How to Make Hair Conditioners
Rinse-Out & Leave-In Formulations with Cationic Ingredients
Hair conditioners work through a simple but brilliant principle: opposites attract. Your hair carries a negative charge (especially when damaged), and conditioners use positively charged (cationic) ingredients that literally stick to each hair strand, smoothing the cuticle and eliminating friction. This guide will teach you how to formulate effective rinse-out and leave-in conditioners using the SoapMath lotion calculator.
Unlike body lotions, hair conditioners require specific cationic emulsifiers like BTMS (behentrimonium methosulfate) that both condition hair AND hold the formula together. The lotion calculator includes these specialized ingredients with built-in compatibility checking for successful formulations.
Understanding Cationic Conditioning
Why Hair Needs Positive Charge
Hair is naturally anionic (negatively charged). When damaged through heat, chemicals, or environmental stress, that negative charge intensifies. Cuticles lift up, creating friction, tangles, and dull, frizzy hair.
- Cationic ingredients have positive charge
- They attract to negative hair through substantivity
- Form molecular film that smooths cuticle
- Reduce friction and detangle effectively
- Target pH: 4.0-5.5 (acidic closes cuticle)
Key Cationic Ingredients:
- BTMS-50: 50% behentrimonium methosulfate + cetyl alcohol + butylene glycol. High conditioning powerhouse.
- BTMS-25: 25% behentrimonium methosulfate + cetearyl alcohol. Waxier feel, may need slip boosters.
- Cetyl/Cetearyl Alcohol: Conditioning fatty alcohols that boost BTMS and add slip (not drying!)
- Behenyl Alcohol: Less greasy alternative for lighter feel
- Cationic Polymers: Honeyquat, Polyquat-7, Polyquat-10, Polyquat-44 for film-forming and detangling
Star Ingredients for Hair Conditioning
BTMS (Cationic Emulsifiers)
These do double duty: condition hair AND emulsify your formula (hold water and oil together). pH range 5-7 makes them perfect for hair care.
- • BTMS-50: Best slip and conditioning
- • BTMS-25: More economical, boost with fatty alcohols
Proteins
Hydrolyzed proteins form films on hair, increase hydration, and add elasticity.
- • Silk/Quinoa: Dry or color-treated hair (small molecules penetrate shaft)
- • Oat/Rice: Normal hair
- • Usage: 2% in cool-down phase
Silicones & Alternatives
Reduce frizz and add shine. Added in cool-down phase (heat-sensitive).
- • Silicones: 2% dimethicone + 2% cyclomethicone
- • Silicone-free: 4% LuxGlide N350, coco caprylate, or light esters
Cationic Polymers
Add film-forming and extra detangling beyond BTMS. Check heat tolerance before adding to heated phase. Usage: 2-4% in cool-down.
Formula Frameworks
Rinse-Out Conditioner (Traditional)
Emulsion with high BTMS levels for heavy conditioning. Thickness perceived as quality!
- • 25-50% BTMS-50 or BTMS-25 (oil phase)
- • 10-15% cetyl or cetearyl alcohol (oil phase)
- • 10% butter like shea or mango (oil phase)
- • 5% coconut oil or solid oil (oil phase)
- • 2-4% cationic polymer (cool down)
- • 2% protein (cool down)
- • 2-4% silicones or alternatives (cool down)
- • 0.5-1% preservative (cool down)
- • 1% fragrance (cool down)
- • Water to 100% (water phase)
Leave-In Conditioner (Lightweight)
Much lower BTMS since product stays on hair. Too much = greasy!
- • 1-2% BTMS-50 (heated with water)
- • 85-90% distilled water (heated)
- • 2-4% cationic polymer (cool down)
- • 2% protein (cool down)
- • 0.5-1% cetrimonium chloride - optional detangler (cool down)
- • 2% dimethicone (cool down)
- • 2% cyclomethicone (cool down)
- • 0.5-1% preservative (cool down)
- • 0.5-1% fragrance (cool down)
Using the Lotion Calculator
Hair conditioners are emulsions!
Use the lotion calculator in O/W (oil-in-water) mode since traditional conditioners have oil dispersed in water. Leave-in conditioners are ultra-light emulsions.
Step 1: Set Up O/W Emulsion
- Select "O/W (Oil in Water)" emulsion type
- Choose "Blend" for emulsifier method
- Set batch size (100g for testing)
Step 2: Add Oil Phase Ingredients
- Select BTMS-50 or BTMS-25 from emulsifier blend category
- For rinse-out: 30-40% BTMS, For leave-in: 1-2% BTMS
- Add cetyl or cetearyl alcohol from oil thickeners (10-15% for rinse-out)
- Add butter/oil from emollients (optional for rinse-out)
Step 3: Add Cool Down Ingredients
- Select cationic polymer from humectants (2-4%)
- Add hydrolyzed protein (2%)
- Add silicones or alternatives (2-4% total)
- Select preservative (check coverage for bacteria/yeast/mold)
- Add fragrance if desired (0.5-1%)
Step 4: Set Water Phase to QS
- Check "QS to 100%" for water phase
- Calculator auto-balances water percentage
- Review compatibility warnings
Processing Your Conditioner
Heating Phase
- Heat oil phase (BTMS + fatty alcohols + oils/butters) to 65-75°C
- If using butters, go higher (some melt at 69°C)
- Heat water phase separately to same temperature
- Both phases within 5°C of each other when combining
Combining & Cooling
- Pour water phase into oil phase while stirring
- Mix thoroughly until smooth and uniform
- Allow to cool to below 40°C
- Add cool-down ingredients (polymers, proteins, silicones, preservative, fragrance)
- Mix well and check pH (target 4.0-5.5)
pH Adjustment
- Test pH with pH strips or meter
- If too high, add citric acid solution drop by drop
- Target pH 4.0-5.5 for optimal hair conditioning
- Mix thoroughly after each addition
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Issue | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Too draggy on hair | Too much heavy butter (cocoa, shea) | Reduce butter percentage or switch to lighter butter (mango instead of cocoa) |
| Not enough slip | Insufficient conditioning ingredients | Add more cetyl alcohol or increase BTMS percentage |
| Too greasy | Excessive BTMS or oils/butters | Use behenyl alcohol instead of cetyl, or reduce oil/butter content. For leave-in, reduce BTMS to 1% |
| Tangles not resolved | Insufficient detangling ingredients | Add cetrimonium chloride (up to 3%) or increase cationic polymer percentage |
| Formula separated | Emulsion failure | Insufficient BTMS amount, wrong temperature when combining phases, or incompatible ingredients (check calculator warnings) |
| Too thin/watery | Insufficient thickeners | Increase BTMS or fatty alcohol percentage. Add small amount of xanthan gum (0.2-0.5%) for extra thickening |
Tips for Success
- Start with 100g batches for testing formulas before scaling up
- Temperature is key - both phases must be within 5°C when combining
- Less is more for leave-ins - keep BTMS at 1-2% to avoid greasiness
- Check heat tolerance - some cationic polymers must go in cool-down phase
- pH testing is essential - damaged hair needs acidic pH (4.0-5.5) to close cuticle
- Preservation is mandatory - use broad-spectrum preservative for water-containing products
Pro Tip: Formulation Strategy
Use the lotion calculator's compatibility warnings to avoid common mistakes like adding chelators with minerals, or mixing cationic and anionic ingredients. The calculator shows preservative coverage to ensure your conditioner is protected against bacteria, yeast, and mold.