Every once in a while, the standard shampoo and conditioner routine just isn’t going to cut it. Maybe you color or blow dry or maybe your hair is just naturally dry, but it’s time to give your hair something more. This Deep Conditioning Hair Mask is the perfect DIY to give your hair the moisture it craves. It combines Shea Butter with a number of conditioning carrier oils to create the perfect base for this hair mask. And no essentials DIY would be complete without some amazing essential oils. Lavender, Frankincense, Rosemary and Carrot Seed all work together to keep your locks looking smooth, shiny and absolutely luxurious.
Deep Conditioning Hair Mask
What you’ll need:
- 1 Tbsp Shea Butter Refined
- 2 Tbsp Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 2 Tbsp Argan Carrier Oil
- 1 Tbsp Rosehip Carrier Oil
- 1 Tbsp Jojoba Carrier Oil
- 1 Tbsp Meadowfoam Carrier Oil
- 4 drops Lavender
- 3 drops Frankincense Carteri
- 2 drops Rosemary 1,8 Cineole
- 2 drops Carrot Seed
- 4 oz pump bottle
Add all these products to your cart
What you’ll do:
- Soften shea butter if hard.
- Add and mix all carrier oils and essential oils.
- Store in a cool dark place.
- Apply mask generously to your hair and let sit for 10-30 minutes.
- Wash out completely with shampoo.
How could I found it just now? And I have all the ingredients definitely going to try this. Just wondering which ratio was right, the one written here or on the demonstration video?
Hello, you would want to use the written recipe vs the video. We hope this helps!
Hi. What would the shelf life be for this recipe?
Thank you.
I’m new to EOs, and this is one of the first recipes I made. I’m having issues with minor hair loss and damaged ends. I love this deep hair mask, makes my hair feel soft and no frizzy ends. I’m hooked on EOs. So much to learn. Thank you Plant Therapy for guiding me in the correct and safe way to use EOs.
How do you soften your shea butter? Is it okay to use crude shea butter?
You can soften shea butter by heating it up at a low temperature. We often recommend a double-boiler method, where you would boil about an inch or two of water in a pan, then set a heat-safe glass bowl with the shea in it on top of the water so it can slowly melt. And yes! Crude shea is a great alternative.
Would love to see this article expanded to explain the purpose of each ingredient. As always, I learned something new on PT blog today.
Is this safe for color treated hair?
Hi Cori, we didn’t test it on color-treated hair, so we can’t say for sure. But all of the ingredients should be safe for any kind of hair. You could always do a strand test first just to be safe.
I am here to give my comments on this Deep Conditioner Mask.
This is a awesome mask. I tried for 4-5 months and the results are my hair loss stop, hair growing out and more volume, healthy and not frizzy. I use it as often as possible, at least twice a week. In addition I add rosemary and Cedarwood to my shampoo. Thanks to PT .
We’re so glad you love it! Thanks for sharing how well it’s worked for you.
I´ve to try this one! It seems great!
Is there any way we can substitute if we don’t have the carriers, like she’s butter and meadow foam?
You could adjust the ratio of the other carrier oils to make up for the 1 Tbsp of Meadowfoam. However, the Shea Butter would be harder to substitute, unless you used a different refined butter, as it affects the consistency.
hi, i only have jojoba oil and coconut oil.. will this work?
Hi Anne, Jojoba and Coconut oil will both be good for your hair. But to leave out all the other ingredients will fundamentally change the recipe. I would recommend using as many of the ingredients as you can to get the full benefits.
This recipe looks great. I‘ve been using Rosemary Oil, just massaging it in 10 minutes prior to washing my hair, for 2 months now and I‘m so happy with the results. My hair looks so much healthier & my hairloss stopped. I will definintely try this additionaly.
Saved, this sounds great and will hopefully work for my frizzy dry hair, cant wait to try it. Will have to substitute argan and meadowfoam but have the rest.
I might cut this recipe in half to see how we like it! Sounds wonderful! Would you add anything else to help with itchiness and flaking? Also how often do you apply ? Thanks for your help!
i really need to try this. it sound wonderful. could I do it with out any eos?
Cant wait to try this! hoping to stock up on some of these in the CAM sale!
Can’t wait until my next day off to try this! Watching old movies… heaven 😉
It sounds wonderful – but I don’t have meadowfoam oil. Hope it’s equally good to subsitute it with almond carrier oil lol
This is what my hair was looking for. Thanks PT!
I will be making the deep conditioning hair mask. Hope it will help tame the frizz too.
Can this work for dandruff?
Hi Asaf! This may help dandruff if you use it regularly to condition the scalp!
Saved it! Will try. It looks really good and conditioning. Thank you PT!
Sounds wonderful! I have all the ingredients except for the Argan Oil. Can you suggest how to substitute, etc. for the missing Argan?
I recently bought the Meadowfoam and REALLY ENJOY it in the Fountain of Youth recipe….Try that DIY ladies and your skin will thank you! Now, on to improving my hair with PT’s help.
Hey there! I would use the carrier oil of your choice. You could increase one of the other oils that you already own or choose from some of the recommended carriers in this blog post: https://blog.planttherapy.com/blog/2019/03/11/carrier-oils-2/ Hope that helps!
Great info in this blog, love my Plant Therapy family!
Is there a formula that stimulates hair growth?
Some oils that you might find helpful are Rosemary, Sandalwood, Cedarwood or Lavender.
I think you’ll find this blog post helpful for improving the health of your hair: https://blog.planttherapy.com/blog/2018/02/09/treat-hair-loss-naturally-essential-oils/
This sounds absolutely fabulous. Now I just need a recipe for shampoo!
Hello there, Can this be stored for a few months? What would be the shelf life for this mask pls? Do we need to add some preservatives to this if we want to store it for long? Thanks in advance.
This has no water content and therefore, you would not need a preservative. The shelf life would be that of the lowest shelf life of the ingredients used.
You can find the shelf life for essential oils here, and for carrier oils here.
I made this for my hair and it works so very well. Very happy!
This looks great. My hair has been getting dryer and more brittle. I can’t wait to try this mask. Thanks Plant Therapy!!
I have very fine, thin, short hair. I plan on making this, but I won’t need to use very much at a time. How long will this keep stored, say, under a bathroom sink? Do I need to add a preservative?
This has no water content and therefore, you would not need a preservative. The shelf life would be that of the lowest shelf life of the ingredients used.
You can find the shelf life for essential oils here, and for carrier oils here.
wow, a lot of ingredients in this hair mask. looks great, but i dont have all those carrier oils. I’ll look for a simpler mix.
I saved the recipe to my pintrest. I will try it when I get all the oils. I miss the shine to my old hair.
My hair could use a good deep conditioning. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I need to try this out! Thanks!
I have been using one of the previously posted hair mask recipes and loving it. I’m excited to try this one out as well.
There are some discrepancies in the ingredient measurements between the video and the listing within the blog post itself. The video shows 2T of each carrier oil but the blog post differs, stating only 1T for some of them. Amounts of the EOs are different too, I have all of these oils and would love to make this! Can you please clarify which is correct? Thanks!
Keri, we are so sorry for this mistake! I will bring it up to the appropriate departments immediately to have it fixed. Until then, please follow the written directions instead of the directions shown in the video. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
I’ve been making my own body/facial care products for some time now, but some of the few things I still buy are (natural, chemical free etc) shampoo and conditioner. I do make some leave in/hair growth products for my husband, and I add oils good for hair to my store-bought shampoo and conditioner. Maybe its time to try something like this…
I would love to have your recipe for leave in/hair growth products!
This sounds amazing!!!! Can’t wait to try this on a girls night!!! I have such thick course hair! I can’t wait!! Gonna have to sub something for carrot seed though…. hmmm
I’ve been using the “no-poo” method for over 2 years now and will occasionally rub in Jojoba or Coconut oil for rehydration. This conditioning masks sounds great, and I have all of the ingredients except for the 2 non-kid safe oils! Making this for me and my daughter for a girls spa night!
Ooo, this looks great. I can’t wait to try it!
I love these DIY video tutorials. Keep ’em coming, PT!
This is something I have been looking for, and it sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
I currently do not have carteri, can i substitute a different Frankincense?
Absolutely, Amber!
I keep hearing awesome things about meadowfoam! I gotta get some soon!
I am looking for an anti frizz hair treatment. This seems to have a lot of oils in it. I am thinking it might be too much for my fine hair. Has anyone with fine hair tried this recipe?
Sandra, I also have very fine hair but have no problems with this recipe. I will use the mask, then shampoo and condition in the shower like usual and do not notice any residue or limpness in my hair afterward 🙂
I don’t have all of the carrier oil listed only a couple, will that work? If not the I have to invest more money to buy the other carrier oil. 🙂
Maria, feel free to make necessary adjustments, just make sure that if you are using less carrier oils than you will need to adjust the amount of drops used to ensure a safe dilution. If you need any help with that, just let me know what ingredients and amounts you are using and I will get back to you with some suggestions! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this! I’m still building my collection and I still need two EOs to make it (rosemary and frankincense). Can I leave these two out and still get desired affect?
Melanee, you can absolutely leave those two out, but I can’t promise the overall effect will be the same, as Frankincense and Rosemary are very amazing for hair care. Also, without those two oils you will get an entirely different scent. But that definitely doesn’t mean a Lavender and Carrot Seed conditioning hair mask wouldn’t be wonderful for your hair! Just a bit different than the recipe we have here 🙂
What is the best way to store this? Will it harden because of the shea butter, or will it stay soft? I can’t wait to try it!
Melissa, this mask should stay soft since there is a small amount of Shea Butter compared to the carrier oils used. Storing it anywhere you store your other hair products should be just fine 🙂
So excited to try this out. My hair needs a rescue. 🙂
I have been thinking I need to do something with my hair. I think I will be trying this, even though I will have to make some adjustments as I don’t have all the different carrier oils. Should make a good “girls’ night in.” 😉
Im running low on my deep conditioners. Need to give this a try!
I have never made hair conditional musk , but this this looks great and making it soon 🙂 Thank you for sharing it !
Sounds amazing! Now to get rosehip, Rosemary and carrie seed… I’m actually surprised I have all but those three things! Thank you for a great option for the dry hair!
This looks great! I’ve just been learning about how important natural oils are for our hair. Perfect timing.
So you’d use this first? and then shampoo? Would you condition again after the shampoo with a different conditioner?
Jennifer, I personally would use a hair mask first, then wash with shampoo and conditioner like usual. However, you may want to take your own hair care routine into consideration and see what works best for you 🙂
I always put on deep conditioning masks after shampooing. The reason being b/c before we shampoo or low poo, our hair could be coated with products, dirt, etc. So if you use a hair mask before getting all of this stuff off your hair, it will be that much harder for the hair mask to penetrate your hair. So shampoo first and get rid of anything on your hair, then if you need to detangle use a bit of conditioner then rinse out, then apply the deep conditioning mask and let it sit for 20 minutes with a clear plastic hair cap on. If you don’t have a hair cap, the you can use a plastic bag from the grocery store. The reason for this is because the heat from our body will be trapped in the plastic cap or shopping bag and the deep conditioning treatment will penetrate our hair much better because our shaft opens up when exposed to heat. It also makes it the entire thing a lot less messy. If you don’t want to go through all this, just shampoo and then detangle and then add the hair mask while in the shower, and then do everything else in the shower with the mask on your hair. This will enable to heat from the shower water to penetrate our hair and let the mask to the working while we wash our bodies, shave etc. Then when done with everything, just rinse as usual and detangle. No need to do any more conditioning unless your hair is very textured or you need to detangle more.
I am not trying to undermine the reply by Plant Therapy at all, just giving you what I know. I have curly hair and I deep condition once a week and my hair has benefited tremendously from it!
I can not wait to try this hair mask.
So excited to try this! I’ve been looking for a clean hair mask but they are hard to find! Think I’ll need to order more oils though…
This will make a wonderful gift – I am thinking of stocking stuffers for my married daughters! Thank you!!
Funny to be watching this tonight as I am sitting here with simply a coconut hair mask on for the first time. However, while this hair mask looks amazing do you think we could come up with a more simplified version? It just requires so many carriers and honestly a lot of oils I do not even have… Looking for maybe another recipe even though this one looks so good.
Rachel, if you reach out to our team of aromatherapists at [email protected] they may have more conditioning hair mask ideas that do not include quite so many ingredients 🙂
YES! I’ve been wanting a recipe like this for a long time!
I was just thinking the other day that I was wondering if oils could be used in place of conditioner, and here is this blog post. Don’t have all of the carrier oils, so might have to tweak it a bit for the sake of our pocketbook 😉
I’ve wanted a conditioning mask. And this does look great! Just too many carriers I unfortunately don’t have!