Old-fashioned flax hair gel.
Remember the flax seed tea?
It doubles as hair gel. Really.
A soothing, conditioning hair gel (not like drying, alcohol-based commercial gels).
This is what the flappers used to set their pin curls in the twenties.
Just make the tea,* strain out the seeds while it’s hot, and let it cool. Hair gel.
You can add a few drops of essential oil (I like lemongrass or grapefruit) to preserve it and make it smell nice. But that’s it.
I have very unruly hair. The flax gel keeps it in pleasant curls rather than unbearable frizz. I just rub it through my hair while it’s damp, and let it dry.
Easy, cheap, and fun.
* For hair gel, I simmer 1 tablespoon of flax seeds in 1 cup of water until the liquid is reduced by half. (I use only a teaspoon of the seeds if I want to drink the tea.)
The Herbwife’s Kitchen » Soothing flax seed tea. said,
November 5, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
[...] flax tea as a beauty aid. (They don’t call it usitatissimum for nothing!) Share [...]
Becca said,
November 5, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
How fun! Do you have any idea how well it works in straight hair? Mine is straight as a board, so sometimes I use gel to perk it up a bit.
crabappleherbs said,
November 6, 2007 @ 9:11 am
I’ve never used it on straight hair myself. Now I’m curious, I’ll have to give some to a straight-haired friend and see how it works.
I know the flappers used it to make pin curls in all sorts of hair, but they soaked the hair and really set it in place, and I don’t think that’s what you’re going for.
If you do try it, will you let us know how it works?
jim mcdonald said,
November 6, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
ok, so… you’ve got all these beautiful pics all over your blog and you’re not going to include one of your unruly hair?
I attribute mine to elf locks… wonder if flax has a history of warding off faerie mischief?
Jan S. said,
November 7, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Good point. Perhaps before and after photos . . . showing the dramatic effect of flax seed hair gel on that unruly hair. A nice illustration of flapper pin curls might be a nice touch as well for those less well aquainted with 1920s fashion.
darcey said,
November 9, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
hey, is there a blog party for dec?
crabappleherbs said,
November 14, 2007 @ 10:10 am
Blog party! Yes! Kiva and I were talking about “Winter Recipes.” How does that sound to you?
Jan S. said,
November 16, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Given that I awoke to several inches of fresh snow this morning, it seems quite timely . . .
Mimi said,
January 12, 2008 @ 1:07 am
I whipped up a batch of flax hair gel last night and used it to set my hair in a flapper-style finger wave. I was worried it might not hold well or might turn flaky, but it came out beautifully! Thanks, Herbwife!
crabappleherbs said,
January 13, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
I’m glad it worked for you, Mimi!
Isn’t it fun to make?
ingvild said,
March 17, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
hello and thank you for this amazing recipe, I never thought I would make my own hairgel:D It makes my curly and dry hair supersoft and pretty:) I want to try and make it with essential oil the next time, but when do I put the oil in? while it’s cooking or after I’ve strained out the seeds?
crabappleherbs said,
March 18, 2008 @ 7:13 am
Hi Ingvild.
I’d wait to put the essential oils in until after you’ve strained it — EOs will evaporate if you boil them.
Have fun!
Jac said,
March 21, 2008 @ 6:55 pm
Hi, thanks for these recipes. A friend mentioned linseed/flsaxseed tea and talked through a recipe but I couldn’t remember it when I got the seeds! A google search led me to your blog – I hope you don’t mind! Not only have I got a recipe for tea, now I’ve a recipe for natural, inexpensive hair gel too! Must have been fate… Thank you sooo much!
crabappleherbs said,
April 3, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
You’re welcome!
Kathy said,
May 14, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
I’ve made the flaxseed gel and it’s difficult to strain the seeds. How does it compare to the cold pressed oil?
Thanks
crabappleherbs said,
May 15, 2008 @ 12:16 pm
Hi Kathy.
You have to strain the gel right away, while it’s still boiling hot, or it’s pretty well impossible to get the seeds out.
Flax gel is completely different from flax oil. Flax gel is the mucilaginous / starchy part of the cooked seed, and the cold pressed oil is, well… raw oil. I don’t think flax oil would be very good to use on hair, since it’s quite susceptible to rancidity.
jenny said,
May 18, 2008 @ 12:35 am
I have been making this Flaxseed Gel for about a month now. I love it! I have very (I’m talking pinky spiral) curly hair. It looks great and feels great on my hair. I rinse or wash my hair and put it on while it is damp. If it is runny, I put it in a spray bottle. Sometimes I cook it down a bit to make it thicker.
Bianca said,
May 30, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Hi, it’s me again. I’ve finally tried the gel, I was wondering what effect would it have on my straight hair. Well…it’s alright, the hair looks neat, nothing sticking out, but it’s a wee bit rigid. If I bend my head, the strands tend to stick together and it looks bad. Also, it looks a bit like it would be greasy, but it’s not. I look like a Catholic school girl:D I don’t think I’m going to use it. I like it when my hair is fluffy and full of volume. Oh, and speaking of that. For a while now, after washing, my hair doesn’t look as great as it used to when I used shampoo. It is alright, but it’s not that soft and fluffy, and it lacks volume. I’m currently using eggs+vinegar to wash it and a peppermint rinse afterwards. What could I do? I don’t want to go back to shampoo.
crabappleherbs said,
June 1, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
Jenny — I’m glad it works! That’s pretty much how I use it.
Bianca — Have you tried “crunching” your hair with your fingers after the gel dries? That make it softer and less stiff. As far as volume goes, it’s possible the eggs are weighing your hair down. I would try using only a vinegar rinse (with or without herb tea).
Bianca said,
June 1, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
Thanks for the tips, I’m going to try a vinegar rinse right now. I’ll be back with feedback!
Bianca said,
June 1, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
It’s much better now, I did a vinegar rinse, then a herbal tea rinse with ginger. It still lacks volume and it’s not that shiny… I didn’t actually rinse the ginger tea off, so maybe it could be this. But i barely lost a few hair strands, so this is great! I hope it will get better the more I do it.
Shirl said,
June 23, 2008 @ 1:13 pm
I’ve been using flax seed gel on my hair for about a week. I absolutely love it. How much longer will it last by adding EOs? I hate to throw it out after a week, and it would be nice to make a bigger batch. Also, can you store it at room temperature if you put in EOs?
sunshine said,
September 2, 2008 @ 9:26 am
hey that was really easy. i’m excited i can not wait to try it out.
crabappleherbs said,
September 9, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
Bianca: Thanks for letting us know about your experiments!
Shirl: I don’t know exactly how much longer EOs will make the gel last, but you’ll know if it’s gone bad — it will smell off.
Sunshine: Good luck!
Dee Dee said,
October 11, 2008 @ 10:25 am
I just tried this yesterday because my hair is more dry than frizzy and I thought it might help. Wow…that pretty much covers it. My hair looks healthier than it has in years. My daughter said my hair was so soft it felt like rabbit fur. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
monique said,
December 4, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
!!! im gonna go shower right now, i have a batch i just made, i tried straining it right away but it was already too thick. i think the temp was too low but i boiled it too long, one cup of water with two tbsp flax seeds makes about enough for one dose on my hair. i think! lol ill have to go test it out. thank you for all the great suggestions.
clarifyer- i like it use baking soda and water to get my hair and scalp clean, feels good without too much drying.
monique
Sophie said,
August 12, 2009 @ 11:12 pm
Thanks for the recipe. I just made my first batch and am excited to try it out! Just wondering, do i need to store it in the fridge? How long should it last?
Lorri said,
September 9, 2009 @ 9:07 am
I just found this post, looking for more information. I’ve been using the gel for about 6 months now – love it! I use it as leave-in conditioner if my hair is damp, or as styling gel the rest of the time. My hair is straight and long, and I use baking soda with a vinegar rinse to wash it.
If I keep it in the fridge, it lasts two weeks at least before its starts to get ‘fragrant.’ On the counter it’s one week.
margaret shifflett said,
September 29, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
ive been washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar rinsefor a while now. the only thing i couldnt stand is not having a natural styling product. cant wait to try this out!!!
jyoti said,
October 14, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
whats flax seeds means. and for whats its useful.in india we will egt it?
thewletti said,
February 23, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
Hi,
I just recently started using the baking soda and water with a ACV rinse. So far so good. I was also looking for a natural hair gel when I read about Flax Seed Gel. Would this be a good gel for my type of hair? I used to have curly, long, thick hair but after having my boys, to much processing/heat and getting older the curl has softened to a wave and is much finer than it used to be so i have resorted to cutting it shorter. I am hoping with switching to natural products, I can do my part to help the enviroment and maybe it will also help my hair to become healthier again. Please let me know if you think FSG is a good match for my hair.
Thanks!!