Dangerously minty

A good friend of mine complained recently about how much conditioner she needs to use to feel like it makes any difference on her hair. I also know she likes minty things on her head. I thought I'd make her a super-conditioning minty conditioner.

I think I will have to double check with her on these, but I was going on the belief that her hair is thick, prone to frizziness and tangling, and not especially oily.

I included glycerin as a humecant, which may have been a poor choice (or could be used at a lower percentage) for frizzy hair. Frizzy hair doesn't need any extra water drawn into it to worsen the frizz.

I included cetearyl alcohol as an oil-free moisturizer, mostly because I had some and hadn't put it in anything yet. I have since learned that cetyl alcohol is better for tangly hair, since it is a bit slipperier and works with the conditioner/emulsifier and enhances it.

I used BTMS-50 as the conditioner/emulsifier because it's the only one I have. I have some stearamidopropyl dimethylamine on the way that I will try out too before making a final version of this conditioner.

I included cetrimonium chloride for its legendary detangling properties.

I included dimethicone as a shine-enhancer, de-frizzer, and slip-enhancer, as well as cyclomethicone to speed hair drying.

Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and hydrolyzed oats rounded out the formula with additional moisturizing and conditioning.

This conditioner also included 3% menthol crystals, which is waaay to much for sensitive skin like the scalp.

I've tried this conditioner and it is okay on my fine, oily hair. I don't think it's even close to conditioning enough for my friend's hair, so I'll probably just use it up. It is also dangerously minty. When I use it, my scalp has hot-and-cold flashes, and I feel like I've put Icy Hot or something like that on my neck. The menthol crystals make it smell like Vicks Vap-o-rub, so I think I might try peppermint essential oil next time. Nicer to smell like a candy cane than a medicine cabinet.