About a year ago, I shared a post about the benefits of flaxseed oil and gel for hair (see it here). I tried making the gel in 2010 with disappointing results and last year, I tried Botticelli Botanicals pre-made Flax Gelee with very nice results (and boy did it smell amazing!!). But, being the PJ that I am, it was a passing fancy and I forgot about FSG for a while.
Well, this past weekend, I decided to revisit making my own flaxseed gel (FSG). But, this time, the plan was to make an flaxseed cream gel. “Cream Gel” you ask? Well see, I mentioned here that my last attempt at making FSG resulted in it being too thick. CrystalJ commented on the post and suggested that I whip the gel with a little oil to create a cream gel if that happens again! Well, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a creamy, moisturizing gel, so I decided I wanted to make one regardless of whether I “overcooked” my flaxseeds.
But first, I needed to be reminded of the ratio of seeds to water again, so I reviewed this well-known tutorial, which I’ve watched many times in the past:
via Naptural85
Okay, got it.
Basic Flaxseed (FSG) Gel Recipe
1/4 c. whole flaxseeds
2 c. distilled water
optional: Vitamin E oil (preservative), essential oils, carrier oils
As to what I decided to add to make my FSG cream gel, I decided to add a scoop of coconut oil that was mixed with Maychang oil and a scoop of shea butter.
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- 1/4 cup of flaxseeds in 2 cups of distilled water.
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- The water is thickening and the gel is forming.
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- Clean but damaged pair of hose re-purposed as an FSG strainer!
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- Bowl prep.
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- Straining the seeds out from the gel.
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- Gel extracted. Seeds saved to be refrigerated and reused.
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- Coconut oil with Maychang EO and shea butter to be whipped with gel.
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- FSG, coconut oil and shea butter whipped together with a hand-held mixer.
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- All done and ready to package in a re-purposed bottle.
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- All done with a little extra!
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- FSG whipped with coconut oil and shea butter.
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- Room temperature gel emulsified.
The BAD (meaning, the mistakes I made):
- I tried to whip the gel, solid coconut oil and solid shea butter together at once. Not a good idea. It was not working. If using solid oils/butters, whip those FIRST into a smooth consistency, THEN whip in the gel.
- I probably used too much coconut oil and shea butter. I threw in about 1/4 of a cup each. CrystalJ suggested that I use a “dollop.” The reason I think I used too much is because, when I refrigerated the gel, the coconut turned solid and made little tiny chunks all through the gel.
- Because the coconut oil solidifies, I am not able to squeeze the gel out of the bottle. It’s too thick, so I have to open the bottle to extract it!
- As I used a decent amount of oil/butter, the gel doesn’t have as much hold as I think it would have with less oil.
Now the GOOD:
- It’s very moisturizing!
- Although the coconut oil made chunks in the gel, the coconut oil does melt from body heat when emulsified in my palms! (I have also placed it in a cup of heated water and that makes the coconut oil melt in the gel.)
- It has not left any flakes in my hair.
- I’ve been wearing a bun almost all week and it has provided my edges with a light hold.
- I’ve been applying it to my edges every morning and it doesn’t seem like I’m getting product build-up.
So, I plan to keep using this and may make some more gel with the leftover seeds to add to this bottle in order to give it a little more hold. Next time, I’ll definitely use less coconut oil, will add some Vitamin E oil to act as a preservative and will use liquid oils like grapeseed, jojobo and/or EVOO instead of shea butter. I also want to try the cream gel on a braid-out set!! So, I may do that this weekend!
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Have you tried/do you use FSG? What do you think of it? If you make it regularly, what’s your favorite recipe?
hairscapades 
This sounds intriguing. When I made some FSG, I made it with just the seeds and water and it looked great in my hair until the next day. My hair was so dry! It was horrible. I thought it just wasn’t a product for me. But now, my spidey senses are tongling. I might have to give this one a try, buy I’ll wait until after you try it on your braidout!
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I will definitely try this! Thanks for sharing ❤
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I’ve made FSG in the past, but I mixed it with a little lavender EO and I really liked it. I’m not too fond of the extraction process. I read a tip that I may try if I make the FSG again, putting the seeds in the hose before boiling and placing the “package” in the water to boil, this will apparently save you from having to go through the whole squeezing process. I’ll let you know if it works!
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Hi Samantha L,
I saw this on YouTube which is exactly what you are describing:
Flaxseed Gel: Less Mess by UsNaturalGirls
What a great idea! 🙂
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Thanks! I’ll check out the video!
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Am going to give it a try.
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Thanks for the post!
I tried making my own gel a couple time and didn’t like the consistancy. I never considered 1.) I might be overcooking the seeds and 2.) That I could add oils and (possible) shea butter to give it a smoother feel.
I’ll definitely have to try again!
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boy are you adventurous 🙂 I think all in all though if the results are good then who cares if the recipe was a little wonky. Looking forward to the next batch 🙂
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Awesome!! I’m stoked that you made it! I had a lot of trial and error too before I figured out what worked for me. But I figured it out eventually.
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I did the FSG for a year using lavender, vitamin E and jojoba oil. To be honest, I got bored with the process and started using Eco styling gel with olive oil. This creamy version may inspire me to try again.
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I will definitely have to try this. FSG itself was not a go, however I love coconut oil and the thought of using a cream sounds good.
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I like using fsg in my hair keeps the shine for me. This summer am going to try wash and go’s so am going to mix some of my shea butter mix to the flax seed gel to keep it moisturize. An spray daily with water etc…
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Shelli I add just a little bit of Jamaican Black Castor oil. Too much oil affects the hold. I also add a squirt of Agave Nectar or honey, squirt of glycerin and blend in some guar gum. Comes out a nice creamy consistency with just enough hold. I always use this to do my twistouts.
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Sharron, where do you get guar gum? Do you have to order it online? This sounds like a nice mix!! What are your ratios?
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I like this, will try it..thanks.
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Cool!! I hope that you like it Andrea!! Please let us know how it works out for you!!
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I made some Flaxseed gel months ago and abandoned making another batch due to laziness. However this sounds amazing! How long would you say this would last?
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Hey Rella!! It should last about 3 weeks if you keep it refrigerated. I’m still using this batch!! I just set my hair in a TnC with it last night! I have enough for about one more application, I think. If I have leftovers, I think that it’ll be time to dump and make a new batch.
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