WATCH: How to Make a Babassu Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

Source: Formula Botanica https://youtu.be/hCMBGnFxbjM?si=RMCTh2-OMjM-brD-

Find Here A Preservative Free DIY Babassu Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

A deep conditioning hair mask is an anhydrous (it has no water) formulation, which is soft and easy to spread on the hair. It normally contains waxes, butters and oils, so it is for you if you want to avoid using preservatives. It also contains cationic surfactants which will not make your product foam but instead it will help your hair become more manageable.

What Are Cationic Surfactants?

Cationic surfactants have positive charge which means that they are attracted to the surface of the hair strand which has negative charge. By doing so they neutralise that negative charge, create a film on the hair, smoothing down the cuticle. This is why they are mainly used in conditioning products, such as hair conditioners, fabric conditioner, but also cleansing products.

Essentially Natural Ingredient Equivalents:

Phase A 

• Sal butter - 25%
  EN Equivalent - Batana Butter (outstanding for hair but may tint the product and impact scent. For a neutral colour, consider Jojoba Butter or Shea Butter)
  
• Babassu oil - 20%
• Mafura butter - 8%
• Emulsense™ HC - 6%
  EN Equivalent - Broccoli Seed Oil (adds slip, shine and a “natural silicone” feel)
• Berry fruit wax - 4%
  EN Equivalent - Sunflower Wax (for structure and stability)

Phase B

• Macadamia oil - 22%
• Argan oil - 7.10%
• Castor oil - 5%

Phase C

• Rice Bran CO2 extract (INCI: Oryza Sativa Bran Oil) - 1.5%
  EN Equivalent - Rice Bran Oil
• Tocopherol - 0.30%
• Rosemary CO2 extract - 0.10%
  EN Equivalent - Rosemary Essential Oil
• Sweet orange essential oil - 0.35%
• Clary sage essential oil - 0.30%
• Lavender essential oil - 0.25%
• Cedarwood essential oil - 0.10%
  

A note on the formulation adjustment:

The original version of this mask includes Emulsense™ HC, a natural cationic conditioning agent. At Essentially Natural we don’t stock this (or not yet at least), so in this adaptation we’ve used Broccoli Seed Oil in its place. While it doesn’t behave in exactly the same way, it adds wonderful slip, shine, and a “natural silicone” feel, helping hair feel smoother and more manageable.

The result is a deeply nourishing oil-based mask that replenishes and softens hair, though it won’t deposit the same conditioning film as a true cationic surfactant would.