Currently I'm enrolled in a bio-process design class and our assignment for the semester was to come up with a product and explain the process design of it.  Since I'm crazy about hair, I asked my friend if she wanted to design a yogurt-based hair conditioner and she agreed.  It's fairly easy to make it.  All you need is yogurt, jojoba oil, and rosemary oil.  The reason we chose jojoba oil is because it adds shine, softness, reduces frizzyness, and promotes thick lustrous hair.  We also chose to add rosemary oil helps stimulate blood circulation in the scalp that helps promote healthy hair growth.  Not only is the rosemary good for your hair, it is a great scent and is also a therapeutic agent.  Yogurt is a great ingredient for a conditioner because it is natural.  Also it helps restore softness to dry brittle hair and it is full of protein, which helps keep hair strong and full of elasticity.

If you want to make your own yogurt the following ingredients are needed:

• 1 liter of milk
• 80mL of dried non-fat milk
• 5g of starter culture (Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, etc.)
• 1 Mason jar (qt)
• Cold water bath
• Stirrer
• Thermometer
• Oven
• Pot

Procedure:

1. Heat the liter of milk and non-fat milk on the stove at 85C for 2 minutes (kills undesirable microorganisms and denatures inhibitory enzymes that may slow down fermentation)
2. Cool the milk in a cold water bath at 44C for 15 minutes
3. Add 5 g of starter culture and stir gently
4. Transfer to Mason jar and cover the jar
5. Incubate in the oven at 42C for 6 hours
6. Refrigerate yogurt over night
7. Add oils to the yogurt if you want to make a conditioner or add fruit if you want to eat the yogurt

Here is a quick way to make a yogurt-based conditioner:

• Add a tablespoon of rosemary oil and a tablespoon of jojoba oil to 8 fl oz of plain yogurt

After mixing up the conditioner, apply large amounts of it to your hair and let it sit for 10 minutes and then rinse.  Since the conditioner is yogurt, store it in the refrigerator and make sure to throw it away after three weeks because it will  spoil.