It happened again over spring break – poor Caroline’s blonde hair turned green from hours spent in the swimming pool. We treated the green, and I started conditioning her hair like crazy. But, I’m embarrassed to admit, my kids see me coming with the jar of coconut oil and they start running! So I made this hair conditioning spray with hair strengthening ingredients like argan oil, coconut milk and, yes, coconut oil.
Why coconut milk?
I was surprised to learn how good coconut milk is for hair. Its high fat content, proteins and vitamin E nourish hair from roots to ends, helping restore thinning hair, split ends and dry, damaged hair. It also works a conditioner and detangler while improving hair growth.
You can use it in homemade shampoo or as a leave in conditioner to thicken strands and provide volume without making hair greasy. But it does need to be refrigerated so keep your coconut milk in the fridge.
The other ingredients provide a laundry list of benefits for hair.
- Argan oil is a mega moisturizer for hair. It’s great for controlling frizz and adding shine to dull hair.
- Jojoba oil is ideal for healthily hydrating skin and hair because it mimics the natural oils our bodies produce. Use it to add condition and tame frizz.
- Coconut oil is great for just about everything (we even use it in hair spray). Use fractionated coconut oil so the conditioner doesn’t solidify.
- Essential oils like rosemary, lavender, peppermint all are great for strengthening hair and preventing thermal damage.
Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner Spray
Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner SprayAdd the oils to an empty 8-ounce spray bottle and then add 10 drops of a hair-approved essential oil and swirl together. If you’re growing your hair, try this hair growth essential oil blend.
Then add the coconut milk. If you open the can of coconut milk and it’s solid, dump it into a bowl first and whip it to get a smooth texture. Feel free to make some chia pudding with the leftover coconut milk.
After you add the coconut milk to the spray bottle, swirl the bottle to fully combine the oils and milk. You’ll want to keep the conditioner spray in the refrigerator so just set it out on the counter for a few minutes before you plan to use it to let the coconut milk soften. Then shake again to combine and spritz directly onto the hair, concentrating on the ends.
If you have extra oil, you can let it cool and use it as lip balm or lotion. Or you can also whip it to make a deep conditioning hair mask.
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Rina Mary Allawh, M.D., a dermatologist who performs adult and pediatric medical dermatology, skin cancer treatment and cosmetic dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Photos by Ana Stanciu
Coconut Milk Leave-In Conditioner Spray
Equipment
- 8 ounce spray bottle
Materials
- 2 tbsps fractionated coconut oil
- 1 tbsp jojoba oil
- 1 tbsp argan oil
- 10 drops essential oil
- 4 ounces full fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil and stir in jojoba and argan oils. Fill empty spray bottle 1/4 way with melted oils and fill the rest of the bottle with coconut milk.
- Replace cap and shake to combine.
Very informative indeed!!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Great work author! Keep posting such researched blogs.
What is the shelf life of the conditioner? How long can you keep it before it expires?
Anyone find out the spray bottle size? The photo looks like 4 oz but the link is to a 16 oz bottle.
what size spray bottle
Thank you for stopping by and sharing our recipes! I really appreciate it.
Can this be used on colored hair next question if it last only a week do its okay to maybe set the small bottle in warm water to in solidify. I have also heard you can use coconut oil and 100 pure rosemary as a rinse twice weekly for same results?
How long does the conditioner last with the coconut milk can it spoil?
Can I use canned coconut milk?
OMG! So Many friends of mine told me about but I didn’t trust them, but now I realize that they are actually true what they said, I read the whole article, found that handmade coconut conditioner superb for the hair. thanks for explaining and provide detailed.
I made this and it was locate the primary couple of days and afterward one day I utilized it, it noticed shocking. Is this typical or has it turned sour?
will it coconut milk conditioner works for the person who have psoriasis?
I made this and it was find the first couple of days and then one day I used it, it smelled horrible. Is this normal or has it gone bad? If so what can I do to prevent this.
You can add some vitamin e oil (a natural preservative) to help or last a little longer but unfortunately without chemicals it just doesn’t have a shelf life of more than a week typically. I’d just make very small batches at a time & keep them in the fridge. Since the coconut oil may solidify you may want to add a bit of glycerin to combat that and take the bottle with you when you go to shower so the steam helps to re-melt the coconut oil. The only other option would be to use coconut milk (the kind in a carton with a cap that you can use just a little bit of at a time) and keep it in it’s own spray bottle seperate from the other ingredients & spray it on before spraying the rest of the ingredients in. It’s a hassle but still beats yucky chemicals!
try the Shielo Leave in Protectant BEFORE you heat style your hair – pre hot iron, pre blow dry. Its the ONLY way to avoid frizz….and you can use throughout the day as needed. PLUS it makes my hair smell great – even my husband (who never noticed anything) said: “Love how your hair smells!” :)
Could the coconut oil be left out? I find that anytime I use it in something like this it does solidify and I end up having to warm it for a far amount of time before using it. I also find it can clog up the sprayer. Has this happened when you’ve made this and if so, is there a way to avoid it?
Won’t the coconut oil solidify in the fridge?
I was wondering if it doesn’t become solid if it is kept refrigerated?
They sell fractionated (liquid) coconut oil. It’s a little more expensive but blends soooo much better (and won’t solidify) in any beauty spray/potion.
Is there another oil I can use in place of argan oil?
I far prefer hemp seed oil or avocado oil
Sure! That will works as well!