In this post I’m sharing how to make three different emulsified, rinse-out Super Simple Lightweight Hair Conditioner formulations using a conditioning emulsifier that is perfect for fine hair that is easily weighed down. All three formulations are easy to make, and each builds on the one before it: the first requires just four ingredients, the second formulation adds two more, and the third adds another three. Let’s dive in!

The partner video tutorial for this project is focussed a lot more on technique and showing you the consistencies of the finished conditioners, while this post focuses more on the ingredients and formulation. Watch and read for the best learning experience!

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What is hair conditioner?

I’ve written a lot more about what hair conditioner is in this post: Super Simple Creamy Hair Conditioner: 3 Ways. Read that post for a longer explanation!

For a short version, though: creamy hair conditioners are emulsions the include at least one cationic (aka positively charged) ingredient—that’s the conditioning magic. They can be very simple (just a fatty alcohol, cationic emulsifier, water, preservative, and perhaps a humectant) or more complex (including ingredients like carrier oils, esters, hydrolyzed proteins, amino acids, botanical extracts, and more).

Rinse-out conditioners are applied to the hair for a few minutes after shampooing, and then rinsed out. They leave our hair smooth, slippery, and easy to comb through—which helps reduce breakage, improving hair health.

Version 1

This ultra-simple, very lightweight version requires just four ingredients!

The ingredients

Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate

This ingredient (also known as Cola®Lac SLB or Bio Conditioner) does several jobs: it emulsifies, it conditions, and it thickens.

The unique, lovely-for-hair ingredient in Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner is Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate.

Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine is a really common ingredient in hair conditioners, hair masks, cleansing conditioners, and conditioning shampoos. It’s the primary conditioning emulsifier in Hair Story’s New Wash and can be found in tons of products from brands like Aussie, Pantene, Aveda, Wella, Schwarzkopf, Herbal Essences, and more. It is prized for conditioning without weighing the hair down, which is why you can find it in lots of products designed for fine hair. Products marketed towards textured hair or as richer/more conditioning tend to blend Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine with other conditioning ingredients like Behentrimonium Chloride and Behentrimonium Methosulfate (as found in BTMS-50 and BTMS-25).

You can think of Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner as an easy-to-use format of Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine.

On its own, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine is very basic (has a high pH) and needs to be neutralized with an acid in order to condition and emulsify, which can make it a bit intimidating to work with. Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate is the lactate salt form of Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine; aka Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine that’s already been neutralized with lactic acid—so we don’t have do that part!

This pre-neutralized version of Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine is blended with cetearyl alcohol; a fatty thickener and emollient that boosts viscosity, stabilizes emulsions, and moisturizes the hair. It’s a really common ingredient in all kinds of haircare and skincare formulations, and is found in all sorts of emulsifiers (examples include Emulsifying Wax NF, Ritamulse SCG, and BTMS-25).

I like to grind my Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner up in my DIY-only coffee grinder to make it even easier to work with. I recommend freezing it first (make sure it’s nice and frosty) so the heat from the friction of grinding doesn’t fuse it into a gummy mass.

Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner is not very widely available as of summer 2025; the only place I’ve found it for sale to home crafters is YellowBee in Canada.

If you don’t have Bio Conditioner you can use BTMS-25 or BTMS-50 in these formulations instead, but they won’t be quite as well suited to fine hair, and will definitely be different.

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT aka Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride)

This is a super stable, lightweight, liquid emollient that adds a tiny bit of richness to the conditioner, and is emulsified with the Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner.

If you don’t have it, you can choose any oil (or blend of oils) that you like. From a haircare point of view, you might want to specifically choose oils that soak into the hair (which helps soften it and add water-repellency), oils that coat it (to add shine and gloss), or a blend. Learn more about that from the Science-y Hair Blog here.

Distilled water

This is our diluent and solvent—it’s the key thing that makes this a creamy, emulsified conditioner rather than a not-very-good conditioner bar. It also dilutes the Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner and the Medium Chain Triglycerides, dialling in the level of richness (which in the case of this particular formulation isn’t very rich at all!).

Liquid Germall™ Plus

Liquid Germall™ Plus is our broad spectrum preservative; it keeps the hair conditioner from going mouldy and getting disgusting!

You could use a different broad spectrum preservative, but you need to be sure it is compatible with cationics and that you meet its needs (pH being a big one!). You will likely need to use more of it as well as Liquid Germall™ Plus has a uniquely low usage rate. Learn more about the pH needs & usage rates of different preservatives here.

I did experiment with Optiphen™ Plus as I was working on these formulations and found the phenoxyethanol in it thinned the emulsions a lot, so keep that in mind if you choose a preservative that includes phenoxyethanol.

The Formulation

Super Simple Lightweight Hair Conditioner #1

Heated phase
91.5g | 91.5% distilled water
2g | 2% medium chain triglycerides (USA / Canada / UK / Aus / NZ)
6g | 6% Bio Conditioner (Canada)

Cool down phase
0.5g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus™ (USA / Canada)

Prepare a water bath by bringing about 3cm/1″ of water to a bare simmer on a stove top over low to medium-low heat in a wide, flat-bottomed sauté pan.

Alternatively, you can use a lab hot plate on low. If you use beakers, you can set them directly on the hot plate without a water bath—just take care not to boil your formulation! Aim for a maximum heat of 75–80°C.

Weigh the heated water phase into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup or glass beaker. Weigh the entire lot (measuring cup/beaker + ingredients) and write that weight down for later.

Heat the heated phase with the prepared hot water bath/hot plate.

After 30–40 minutes everything should be hot, and you should see a white creamy top layer. Remove the water bath from the heat and weigh the heated phase. Add enough distilled water to bring the weight back up to what it was before heating.

Grab your immersion blender and begin blending the conditioner, starting with short bursts so the still-very-liquid emulsion doesn’t whirl up and spray everywhere. Blend for 30–60 seconds before switching to hand stirring. You’ll need to be fairly diligent with the stirring at first or the emulsion will separate, but once the mixture has thickened up a bit and is uniform you can switch to stirring occasionally.

When the outside of the glass measuring cup is just warm to the touch (40°C or cooler, if you have a thermometer) we’re ready to proceed.

Now it’s time to incorporate our cool down ingredients. Because cool down ingredients are typically present at very low amounts you’ll need to use an accurate scale—preferably one accurate to 0.01g. As these more accurate scales tend to have fairly low (100–200g) maximum weights, you won’t be able to put the entire batch of lotion on that scale without blowing it out. So—grab a smaller bowl or beaker. Weigh the cool down ingredients into that, using the more accurate scale. Add a scoop or two of conditioner, stir to thoroughly incorporate, and then stir all of that back into the parent batch of conditioner. Doing it this way minimizes the amount of cool down ingredients lost to the smaller bowl/beaker.

Once the cool down phase has been incorporated, all that’s left to do is package it up!

Package in some sort of squeeze or pump bottle—something you can store in the shower without contaminating it with a bunch of extra water. Use as you’d use any rinse-out cream conditioner. Enjoy!

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Version 2

This version incorporates some extra oil for a bit more richness, a fragrance (or essential oil) for scent, and a wee bit of panthenol (Vitamin B5) for added moisture and shine. The amount of water is reduced to make room for these new ingredients. If you don’t have any of the additional ingredients from here on out, you can replace them with distilled water.

The extra ingredients

Panthenol (Vitamin B5)

Half a percent of powdered vitamin B5 helps moisturize the hair and boost shine. It’s an easy-to-use, versatile ingredient—if you don’t already have some, I highly recommend adding 30g (1.06oz) or so to your next ingredient order.

Fragrance

Just a little of something that smells lovely so the conditioner—and your hair—smell lovely, too. You could use an essential oil instead if you prefer, just be sure whatever you use is safe at 0.2% in rinse-off hair formulations (IFRA category 7A).

Learn more: How to naturally scent lotions with essential oils and natural fragrance oils

The Formulation

Super Simple Lightweight Hair Conditioner #2

Heated phase
86.8g | 86.8% distilled water
6g | 6% medium chain triglycerides (USA / Canada / UK / Aus / NZ)
0.5g | 0.5% panthenol powder (vitamin B5) (USA / Canada)
6g | 6% Bio Conditioner (Canada)

Cool down phase
0.5g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus™ (USA / Canada)
0.2g | 0.2% fragrance oil or essential oil of choice

Follow the same instructions we used for Formulation #1.

Version 3

This version of the formulation gets a bit richer with even more oil and a touch of shea butter, plus it includes another good-for-hair ingredient to really boost the performance of the conditioner.

Richness boost

A bit more Medium Chain Triglycerides and a touch of shea butter further boosts richness and viscosity. As with earlier versions, you can use different liquid oils and/or a different butter if desired.

Because this third formulation includes shea butter, which can oxidize, I’ve included some Tocopherol (Vitamin E)—an antioxidant. You could absolutely include this in the other formulations as well, but I didn’t because Medium Chain Triglycerides is such a stable ingredient and I was trying to keep the ingredient lists as short as possible.

Hydrolyzed rice protein

Our last ingredient is 1% Hydrolyzed Rice Protein. My hair really loves protein; it helps structure my waves and reduce frizz.

If you don’t have hydrolyzed rice protein there are quite a few other hydrolyzed proteins that could work instead. They all have different benefits ranging from protecting the hair to volumizing to moisturizing! Learn more here:

• Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
• Hydrolyzed Baobab Protein (tread carefully with this one—I’ve found it can de-stabilize Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine emulsions as it is more anionic than rice protein)
• Hydrolyzed Quinoa Protein
• Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
• Hydrolyzed Silk

If you don’t have a hydrolyzed protein you could use a botanical extract or a humectant like Vegetable Glycerin or Propanediol 1,3 instead!

The Formulation

Super Simple Lightweight Hair Conditioner #3

Heated phase
79.7g | 79.7% distilled water
10g | 10% medium chain triglycerides (USA / Canada / UK / Aus / NZ)
2g | 2% refined shea butter (USA / Canada)
0.5g | 0.5% panthenol powder (vitamin B5) (USA / Canada)
6g | 6% Bio Conditioner (Canada)

Cool down phase
0.5g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus™ (USA / Canada)
0.2g | 0.2% fragrance oil or essential oil of choice
0.1g | 0.1% Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)
0.5g | 0.5% hydrolyzed rice protein (USA / Canada)

Follow the same instructions we used for Formulation #1.

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Other Questions

Can I use BTMS-50 or BTMS-25 instead?

Yes, but…

If you want to use BTMS-25, I’d recommend following the formulations in this post instead.

Behentrimonium methosulfate (that’s what “BTMS” stands for) is also conditioning, but it’s not as lightweight as Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine is. Both BTMS-25 and BTMS-50 are conditioning emulsifiers and will work in these formulations to create creamy hair conditioners, but they will not produce the same product. Think of it like using a sweet potato instead of a white potato—they can do a lot of the same jobs, but they aren’t identical and you will notice the swap.

How long will these conditioners last? What is their shelf life?

Because these hair conditioners contain water, you must include a broad-spectrum preservative to ward off microbial growth. This is non-optional. With good manufacturing practice and proper preservation, these conditioners should last at least a year.

In the event you notice any change in colour, scent, or texture, chuck it out and make a fresh batch.

Is Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner natural?

It’s not fully natural, but according to Colonial Chem, “Cola®Lac SLB is “Derived Natural” with a Natural Origin Index of 0.97 in accordance with ISO 16128 guideline.” The ingredient that brings this down from a “fully natural” score of 1 is the Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, which gets a rating of ~0.75 on its own.

Whether this is natural enough for you is a personal decision.

What about pH?

Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner is quite acidic, so the pH of all these conditioners falls in the 4.8–5.5 range as written.

I made & tested dozens of simple formulations using Bio Conditioner to put this video together, and the pH of everything I made fell in the 4.2–5.5 range.

It’s always a good idea to check the pH of your formulations if you have a pH meter, but if you don’t have one yet and you make these formulations as written—or relatively close to it—the pH should land in a good place automatically.

Learn more: pH and Your Hair. A little redox to make you happy. from Science-y Hair Blog

Can I use Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine instead of Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner?

Please read the free Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia entry on Cola®Lac SLB/Bio Conditioner for more information on this, but generally: yes, but I would not consider that to be a beginner friendly swap as you’ll need to make several other modifications + additions to the formulations as well.

Can I use a different preservative?

Please read the section on Liquid Germall™ Plus (under Formulation #1) above.

Relevant links & further reading

• Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate (Bio Conditioner) in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Panthenol (Vitamin B5) in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Medium chain triglycerides in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Shea Butter in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Liquid Germall™ Plus in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Hydrolyzed Rice Protein in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Vitamin E in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• Watch glass in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
• How long will ______ last? What is its shelf life? in the Humblebee & Me FAQ
• Can I use a different preservative than the one you’ve used? in the Humblebee & Me FAQ
• pH
  • pH meter in the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia
  • pH measurement in cosmetic lab: why we dilute samples? from Skin Chakra
  • How to adjust the pH of your cosmetic products from Skin Chakra
  • Why do you create a 10% dilution of a formulation before measuring the pH? in the Humblebee & Me FAQ
• Similar & related posts
  • Super Simple Creamy Hair Conditioner: 3 Ways
  • How to Make Your Own Co-Wash: 3 Ways
  • 2 Creamy Conditioners with BTMS-25: Light & Rich