# what homemade hair products do you use?



## reflection (Jul 27, 2016)

i've been doing low poo but am wanting to stop buying hair care products and wondered what you all are using who make some of your own hair products. 

what homemade products do you use for shampoo? shampoo (lye) bars, syndet bars, liquid castile recipes, baking soda? how well are they working?

conditioner? ACV rinse or a homemade conditioner?

any great styling recipes? 

how well are the products working? any special hair specifics we should know regarding the products like oily hair, curly hair, colored hair, etc?

i have superthick curly/frizzy long hair (think andie macdowell) and i'd really like to replace my liquid styling gel (aveda) as it is rather expensive. it works great on my very challenging hair, but i'm experimenting with pomade & hair butter recipes currently. i had no idea people use butter recipes for their hair until this week. i also just started using an ACV rinse and absolutely love it as i suddenly have much softer hair. 

it's definitely an adventure!


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## Arimara (Jul 27, 2016)

I'm not really into trying to make my own shampoos or conditioners. I don't want to go through all that work and to be honest, I have had a heck of a time finding products that don't irritate my scalp that also won't break my bank. However, as far as hair treatments go, I like the occasional henna and if I feel like doing it again, I might make that hair caramel that was popular some years back (it originated in Philly). The hair caramel doesn't have a long shelf life (you have to freeze it since you'd make quite a bit) but it is really conditioning. If you want a recipe, I can try and find it but.

Other than that, I don't think I can help much since my hair is on the coily spectrum of curly and I keep my weekly regimen as simple as possible. I also won't shy away from cheaper costing products if they don't irritate me and help hold my styles. And for the record, be careful with the butter hair recipes. I stopped using them a while back since they made my hair very greasy. Coconut oil is better for that purpose and can be used as a hot oil treatment as well.


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## lsg (Jul 27, 2016)

I make my own shampoo and conditioner.  The Swiftcraftymonkey blog is  a good place for info on hair care products.


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## artemis (Jul 27, 2016)

The only one I do is an ACV rinse. 1tsp ACV, 1/3 cup water, sometimes a scent. My hair can't handle conditioners, but when I use the rinse, I don't feel like I need a conditioner.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 28, 2016)

I use an earl gray hair tonic but am also looking at pomades - thing is, pomade recipes tend to be similar to my leather salve/wood treatment/emergency lip balm recipe and I really can't imagine one product having 4 uses like that [emoji23]


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## reflection (Jul 28, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I use an earl gray hair tonic but am also looking at pomades - thing is, pomade recipes tend to be similar to my leather salve/wood treatment/emergency lip balm recipe and I really can't imagine one product having 4 uses like that [emoji23]


hah.  i had to respond to this as i just made a wood polish balm but it's pretty much used up. maybe i'll try the dregs on my hair, lol. i made a pomade awhile back and it was strange: hard in container & yet oily. i tried it out again the other day and probably used waaay too much and got oily/waxy hair that i'm trying to get rid of. 

i used a commercial pomade many years ago and it was more of a paste which was nice. it seemed to work iirc but it was shiny/oily-looking which i didn't like at all. the one i made is more matte with jojoba oil but i have no idea if it is any good for holding curl at this point.


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## SuzieOz (Jul 28, 2016)

I can't find where on the internet I originally found this recipe for hairspray, but I love it! Lasts for weeks in the fridge.

HAIRSPRAY
2 teaspoons refined sugar
1/2 cup hot purified water
2 tablespoons vodka
3-5 drops essential oil for scent (optional)

Heat water to just under the boiling point
Spoon in sugar and stir until dissolved
Allow to cool, then add vodka and optional essential oil
Pour into a spray bottle and store in the fridge until needed
Pump a few sprays onto the area you want hold and allow to dry for 30 seconds. Continue process until your hair reaches the desired amount of hold.


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## Arimara (Jul 28, 2016)

Have you tried naturallycurly.com? It's a great site for curlies of every texture.


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## navigator9 (Jul 28, 2016)

I had wavy hair growing up, but it has gotten progressively frizzy as I've gotten older, I'm now 66. For most of my life, I washed my hair every day, but now I'm down to every two or three days. I've been very low poo for quite a while now, (about a nickle sized dab of shampoo, mixed into a quart of warm water, is my "shampoo water") because that's all it really takes, since I'm not a teenager with oily hair anymore. I also use ACV rinse. My ends tend to be dry, since I color my hair, so I like to use avocado oil on the ends the night before I wash it. I use a keratin shampoo in the summer, because the humidity makes my hair positively wild, and the keratin helps a bit. For a long time, I believed there was some magic product out there, and that if I only tried enough of them, I'd be able to conquer the frizz, but I've finally come to the realization, that it's just something I'll have to live with, and that keeping my hair as healthy and moisturized as possible is the best defense against the frizz bomb. My hair strangely seems to have gotten thicker as I've gotten older, but that could just be that it seems thicker because of the increased frizz. If I believed that I could formulate something that would really help with the frizz, I'd probably give it a try, but I've given up hope that there's anything that will help.


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## DeeAnna (Jul 28, 2016)

Like my bow string wax aka lotion bar? Craig, you cry such charming crocodile tears! :mrgreen:



The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> ...pomade recipes tend to be similar to my leather salve/wood treatment/emergency lip balm recipe and I really can't imagine one product having 4 uses like that [emoji23]


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## Dahila (Jul 28, 2016)

Syndet bar from Swiftmonkey, and leave on conditioner, also from her blog


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## HowieRoll (Jul 28, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I use an earl gray hair tonic but am also looking at pomades - thing is, pomade recipes tend to be similar to my leather salve/wood treatment/emergency lip balm recipe and I really can't imagine one product having 4 uses like that [emoji23]



Oh, but I disagree!  You know how some people look for 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioners?  Well, here you could be marketing a 4-in-1 product (and maybe more, if DeeAnna's bow string wax and lotion bar could be incorporated)!  I can just see the infomercial now... it would be chock-full of 'but wait, there's MORE'!  It moisturizes!  It conditions!  It softens!  It greases!  It saturates!  It dissolves!  It cushions!  It relaxes!  It tenderizes!  All for the low, low price of...

Sorry, got carried away there.  Anyhow, back to hair, I have dry-ish, thick, medium-length hair that blow dries straight, or air dries into crummy, non-presentable quasi-curl-waves.  However, recently I discovered if I work a scant little (2-3 drops) of my homemade facial moisturizer into my hair, it comes out softer and less dry-feeling.  I have not noticed any greasy build-up, but I also wash my hair daily.  The moisturizer is comprised of 2/3 Argan Oil, 1/3 Rosehip Seed Oil, and a few drops of Lavender EO.


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## Arimara (Jul 28, 2016)

navigator9 said:


> I had wavy hair growing up, but it has gotten progressively frizzy as I've gotten older, I'm now 66. For most of my life, I washed my hair every day, but now I'm down to every two or three days. I've been very low poo for quite a while now, (about a nickle sized dab of shampoo, mixed into a quart of warm water, is my "shampoo water") because that's all it really takes, since I'm not a teenager with oily hair anymore. I also use ACV rinse. My ends tend to be dry, since I color my hair, so I like to use avocado oil on the ends the night before I wash it. I use a keratin shampoo in the summer, because the humidity makes my hair positively wild, and the keratin helps a bit. For a long time, I believed there was some magic product out there, and that if I only tried enough of them, I'd be able to conquer the frizz, but I've finally come to the realization, that it's just something I'll have to live with, and that keeping my hair as healthy and moisturized as possible is the best defense against the frizz bomb. My hair strangely seems to have gotten thicker as I've gotten older, but that could just be that it seems thicker because of the increased frizz. If I believed that I could formulate something that would really help with the frizz, I'd probably give it a try, but I've given up hope that there's anything that will help.



I suppose a few large braids and some aloe vera gel won't help?


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## navigator9 (Jul 28, 2016)

Arimara said:


> I suppose a few large braids and some aloe vera gel won't help?



My hair's on the short side to braid. I've never tried aloe vera gel. Is it a leave-in type of thing, or put it on, wash it out? I'm kind of doubtful that it would work, because I don't think my frizziness is as much a factor of damage to the hair as it is a factor of...age. Wahhhhh! Not much that can be done about that. I'm mostly concentrating on keeping it as healthy as possible to prevent the frizz caused by age from getting even worse due to damage. It's much more manageable in the winter, when the air is dry, but boy, in the summer we have some wicked humidity around here, and it's really out of control. :crazy: I always let it air dry, and I don't use a flat iron, but I do color it, and I know that doesn't help, but I'm just not ready to be gray yet!


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## reflection (Jul 28, 2016)

Arimara said:


> I'm not really into trying to make my own shampoos or conditioners. I don't want to go through all that work and to be honest, I have had a heck of a time finding products that don't irritate my scalp that also won't break my bank. However, as far as hair treatments go, I like the occasional henna and if I feel like doing it again, I might make that hair caramel that was popular some years back (it originated in Philly). The hair caramel doesn't have a long shelf life (you have to freeze it since you'd make quite a bit) but it is really conditioning. If you want a recipe, I can try and find it but.


i'm trying to replace all my store-bought products both for body and cleaning but it does take time. i don't know if i just like the challenge or saving all the money or it being healthier but i find it all rather fascinating and fun.

i do color my grays so will have to forgo the henna but i've read henna is good for hair too. hair caramel sounds cool whatever it is. i've just started reading over at the naturally curly site recently. they do have some great info and i'm realizing there is probably much to learn about hair care. i didn't know there is a difference between moisturizing and protein and all this 



> Other than that, I don't think I can help much since my hair is on the coily spectrum of curly and I keep my weekly regimen as simple as possible. I also won't shy away from cheaper costing products if they don't irritate me and help hold my styles. And for the record, be careful with the butter hair recipes. I stopped using them a while back since they made my hair very greasy. Coconut oil is better for that purpose and can be used as a hot oil treatment as well.


my hair is probably much more like your coily hair than the a person's with straight hair. my hair is like wrestling an alligator! oh, wish i'd known about not putting too much oil/butter in my hair before i made a greasy/waxy mess. first time i've ever had oily hair, lol. 

the only expensive skin or hair product i use is the aveda so i hear you on not wanting to spend a lot on these things. homemade is probably the cheapest and healthiest, at least for skin. hair is a little tricky i'm finding right now.



The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I use an earl gray hair tonic but am also looking at pomades


i forgot to ask what is the earl gray tonic for? tell us more. 



SuzieOz said:


> I can't find where on the internet I originally found this recipe for hairspray, but I love it! Lasts for weeks in the fridge.
> 
> HAIRSPRAY
> 2 teaspoons refined sugar
> ...


i make my own hair spray too but have been making small batches i keep in the frige and throw out after 2 weeks once i realized it'd go bad. i think i'll add some vodka like you do to preserve it. i just need to figure out how much i need to use. thanks!



navigator9 said:


> My hair's on the short side to braid. I've never tried aloe vera gel. Is it a leave-in type of thing, or put it on, wash it out? I'm kind of doubtful that it would work, because I don't think my frizziness is as much a factor of damage to the hair as it is a factor of...age. Wahhhhh! Not much that can be done about that. I'm mostly concentrating on keeping it as healthy as possible to prevent the frizz caused by age from getting even worse due to damage. It's much more manageable in the winter, when the air is dry, but boy, in the summer we have some wicked humidity around here, and it's really out of control. :crazy: I always let it air dry, and I don't use a flat iron, but I do color it, and I know that doesn't help, but I'm just not ready to be gray yet!


i think my aveda confixor was my miracle product but i'm experimenting with replacing it. i tried both homemade body butter & pomade in the last few days but obviously used way too much. i was trying to smooth out fly aways so kept adding more. oops! 

i did try aloe vera gel this morning as a leave-in styling product. i didn't use too much because i didn't want crunchy curls. it was weird. my hair dried in 5 minutes. i don't know if the air pulled moisture out of my hair or what happened. so, i put a little of my regular conditioner in my hair on top of the aloe and that seemed to help. tomorrow i will try mixing the aloe with the conditioner and then putting it on. baby steps until i find something i can make and not look like a walking chia pet in the meantime. 



HowieRoll said:


> Oh, but I disagree! You know how some people look for 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioners? Well, here you could be marketing a 4-in-1 product (and maybe more, if DeeAnna's bow string wax and lotion bar could be incorporated)! I can just see the infomercial now... it would be chock-full of 'but wait, there's MORE'! It moisturizes! It conditions! It softens! It greases! It saturates! It dissolves! It cushions! It relaxes! It tenderizes! All for the low, low price of...


 
exactly! i love the 25 in 1 product. it will work on your car as well i think. 



> Anyhow, back to hair, I have dry-ish, thick, medium-length hair that blow dries straight, or air dries into crummy, non-presentable quasi-curl-waves. However, recently I discovered if I work a scant little (2-3 drops) of my homemade facial moisturizer into my hair, it comes out softer and less dry-feeling. I have not noticed any greasy build-up, but I also wash my hair daily. The moisturizer is comprised of 2/3 Argan Oil, 1/3 Rosehip Seed Oil, and a few drops of Lavender EO.


your facial oil sounds lovely. i've recently been experimenting with them and a spot treatment that has worked well to clear some skin problems. it really is amazing to me how homemade products work as well if not better than the store bought ones. maybe i'll try using oil the night before i wash so i don't get all greased up again. i thought a pomade would work but no luck yet.



lsg said:


> I make my own shampoo and conditioner. The Swiftcraftymonkey blog is a good place for info on hair care products.


that's cool. i did make a sample of a conditioner using oil, distilled water & guar gum to emulsify it. it totally worked, looked like real conditioner and my hair liked it, but i have some scalp irritation and it aggravated that. i was all set to buy a preservative and mix up a batch but no go. if anyone wants the recipe i can dig it up. super easy. 



Dahila said:


> Syndet bar from Swiftmonkey, and leave on conditioner, also from her blog


 
i do read over on her blog but am hoping to use less processed ingredients. we'll see. it sounds like the syndet bars are quite popular here though.



artemis said:


> The only one I do is an ACV rinse. 1tsp ACV, 1/3 cup water, sometimes a scent. My hair can't handle conditioners, but when I use the rinse, I don't feel like I need a conditioner.


the ACV rinse is brilliant. works better than any conditioner i've ever used. i just put undiluted ACV in a plastic spay bottle and keep it in the shower. spray, comb through my hair and rinse it off. i'd like to try infusing some dried herbs or maybe i'll add some essential oil to mine.


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## Arimara (Jul 28, 2016)

navigator9 said:


> My hair's on the short side to braid. I've never tried aloe vera gel. Is it a leave-in type of thing, or put it on, wash it out? I'm kind of doubtful that it would work, because I don't think my frizziness is as much a factor of damage to the hair as it is a factor of...age. Wahhhhh! Not much that can be done about that. I'm mostly concentrating on keeping it as healthy as possible to prevent the frizz caused by age from getting even worse due to damage. It's much more manageable in the winter, when the air is dry, but boy, in the summer we have some wicked humidity around here, and it's really out of control. :crazy: I always let it air dry, and I don't use a flat iron, but I do color it, and I know that doesn't help, but I'm just not ready to be gray yet!



Conditioners, especially leave-ins have been said to help with frizzies. Silicones as well. I haven't used aloe vera gel yet myself but I did have a gel based with black seed (no idea what those seeds are called elsewhere). That gel did a stellar job helping my hair retain moisture and my twist outs were much nicer.

Reflection, I'm aware of  curly types having similar hair needs and all. It's just that I don't have to shampoo nearly as much as I would have to condition my hair so I can't really offer my say as far as shampoo and conditioning recipes. I can use a conditioner a couple of times a week and my hair would do fine. Going back to what I said before- I just prefer to buy my products since I am fairly certain I would have ingredients sitting around. I also want to minimize my child's exposure to products or ingredients that I can't control how her skin takes it. That could mean cleaning the tub a couple of times over and over again until I feel she'd be safe. I know that I could have more control over what goes into my conditioners but paying $10 (or less) for a bottle is more cost efficient than paying for ALL of the ingredients I'd want plus some extras and shipping. 

I'm glad you like the site. It helped me quite a bit learning about my hair. It's bad enough it's still a little hard to find info for curly hair types but my ethnic group takes the cake with hair misinformation. *sigh*:mrgreen:


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## Dahila (Jul 28, 2016)

Reflection I was trying everything,  My hair is extra fine and nothing worked on me.... I am also allergic to most of commercial shampoos and conditioners.  No itchy irritated scalp when i use my products.  My friend who have pretty long hair is washing her hair with my bars and she loves it,  The hair is shiny and beautiful.  When you look closely at the surfacants you will avoid the ones you do not like it. A lot of them are derived from CO) 
if you do not like processed ingredients you must stick to water  it is processed too through the filters and with adding chemicals ; chlorine, fluoride ................


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## reflection (Jul 29, 2016)

Arimara said:


> Reflection, I'm aware of  curly types having similar hair needs and all. It's just that I don't have to shampoo nearly as much as I would have to condition my hair so I can't really offer my say as far as shampoo and conditioning recipes. I can use a conditioner a couple of times a week and my hair would do fine. Going back to what I said before- I just prefer to buy my products since I am fairly certain I would have ingredients sitting around. I also want to minimize my child's exposure to products or ingredients that I can't control how her skin takes it. That could mean cleaning the tub a couple of times over and over again until I feel she'd be safe. I know that I could have more control over what goes into my conditioners but paying $10 (or less) for a bottle is more cost efficient than paying for ALL of the ingredients I'd want plus some extras and shipping.
> 
> I'm glad you like the site. It helped me quite a bit learning about my hair. It's bad enough it's still a little hard to find info for curly hair types but my ethnic group takes the cake with hair misinformation. *sigh*:mrgreen:


you're still giving me some of the best advice here so i appreciate what you've posted.  the websites that have helped me the most are from people with natural hair or that naturally curly site. but, this thread isn't for curlies only by any means. it's interesting to hear what everyone uses.


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## Brina (Jul 29, 2016)

I make my own shampoo bars and use apple cider vinegar as my liquid. I do an 8% sf for my Tina Turner/Don King love child hair lol. It helps SO much with my frizzies. I also made a extra light lotion that I'm trying as a conditioner. So far my hair is LOVING it. I did 78% water, 1% preservative, 2% fragrance, 5% ewax, and 14% oils.


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## reflection (Jul 29, 2016)

Dahila said:


> Reflection I was trying everything,  My hair is extra fine and nothing worked on me.... I am also allergic to most of commercial shampoos and conditioners.  No itchy irritated scalp when i use my products.  My friend who have pretty long hair is washing her hair with my bars and she loves it,  The hair is shiny and beautiful.  When you look closely at the surfacants you will avoid the ones you do not like it. A lot of them are derived from CO)


that's great that it is working so well for you & friends. you never know, i may break down and try one some day…probably not...but you never know. haha, i can't decide on shampooing options so i won't for now & keep using my low poo. 



> if you do not like processed ingredients you must stick to water  it is processed too through the filters and with adding chemicals ; chlorine, fluoride ................


i do understand about processing.  i said "less processed" as i just read susan of swiftcraftmonkey say she says something like that. oh, i think she uses "minimally processed".


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## Bamagirl (Jul 29, 2016)

navigator9 said:


> I had wavy hair growing up, but it has gotten progressively frizzy as I've gotten older, I'm now 66. For most of my life, I washed my hair every day, but now I'm down to every two or three days. I've been very low poo for quite a while now, (about a nickle sized dab of shampoo, mixed into a quart of warm water, is my "shampoo water") because that's all it really takes, since I'm not a teenager with oily hair anymore. I also use ACV rinse. My ends tend to be dry, since I color my hair, so I like to use avocado oil on the ends the night before I wash it. I use a keratin shampoo in the summer, because the humidity makes my hair positively wild, and the keratin helps a bit. For a long time, I believed there was some magic product out there, and that if I only tried enough of them, I'd be able to conquer the frizz, but I've finally come to the realization, that it's just something I'll have to live with, and that keeping my hair as healthy and moisturized as possible is the best defense against the frizz bomb. My hair strangely seems to have gotten thicker as I've gotten older, but that could just be that it seems thicker because of the increased frizz. If I believed that I could formulate something that would really help with the frizz, I'd probably give it a try, but I've given up hope that there's anything that will help.



Exactly! I have tried so many products and every few months I have to "purge" from under my counter all the things that didn't work to help control frizz. I use a flat iron just keep it tame, but would love something that actually worked. 

I haven't made anything myself, but I did go through the "curly girl" phase. I tried the no poo and conditioner washes, but my hair needs the shampoo. I tried no silicones and parabens, again my hair likes them. I did one time try some homemade gel off of etsy and that stuff was amazing! It was okra gel and it did do wonders for my hair, and since I have now remembered that, let me go see if I can find some more lol. I have been too leary to try a homemade shampoo bar as I have read many posts on here that stated it worked well for a while and then caused damage, and my hair is damaged enough. Good luck finding something and if you are looking for something along the lines of the homemade okra gel, send me a message, I am sure I can find my notes somewhere.


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## Arimara (Jul 29, 2016)

reflection said:


> you're still giving me some of the best advice here so i appreciate what you've posted.  the websites that have helped me the most are from people with natural hair or that naturally curly site. but, this thread isn't for curlies only by any means. it's interesting to hear what everyone uses.



Oh, I understand. If someone with naturally straight hair wanted advice, I would be at a total loss but I love to read about what other people do and use too. I just find it interesting.

Bamagirl- Okra? YUCK!!! I'm sure it's amazing but I hate it. Still, that is ingenious given how gelatinous it can get.


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## Bamagirl (Jul 29, 2016)

Bamagirl- Okra? YUCK!!! I'm sure it's amazing but I hate it. Still, that is ingenious given how gelatinous it can get.

It really was amazing for my hair, I'm not sure why. I had read that flaxseed gel was best, but for me the okra was better.


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## navigator9 (Jul 29, 2016)

Bamagirl said:


> Exactly! I have tried so many products and every few months I have to "purge" from under my counter all the things that didn't work to help control frizz. I use a flat iron just keep it tame, but would love something that actually worked.
> 
> I haven't made anything myself, but I did go through the "curly girl" phase. I tried the no poo and conditioner washes, but my hair needs the shampoo. I tried no silicones and parabens, again my hair likes them. I did one time try some homemade gel off of etsy and that stuff was amazing! It was okra gel and it did do wonders for my hair, and since I have now remembered that, let me go see if I can find some more lol. I have been too leary to try a homemade shampoo bar as I have read many posts on here that stated it worked well for a while and then caused damage, and my hair is damaged enough. Good luck finding something and if you are looking for something along the lines of the homemade okra gel, send me a message, I am sure I can find my notes somewhere.



Wow, I just found this video on how to make an okra hair gel... [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFSZFtaMq3c[/ame]   Eeeewwww, does that stuff look funky! lol The things we'll do for beauty. I'm like you, I have a store's worth of hair products, sometimes I feel like I'm searching for the Holy Grail...close, but never quite there. If I find some okra in the grocery store, I just might make myself up a batch. Thanks for the tip!


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## Guspuppy (Jul 29, 2016)

That okra gel looks awesome! I make flaxseed gel myself, to glue down flyaways after braiding my hair, because I don't use a/c so I drive with all my windows down and I CAN'T STAND ends of hair tickling my face! Flaxseed gel is nice because I can use a fair amount as needed, yet by the end of the day it wears off but doesn't leave any mess in my hair, and I can brush my hair and it will feel soft and clean, not hard and glued together like with commercial gels. The only problem is it doesn't last very long in the fridge and I get tired of making it and throwing it away all the time so I revert to buying commercial glue and then I have to wash my hair every day if I use it, which I don't like to do either!


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## Arimara (Jul 29, 2016)

Guspuppy said:


> That okra gel looks awesome! I make flaxseed gel myself, to glue down flyaways after braiding my hair, because I don't use a/c so I drive with all my windows down and I CAN'T STAND ends of hair tickling my face! Flaxseed gel is nice because I can use a fair amount as needed, yet by the end of the day it wears off but doesn't leave any mess in my hair, and I can brush my hair and it will feel soft and clean, not hard and glued together like with commercial gels. The only problem is it doesn't last very long in the fridge and I get tired of making it and throwing it away all the time so I revert to buying commercial glue and then I have to wash my hair every day if I use it, which I don't like to do either!



think a bit of germall might be in order or some other preservative? All I know is my mother would kill me if she saw me make that recipe.


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## cmzaha (Jul 29, 2016)

I use a light spray lotion I make on my 8 yr old Granddaughter's hair which is thick and past her butt. I make it with 9% oil of which 2% is IPM and a fast asorbing oil. It really helps to detangle her hair

Flaxseed has been used in wave-set products and for wave-set for many centuries. Okra gel would be a take off of Flaxseed. If not allergic to flaxseed, as I am, I would acquire some flaxseed and just boil it up, preserving with germall plus, or my favorite of germall plus + optiphen. Flaxseed does leave hair feeling nice


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## TeresaT (Jul 29, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I use an earl gray hair tonic but am also looking at pomades - thing is, pomade recipes tend to be similar to my leather salve/wood treatment/emergency lip balm recipe and I really can't imagine one product having 4 uses like that [emoji23]



But then again, wouldn't that be the perfect product?


cmzaha said:


> I use a light spray lotion I make on my 8 yr old Granddaughter's hair which is thick and past her butt. I make it with 9% oil of which 2% is IPM and a fast asorbing oil. It really helps to detangle her hair
> 
> Flaxseed has been used in wave-set products and for wave-set for many centuries. Okra gel would be a take off of Flaxseed. If not allergic to flaxseed, as I am, I would acquire some flaxseed and just boil it up, preserving with germall plus, or my favorite of germall plus + optiphen. Flaxseed does leave hair feeling nice



What is IPM?  

Are you talking about "Bob's Red Mill Raw Flaxseed" kind of flaxseed?  If you boil that, it ends up looking like that okra gel?  And then you put it in your hair to tame the fly-aways. 

 (It seems to me, sticking okra gel or flaxseed gel in your hair would be a fly-come-get me sort of thing, though. )

Totally inappropriate:  I don't know who okra girl is, but she is absolutely gorgeous.  I'm not gay, but I'd definitely go out with her.


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## Teapot (Jul 29, 2016)

Not sure I can add much to the discussion, but I'm reading with interest, as I'd like to find some more natural (and cheaper) ways to make the most of my curls, without going fluffy! 

I have fairly thick hair, very curly. I wash it about twice a week, usually with just conditioner, I use shampoo about every third or fourth wash. I've found that my hair needs washing much less frequently since stopping using silicone products. 

I used some really cheap conditioner recently, because I fell for the scent - big mistake. My hair was like a cloud for ages! It's starting to settle down a bit now, but it has taken weeks.

Thanks to everyone who has given links, I will check those out.


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## Guspuppy (Jul 29, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> What is IPM?
> 
> Are you talking about "Bob's Red Mill Raw Flaxseed" kind of flaxseed?  If you boil that, it ends up looking like that okra gel?  And then you put it in your hair to tame the fly-aways.
> 
> (It seems to me, sticking okra gel or flaxseed gel in your hair would be a fly-come-get me sort of thing, though. )



I don't know about Bob's Red Mill, but I just buy whatever whole flaxseed I can find and yes, boil it up. Even if you just put flaxseed in cold water and let it sit overnight it will make a thin gel, boiling just brings out more of it.

 I have never had a fly or any other insect interested in my hair with flaxseed gel in it!


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## reflection (Jul 29, 2016)

Brina said:


> I make my own shampoo bars and use apple cider vinegar as my liquid. I do an 8% sf for my Tina Turner/Don King love child hair lol. It helps SO much with my frizzies. I also made a extra light lotion that I'm trying as a conditioner. So far my hair is LOVING it. I did 78% water, 1% preservative, 2% fragrance, 5% ewax, and 14% oils.



i so want to try the shampoo bars but am holding off for now. i'm cracking up at your "tina turner/don king love child hair". if you sell your bars you must give it a funny name like that  (minus any copyright infringement so you don't get sued). let us know how these work over time for you. 

okra gel?! lol. that is one gooey video (love the music) but i think i'll stick to aloe vera that i can buy for now. i had just read about making your own aloe vera gel and i was like no way, not happening. i am not that crunchy…yet. :mrgreen: 

today i tried mixing the aloe with my conditioner in my hand that they didn't want to mix, so instead i used the aloe vera gel and topped it off with my pomade, and then homemade hair spray which i always have to use. seems to be working pretty well. the aveda is now in the cabinet no longer to be used except in case of dire hair emergencies. i'm reading away at naturally curly. awesome site! 

do any of you use aloe vera gel for styling? i did read it may have a good amount of protein which probably isn't the best for low porosity hair, which i have, but i figure it can't be any worse than all those silicones. hopefully, it won't dry my hair out. are flaxseed & okra gel supposed to be better?


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