QUICK SUMMARY
This homemade hair detangler spray is a simple, budget-friendly way to soften knots and make brushing easier without relying on synthetic fragrance or complicated styling products. Mama Z's recipe combines distilled water, a lightweight carrier oil, optional aloe vera gel, and your choice of essential oils.
For everyday detangling, the carrier oil helps add slip and moisture while the essential oils let you customize the spray for your hair and scalp needs. Rosemary has human research for androgenetic hair loss, while lavender and peppermint have promising animal research and tea tree has human research for dandruff. Those studies used specific formulas, so this detangler is best thought of as a practical hair-care spray rather than a treatment for hair loss or scalp disease. (1, 2, 3, 4)
The complete recipe below is preserved exactly as Mama Z published it. Shake lightly before each use, spray on the hair, and comb from the ends upward for easier detangling.
You know the drill. Bathtime has ended, but the struggle to comb the vicious knots out of your child's hair has only just begun. My Homemade Hair Detangler Spray with Essential Oils comes in handy during moments like these!
Store-bought options can contain synthetic fragrance and other ingredients I would rather not spray around my child's face, so I recommend making this simple DIY. This spray has saved me (and my children!) many tears. I always have a bottle in my cupboard. I know you'll love it too!
The best part is that this is not another complicated beauty recipe. A few simple ingredients give the hair more slip, help stubborn tangles release, and let you customize the scent and scalp support for your family's needs.
Table of Contents
Cost-Effective Hair Detangler
I'll be honest. The simplest way to DIY hair detangler spray is to purchase an all-natural conditioner and dilute it in a spray bottle. You can place 1 tablespoon of natural conditioner in 6 ounces of distilled water if you want to do that.
However, natural conditioners can get expensive, especially if you use them often. In my home, we have several long-haired girls, and we go through a lot of detangler! This option wouldn't be good for our budget.
My homemade hair detangler spray is cost-effective and non-toxic. As a busy Mom, I don't always have time to read labels. I've found it's so much easier for me to make personal care products myself. I'd be spending the same amount of time (or more!) researching the label anyway!
The best part about DIYs is that you have enough for multiple batches. Not running to the grocery store is a great enough reason to DIY! Many of my body care recipes use the same things, so you can make several different beauty products with one haul!
Special Note From Mama Z
As a Mama of girls and a proud owner of long locks, I've faced many battles with knots. If you're facing an intense detangling situation, try adding a little carrier oil to the tangle. Pick a small section, add some oil, and work your way up with a wide-tooth comb. Starting at the bottom makes detangling less painful! After thoroughly detangling the hair, wash, and condition to remove any excess oil.
God created us to be unique, and our beauty products will work best when they embrace our specific needs. Keep in mind that you can customize this recipe if needed. You can adjust everything from the carrier oil to the essential oils. You can even vary the amounts used! Just be sure to start on the low side and change it little by little until you reach your desired result.
My Favorite Essential Oils for Gorgeous Hair
Most of us have a pretty good idea of what our hair needs. After all, we're the ones styling it every day! It can be difficult, especially if you're new to natural living DIYs, to know just what non-toxic ingredients will benefit you. Here's a cheat sheet to get you started!
For hair that's fragile/needs help to grow: Lavender, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary are my favorite blend for weak or fragile hair.
The research is strongest for rosemary among these oils in humans. In a randomized comparative trial involving 100 people with androgenetic alopecia, both rosemary oil and 2% minoxidil groups had significantly increased hair counts after six months, with no significant difference between the groups in hair count. Peppermint and lavender have promising hair-growth research in mice, while tea tree has human research for dandruff rather than hair regrowth. (1, 2, 3, 4)
That evidence does not mean this detangler spray itself has been clinically tested for hair loss. If hair growth is your main goal, see our dedicated essential oils for hair growth and regrowth recipe.
For frizzy hair: Try geranium essential oil. It has a floral scent that's better than any perfume! You can blend this oil with any of the oils for fragile hair.
For a healthy scalp: Consider thyme, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, lemon, grapefruit, clary sage, orange, lime, and ginger added to any of the above. Bonus: These oils add a wonderful scent to the detangling spray.
For dandruff: Any of the mint oils (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen) are popular choices for a fresh-feeling scalp. You can also use thyme, tea tree, cypress, cedarwood, lavender, and rosemary essential oil.
Tea tree has especially useful human evidence here. In a randomized trial of 126 people with mild to moderate dandruff, a 5% tea tree oil shampoo improved the dandruff severity score by 41% after four weeks compared with 11% for placebo. That study used a wash-off shampoo rather than this leave-in detangler, but it helps explain why tea tree remains one of my favorite scalp oils. (4)
Natural Hair Detangler Spray Ingredients
My favorite part about this homemade hair detangler spray recipe is that it's mostly water! You use very little of the other ingredients, so your DIY stash lasts a long time. Here's what you need.
Essential Oils: As with all my DIYs, essential oils are where the magic happens! I change the essential oils in this recipe to match my current season. Sometimes, you'll find my detangler spray to have a hint of mint. Other times, I'll be sporting a floral scent. I encourage you to customize your detangler as well!
Carrier Oil: A suitable carrier oil moisturizes your hair, adds slip for detangling, and dilutes the essential oils before they are added to the bottle. I recommend using argan, jojoba, or castor oil. All of those oils can work beautifully in hair care without requiring a large amount.
Because oil and water naturally separate, the carrier oil does not permanently dissolve the essential oils into the water. That is why the recipe tells you to shake lightly before each use.
Distilled Water: Whenever possible, use distilled or filtered water. Starting with clean, consistent water keeps this DIY simple and avoids the mineral and treatment differences that can vary from one household water supply to another.
Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe vera is excellent for adding moisture and a smooth feel to the hair and scalp.
The original research cited in this article was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 44 adults with seborrheic dermatitis. An aloe vera emulsion significantly improved scaliness, itching, and the number of affected areas compared with placebo. That does not prove that the small amount of aloe gel in this detangler treats dandruff or dermatitis, but it supports aloe's long-standing use in soothing scalp-care formulas. (5)
When purchasing aloe vera, be sure to get a pure kind with no fillers.
Make Homemade Hair Detangler Spray
This spray is simple to make. Much like my curl-boosting spray, it's shake-and-go! I like to throw a bottle in my purse if I'm swimming or taking a shower at the gym.
Homemade Hair Detangler Spray
Quantity
Ingredients
- 32 drops essential oils*
- 1 tablespoon liquid carrier oil**
- Purified OR distilled water
- ½ teaspoon aloe vera gel (optional)
Supplies
Instructions
- Add the essential oils and carrier oil to the bottle.
- Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water and shake to combine.
- Shake lightly before each use.
- Spray lightly on hair before combing or brushing.
- To make it last longer, store it in the refrigerator.
Step One: Add Essential Oils and Carrier Oil
Add the essential oils of choice and carrier oil into a 4-ounce spray bottle. If using aloe vera gel, add that too!
Step Two: Fill the Bottle
Fill the bottle the rest of the way with distilled water, replace the lid, and shake gently to mix.
Step Three: Detangle!
To use, spray lightly on hair before brushing or combing. To make your solution last longer, store it in the refrigerator.
If you want to expand your DIY hair care skills, check out these great recipes for hair gel, hair spray, and dry shampoo!
- Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Tahmasbpour Marzony E, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015;13(1):15-21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/
- Oh JY, Park MA, Kim YC. Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs. Toxicol Res. 2014;30(4):297-304. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25584150/
- Lee BH, Lee JS, Kim YC. Hair Growth-Promoting Effects of Lavender Oil in C57BL/6 Mice. Toxicol Res. 2016;32(2):103-108. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27123160/
- Satchell AC, Saurajen A, Bell C, Barnetson RStC. Treatment of dandruff with 5% tea tree oil shampoo. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002;47(6):852-855. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12451368/
- Vardy DA, Cohen AD, Tchetov T, Medvedovsky E, Biton A. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an Aloe vera (A. barbadensis) emulsion in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. J Dermatolog Treat. 1999;10(1):7-11. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09546639909055904
