by Chelsea of Curly and YoungNow I don’t know about y’all but I try my hardest to stretch my products, especially when they are expensive or ordered from online. So what do you do when you love your conditioner but its in an 8oz bottle and your hair requires a lot of it? Well here’s how to get more bang for your buck with your conditioners-
ADD OILS TO IT
Adding oils to a conditioner will not only increase its volume but create more slip. The oils will coat the hair strand allowing your detangling session to be less work.
Also the addition of oils will act as a light oil rinse as the oils will coat the hair strand so upon rinsing you will be left with softer hair.
Lastly you can take the time to use your oily conditioner as a DC. Simply leave it in for a little while longer with a shower cap and allow the heat from the shower to do the work.
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PRE-POO
If you are using your conditioner as a detangler then pre poo and detangle your hair prior to cleansing. This means that you will have less tangles and therefore need less conditioner when you hop in the shower. And I don’t need to tell you that if you use less you save more!
ADD WATER
You could thin out your conditioner prior to using it. However, BEWARE. Do not mix all of your conditioner with water at once. Mix small batches and use immediately! The reasoning behind this is that beauty products have a careful balance of preservatives in them to prevent them from going bad. By diluting the product you, add bacteria to it from your water if it is not distilled and affect the balance of preservatives. Then, couple this with the warm conditions of your bathroom and you have created a lovely breeding ground for bacteria in your conditioner bottle.
I would suggest keeping a small bottle on hand to mix a small amount of your conditioner and water to use in the shower. Also throw away excess conditioner mix as it will begin to smell as the bacteria grows or refrigerate it if you plan to use it within a day or two.
P.S. this tip goes for all of your home mixes. If they contain ingredients that aren’t things like butters and oils please use preservatives (grapefruit seed extract, vitamin E, etc.) or keep them refrigerated.
Hope this helped to keep your tresses beautiful whilst keeping cash in your pockets!
I keep a small plastic bottle of avocado oil in my shower. When I wash my hair, I just pour some conditioner in my hand and put 2 drops of oil in it (my hair is fine, so very little oil needed). I then rub my hands together to mix the mixture and massage it into my hair, avoiding the roots. Really works a treat, especially if your hair gets super dry and straw like. Experiment with other oils, of course, different hair will like different oils. And for those with fine hair, start with a drop of two with oil, no more, you can always add more later if needed.
I add aloe vera gel to conditioners on occasion.
I agree. I added castor oil and my conditioner in a small bowl right before I put it in my hair and used it as my deep conditioner. Can you say amazing!
I add honey and EVOO to my Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose for an amazing, supersonic deep condish 🙂 Plus it helps to stretch that li'l eight-dollar bottle!
I personally add water to my conditioner just before putting it in my hair. That way I don't have to worry about bacteria. I keep an empty bottle in the shower to mix the cond and warm water… or I just mix it in my hands!
Hey Ladies, I have an additional tip when mixing oils to conditioners. I wrote the author/chemist of www.thenaturalhaven.blogspot.com and she stated to add the oils in sections in a separate container right before using it in your hair. This is because adding oil to a conditioner can disrupt the chemical balance in the conditioner and cause it to become not as effective.
Now of course, I added a whole lot of EVOO to my SheaMoisture DC container and will take my chances until it's all used up (I did it before I got the info)…but just something for you all to consider!
in my experience, conditioners that come in 8oz need to be a bang for your buck. i would reevaluate whether "your hair requires a lot of it" because in my experience less may be more. but if not, try something else.
I just have to say, that I am really tired of seeing blogs say that essential oils can be used as preservatives. So far from the truth. People are going to take this nonsense as gospel and end up with moldy crap in their hair :-