So, hair detangler. Never imagined myself making some. Oh, sure, my hair tangles. Like a LOT. But my scalp possesses super hero-strength pain resistance. I could yank my head BALD and not blink an eye. So I myself don’t really need it. But, see, there’s this ADORABLE little 2-year-old baby girl that calls me Mama. She doesn’t have a ton of hair to start with, but the little she does have is thin and very tangly {especially since she rolls it around on the floor}. And she’s so sweet and little that I don’t want to hurt her {or make her hate me} by just yanking away at her tangles like I do with my own hair.

So I decided I needed to make her some hair detangler. I COULD have just bought her some I suppose. But I don’t like the bad things in the vast majority of hair detanglers available. I want all the good things for my babies. So I made my own so that it would be healthy for her.

DIY Hair Detangler

Ok, time for a breakdown of the ingredients I chose. Each was selected carefully and intentionally.

• Water. Duh. This is the body of the detangler spray. Makes it wet and sprayable and stuff.
• Marshmallow root. This is an herb, but I don’t think you can make *real* marshmallows with it {maybe you can…something I must Google later}. But in this application, it is used for its mucilage. Sounds awesome, right? Well, typical detanglers have a polymer {such as silicone} which makes the hair slippery. Trouble is, it can also block good nutrients from getting in. So marshmallow root adds that slipperiness without blocking good stuff.
• Apple cider vinegar. Store-bought detangler also contains an acid. This lowers the pH to smooth and tighten each strand of hair. So my acid of choice is apple cider vinegar {I used some with the mother of course}.
• Oil. I’ve used fractionated {liquified} coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and jojoba oil. I haven’t really noticed a difference among the oils. They just help to moisturize the hair and make it more pliable.
• Aloe vera gel. This acts as a natural conditioner and thus it also softens the hair and adds shininess. Ooh…shiny…
• Vitamin E oil. Honestly, I just added this because it makes the mixture more shelf stable.
• Essential oils. I like to add 25 solid drops or so of Young Living Grapefruit essential oil. Mainly because it smells SOO good. Other oils you could add are Lavender, Tea Tree, Orange, Lemon {just note that Lemon can cause the hair to achieve natural blond highlights…which is a pro or a con depending on what you’re going for}, and Chamomile.

Some Notes

• My mixture filled up two of these glass spray bottles, but if you don’t have spray bottles yet, you could just buy these larger ones to hold it all.
• I have ONLY used this detangler {successfully I might add} on my daughter’s hair {which is very thin, hardly any there because she’s two and her hair just hasn’t all come in yet, and it’s pretty much straight} and on my own hair {which is also pretty thin but lots of it and somewhere between wavy and lightly curly}. So yes, on just white people hair. I have no idea how well it would work on curly hair, thicker hair, or ethnic hair. Hopefully awesome! If you try it on any of these hair types, please share how it did in a comment below. 😀
• TO USE this detangler, do as you would any. Spritz it lightly to generously over the hair {depends on how tangled it is and how much hair there is}, let it set in for 20 seconds or so, then, working from the bottom up, gently yank away. I might suggest putting a detangling hairbrush to work as well to make it a tad easier.

DIY All-natural Hair Detangler

5 from 2 votes

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE SHARE RECIPE

Ingredients

  

• 1 c. distilled water
• 1/4 c. marshmallow root
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, OR jojoba oil
• 1 tsp. aloe vera gel
• 1/2 tsp. vitamin E oil
• 15 to 25 drops Young Living essential oil{s} of choice, optional

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan, bring the water just to a boil {when big bubbles just begin to form}.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the marshmallow root.
• Allow the marshmallow root to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Some of the water will have evaporated, so measure the marshmallow root tea to equal 1/2 cup. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Pour into a glass spray bottle.

Notes

TO USE: Spray lightly to generously over the hair. Allow to soak in for 20 seconds or so then brush gently from the bottom up, possibly with the help of a detangling hairbrush.