting my hair trimmed soon and I’m wondering what guidelines to give my hair dresser about acceptable products to use in my hair? Any suggestions?
As it is this recipe makes a huuuuge quantity of hair balm—about 200g. I would recommend halving it or even quartering it—I haven’t even made a dent in mine after three years.
Whenever I get my hair trimmed I simply don’t let the hair dresser use any products on my hair. Everything is going to be loaded with dimethicone and artificial fragrances unless you have a truly exceptional salon with all-natural products 🙁 I also won’t let them heat treat my hair.
Hello! I have few questions.
How much of hair balm did this recipe make? I don’t want to make too big batch, and as I don’t have much money, I don’t want to order too much ingredients.
Also, most oils are sold in millilitres, so do you have any hints to how convert oils to millilitres? Again, I don’t want to order too much (and I want know if I have enough jojoba oil) 😀
Thank you 🙂
Hi Iida! This recipe makes about 200g of hair balm, which is quite a lot. I would recommend halving it or even quartering it—I haven’t even made a dent in mine after three years.
You really cannot convert grams to milliliters unless you are dealing with water. That is sort of me saying “you know how much you weigh, so how many liters are you?”. No easy math there 🙂 I would really recommend getting a scale for your DIYing. They’re super useful in the kitchen and really a must for DIY projects. I’ve written more about this in my FAQ.
Hi,
I came across this recipe when I was looking for a beard balm recipe. And I was wondering if I could use this also for my beard as a beard balm? Although I would replace some ingredients. For example; nigella sativa oil instead of camelia seed oil, avocado oil instead of walnut oil. And for the scent I would use a combination of ceder/pine/fir/eucalyptus.
Thank you
Hi Juliano! You definitely can, but have you seen my beard balm recipe?
Hey Marie, I would like to use this for my beard, but I was wondering if there are any other blends of essential oils you would recommend? Would you recommend bandits oil for this? Thanks!
Hi Siraaj! Have you checked out my beard balm recipe? I’ve always loved the scent combo for it, even if you want to still use this combination of oils 🙂
Just a guy, who has been looking for something to tame and leave a shine to my salt and pepper hair. Have to say love your recipe for the balm. Just made a change to the essential oils using, rosemary, and juniper.
Enjoying the wave the balm leaves in me hair.
Thank you so much for your recipe for the hair balm.
:^)
I’m so thrilled you’re loving it, Theron! Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Marie,
I was super excited to use this….but I was missing walnut and camelia oil. So here is what I used (I cut it way down too)….
15g shea
8g cocoa
8g coconut
7g jojoba
7g grapeseed
1g castor
6g beeswax
My concern/question is when I used it….i used less than a dab on my fingers. I then rubbed into my ends, as mentioned above in your directions, however my ends looked super greasy 🙁 Even after it soaked in, my ends were seperated and greasy looking although to the touch they werent. So, my ends were greasy looking and the rest of my hair was light and fluffy :/
Did I do something wrong? Added too much of something? Not enough of something else?
HELP!
Hi Anna! I sounds like you’re just using too much—when I apply it I basically just run my finger over the top of it so it feels slightly lubricated, and then massage the ends of my hair with that finger. I then brush it in with a clean boar bristle brush, which helps distribute it. Basically, if you can see any product on your finger, that’s too much 🙂
wow so you literally mean a dab….if that!
But does everything look correct? Was it ok to split the walnut oil evenly with extra jojoba oil and grapeseed? Or should I have added one more than the other?
thanks so much again!
I do! Hair really requires next to no oil to moisturize before it starts looking really gross. Your swaps all look fine—avocado oil or something else heavy wouldn’t have been a good idea, but both jojoba and grapeseed are quite light 🙂
Hi Marie, I made a batch and discovered that it is great for my curly highlighted hair. It adds a lustrous shine and tames the frizzies! Thanks as always for sharing your wealth of knowledge and fabulous recipes! Kim
Hi Kim! I’m so thrilled you’re loving it 🙂 Thanks for reading & DIYing with me!
Hey Marie I was wondering if you could also add vegetable glycerine since I’ve read that it does help keep the moisture inside?
Thanks!
Hi Hannah! I wouldn’t really recommend it here as you’ll have to emulsify the mixture, and it’ll change the texture 🙂
Marie,
Any way to make this into a hair cream?? Live Clean recently discontinued their argan oil smooth and shine hair cream and I have tried every other “natural” hair cream out there with disappointing results! I guess this was the “push” I needed to convert to another DIY recipe…lol…TIA, erin
Check out this recipe 🙂
Hi Marie
Thank you for recommending this hair balm just what I needed. What can I use if i exchange cocoa butter?. Is lanolin a good hair product?.
Thank you.
Peace n love
Hi Christopher—I recommend checking out my article on making substitutions. Because cocoa butter is brittle, lanolin would not be a good alternative.
Hi there! This hair balm looks lovely, and I know you get a million substitution questions but I don’t think I have seen this one. I am vegan, so I don’t use bees wax. What do you think would be the best substitution for that?
Hi Savannah! I recommend reading my quick guides on waxes to learn about how the different waxes work—from there you can make the call on how you’d like to proceed 🙂
I made it! 😀 In the traditional haphazard, experimental way!
My hair (mid-back) has those awful, ratty dry ends too. 🙁 And it’s so damn fine that conditioner just weights it down. Breakage is a sad, sad thing, and happens too much!
Anyway, lacking a scale at the moment, I went by liquid measurements and eyeballing. Turned out fine! Going by your picture, I’d say it’s only a bit more oily, but not by much. Using it is a learning process, I think… The first time was oily. I almost cried, I wanted it to work so much! Now I think I have it down – work in smaller sections, and really do what you suggested for another commentor: if you can see it on your finger, you’re using too much! I’m also starting to think maybe this is a process, too… The longer you use it, the better your hair is? It seems! :O
What I’m really getting an unexpected kick from is the perfumery aspect. With a higher ratio of essential oil, this balm is leaving everyone’s hair smelling gorgeous. It’s so seductive to toss one’s hair and leave a whisper of scent in the air. Hair perfume – this year’s stocking stuffer for sure. 🙂 I’m so lucky to have found this recipe so early! (And putting perfume in your hair is probably awesome for people with sensitive skin, right?)
Thanks for this post, this wonderfully well thought out recipe! 😀
Hi Jing! Thanks for DIYing with me 🙂 I’m so glad you’re enjoying your homemade hair balm/perfume!
Made it, tried it, and LOVED IT!! Thank You Marie for providing an awesome recipe, that’s super easy to follow, yet again! You are my hero 😉
Thanks, April! I’m so glad you’re loving it 🙂 This is still a favourite of mine despite being one of my oldest recipes.
I made this today.
Recently I scored a rather large sample of Jasmine floral wax from an eo company and thought I’d like to have -to die for- scented hair like one of the commenters said she had, after including some in her hair care.
Well, I have to die for scented hair. Because after scraping the stuff into a jar and making a mess of my hands, you know I just couldn’t waste a drop of your precious recipe! So I smeared it in my hair. Too much? Maybe but I have extremely humidity reactive hair and I live in the deep south. The two together make for a miserable Me in the summer.
My hair is tame. With a capital T. And shiny, which is something I haven’t seen since winter. Sorry Marie…bad word, I know 🙂 I’m going to love this with all my heart.
And my arms and legs smell good too! Skin loves it!
Thanks Marie for another great recipe 🙂
Woo! I’m so thrilled you’re loving this hair balm 🙂 I love how this recipe, though one of my oldest, resonates with so many people. Yay!
Does it wash out easily or will there be a build up?
Hi Matthew! If you use a lot it’ll be a bit difficult to wash out. I recommend applying it in almost ridiculously sparse amounts (just grease your fingers a wee bit and massage that in)—that should be more than enough! This is not supposed to be used to style hair, just to moisturize it.
I have a walnut allergy and don’t know much about walnut oil. But just in case, is there a substitute that can be used for walnut oil?
Thank you!!
Hi Heather! Check out this article for info on subs 🙂
Hi Marie, I have searched far and wide on your blog for a sub for walnut oil, it isn’t included in the lovely subs article, what do you recommend? i have many other oils, and a few on the way from saffire blue, (just received a lovely clay order from ND yesterday, yayyy!!) but this is the only blog entry I’ve seen so far that calls for walnut, and I’ve read quite a few recipes! And want to try them all! 🙂
Btw, your recipes are lovely and it’s really so great what you are doing, keep up the inspiring work.
We’re getting ready for a tropical el nino winter here, 😉 even tho we always prepare for extremes of dry cold here in MB! Dry hair and skin will be nourished with your hair balm and body butters!!
Thanks!
Hi Shauna! Walnut oil fits into the “average-to-absorb” category, so I would choose something in that category that has some properties that you want in your hair balm. The easiest thing to do would be to use more jojoba oil.
Thanks so much for reading and DIYing with me! Since you’re in Manitoba, you might like this recipe 😉 (if you haven’t found it already, at least!).
I made this balm with different oils (Argan & Pumpking Seed infused with Chamomile & Calendula), and Camellia Oil. That is what I had on hand at the time. My hair is loving it. I have also noticed that it is holding my curls together where they didn’t last all day before the balm. I think it can also be called a nice styling balm.
Fantastic, I’m so glad you’re loving it! 😀
Hi Marie, I have made this balm when you first published it and I really like it. One of the things I love about it is its texture, and I am playing around with your formulation to create a *face* balm with a similar one. My list of buttres an oils is already a bit different (shea, cuapucu, squalane, jojoba, grapeseed,borage, evening primrose) and I am now looking at the beeswax. I am 99% sure it’s not a good idea to include it in a face product, but is this the one thing that produces this lovely texture? If it is, could I replace with something that works the same but is more skin-friendly? And what would that be?
Hey Patrizia! In a recipe with as many ingredients as this one there’s really no way to say that one particular ingredient is the lynch pin ingredient for, well, anything—texture included. You could try one of the “C” waxes instead, using less of it.
Thanks Marie, will definitely try!
Hi ,
Just curious what the shelf life would be on this hair balm ?
Because there is no water , do you think it could last 1 year with out a preservative ?
Should I use a antioxidant if use essential oils ?
Thanks Dana
Hey Dana! Refer to the FAQ for some helpful articles on shelf life and preservatives 🙂
Can I sub out walnut oil for macadamia nut oil? That’s what I have on hand.
Yup! That will make for a lighter, faster-absorbing product, but that’s actually extra awesome for hair 🙂
Hi Marie, I made this balmand it’s very good but it turned out quite soft. I only changed the camellia oil for broccoli oil. Otherwise I did the same as in your recipe. The color is also much more golden than yours. Do you know why?
Hey Chiara! Broccoli oil is very golden/orange while camellia oil is clear, so that would explain the colour difference 🙂 Did you measure everything by weight? It should be relatively soft and creamy—what would you compare yours to?
Hi Marie,
I’ve really enjoyed your blog for a couple years now- you helped me make my first soap (to use up lard from a home-raised pig!!), and I continue to use your recipes for lip balm and hand salve, which various friends and family members absolutely love. So, thank you so much for that!
I’m not a huge salve/balm/lotion user myself, but I have discovered a dire need for hydrating conditioners since I switched to mostly natural hair care- my mid-back length hair has become much more wavy (which I like) but also coarse and super frizzy. I’m planning to make some of your balm and restorative conditioner this weekend and I’m very excited- I’m certain they will make things 110% better!
I also have a specific request for you- do you think you could replicate a recipe for braid paste or braid aid? They’re products intended for caucasian hair that help braids stay put (whereas mine always end up like frizzy christmas trees- ends popping out all over the place). I think it would be a lot like this hair balm, but maybe more waxy/sticky/texturizing, but I’m not sure because I don’t understand a lot of the ingredients in the commercial products. In Braid Paste, the main ingredients are water, lanolin, mineral oil, microcrystaline wax, and then a bunch of scary-sounding stuff.
I know if you gave it a go, you’d come up with something that used super awesome ingredients and would work/smell/feel even better than the commercial stuff!
Hey Sara! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂 Can you submit your recipe request here? That form asks for more information that I need, and will help me keep it sorted!
I tried it but mine became grainy
Any suggestions??
Try stirring the mixture until it comes to trace (gains enough thickness that you can see a “trace” of the mixture when it is drizzled on itself), or cooling it in the fridge.
I have ankle length hair and I’m so happy I saw your recipe! I’m so excited to try it! I’m always happy to see something that will make my mane a whole lot easier to manage! Espcially when I go on vacation in a few months! I might have to substitute one of the ingredients with grapeseed oil, but I’m just so excited I can’t wait to make this! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Woo! I hope you enjoy it 🙂 You could also try incorporating a few grams of BTMS-50 for some added conditioning 🙂
I made this today. I was looking for something to possibly replace my usual leave in conditioner because it’s so expensive. I looked right at the walnut oil and didn’t buy it, so I added more grapeseed oil instead. I feel like it has weighed my hair down (I have thick hair) but it feels nice. Maybe I used too much? But also, would this be useful for skin, particularly the drier spots that need a little more tlc?
Hey! This definitely can be heavy, especially if your hair is in the 1/2 type range. I require barely any—if you’re coming from more traditional leave-in conditioners you’ll really need to dial back the amount. You might be interested in some different conditioner-y type options here, or hair serums. You can definitely use it on skin, and even on the lips!
I was looking at one of your other posts for lotion which contained panthenol, and I didn’t know what that was. After reading that it’s a moisturizer I looked to see if you’ve used it in a hair care product and can’t find any. Have you used panthenol in a hair product, or if you haven’t could you add it to your list of thing to try? Your website and videos are turning me into a DIY’er.
Never mind. Totally forgot to use your search bar for this info.
I’ve put it in lots of hair care products! You can find all the recipes I’ve ever used panthenol in listed here. It’s not the most elegant way to sort through the collection, but there are two hair products right on the first page 🙂 Happy making and thanks for your support!
Hello,
Could I substitute Cupuacu Butter for the Shea butter? I also want to add a little Babassu oil in place of coconut oil. Would this drastically change the outcome of the balm?
Both those changes would work well 🙂
So I am trying to work through my happily (not so thoughtfully purchased) DIY pantry….I have a lot of some things and nothing of others.
I did 45g Shea butter, 15g coconut oil, 18 g almond oil and emulsifying wax instead of bees wax. I added Vitamin E at the end but otherwise left unscented. It worked fine 🙂 I tend to use it as a pre-wash treatment kind of thing. Hope that helps someone! Love this website so much!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you’ve created something you love 🙂 Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making!
Just made 10g (1/10th of this recipe) yesterday b/c I needed to start using some of my butters, especially the shea and cocoa butters. Although I like the end product as far a consistency and content, I must say that I’m not in love with the scent of the cocoa butter in this project. Maybe this is where I start to offer giveaways…I want to redo the project, and sub kokum butter for the cocoa butter….
Hooray for tiny batches! And yes, I highly recommend gifting your excess… I constantly have a shelf of body butters, lip balms, soaps, etc. that are my hostess gifts 🙂 Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
As you suggested that coconut oil would work as a substitute of shea butter in this recipe, is it possible to substitute coconut oil for the cocoa butter as well? or maybe some beeswax?
i really want to make this with just oil and beeswax
Also, does it mean that coconut oil can be substituted for shea butter in any of your recipes?
Thank you for sending me the course invitation 🙂
No, coconut oil is rarely a good alternative for shea butter. Please watch the video I did on that! It’s one of my most-watched videos 🙂
If you want to do just oil and beeswax I really recommend checking out my “quick guide” experiments (search for that term on the site) and then just start from scratch making something super simple!
Love this recipe, thanks so much for sharing!! I made this last weekend and it was super easy and didn’t leave my hair greasy like other balms usually do. One happy DIYer 😀
Hooray! I’m glad you’re liking it 🙂
Do you have any way to recreate Olaplex or a product similar? It’s insanely expensive and I love the diy aspect of creating my own products but my hair needs Olaplex!
Sadly not—the key ingredient in Olaplex is patented.