Today’s recipe comes from a highly creative new blogger, who happens to be a rellie. At her website, I Should Blog About That…, my cousin’s daughter, Haley, writes about her life as the mother of two sets of twins. Yes, you read that right. Two sets of twins. The older set are two girls with the same curly blond hair their mama (and her mama) had as young children. Here’s Haley’s post about how she tamed their tangles by creating her own natural detangling spray.
Taming the Nest
Every morning, one of my older girls wakes up to this:
Ever since she was a baby, she has thrashed her head wildly back and forth to fall asleep. We haven’t discussed it with her pediatrician in a couple of years, so we will be revisiting it soon…but for now, the issue at hand is what it does to her hair. Her habit couples with her fine, yet curly, long hair to create a perfect storm–a hair hurricane of sorts. No special detangling brush or store bought detangler has come close to helping.
I’ll hand it to her…she doesn’t often complain while I tug her neck out of joint. Every now and then tears spring up, but she doesn’t cry. I try to be gentle. It has taken up to 15 minutes, and she has snapped two combs and a brush in half. We tried braiding it, but that just leads to a ratted braid, which adds a whole new element of difficulty–like leveling up or entering boss mode. For a long time I was making my own detangler by adding a tablespoon of an all natural conditioner to 12 oz of hot water. It worked pretty well:
But I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a truly homemade, all natural detangler that would work for her. A lot of the recipes that I researched online suggested marshmallow root or grapefruit seed extract. I also learned while researching oils that apricot and jojoba are good for dry and fine hair. So I decided to try out my own concoction. (Bear in mind, I am no biologist, or chemist, though I do get geeky pleasure out of those disciplines–all of my choices are based on my own research and only my opinion on this detangler’s effectiveness is expressed here.)
Let me start by breaking down the ingredients to illustrate their benefits and why I chose them:
Marshmallow Root: When simmered, it produces a gel-like substance that coats surfaces. This property is also what purportedly makes it a wonderful digestive supplement (I haven’t tried it, but the more I learn, the more interested I become). It made it an obvious starting point as a detangler. The capsules I bought were easy to open and dump into the pot.
Aloe Vera Gel: If you are picturing that neon green bubbly looking substance sold cheap for sunburns, think again. I mean the actual gel extracted from the Aloe Vera plant and left in its natural state. It can actually be taken internally (I’ve tried it in the form of Organic Aloe Vera drinks–it’s…interesting. Not bad, just different.) It works much the same as the marshmallow root for digestive systems. It is loaded with nutrients and amino acids, is deeply absorbable by the skin (think scalp benefits), and is structurally similar to the keratin found in hair. As with the marshmallow root, its natural “slippery” nature lends it wonderfully to detangling.
Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE): Well, this stuff is simply loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients. It has more uses than I can possibly list, including being antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic, alkalizing, and a natural preservative. Every site and source that I read up on mentioned more and more benefits. For my hair purposes, GSE actually cleans and adds shine as well as helping detangle.
Apricot Oil: This oil is rich in vitamins A and E and is easily absorbed. This made it a fairly easy choice to add.
Jojoba Oil: This oil is similar in structure to sebum, the oil naturally produced by the scalp. It is easily absorbed and is also an emollient, which means it fills in smalls cracks in the hair follicles to create a stronger length.
Vitamin E: Is also a strong antioxidant that helps protect and stabilize cells. It is also a natural preservative.
Finally, I chose Orange and Vanilla essential oils for scent…mmmmmm, Orange Julius…
*Note* I do NOT use fragrance oils–you will see a recurring theme in my recipes that strongly disagrees with the use of fragrance oils in products labeled “natural” and/or “organic”, as fragrances are artificially manufactured scents that contain artificial ingredients and are meant to mimic real scents–plus, I am allergic to most of them. While fragrances are less costly and can smell nice, I choose not to use them in my products. You have to make that call for yourself.
I started by bringing the marshmallow root and 8 oz of water to a boil, then reduced to a simmer for 20 minutes. Some sites suggested boiling up to 30 minutes, but no matter the time, the goal was the same: create a gel. After I removed it from the heat, I strained it through cheesecloth placed in a mesh strainer. I tried a coffee filter first, but that would have taken hours, if it worked at all. I let it cool slightly so I didn’t risk damaging the integrity of the oils when I added them.
I stirred in the additional ingredients with a silicone spatula…coincidentally making a heart in the center–shoulda been a barista. Ha! Finally, I added the mixture to a spray bottle (use one with a larger diameter tube; a spritz pump will not work with the thicker mixture) and finished it with 12 more oz of water. To be the most beneficial, I assume distilled water would be best; I just boiled mine.
Then I put that nest to the test. And, it worked! Very well, in fact. I even applied it to dry hair, and it didn’t leave any crunchy or oily residue. I’m pretty happy with the results, and my daughter is, too. It also worked well on her twin sister’s hair to tame frizzies and fly-aways.
Hair Detangling Spray:
2 tablespoons marshmallow root powder*
8 oz of water + 10-12 more oz to thin mixture at the end
1 teaspoon Aloe Vera gel
1/4-1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil (I used 1/4)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon apricot oil (I used 1/2)
10 drops GSE
5 drops Vitamin E oil
10-12 drops essential oil(s) of choice
*The reason I list the oils 1/4-1/2 teaspoon is to try to illustrate that adjusting these amounts is easy. In fact the whole recipe is flexible! Just as no shampoo works for every hair type, no single product works the same for everyone. Those with dryer, thicker, or more course hair may wish to try the higher measurement of oil, while those with thin or naturally oily hair may wish to use the lesser amount. I hope that you find the combination that works for you!
If you’re feeling adventurous, give your own detangler a shot! If you don’t want to keep specialty ingredients on hand, try the conditioner/water trick–just refill your store bought detangler bottle the next time it runs out, and you truly will have nothing to lose but the cost of one tablespoon of conditioner and 2 minutes of your time.
*If you can get a hold of the loose leaf marshmallow root to boil, it will reduce sediment in the final product since it can be more fully strained out after boiling. I couldn’t get a hold of any for this tutorial, which is why the recipe originally states “marshmallow root powder” as I used.
