Journey Into Freedom

The Princess and I both have long hair, and we want to take proper care of it.  As we have rid our house of more and more strange chemicals, our tolerance for chemicals in other things has lowered.  Things like laundry soap, lotion, bar soap, and even shampoos and conditioners often bother us now.  Plus, I like to be very aware of our consumption of products containing single-use plastics in addition to the monitoring the amounts of chemicals in our home.  There are several things I have tried that have been utter flops, as well as several we have liked.  Listed below are two hair product DIYs that we use on a regular basis.  I found “recipes” similar to these several years ago while searching the internet and have adapted them for our use.  Word to the wise:  if you choose to try the hair gel, it does have to be stored in the fridge.  With both items, keeping it in small batches is something I would definitely recommend, as they seem to lose efficacy as we near the end of the batch.

Hair Gel

2 c. water

1/4 c. golden flax seeds (whole)

(optional) essential oil of preference

Bring to a boil, and boil for about 8 minutes, stirring often.  Continue to boil until it’s like a jelly consistency falling off the spoon when you stir.

Strain out flax seeds so that only the gel part remains in container of choice.  Once it is partially cooled, I add about 4 drops of tea tree, and 5-10 more of whatever oil I choose.  I like to use ones like lemongrass or citronella in summer, but I use those sparingly since they are so strong.  Geranium is one I use often as well.  I try to avoid the oils that sting, since there is a chance of getting in eyes, especially with my little people in the house.

We have found our favorite way to use this is to put it in a re-purposed bottle with a squeeze top. Store in refrigerator.

Hair Spray

1 c. water

1 TBSP granulated sugar

1 TBSP rubbing alcohol

(optional) essential oil of preference

Bring water to boil & add sugar.  Stir until dissolved & remove from heat.  Once off heat, stir in alcohol & oils of choice.  I use 10-15 drops usually.  I tend to always include tea tree in a small amount & layer other scents on top of it.

I would describe this as a flexible-hold hairspray.  Use small amounts at a time.  Once dry, then layer more if needed.

Neither my daughter nor myself use this daily, but several times a week we do.  Certain long-hair styles we do still require something stronger, but I think I’ve bought maybe 3 cans of hairspray in the several years that we’ve been making this.  That’s a lot more cans of hairspray that are NOT in landfills, and reducing our waste on this planet can do harm, that’s for sure! Quite honestly, I prefer to use these DIYs if nothing else than for the scent.  I won’t lie and say that there is no adjustment period getting used to them, but we have found it to be well worth it.   Hope you enjoy!