Want to make your own hair balm? Look no further!
Hair balms are a great way to seal moisture into your strands. Oil-based hair balms are especially great for people with very curly or coily hair. Hair balms are very simple to make on your own and allow for customization. The base ingredients of hair balms are typically butters, oils, and beeswax in some cases. You can also add essential oils for all-natural fragrance and their hair growth-promoting properties.
Benefits of Hair Balms
- Seal in Moisture.
- Add luster and shine.
- Condition and soften the hair.
- May reduce frizz and unruly hair.
- Properties in the butter, oils, and essential oils may promote hair growth.
My favorite butters to use in hair balm include shea butter, kokum butter, and mango butter.
Shea Butter – Consists mainly of Oleic Acid, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Cinnamic Acid Esters, Allantoin, and Polyphenols (Tocopherol/Vitamin E). Shea butter is a very rich, thick emollient that is an excellent sealant and can soothe irritated skin. Shea butter is naturally pretty greasy, and unrefined shea butter can have a somewhat strong earthy smell. In this formula, shea butter is used for its excellent sealant, healing, and emollient properties.
Kokum Butter – The components include Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Elaidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Eicosenoic Acid, and Other Fatty Acids. Kokum butter is a very hard butter. Kokum butter works to stabilize and harden this hair balm and is a non-greasy emollient.
Mango Butter – Is made up of Oleic Acid (Omega 9), Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. All these components can provide excellent benefits to the hair, skin, and nails. Mango butter is a hard butter but with a quick absorbency speed. Mango butter provides a very nice dry finish is can help formulations feel less greasy. In this formula, it provides emollient properties as well as stabilization.
The above components found in these butters have been known to:
- Maintain the softness, suppleness, and radiance of hair and skin
- Stimulate the growth of thicker, longer, and stronger hair
- Reduce the appearance of premature wrinkles and fine lines
- Eliminate dandruff
- Have emollient properties
- Soften hair without leaving a greasy or sticky residue
- Promote moisture retention in skin and hair
- Stimulate cells regeneration to keep skin healthy, strong, and firm
- Exhibit anti-oxidant properties
- Prevent moisture loss from skin and hair
- Offer soothing relief to skin that has been burned
The oil that I selected for this hair balm is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is said to have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It also has a non-greasy texture making it great for hair and skin formulations. Sunflower seeds (from which the oil is derived) contain nutrients such as niacin, selenium, calcium, and iron. In addition, sunflower oil can easily penetrate the hair shaft and coat the hair with a thin protective layer to reduce damage caused by styling and manipulation.
Below is the formula to make your very own hair balm!
Let’s get started!
3 Butter Hair Balm
Equipment
- 1 Small/Medium Glass Bowl
- 1 Heat Resistant Whisk
- 1 Scale This scale should measure to 1/10 of a gram.
- 1 Jar with Lid This jar should accomodate at least 4 oz of liquid.
- 1 Pan This pan should accommodate at least 3 inches of water.
Ingredients
- 20 grams Kokum Butter
- 24 grams Mango Butter
- 40 grams Shea Butter
- 15 grams Sunflower Oil
- 0.3 grams Sweet Orange Essential Oil
- 0.2 grams Rosemary Essential Oil
- 0.5 grams Vitamine E MT-50
Instructions
Measure the Butters
- Measure the butters and put them into a heat-safe bowl.20 grams Kokum Butter, 40 grams Shea Butter, 24 grams Mango Butter
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil to keep water out,
Heat Phase
- Fill your pan with 2 inches of water and heat over medium heat.
- Add the covered bowl to the pan and gentlely melt the butters in the bain marie.
Cool Down Phase
- One the butters have melted remove the bowl from the bain-marie and add the specified amount of sunflower oil and mix.15 grams Sunflower Oil
- Let the mixture cool for a minute or so, then add the essential oil mix and vitamin E. Do not let the mixture solidify.0.3 grams Sweet Orange Essential Oil, 0.2 grams Rosemary Essential Oil, 0.5 grams Vitamine E MT-50
- Pour the mixture into a heat-safe container and allow it to cool. As it cools it will become solid.
Notes
- You can substitute kokum butter for cocoa butter, but the end result may differ and be a bit greasy. You can also substitute mango butter for cupuacu butter.
- You can substitute sunflower oil for safflower oil, grapeseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, or corn oil.
- Feel free to substitute the essential oils in this formulation. Peppermint and rosemary are also a refreshing combination.
Great article, I learned a lot and cant wait to try make this for myself!