As a natural, I think we can all agree that our products are most definitely pricey. To get our nice, curl defined hair some of us automatically assume that we need to pay more for the look. In reality, even the most expensive products don't really work on our hair and products from the Dollar Store could work. On another note, not many of us consider the idea of making our own products. Although making our own products from sketch can be pretty time consuming, it does end up being a lot cheaper and healthier. In this particular article, I'm going to share how to make your own DIY flaxseed gel. This idea isn't anywhere near new in the natural hair community. To make the gel is fairly easy and ends up giving you nice defined curls but the process of making it and caring for it is another story. To find out exactly what I'm talking about, keep reading!
What You'll Need:
(This recipe should fill a standard gel jar)
1/4 cup of flaxseed (The more seeds you have, the thicker your gel with be)
2 cups of water
Essential oils if wanted
Cheap stockings or strainers
Air tight container
Spoon
Pot
How to Make Your Gel:
1.) Add the 2 cups of water and 1/4 cup of seeds to the pot
2.) Bring the pot to a boil at a medium-high setting
3.) Stir the pot in 5-7 minute intervals for about 30 minutes (this is where you add your desired oils)
~You want to keep stirring until you see a foam-like consistency floating at the top of the pot.
4.) Wait 30 minutes to an hour for the pot to cool down
5.) When the pot is finally cool, sit the stocking/strainer over your desired airtight container and begin separating the gel from the seeds
~If you're using a stocking, be careful to not poke a hole in the stocking when squeezing the gel through it as it will make the separation process harder.
~If you're using a strainer, you might have to rub the spoon against the inside of it to work the gel out.
6.) Once you have all your gel in the container, be sure to keep it in refrigerated to ensure a longer keep
~If you rather not keep your gel in the refrigerator because you hate cold stuff touching their head, you need to add a preservative to your gel to prevent it from going bad.
After all of this, you're officially done! Reading this might not give off the impression that the process is a lot, but if I'm being honest it kind of is. This actual creation probably isn't that bad, but the cleaning process itself is a different story. Be prepared to clean a number of leaks/spills and things being sticky. On the bright side, the gel isn't hard to clean, all it takes is a damp napkin. Regardless of it all, I can assure you that you'll come to the conclusion that you save a lot more money... that you'll end up spending on other things.