DIY: Make your own leave-in conditioning hair spray

Ever struggled with a tangled hair's nest on your head after a shower? And wondered why all those leave-in conditioners and styling sprays don't perform the miracles they claim to? There really doesn't seem to be any point in spending on every new serum or spray that hits the market when they all work (or don't work) equally well/badly. Here's how you can make your own leave-in conditioning hair spray which works as well as anything available in the market. I love mine and even take it along while travelling.

What you need for your homemade spray conditioner:

1. A spritzer/spray bottle. A pump bottle will do well in a pinch, but spray bottles are more convenient.
2. Distilled water. NOT battery water! If you can't get your hands on some, boil water at least three times and think of the money you save by not buying the spray and try not to worry about the energy you're costing the planet.
3. Your favourite conditioner - cone-free is advised, because you're going to be leaving this in. I used a cone-free conditioner and a detangler, half-and-half.
4. The hair oil of your choice - can be pure Argan/Morrocan/Macadamia/Engine (tastes differ...) or in the form of an already-prepared serum. You can even mix them up. I've tried this with pure coconut, argan and jojoba oils and the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuese. 
5. The pure essential oil of your choice.

How to make your own leave-in conditioner hair spray:

1. Once the water is ready (and at room temperature), fill exactly two-thirds of the bottle with it, marking the bottle beforehand for convenience.
2. Fill the rest of the one-thirds with the conditioner, leaving some room in the neck area (a good half to one inch).
3. Add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil. Not more; this is just for fragrance.
4. Add just under a teaspoon of the oil-mix/pure oil. If you have a favourite serum, you can add that as well. Again, not more than a teaspoon for a 300-350ml bottle.
5. Close the bottle and shake it all about for all you're worth. If you have a pogo stick, now's the time to use it. Or seek out a rollercoaster/Ferris Wheel/carousel.
6. Hold the bottle a few inches away from damp, untangled hair and spray - through the length and ends, not on the roots.
7. Voila - doesn't it smell awesome and don't tangles comb out much easier than all those crummy sprays now?

Remember:

1. Shake very, very well before use each time. 
2. Write "HAIR" all over the bottle with a black marker, in giant letters - especially if the bottle once contained some other product, which you later repurchased *blushes*.
3. The consistency should be runny enough, yet thick enough - as shown in the photograph below.

 

For this mix, I used distilled water, a little of John Masters' Organics Detangler and Schwarzkopf Supersoft Bio Pomegranate Conditioner; one pump of John Frieda Frizz Ease (the label has vanished after spending time in my crowded handbag), a teaspoon of jojoba oil and a couple of drops of pure ylang ylang oil. 
I find this works better than any leave-in conditioner, conditioning spray, detangler, de-frizzer or styling serum I've used, simply because it contains them all!