Flax Seed Gel- Available in Kitchens Everywhere

It's been too long since my last blog, but with good cause.  I've been in the kitchen happily playing with recipes for "do-it-yourself" hair care.

Home recipes for body care products have been around for years. I've always looked, but  never went beyond casual interest. I think I believed that buying was just easier. Now that I've taken the plunge I'm amazed at how simple it all was- and cheap. I didn't have to spend a penny- lucky me- all the ingredients were already in the house. It took some digging, but I found everything. It was a bit of a treasure hunt. Some ingredients were hiding in the back of the refrigerator and a few were piled in the cupboards. One critical bit of equipment even came from a box of unused knee high nylons in the bedroom!

Of the recipes I tested one was truly stellar. As good or better than any "store-bought" product I've tried. Most assuredly cheaper, only three ingredients and all of them good for my hair. Bet you already guessed which one it is...  Flax Seed Gel.

Hurrah for flax seed gel! Ridiculously easy, it's a mixture of flax seeds, filtered water and some aloe vera gel I just happened to have hanging around in the fridge.  Did I already say it was easy? Cheap, non- toxic...and it works. My hair was smooth and shiny, my waves loose and relaxed ... and there was no pouf or fluff in sight

That was on first day, freshly cleaned hair. The next morning I was rushed so I just water rinsed: water, a lot of friction to clean my scalp and then another good long rinse. The gel went on my sopping wet (without conditioner) before I stepped out of the shower. The result was even better than the first day.

The internet has many, many different recipes and videos to help you. I've provided some links below but you'll find a wide variety if you do a search. The recipe I used is below the videos. Have fun!

How to Make Flax Seed Gel

Botticelli Babe/Curl Talk: No Fail Flax Seed Gel

Flaxseed Gel

Flax Seed Gel Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flax seeds
2 cups filtered water
a generous tablespoon of aloe vera gel (optional)

Equipment:

medium sized heavy bottomed pot
bulb-shaped whisk or large spoon
2 pairs of knee high pantyhose
spatula
small bowl
airtight container that holds approximately 2-4 cups
refrigerator (you must store the gel in the fridge)

Method

Soak 1/4 cup of flax seeds in 2  cups of filtered water in a thick bottomed medium size pot   overnight or all day. It does not need to be refrigerated during this process. I covered the pot with a paper towel to keep any floating particles out of the mix.

Boil it at a little higher than medium high, stirring often with the whisk or spoon.   As the seeds boil they release the lovely mucilage that is the gel. This will stick to the bottom and corners of the pot which will minimize your yield, so continue to stir to keep the corners and bottom of the pan free of the gel you're creating.

You will continue to boil and stir until the seeds all rise to the top and a thin stream of gel sticks to the end of your whisk. This does not take long. The first batch I made I boiled it too long and boiled away most of my product- as well as creating VERY STIFF gel. Had to pitch it.

Remove the pan from the heat and and strain it through a PAIR of clean, knee high pantyhose. Watch out...It's HOT. Some people slide a pair of plastic tongs down the length of the hose to get every last little bit out of the seed, but I've found that if I soak the seeds long enough and don't over boil I end up with about 1 1/2 cups of lovely beige gel. Certainly enough for the 4-5 days it's going to last in the refrigerator.

I add about a tablespoon of aloe vera gel at the end

Once the mix is cooled I put it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.Mine only lasts 4-5 days refrigerated.