Flax Seed Gel
My hair absolutely loves flax seed gel and I’ve been making it for the past year. The following recipe makes about 300ml of gel which I divide into four 100ml bottles and freeze. Each individual bottle — which is about 2/3rds full — then defrosts and stays in the fridge for 2 weeks before the remains (if any) are discarded.
If a bottle of gel has to stay out of the fridge for longer periods, try adding 1% Optiphen.
You will need:
1/4 cup (59ml) golden linseed
Water (distilled if you live in a hard water area)
Covered container
Pan
Spoon
Fine sieve
Stick (immersion) blender
Freezable bottles/containers
- Soak the seeds in 1 cup (236.5ml) of boiling water & leave overnight, in a covered container, at room temperature.
- The next morning, put seeds and water into saucepan, add 1 more cup (236.5 ml) of water and bring to a boil stirring frequently. When the mix starts to froth up and rise up the saucepan turn heat down to a high simmer and continue to stir.
- Continue stirring until the mix has thickened a little (not too much) and you can see ‘strings’ of gel hanging down from spoon – it will look a bit like egg white. This should take no more than 5-7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and tip the mix into the sieve over the bowl. (Note: put the saucepan into soak straight away, or it will be a nightmare to wash!)
- Use your spoon to work the pale yellowish gel through the sieve (this works best while gel is still hot).
- Wash up the saucepan and sieve!
- Whip the cooling gel with immersion / stick blender until it’s white and fluffy.
- Pour into bottles, allow to cool and then freeze.
You don’t have to whip the gel but it will make the gel easier to use & apply. Otherwise, the gel — which has the consistency of thick egg white — has a tendency to try and escape when you try to emulsify it between your hands!
Apply the gel to freshly washed, wet, hair, then dry & style as usual.
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