This deep conditioning recipe, along with Plaine Products’ completely waste-free, plastic- free shampoo, eating a plant based diet, and supplementing with essential fatty acids (Organic Unrefined Flaxseed Oil and Evening Primrose Oil), is a tremendous gift in caring for not only your
scalp and hair, but it is excellent on hands, lips, feet and nails! Every product you make should have more than a single use! Your eyes will appreciate the Essential Fatty Acids provided by the supplements going INside.

The texture and condition of one’s hair is reflective of what is going in the body. Hair needs food too! Once I understood what was missing, my scalp and hair could begin to heal. I might be 54 now, but I definitely do not have 54 year old damaged hair. My hair no longer breaks and I never find any hair in the shower after my hair routine. You can indeed restore your hair’s natural texture and condition without chemicals, without plastic bottles and without producing any waste to the environment.

Deep Conditioning Base Recipe (for use in the Deep Conditioner)

To create the Deep Conditioning Treatment Base you will need the following ingredients, along with a small sauce pan filled just 1/2” with water and
a 4 ounce mason jar:

• Liquid Soy Lecithin: 2 ounces
  Lecithin does so much in so many ways to improve and preserve good health and youthful vitality! It is found in every living cell with its
  highest concentration is in the vital organs – the brain, the heart, the liver and the kidneys. Our brains show a dry composition of 30% lecithin. Lecithin performs an astonishing range of vital functions directly affecting our health and well-being! What a great reason to massage it into your hair and scalp!
• Cocoa Butter: 1/2 ounce
  Cocoa butter, also completely edible, isn’t just great for making zero waste, package-free chocolate, it increases the resilience of hair and adds volume to it. All of that fatty content in cocoa makes the hair shine like the sun and increases the tensile strength of the hair (so it no longer breaks). Damaged hair doesn’t usually fall out at the root, It is literally breaking off!
• Almond Oil: 2 ounces
  Almond oil is a sealant and edible hair protector. Penetrating the hair shaft, it makes hair bright, shiny and silky.
• Jojoba Oil: 2 teaspoons
  Jojoba is an emollient and completely edible oil with a molecular structure similar to your scalp’s natural sebum. In this way, it doesn’t disrupt the natural balance of your scalp making it an excellent choice for treating dry scalp and dandruff. Jojoba oil hydrates the hair from the inside, adding shine, elasticity and softness.

Melt all the ingredients over very low heat inside the jar. Remove from heat with a potholder and mix inside the jar. Let sit to cool.

Deep Conditioner

You will need the following ingredients and a smaller glass jar (a 2- ounce mason jar with lid is perfect):

• 1Tablespoon of your Deep Conditioning Treatment Base (above recipe)
• 1Tablespoon Almond Oil
• 2Teaspoons jojoba Oil
• 2 drops Rosemary Essential Oil ( I use Rocky Mountain Oils for their food-grade purity)
• 3 Drops Geranium Oil

Both of these essential oils are particularly excellent for repairing hair. For men, use all rosemary oil which is excellent for hair growth. Simply combine all the ingredients in a small jar.

Application:
A little goes a long way! Work the deep conditioner through the hair to the ends, but there’s no need to saturate the entire head. I apply the deep conditioner to dry hair, but it can also be applied to wet hair. Leave the deep conditioning treatment in for at least 10 minutes and then wash your hair as you normally would with your Plaine Products shampoo. Rinse well with Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (recipe below). The Rinse is essential to clarify the hair.

Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Rinse

I know what you’re thinking…you do NOT want to smell like salad dressing! I get that and have no problem with vinegar stink. Once the hair is dry, there is no more vinegar smell. Here’s what you need:

• Water: 1 ounce
• Apple Cider Vinegar: (organic, unfiltered with the “mother” still in there and unrefined): 2 teaspoons.
• Essential Oil (food grade): 3 drops. I use lemon as it is also acidic and I like the smell. Lavender, Geranium and of course, Rosemary essential oil also works very well.

Mix the ACV and essential oil together, add to the water and use in your final shower rinse. Rinse well.

Why would you want to pour Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) on your head?

Sebum is the natural oil that lubricates your hair (and skin). This oil has a thin, slightly acidic film that maintains and protects the overall health of the hair and skin. The acid in the ACV is a crucial ingredient to hair’s appearance, which is what we are trying to improve! The outer layer of the shaft, also known as the cuticle, is composed of tightly packed overlapping scales like a fish. The ACV makes these cuticle scales lie flat, which gives hair a shiny, smooth appearance, and protects from moisture loss.

Our hair is frizzy and damaged when the outer layer of the cuticle stays open causing the scales to fan open. All shampoos are alkaline. They open the cuticle and most commercial hair products further compromise the cuticle over time. It’s a kind of vicious cycle, which leads to more product use, more damage and more breakage and more dollars for you on more chemical product in plastic wasteful packaging. Once you understand the chemistry of what’s missing, you can locate the solution simply…and you thought you would never use Chemistry again in your life! Now all you
have to do is dry and style as usual. Let me know how this zero waste hair care works for you!

Lisa is the solutions-oriented mind behind Zerowastezen. She is dedicated to natural, waste-free and sustainable solutions to healthy living in reciprocity with a healthy planet. Zerowastezen is about keeping things simple and enjoying the empowering practices of creating waste-free, cruelty-free, healthy products for home, body, mind and spirit. You can follow her on Instagram