Today I wanted to share a quick blog about a quick DIY zero waste option of hair conditioner. I love the brand Lush and what they stand for as a company. Their products are not tested on animals and are handmade with vegetarian ingredients and some vegan (if that is your thing). I highly recommend giving them a try if you are interested in supporting a company with ethics. I have used these conditioner bars on their own and I must say that they could use a bit of support when it comes to application. I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I had the products in hand and was inspired by a zero waste advocate YouTuber Sedona Christina. It is super simple so let us get right into it.
You will need only a few things to accomplish this and if you don't specifically have all of them, no worries! These items are what I had but can easily be swapped with what you may have on hand:
- Lush Conditioner Bars ( I used three bars for this ) Two bars of Jungle and One bar of Big
- Tarte Maracuja Oil
- One glass container to store the conditioner ( No plastic if possible )
- One tiny whisk, a small scraper, and a knife
- Hot water
The first thing you are going to do is take a knife and carefully cut the bars into small pieces as seen in the picture above. This only takes a few minutes. The Jungle bars are very soft and cut easily while the white "Big" bar is a little more solid. I found this glass jar at my local Hobby Lobby and it was half of so it only cost me a $1.25 USD. I thought it was lovely and it just the right size.
Once you have sliced the bars you are almost finished. The next step is to add hot water to the container. I didn't measure the water, I simply added it as I needed to melt down the conditioner and to keep the consistency that I prefer. I used this mini whisk that I use to color my hair with Henna, though I wouldn't recommend it because it is plastic and it didn't survive this project. I have found a metal version on Amazon that I will be purchasing on my next order so I can color my hair soon. It so desperately needs it! If you are interested in Lush Henna or henna in general let me know in the comments below and I will gladly blog about my experience with it. Once you have poured the water whisk whisk whisk your little heart out until it becomes a smooth creamy consistency.
I used the Tarte Maracuja Oil to add into my conditioner. This oil is vegan, high in vitamin C and essential fatty acids, and absorbs quickly. It can be used all over the body and hair. I have very dry curly hair and I really like the moister it provides with out being greasy. You can find this at Ulta or Sephora if you want to give it a try. Otherwise a nice almond or apricot oil would be just as good.
I added in a dropper full of the oil once the conditioner melted, followed by taking this small spreader/scraper that I can not live with out to scrape the sides of the container to get any lumps that my crappy whisk didn't get. Seriously once you have these you will wonder why you even own a butter knife. If you want to get your self one of these magnificent tools it can be found on Amazon and I can leave a link in the comments section for any one interested.
Voila! The final product! Pretty easy right? This process will make the Lush Conditioner experience a much better one for your hair. Lush recommends rubbing it between your hands with warm water but I say pooey to that, it simply won't cut it. Now the great thing is, once you have used all the conditioner you don't have to throw away any plastic bottles. Ladies we are especially guilty of this practice and it is one that I no longer wish to participate in. I am in no way perfect and I still have guilty pleasures like makeup and other goodies from the beauty stores but it's the effort that counts. I'd like to use a quote from another zero waste advocate YouTuber Shelbizleee that I find to be inspirational and it is simply this...
" You cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good that you can do."
If you liked this blog please upvote, I would greatly appreciate it. I really enjoyed making this for you and I hope it inspires you to make strides towards a zero waste lifestyle. Until next time take care and don't forget to subscribe!