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.