How To Make Your Own Hair Wax For Styling

Haircare products are trending, however there aren't that many natural hair-styling products on the market yet. So, it is a very exciting niche to explore if you lot are thinking of starting a natural haircare brand. If you want to discover what's in vogue, head over to our mail service on Summit Natural Haircare Trends.

Pilus-styling products are so popular that near of u.s. – both men and women – accept at least one blazon of styling production in our bath cabinet. Ane of the most popular, versatile pilus-styling products is the pilus wax as with a quick lick of your fingers it can instantly create a style or maintain stray or unruly hair. It is besides a adept product to make if you are starting to formulate natural haircare.

Earlier we give yous our hair wax formulation, let's but mention the many different types of hair-styling products on the market that yous tin research. Many sport colourful names such as hair gel, putty, clay, fibre, mud, pomade, foam, paste and more. If you're interested in formulating products like these, take a look at our Diploma in Organic Haircare Formulation.

In this post, nosotros offer an astonishing natural hair wax formulation using some deeply nourishing African butters and oils. First, permit's look at some of the questions you need to inquire yourself before formulating whatever hair-styling product.

How to Choose a Hair-Styling Product

When you are browsing the shelves in your supermarket, hairdresser or barber'south shop, the selection of hair-styling products is endless. It can be very challenging to know which is virtually suited to your hair and too what each type of production does given the confusing list of names for styling products. Y'all need to ask the same questions if you are thinking of making your own natural haircare products either for yourself or as function of a brand range.

Before formulating, i of the first things you demand to ask yourself is what kind of conception you are going to make. Basically, at that place are three options:

Completely water based;
Completely anhydrous (no h2o phase at all); and
a hybrid formulation (oil and water combined).

About pilus wax products

Many pilus-styling products are referred to as a wax (non always correctly), as it is the most well-known term. Hair wax is likewise one of the most popular hair styling products for daily apply considering information technology gives a good hold to the pilus, and structure and definition too.

It is very versatile because it is ideal for brusque upward to medium-long pilus and tin can create dissimilar pilus styles from a ruffled, 'messy' hair expect, to soft spikes also as a kind of fluffy, just-out-of-bed wait. Information technology isn't suited to a slicked-dorsum or longer pilus. Hair wax can be matte or glossy, depending on the choice of ingredients. The product itself is usually quite dry out and hard.

Mainly, there are two types:

water based (mainstream brands unremarkably use synthetic copolymers for this kind of product); and
oil based: more often than not based on waxes, oils and butters, which presents a perfect opportunity to make a natural version.

Tips on how to use hair wax
Dab some of the production onto the palm of your hand and warm it up slightly. Then, start at the root of your pilus spreading it until you take the look y'all desire to have that day. For more concord, use it on wet pilus; for less concord apply information technology on dry out pilus.

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About our natural hair wax formulation

In our formulation, we are going to make an all-natural and vegan pilus wax in the form of an anhydrous balm. Nosotros are using some key natural, African butters and oils among our ingredients that are nourishing and as well readily available to well-nigh formulators.

Depending on the climate where you live, you may demand to change the concur and consistency of this pilus wax formulation. You can practice this past adjusting the wax-to-butter/oil ratios and maybe swapping some ingredients for others so it suits your needs. Research your butters and waxes to choose those with the desired melting points to create a hair wax that is stable in your climate.

In our method, we give you 2 options that you run across in our photos. You can cull to make a solid, traditional hair wax or a lighter, whipped version. With either option, you will find this hair wax formulation:

Gives hold to brusque up to medium-short hair;
Gives volume in a natural fashion for a squeamish thick issue;
Is like shooting fish in a barrel to apply, and leaves no greasy feeling afterwards on your hands afterwards you wash them;
Has a soft feeling that gives your hair a healthy await without being too greasy, and then y'all won't look equally if y'all oasis't washed your hair for weeks; and while constructive, it is also piece of cake to wash off, so you don't need one-half a bottle of a clarifying shampoo to remove it.

Each ingredient has been chosen carefully to ensure this dirt wax is multi-functional also as being an effective styling product that imparts benefits to the hair and scalp. Let's take a look at the main ingredients to explicate this further.

Myrica wax
This wax helps adjust the viscosity and hardness of the product. It is a soft wax with a melting point between 45-55°C. Information technology acts as a fixative to agree and style the hair. Information technology is easy to wash off without leaving bits and greasiness. It has first-class holding properties in hair styling products, adds shine and does not impart stickiness.

Rice bran wax
This is a hard wax with a melting point between 79-85°C and used to adjust the viscosity and stiffness of the product. It offers a matte consequence and helps improve the product'due south stability at high temperatures. Information technology is a fixative, property the hair in place and giving hold also to your styling production. It as well is easy to wash off without leaving $.25 and greasiness.

If y'all want to larn more most natural waxes in skincare and haircare, see our posts:

How to work with natural cosmetic waxes
6 vegan waxes for corrective formulation

Shea butter
Shea is a sustainable butter mainly produced in Ghana. It is soft and the unrefined version has an ivory colour and a typical shea scent (which can be very nutty and not to anybody'south liking. Employ the refined version if you don't like the natural aroma).

Unrefined shea butter contains many fat acids such as oleic acrid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, alfa-linolenic acid (ALA), linolenic acrid (LA), behenic acid, and palmitic acid. This unique fat acid profile coupled with the butter's high level of non-saponifiables, makes it a highly-constructive emollient. It is especially benign for very dry peel and hair as it improves elasticity and has repair qualities. It is excellent to use to intendance for ànd manner dry out, damaged, brittle, frizzy and split-end hair as information technology restores shine and dazzler to the hair. Shea nourishes the hair fibres and has long been used to enhance dry and as well Afro-type hair.

Extra virgin coconut oil
We chose a sustainable coconut oil that is besides a production often sourced from Ghana. It is a semi-solid carrier oil; the unrefined version has a snow-white colour and a typical tropical coco scent. It is 1 of the very few carrier oils that can penetrate the hair strand. Coconut oil contains a high percentage of lauric acrid and this has a high analogousness to the proteins in the hair. It as well has a very low molecular weight so it tin can penetrate the hair cortex itself which helps it act to prevent the loss of protein from the pilus. It also makes the hair more than resistant to mechanical damage like combing.

Kokosnoot oil is perfect for dry pilus or hair that needs actress moisture and is fantabulous for curly, frizzy, dry out, lifeless, irksome pilus, separate ends and to care for Afro hair. It nourishes and gives vitality to hair, smoothing the hair fibres making it more manageable, detangled and shiny.

Cocoa butter
Unrefined cocoa butter is sourced from East Africa and is a hard butter; the unrefined version has an ivory colour and an astonishing chocolate scent. It nourishes, restores and gives vitality to dry hair. It is protective and helps preclude dehydration of your hair.

Mango butter
Again, we chose the unrefined version of mango butter which more often than not originates in East Africa. Information technology is a soft butter; the unrefined version is pale white and has a faint sweetish scent. It is nourishing and softening and strengthens the hair cuticle giving a natural, healthy shine to your hair. Mango butter is an excellent emollient repairing and softening the hair fibres which means it helps preclude split ends. For this reason it is ideal for dry, brittle, damaged, dull and lifeless pilus too as frizzy hair, and to intendance for long pilus.

Kombo butter
Kombo butter, besides known as the "Africa nutmeg", is a soft butter with a dark brown to an almost black colour comparable to that of stiff coffee. It can leave stains if you apply too much, and has a typical earthy, smoky scent which may take some fourth dimension to get used to. It is high in myristoleic acid. Kombo butter tin can aid prevent hair loss and is very rich in soothing and regenerative, active components that tin can improve the status of the scalp and mitigate bug such as scalp sensitivity, irritation, itchiness and desquamation (dandruff).

Olive squalane
Squalane is a hydrogenated form of squalene which is derived from olive oil. For the difference betwixt and the origins of the two, see our mail service The formulator's ultimate guide to squalane and squalene.

Squalane is translucent and without aroma and is a component of our ain sebum. It acts as a lubricant, and a refatting and moisturising agent. In haircare products information technology is beneficial equally an exceptional and effective emollient. It imparts a silky-experience "dry bear on" and period to your product and reduces the greasiness of the balms and butters. It besides repairs and protects the hair strands, smoothing and blanket the hair fibres. It adds natural shine and plays a office in restoring the lipid barrier and protecting your hair from aridity. Information technology is excellent for dry ends likewise as dry out, dehydrated, coloured and/or straightened hair.

PCA glyceryl oleate
With a love-like texture and amber colour, PCA glyceryl oleate is a combination of an ester of oleic acid and PCA (an amino-acid derivative) and helps impart anti-static properties. Thanks to its oleic acid, it volition stick to your pilus strands and act as an anti-static workout amanuensis. This helps improve the ease of combing (wet and dry out) hair, reduces static in fly-away hair and calms frizz by smoothing downwardly the pilus strands.

Lexfeel natural
This is a natural silicon alternative that is completely plant based (from castor oil). Silicones and natural silicone alternatives smooth down the pilus strands past reducing frizz and filling in any gaps on the hair strand to repair damage. These types of ingredients are by and large used in any styling or smoothing products equally they can help to (temporarily) repair the pilus strand as well as giving the hair shine and lubricity which ease combing. As well an emollient, Lexfeel gives an splendid dry out feel and depression greasiness to your balms and butters.

Bentonite clay
Bentonite clay is a fixative giving hold to both hair and your styling product. Information technology is like shooting fish in a barrel to launder off without leaving bits or greasiness. The dirt will ready difficult in the hair to give volume, texture, definition and concord. It as well creates a matte result merely as we wish to impart some shine in this product, nosotros are of course using emollients besides. Clays are absorbent and can be absorbed and so automatically adhere to particles of dirt and grease and can be rinsed off after washing your hair and scalp. The corporeality of clay usually recommended in this kind of product is between 0.5-5 percentage.

Modified rice starch and oat starch
Both these ingredients human action every bit fixatives and give hold to hair and production and can be done out without leaving bits or greasiness. Both starches impart a silky feel and ease the flow of your anhydrous balms and butters. Oat starch is rich in soothing components so perfect for sensitive and itchy scalp issues and they both act as emollient, moisturising and repairing agents.

Baobab oil
Again, we prefer the unrefined version and our ingredient selection was also wild harvested in Ghana. Baobab, as well known as the 'tree of life', helps nourish and rejuvenate scalp and hair and is an excellent barrier repair oil that is perfect for dry, brittle, split up, tiresome and frizzy hair and to care for hair ends and Afro-type hair.

Vanilla macerate in sesame oil
Vanilla beans from Madagascar macerated in sesame oil requite an uplifting aroma and ane that complements our formula perfectly for a hair wax aimed at nourishing dry out and damaged hair.

Rosemary CO2
We utilise this rosemary extract equally a powerful antioxidant simply rosemary is a traditional improver to hair products equally it is as well known to go on the hair follicles salubrious, to prevent hair loss, to boost hair growth and to aid to forbid dandruff.

Our chosen scents
Nosotros chose a pure geranium essential oil equally a delightful aroma that is uplifting and comforting. The oil also helps balance the production of sebum, which makes it a valuable oil for scalp issues. Benzoin resin has a sweetness vanilla base notation to complement the vanilla macerate and is a useful fixative for scents. Ylang ylang essential oil – from Madagascar which is known to produce the finest ylang ylang (actress) – has a powerful and intensely sweet floral odor with a floral woody undertone. Information technology also works on split up ends and has a balancing action on sebum production.

Natural Hair-Styling Products: Make a DIY Hair Wax

Our formulation:
DIY Natural Hair Wax

Makes: 100 grams
Time taken: 45 minutes
Level: intermediate

Stage	Ingredients	INCI	Weight
A1	Myrica wax	Myrica cerifera fruit wax	15.00
A2	Rice bran wax	Oryza sativa cera	1.00
A3	Unrefined extra virgin coconut oil	Cocos nucifera oil	8.00
A4	Unrefined shea butter	Butyrospermum parkii butter	v.00
A5	Unrefined mango butter	Mangifera indica seed butter	five.00
A6	Unrefined cocoa butter	Theobroma cacao seed butter	four.00
A7	Unrefined kombo butter	Pycnanthus angolensis seed butter	3.00
B1	Olive squalane	Squalane	5.00
B2	PCA glyceryl oleate	PCA glyceryl oleate	i.00
B3	Vitamin Eastward	Tocopherol	0.50
C1	Lexfeel Natural	Heptyl undecylenate	twenty.7
C2	Bentonite clay	Montmorillonite, illite	5.00
C3	Modified rice starch	Distarch phosphate	10.00
C4	Oat starch	Avena sativa kernel flour	3.00
D1	Unrefined baobab oil	Adansonia digitata seed oil	10.00
D2	Vanilla macerate	Sesamum indicum seed oil (and) Vanilla plantifolia fruit	3.00
D3	Rosemary CO2	Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leafage extract (and) Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil)	0.10
D4	Ylang ylang essential oil	Cananga odorata flower oil	0.40
D5	Geranium bourbon	Pelargoinium graveolens oil	0.20
D6	Benzoin resin	Styrax toninensis	0.10
			Total: 100.00

Method of Manufacture

Stage A
Add together all ingredients of phase A in a beaker. If y'all plan to make a whipped version, this needs to be your largest chalice with a wide oral cavity (at least large enough and then y'all take enough space for your electrical whipping device). Put this chalice in a water bathroom heated to around 85-xc°C. Rice bran wax is our ingredient with the highest melting betoken – between 79-85°C.
Prepare phases B,C and D
Ready phases B and C and D in separate beakers. The powders of stage C are not oil soluble, then we are going to disperse them beginning in the Lexfeel natural. You can "aid" this procedure by blending it first with a drinking glass spatula, and and so stir it thoroughly with a hand whip until your beaker contents look homogenous and at that place are no more than lumps and clumps to be seen.
Combine phase A and B
When stage A is completely melted, remove the beaker from the water bath. As we have rice wax in our blend, this tin become a scrap catchy as it tin solidify prematurely and very fast. The trick is to stir non stop. Once the alloy goes below 52°C, y'all tin starting time to ease off a little and alloy in phase B.
Blend and cool
Keep stirring during this cool-downward menstruation until you have a trace. This is to ensure a uniform cooling downward of all your ingredients to avoid graininess and is the preferred, recommended method (rather than the so-chosen 'stupor cooling' method).
Add phase C
When A/B has reached a medium trace you lot can add together stage C. Blend this with a glass spatula commencement, so again manually with a whip to disperse all the fine powders into this blend.
Add phase D
When ABC has reached a temperature below 38°C, you can add phase D. Keep stirring with your spatula until you have a heavy trace.
Production options
Now y'all have the option: if you opt for a more solid hair wax, pour it into your jars now. Alternatively, you can opt to whip it with an electrical whisk for a fluffy kind of texture.

The procedure does NOT make a difference to the efficacy of the product. The main differences are: colour, visual appearance, texture, how it feels on your hands and how it spreads through your hair. It is your preference. You tin can hands make 2 versions from the same batch, especially during the first trials, and then you can exam both out to come across which you adopt.
Put in jars
Pour into suitable jars, exit the lid off for now and put the jars into the fridge overnight.
Lids and labels
Remove your jars from the refrigerator and let them suit to room temperature earlier closing the lids. Characterization your jars. Now you can start enjoying your ain homemade hair wax.

Recommended suppliers

Olfactory property-zone
SheaButter Cottage
Butterwise
Aliacura
Alexmo-cosmetics
Lather Kitchen
De Saint Hilaire

FAQs

What are the benefits of using hair wax?

Hair wax is one of the easiest pilus styling products to use as within a flick of the fingers, you can give construction, support, shine and styling to short to medium-length hair. If using an anhydrous, natural oil and wax-based hair wax, you lot can likewise requite your hair the benefits of some go out-in conditioner at the same time as styling.

Are natural hair products amend?

Mainstream hair products tend to use silicones and synthetic surfactants, gelling and property agents which can exist harsh on both scalp and pilus shafts. Natural hair products in contrast will source organic, natural frequently as well unrefined butters and oils which comprise a plethora of pilus-beneficial nutrients to assistance nourish and maintain pilus. Argan oil, marula oil and shea and kokosnoot butters are just some mutual, natural, hair-product ingredients to await out for.

How to use natural hair-styling products?

Hair-styling products are one of the biggest sellers and trends especially since the Covid-19 pandemic which has seen our faces covered by masks and our attention movement to hair styling and eye make-upwardly. Hair-styling products are either leave-in on wet hair or for utilise on dry pilus and range from gels, clays and waxes to muds, pomades, mousses, sprays, powders and more than. There is a huge and disruptive range of options to choose from depending on your hair type, scalp health needs, the look you desire and your hair length and cutting.

Which hair-styling product is best?

Pilus styling products are aimed at specific pilus types, lengths, cuts and the wait you're afterward then it is impossible to give a general recommendation as anybody's needs will vary. The best advice though is to wait for natural hair styling products as these volition rely on natural butters, oils and waxes which volition still comprise the vitamins, esters and other plant-based nutrients ideal for nourishing and styling hair. In addition, look out likewise for products that requite deep conditioning such as weekly use hair masks or quick-set up styling products such as natural hair waxes.

How exercise you make your ain hair styling products?

Pilus styling products generally do 1 or all of the following: style, nourish and/or protect hair. When thinking of a DIY hair styling product, you need to work out its aim and besides who the intended customer or user is. If yous have basic cosmetic-formulating experience, it is all-time to make an anhydrous product such equally a hair wax or butter that does not crave emulsifying nor a preservative. Ask yourself if the product is to be genderless or for male or female pilus styling, what kind of hairstyle and length of hair it is intended for, and what hold or style you wish to impart with it. As well, think about the desired consequence – whether you want a shiny or matte await. One time you accept divers the product brief, then research the natural oils, butters and waxes that can impart the result and hold you are seeking.

Where tin I learn to formulate natural skincare and haircare?

Join the states at Formula Botanica, where tens of thousands of students and followers have our free and paid online courses to larn how to formulate organic skincare and haircare for themselves or to sell and also how to set up up a dazzler make and business concern.

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Jilly Schechter is a Tutor at Formula Botanica, where she helps our students to become ameliorate organic cosmetic formulators. Jilly lives in Belgium and loves writing tutorials on how to make skincare and haircare.