This home-made, cost-effective hair gel is comparable to the acclaimed Boucleme gel and works brilliantly to tame frizz for many curlies. I use it with The Curly Girl Method and it works perfectly when hair plopping!

Flaxseed gel boasts many benefits, from moisturising your locks to promoting hair growth. It gives hair a medium hold and can be customised to include your own preferred nourishing ingredients and scents. It doesn’t flake and is super cheap and easy to make. It’s simply the perfect home-made recipe for giving your curls some definition.

You will need

Quarter to half a cup of lindeeds/flaxseeds (depending on how much hold you require – the more flaxseeds, the stronger the gel. You can use yellow or brown flaxseeds. Brown flaxseeds tend to give a firmer hold and contain slightly more omega 3 fatty acids)
2 cups of water
1tsp vitamin E oil (this is nourishing and makes your gel last longer)
A pair of cheap tights
A large measuring jug
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Mini airtight storage containers

Optional extra ingredients

3-6 drops of essential oils (such as lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil)
1tbsp of pure aloe vera gel – this enhances the curl and nourishes hair
1/4 tsp hemp seed oil – moisturising

Method

1. Add your optional oils and gels to your measuring jug.

2. Cut the legs off your tights and place one over your measuring jug and set aside.

3. Add the flaxseeds and water to a saucepan. On a low-medium heat, stir constantly while bringing it to the boil.

4. Once you see a white froth appear on the surface of the water, turn off the heat but continue to stir.

5. Keep stirring for around 8 minutes until the gel appears on the surface. Look out for gel sticking to the spoon when you take it out. Most of the liquid in your saucepan will still be watery, but as long as you have that first bit of gel then you’re ready for the next step.

6. Pour the entire contents of the saucepan into your tights-measuring jug.

7. Once the water has cooled down enough to touch (be careful not to burn yourself!) remove the tights and squeeze out the liquid through them into the jug. It will require some perseverance and strength to get the gel to seep through the tights.

8. Once you have squeezed out as much liquid as possible, discard the tights (you can actually re-use the flaxseeds but I find that a second batch is not as effective). Stir your gel, pour into small airtight containers and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

You can also freeze your gel in handy batches and just pop it in the fridge when you run out! Your gel might look slightly creamy or yellow (or gross) – this is absolutely fine as it’ll be clear once warmed in your hands prior to application.

How to use flaxseed gel

As a basic guide, most people apply a generous amount to their curls, scrunch and then either air-dry or diffuse, taking care not to touch and disturb the curl pattern. Once the hair is bone dry, if it’s still a little crunchy you just ‘scrunch out the crunch’ using your hands in an upward motion, to reveal well-defined curls.

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Evie Garnett

Evie is the Head of Beauty for Suit Your Look, specialising in hair and skin products. She loves nothing better than natural haircare and learning all about the science behind beauty ingredients!