Two weeks in! The webcam picture isn’t the best, but my camera is broken.
Update: Here I am, 3 months shampoo-free, using nothing but flax-seed hair gel and coconut oil in my hair.
Here I am, two weeks after going shampoo free! See below for a picture of the back of my head.
I have been trying to eliminate all sulfates (and other vile offenders) from my beauty routine, but natural, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners are expensive. A friend told me to try using a solution of baking soda and apple cider vinegar to clean and condition my hair. I was skeptical. My hair is long, curly, and unruly. I NEEDED all the extra stuff in store-bought hair care products. Or so I thought.
The idea of being able to eliminate expensive and/or unhealthy products from my daily routine was too good to pass up. I jumped right in.
Taking my friend’s suggestion, I mixed up a solution as follows:
1 T. baking soda
1 T. apple cider vinegar
Mix this together (Oh! Fizzy!) and then add:
1 c. warm water
I poured this over my head, a little at a time, and did my best to work it into my hair. I had a lot of buildup from all the products I used, so the first couple times, I needed the entire cup. My hair felt oddly dry, not slippery, and kind of crunchy. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, and quite honestly, the first couple days were tricky. My hair did not want to cooperate. I still used my normal mousse and styled as usual. Slowly, my hair began to adjust to the changes. I only wash my hair every 3 days or so, and I found that each time, my hair became more and more manageable and shiny. It also seemed to dry faster. Huh.
After a week, I was pretty hooked on the soda-and-vinegar solution, but I didn’t know what to do about my hair care products. I use some natural products, but they are very expensive since I have so much hair, I use A LOT. I’ve considered chopping off my hair but I don’t think my husband would speak to me again and I kind of like him.
So, my next step was to do a coconut oil mask on my hair the night before I washed it. I simply allowed a dollop of coconut oil to warm on my palm and ran it through my hair. I put my hair in a braid and went to bed. The next morning, I washed as usual. My hair turned out much softer and manageable. If I didn’t live in such a humid and drippy part of the world, I might be able to go without anything else in my hair. But, here in the Pacific NorthWET, I needed a little something-something to keep my hair from looking too frizzy.
Fortunately for me, my beautiful, curly-locked cousin told me about a recipe for flax seed hair gel. WHAT?!? I can make hair gel at home?! Using just two ingredients?!?! I got out a pot and started cooking. Here’s the recipe straight from the fabulous website, naturallycurly.com.
DIY Flax Hair Gel
2 T. flax seeds (some say golden flax seeds give extra hold, but I’ve tried both and didn’t notice a difference)
1 c. water
1-2 drops essential oil (optional–but it smells nice and can prevent the gel from going rancid too quickly)
1 t. honey (optional–good for dry hair or dry climates–I find it really helps my hair, which tends to dry out)
Using a heavy-bottomed pot, mix the flax seeds in the water. I let mine sit for an hour or two before cooking, and I noticed that even by soaking the seeds, the water started to get thicker. Gently boil the flax seeds for 6-8 minutes. Don’t overcook. The liquid will begin to gel and the flax seeds will suspend in the liquid when you stir it. Bubbles will from on the surface and the mixture will resemble egg whites. This is when it’s done. Strain immediately using a fine mesh strainer, pushing the seeds around with a spoon to remove as much gel as possible. Store the seeds in the fridge and use to make one more batch of gel before tossing. Mix in EO and honey, if desired. Put the gel in a squeeze bottle and presto! You have homemade, natural, wonderful hair gel. Use as you would any hair gel, but store extra in the fridge to preserve freshness.
Makes about 3/4 c.
I took a picture of my hair after using the gel so you can see that it really does work! I wet my hair and used the same amount of gel I normally would. I blew it dry using a diffuser for a couple minutes, then I let it air dry the rest of the way. After it dried completely, I put some coconut oil on the ends and used the diffuser for a minute longer just to help the oil soak in. My hair turned out soft but not frizzy. Wow! I’m in love.
Pros:
It’s inexpensive
It’s easy to make
It’s good for me and my hair
It doesn’t leave my hair crunchy or “wet”
It’s not sticky! My palms didn’t feel slimy after applying the gel, and it dried quickly in my hair.
It’s sustainable
Cons:
Short shelf life (store in the fridge–it works just fine when it’s cold)
Summary: Going shampoo-free was a big step for me, but I’m glad I did! I love that I’m not using any toxic or questionable ingredients on my skin and hair. The flax seed gel is a wonderful solution to the product problem I faced. I love it!
So what do you think? Are you going to give it a try?
Do you only use the water, vinegar and soda to clean your hair or do you also use shampoo? How often do you use the mixture?
Thanks for your posting. I’m gathering my recipes for the things I want to slowly start making homemade. I like the simplicity of the hair wash instead of shampoo, but I was wondering if you could mix it up in advance? I have a family of six and can’t imagine doing that individually for everyone, every time they use it. Also, might sound silly, but do you rinse it or leave it in? I didn’t follow that.
Thanks again sooo much!
I mix mine up ahead, but it does get cold while it sits! I just make sure their hair is really wet and warm before putting it on. You can also warm some up right before using. And yes, you do rinse it out. If you don’t, the vinegar might bleach or even damage your hair, especially if you go out in the sun afterward. 🙂
Hey,
I’ve read about the flaxseed recipe in other blogs but people use it as shampoo, have you heard of this??? It’s supposed to do wonders to the scalp but I am curious to try it as a gel to style my hair. Also from what I read in here… It sounds like you mix the baking soda and vinegar all in one?? I have been no poo for a year, using bs first and acv for final rinse and although some weeks my hair is amazing, I find that I have a lot of excess sebum which is the reason I gave up shampoo. Any thoughts?? I try to wash my hair every 3 days but sometimes on the 3rd day is just soo oily 🙁
I am trying out your vinegar/baking soda/water recipe… Do you know if this can be premade and stored for say a week? I’m trying to think of the easiest way to go about this without having to make it fresh each morning…
Yes, you absolutely can make it ahead and store it. The only problem is, it’s COLD! I’ve found the best thing to do is to mix up the vinegar and baking soda in a squeeze bottle and then add the hot water in the shower so that you don’t freeze your scalp. 🙂
Awesome, thank you… I am going to try making it ahead and see how that goes… Would it need refrigerated if stored? I would probably make about 3-4 days worth since that is what would fit in my bottle… Have been washing my hair this way for two days now and I love it! Thanks!
If you strain the gel through an old pair of panty hose you get all the (most of) the gel and you wont miss a seed. I wonder if vanilla extract will be ok for the pretty smell?
Thanks for the tip! I love the smell of lavender, but I haven’t really branched out. Give it a try and let me know!
Hi Kristen,
I have been poo and sulfate free for several years now and I love my flax seed gel! I just blogged about this too. You have some great curls!
Your hair is absolutely GORGEOUS!! I would LOVE for my hair to look like that (: I have curly hair with a curl pattern that is easily disrupted, and it becomes fluff and frizz with the slightest humidity or indelicate handling. I’ve been no-poo for a while, and have been using aloe as a ‘gel,’ but I’m not totally satisfied. Can’t wait to try this!!
I loved discovering this blog post today and am hoping to try these recipes. I noticed that you said you only wash your hair every 3 days or so. How do you style it on days when you don’t wash it? I find that if I don’t shower in the morning, my hair is a mess and the only option is a ponytail. Anyway, your hair is gorgeous!
That’s a good question. I wet my hair down every day, and put in new gel, or else you’re right–it would be a complete mess. When I wake up, I look like I just stuck my finger in a light socket! So, I have to wet it down and start over. But, I can just wet it down and add more gel and it doesn’t build up or weigh my hair down. And, I don’t have to use as much the second day. Let me know how it works for you!
I’m so excited to try out these methods! I live a bit further north and east than you do, which means I have no humidity and lots of hot and dry air. Your curls inspire me to grow minel onger, though. Question: how do you do your bangs? Mine are driving me crazy! 😉
I just put gel in them and use a curling iron to straighten them. I don’t own a flat iron, or maybe that would work too. If it’s really humid out, I have to straighten them again if I go outside, but it’s not nearly as bad as if I let them dry naturally. They curl all the wrong direction, if you know what I mean, so I have to straighten them because I’m too lazy to finger-curl them so they look half-way decent!
Just happened upon this via pinterest. (Saw your picture and thought, hey! I know her…) I’ve been wanting something to take the place of my gel (I stopped using shampoo awhile back) but haven’t found anything that isn’t sticky. Will be trying this!
I love it for that very reason–it’s not sticky! And, your hair looks a lot like mine, so I bet it would work for you as well!
I got thin straight hair and live in a humid hot climate. I wonder if this could work for me. The 100% humidity and 80 degrees or above doesn’t help the frizz! I do love my hair when I was in a dry climate. It behave itself and I desire my long beautiful hair and it deserves to be out of the ponytail.
That’s a good question. From my experience, the flax seed gel is not making my hair MORE curly, it just seems to seal in the curl shape as it dries, so I would imagine it would work if you straighten it. But, I can’t guarantee it! It’s really humid here too, and I have found that my hair is much less frizzy now that I’ve switched from commercial hair products to this. Everything else seemed to lose power if it rained or got misty. Not the flax! Also, I add a little coconut oil to the ends. That helps to tame the fly-aways. If you try it, be sure to come back and let me know how it works with straight hair!
I may have to try this on my hair. Its short (about nape of the neck-ish) and not really frizzy (I think the most ‘product’ I use on it is a once every 6 months spray of hairspray) but there is just so MUCH of it that it drives me up the wall.
Thank you so much for posting about this. I recently decided I wanted to stop using chemicals in my hair as well but have been reluctant to give up my mousse. I saw the flax recipe online but none had any reviews or said if it worked. Your hair looks amazing! I am definitely going to try making some tomorrow.
So, if the flax gel wouldn’t strain through the mesh sieve, did I cook the flax seeds to long?
Probably. I have found that I have to strain the gel right away, or it gets too thick. Also, I couldn’t get all of the gel off the seeds. Some stuck to them and no amount of stirring would get it through the strainer. But, I just saved the seeds and used them for another batch, so a little extra gel stuck to them didn’t matter. You can try adding more water to the gel to thin it out–I haven’t tried this, but it might work. You may as well give it a shot since you can’t get it to strain anyway.
Very worried about not using conditioner, but thought I would give it a chance. Just took the towel out of my hair and it feels great. This is my first try, but I don’t use gel and stuff, though my hair is a frizz mess because of that. Thinking I need to find some flax seed so I can make gel and then the coconut oil. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear this! It might take a couple weeks for your hair to adjust, so beware! But it sounds like you’re off to a great start. I think you’ll really like the hair gel. I would look like a Muppet character if I didn’t put something in my hair!
Yeah! Do me a favor and let us know how it works. Pretty please?
I think I’ll try it. I know they’re often interchangeable in recipes so maybe it will work.
Rebeca–I’m not sure. I think the flax seed works because of its high fat content (which is also why it can go rancid so quickly). If you don’t mind potentially wasting the seed, you might want to give it a try. I am going to try making a batch with oat water (I soak my oats before cooking them) because oatmeal has the ability to smooth out the hair follicles. I thought it might be more conditioning to my hair than just plain water. It might not work, but I won’t know unless I try, right? Let us know if you try the chia seeds and they work!
I’m intrigued! I haven’t tried homemade hair products, but may try your recipes above as the ingredients seem simple. I have naturally curly hair that I’m currently using lots of product to tame and would like to reduce due to cost and chemicals. Thanks for sharing your success!
Do you think chia seed could be used? (Only because I happen to have some and don’t have flax at the moment.)
Great! Come back and let us know how it works for you. Since I’ve gone more natural, I find that the scents in many products bother me. I like some scent, but most of them are just over the top. I can adjust the scent by adding more or less essential oils, and it works out great!
I love this idea! I just spent $9 on a natural de frizz product and the smell is so overwhelming I can’t even use it. I’m going to try this. Thanks!