If you’ve checked out our infographic on Natural Ingredients for Natural Hair, you already know that there are plenty of kitchen staples that can pull double duty both as snacks and natural hair products. One of the sweetest of these – literally and figuratively – is that delicious golden natural nectar, honey!
Not only will honey give your mug of chamomile tea a sweet boost, but it’s a natural shine and strength enhancer when used on your natural hair. Its humectant properties draw much needed moisture to damaged hair and help hold it there. Although some naturals worry that honey will stick to their coils and curls, when mixed with an oil – like the sweet almond oil used in this recipe – it glides smoothly over natural strands and rinses easily.
The almond oil in the recipe can also be swapped with light olive oil – a stock item in many modern kitchens – but, since it’s especially good at smoothing cuticles to prevent frizz and breakage, it makes a great honey side-kick. The addition of coconut oil ups the smell-good ante and aids in the prevention on dandruff. For more info how these ingredients can be used for your natural hair, click here.
Honey-Almond Conditioner Recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 cup Honey
1 tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)
1/4 cup Sweet Almond Oil
5-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil (or the essential oil of your choice)
1 tbsp Rosewater & Vegetable Glycerin*
*The addition of rosewater and vegetable glycerin is optional, but it enhances the scent and slip of the final product. Available at Whole Foods Market.
Add all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. If honey sticks to measuring cup, add a little oil to loosen it from the sides. Mix well. Transfer mixture to small squirt bottle (I used a Wilton candy making bottle from Michael’s). Shake well before use; ingredients will naturally separate.
Use
With a small spray bottle filled with warm water, thoroughly dampen dry hair. Section hair into 4-6 parts. Use a quarter-sized dollop of conditioner to saturate each part from root to tip. Add more conditioner for longer hair. Once hair is saturated, cover with a plastic cap and wrap in a warm towel for 20-30 minutes. Rinse completely with warm water.
**This honey-almond conditioner left my natural hair feeling incredibly soft and smooth; my curls had very little frizz after being treated with this recipe + Coconut Milk Shampoo.
young.black.nappy. 
I was wondering how often to use this conditioner?
Depending on how dry or damaged your hair is, I’d use it every 3 days to once a week.
Do you use only this every 3ish days or do you use a different conditioner on days you’re not using this? Also, how long did it take you to adjust from every day conditioning to every 3 days or once a week? Thank you!
My usually co-wash conditioner is Suave Naturals, but I use this recipe when I need an extra boost (like after sleeping without a hair bonnet for a few nights) or to add a bit of additional shine. How often you condition should be based on the needs of your hair.
This made my hair a bit oily. Do you have any suggestions to fix that? =)
Simply reduce the amount of oil you use in your next batch until it’s the right fit for your hair; sometimes a recipe will need to be tweaked according to how much oil your scalp naturally produces.
what does the liquid honey do? i was thinking instead of the liquid honey use raw honey which is a solid form.
Honey attracts and holds moisture as well as adding shine. You want it to smooth over your hair, so I think liquid would be best. Perhaps you can gently warm your raw honey in the microwave until it liquifies.
thanks for responding. I was considering the organic honey because it has all the nutrients and the liquid honey really doesnt. but im trying the liquid since it works well for everyone. this has nothing to do with the conditioner but when are more shirts coming out? i really want to buy some!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey! Glad I could help/ clarify 🙂 We’re working on redesigning & relaunching the website for Aug/ Sept – expect to see a shop w/ merchandise then!
Do you use the conditioner first, then shampoo? Or vice versa?
This conditioner is used before washing. You want to get all the honey out when you shampoo.
How is this conditioner on toddlers hair?
I honestly haven’t thought of that! I would assume that, due to the all natural ingredients, it would be safe. I wouldn’t use it on a baby under 1 year old b/c they shouldn’t ingest honey (and we all know how EVERYTHING is liable to get into their mouths at that age). If your toddler has dry hair and your pediatrician says it’s okay, I don’t see why not! Let us know if you use it and how it works 🙂
Reblogged this on Modern Pioneer Magazine and commented:
This looks fabulous for all hair types!
What is the shelf life for this conditioner and how should it be stored?
How do you store the conditioner (i.e under the cabinet, in the fridge)?
I’ve kept it in several cool, dark places – a hall closet, bathroom cabinet, and the fridge to be specific. I’d suggest the refrigerator for increased longevity, but honey is anti-fungal & antibacterial.
Because we have to put on a plastic cap and sit a little bit, would this be considered a hot oil treatment.
Although the warm towel will definitely help the oil & honey penetrate the hair better, I hesitate to call this a hot oil treatment as-is. However, you can always modify the treatment to sit underneath a hooded dryer or apply heat with a blow-dryer. Another option is to actually warm the oil mixture (carefully!) before you apply it.
Hi, I am about to cut out my relaxer Friday. I currently use natural products such as honey, oils, eggs etc. I have type 4 hair and I would like to know what you suggest as an all natural leave in conditioner as well as something to define my curls/coils since I will be wearing my hair super short now.
I come across this via Pinterest while looking up natural hair care and I love the idea of this conditioner. (I LOVE almond anything!) I’m a white female with thick frizzy hair that gets oily very quickly. How do you think this would work for my hair type? (I’m not knowledgeable of the difference between African American hair and other ethnicities)
I made the DIY Honey almond conditioner and the coconut milk shampoo and I am in heaven!!! Thank you for sharing your recipes! I found all of the products at my local Whole Food store. My hair feels amazing!!!