We’ve finally reached our third part in our moisturizer series and are now ready to craft our own moisturizing leave. A good ratio to stick with as you begin crafting your own moisturizer is as follows:
Conditioning Emulsifier 7%-10%
Water & Aqueous Extracts 70%-75%
(Plant Gels, Humectants)
Oils 4%
Butters 5%-10%
Hydrolyzed Protein (optional) 1-3%
Fragrance 2%
Preservative 2%
You can increase or decrease the percentages which allows your room to find a mixture that works for you. Your mixture should equal 100%.
Following what we learned in our previous two posts, a good moisturizer will include humectants, emollients and occlusive. See below how I implement them in my recipe.
DIY Leave in Moisturizer Recipe
Hydrating Phase- hydrating ingredients include water and humectants which attract water into your hair strands.
101.1g of Fenugreek powder and Flaxseed Gel
15.03g of Aloe Vera
4.82g of Glycerin
39.76g of Distilled Water
My hydrating ingredients= 76.18% of my mixture (161.01/211.36*100)
Moisturizing Phase/Oils, Butters, Emollients and Occlusive
10.08g of Shea Butter
4.16g of Mango Butter
19.0g of BTMS 225 emulsifying wax
10.11g of Ayurvedic Hair Oil purchase mine here https://www.nowiamnappy.com/hair-products/ayurvedic-stimulating-oil
My moisturizing ingredients = 20.5% of my mixture (43.35/211.36*100)
Any time you have water and oil combined, you must use a preservative, I chose Optiphen because it is formaldehyde free.
4g of Preservative Optiphen Plus= 1.8% of mixture
40 drop Essential Oils- Rosemary 20 drops/ Lemon Oil 20 drops =1.52%
How to adjust the recipe for a heavier mix:
You can decrease the water phase by 5% and increase your butters or emulsifying wax by 5% You can also use heavier butters such as cocoa butter and less oil to your mixture.
How to adjust the recipe for a lighter mix or watery base:
Increase the water portion to 85% and leave your moisturizing oils phase to 15% percent of the mixture. You can also forgo the use of Shea Butter and use all Mango butter or an alternative butter such as cupuacu butter.