Homemade Leave-in Hair Conditioner and Detangler
Update: 2026: This post was originally written as a guest post in 2012 by Jen who at the time had a blog called Here We Go Again. She had a very positive experience using my homemade glycerin moisturizing spray as a DIY leave-in conditioner for detangling hair and shares her story below for others who might want to give it a try too.
A couple of months ago, I emailed Bev and asked her if she had any ideas for a hair detangler. All the make-it-yourself recipes I had found involved mixing regular hair conditioner with water in a spray bottle. However, my daughter has eczema, so I don’t use conditioner on her. I wash her hair with just water and it works beautifully. (Her eczema has been non-existent since I stopped using store bought products on her.) However, she has curly hair and is three years old. She gets terrible tangles on the back of her head when she sleeps and when she rides in her car seat. Somehow, three year old children just don’t know how to treat their hair gently.
I asked Bev if she thought her homemade glycerin skin moisturizer would work as a hair detangler. She graciously tried it out on her own hair, wet and dry, and reported that although she is an adult and doesn’t have knotted hair like my daughter, it didn’t make her hair feel greasy.
So I bought some glycerin and started experimenting. What I discovered was that in order for it to work as a proper detangler on really tangled hair, the concentration has to be so strong that it does leave a greasy residue. So, as an instant detangler, not really a great solution.
However, I did find out that in the same concentration as the skin moisturizer (1 part glycerin, 4 parts water) it works beautifully as a leave in conditioner and prevents tangles from forming in the first place, with no greasy residue. So if I spray it on my daughter’s hair before bed or after her bath, her hair is significantly easier to comb the next day. Here are the pictures to show you our results.
You can also do a cold infusion with Marshmallow and put in a spray bottle. It is mucilaginous so it helps to detangle.
I love their homemade tricks
She is precious. How nice that the moisturizer works.I have hair that tangles very badly, also. My mother had no patience with it and didn't like long hair (although i did). When i was 9 she cut it short, and from that time i learned to care for it myself. My way to deal with the tangles was to braid it at night or before going out into weather (especially wind). As an adult, my hair doesn't tangle as much, and one braid does the trick. When i was a child, i wore it in two braids.Your daughter would look so cute with braids! 🙂
What a sweet lil princess! Her hair is looking lovely :)I love using Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil to tackle frizz, my hair is curly and gets really frizzy but the oil tames it and smooths it down. Now I have shiny, soft and nourished hair 🙂
she is so cute :3, thank you for the tips, I am currently using a good hair conditioner that has worked very good, it's Pro Naturals Moroccan Argan Oil Hair Conditioner which helps restore moisture to hair, protects against heat and chemical damage, safe for color-treated hair and conditions hair back to its natural health. I luv it ! 😀 😛
this is great thanks. The pic of the after is quite significant. I have long fine hair and I have this problem too, even as an adult 😀 I'll try it. blessings, Lady