Fitz asks…I love the Nexxus products. I really love the conditioner Humectress….. but to me it’s a bit costly. Does anyone know a site where I can order my own chemicals to make my own conditioners & shampoos. I want to save money and maybe make some!
The Left Brain responds:
As our Forum members were quick to point out, making your own Humectress may not be such a great money saving idea.
Problems with Home Made Humectress
1. Ingredient expense
It’s difficult (maybe impossible?) to get the ingredients you need at a low cost without buying large quantities. Cosmetic companies enjoy low costs that the average person could never achieve because they buy TONS of chemicals. Plus, some ingredients are not even available for sale to the general public in any quantity or cost.
2. Puzzling percentages
While you can tell the ingredients from the back of the bottle, you don’t know the right percentages at which to add blend them. You might be able to figure it out through a long trial and error process but unless you’re an experienced cosmetic formulator you’re likely to end up wasting a lot of time (and chemicals) trying to get the formula right.
3. Mixing madness
To properly make a batch of conditioner you’ll need the right equipment. At the very least you’d need to buy an impeller mixer, a hotplate, and some glass or stainless steel mixing vessels. This will probably set you back a few hundred dollars. You’ll also need a way to check the pH of the final product – but you could get by with some relatively inexpensive litmus paper.
4. Dollars and scents
No matter how much you spend, you won’t be able to duplicate the Humectress fragrance. Cosmetic companies hire expert companies (called “Fragrance Houses”) to create just the right scent. So even if you get the functional formula right you’ll still be missing some of the Humectress experience.
What else can you do?
You can look for other products made by the same company as Nexxus. Often times big companies will use the same basic formula across different brands. Nexxus is made by Alberto Culver so you could look at their other brands like Tresemme and VO5. (Just a warning: In this case, this approach may not work because I’ve looked at all the Alberto Culver products and I haven’t seen any ingredient lists that look like Humectress.)
Looking for cheap Humectress? Buy a big bottle
for only $.29/ounce.
or
Want to save money but not ready to splurge on all that conditioner? Then download our FREE guide on how to save money on beauty products.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have tried to make my own products too. It wasting of time- not worth expense and effort! ?ts not easy, not cheap and absolutely unnecessary.
Thanks fora good article. I think we dont need to try to be cosmetic formulators. ?ts a lot of easier to buy a ready product.
or the fitz can check suave professionals or any ‘generic’ looking bottle, some of them state “if you like humectress, you’ll like…such and such”. i’ve seen them at my local walmarts and drugstores.
I, too, love Nexxus Humectress. I have half relaxed African American hair that I am transitioning to natural. It’s been almost 10 months, and I’m I need really good conditioners (and styling techniques) to ensure that my hair doesn’t break at the line of demarcation! I would advise that the poster joins Nexxus’s mailing list so they send her samples and coupons. Then, she needs to watch out for when stores have it on sale, use a coupon and voila! She’s in business :]
I use Suave Humectant, it is 3 to 4$ for 32oz and it works very very well and is a good alternative.
I’ve made my own conditioner and I have to say, honestly, that I haven’t got any better product.. For me, it’s cheap. 27 Euros for a half a year. The only thing I bought, was Alcohol (70%), BTMS-50 and Glycerin. That’s it. No more needed. I have kinky-curly hair and I learned making this conditioner by arcamp83 (@YouTube), 1ballerina and many others. Check it out.
When you take into account how cheap a gallon of distilled water is (which is usually 60-90% of a product,) I think it’s usually cheaper to just make your own products, especially if you’re sensitive to fragrances. After you get the mystery of different emulsifiers and preservatives figured out, the rest is a piece of cake. You just have to be sanitary and smart, and don’t mix incompatible ingredients into the same formula. Simple.
It depends on the type of product, though. I get by just fine making toners, anhydrous scrubs and C serums….but I guess certain things shouldn’t be attempted by a “home chemist.”
I think as long as you frequent DIY forums and PubMed (and don’t mind the initial expense or the time involved in researching & processing) that it’s fine to make your own “simple” personal care products. It just really does require A LOT of research>>>and I mean A LOOOOOOOOOT.