Monday, November 2, 2009

Flax seed gel results- from the summer.

Over the summer I made home-made flax seed gel. I had to try it twice. The first time I boiled the loose seeds directly in the water. I used some cotton cloth to strain them and it was a pain in the neck! So the second batch I made by putting the seeds into the cotton and boiling it like a huge tea bag. However, I still found that the seeds held their gooey output close to them and the majority of the good stuff had swelled into the "bag" and not out. So I squeezed and squeezed and got about 8 oz out of the whole process. It reminded me very much of Kinky Curly's consistency. However, in my hair it only provided shine and some slip. No hold. Here was my hair after it dried. In retrospect the results were very much like Curls, Gel-les'c.

7 comments:

  1. Your hair looks so nice here! I used to make flaxseed gel all the time years ago. I really liked the results. Aloe gel gives it a bit of hold.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi! If you get the time to experiment more times , I promise you will find the right consistency and hold. I have been using it for 2 years and my hair has more or less your texture. It is cheap and natural and I add everytime 2 drops of a different essential oil as a fragrance. How I managed to use it for hold:

    1) I air dried for a while before using the gel. It worked better. I also used it on dry hair overnight for twist outs or braidouts with great results.

    2) I made it thicker (less water and squeezing the final, thick part of the gel with a pair of gloves and a sock. Seems tricky but it's quick and easy).


    3) I use a lot of it. I mean a lot. Much more than I would use another product. It is 100% natural and moisturizing, and when your hair is completely dry it will not turn out crunchy, it will just hold more and for more days. It is very cheap and natural and if you want less hold you can always spray some water and conditioner on top.

    When you find your ideal recipe it's worth it. I have heard that you can also add grapefruit extract as a preservative but I haven't tried yet. If you don't have the time to make it every week, you can still store a lot in big bottles. (LOL do I sound overenthusiatic? I am).


    Good luck!

    Valentina.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Valentina! I love your name :-) I actually have a ton of flax seed left to use so I will definitely be trying it again. I have a "bang" now- so the more natural effect of not using a heavy gel will probably look really fly. A sock you say? lol. I used a cut up tee shirt- that was green- so the green dye started coming out. A white sock sounds much better! I'll be sure to post my new results. Now I'm excited again too lol.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, t-shirts to dry hair, socks to strain stuff... and any other weapons of closet destruction, glad to know I'm not alone. LOL
    Enjoy your gel :-)

    Valentina

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi! I had a bit of a time straining the flaxseed gel too...I am still looking for a better way to get more of a yield. I tried a large mesh teaball and didn't get good results cause the seeds need to move around in the water to release the gel.So I guess I'll try another method when I find one.UHG HELP!!! Cause I truly love this stuff! I put honey,tea tree oil and some rosemary oil in my mixture for a natural preservative.The honey aides in moisture n shine.I also keep it in the fridge til I use it. I hope this helped. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used it a few summers ago and really liked it. I thought It didn't provide enough hold either, but like you said in hindsight it was just right. It was very similar to KCCC and it took my hair forever to dry completely-even in the summer. I still buy flax, but I used them in food preparation for raw cuisine like flax pancakes and flax crackers lol. I may try it again for my hair.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hola...I really love your hair.
    Just wanted to add that I make my gel regular (seeds loose in the boiling water). And, I cut a leg off a pair of heavy tights (like the Spanx thickness) to strain it. I stretch the open end of the tights taut over the mouth of the tall container. And, let the foot of the tights hover down into the container, but not touching the bottom of it. Then pour the pot of gel and seeds into the sock/container. Most of the gel falls through to the container easily. Then it's easy to wring the last bit out of the stocking. When I see a random seed or two floating around, I know I've been greedy trying to wring out every last drop of gel. But, mostly the seeds just collect in a ball in the foot of the stocking.

    ReplyDelete

Amazon Store