Check out my recipe for Gelatin-Aloe Hair Gel over at Liz Wolfe’s Skintervetion blog! It’s cheap, it’s easy to make, it uses only natural ingredients, and it WORKS. Do yourself a favor and try it out, especially if you have curly hair like I do. If you do try it, or have any questions about it, post them here! I’d love to hear how it worked for you, and any modifications you made.
This has been a lifesaver! I have a mess of curls and most of the time they are out of control. Changing my diet to a more nutrient dense one has helped tremendously with the dryness and texture but I still hadnt found the right product to keep the frizz at bay. I have tried so many ‘natural’ curly hair products and they all gave me a horribly itchy scalp with tons of dandruff. I made a batch of this little miracle and VOILA! Beautiful natural curls! I got amazing volume and shine and my scalp felt clean and fresh. Thank you so much!
Yay! I’m so glad it’s been helpful for you! Lately I’ve been adding a couple drops of honey and a few sprays of magnesium oil to give a little extra hold, curl, and shine, and that’s been working pretty well too 🙂
Hi, I wondered how long it lasted? Does it flake at all? Also, you hair color is so pretty with that red. Can you tell me how you henna your hair, or that product that you use? Thanks!
Hi Jenny! My batches usually last about two weeks before the texture gets a little clumpier and harder to work with, but as far as spoiling, I think it easily lasts a month (although it might not last as long if you skip the essential oil).
And thank you so much! I use henna from mehandi.com
I can’t remember exactly which type of henna I bought last time, though! I’ll have to do a more extensive post on my henna-ing method, but the short version is that I mix it with green tea and some coconut oil, leave it in my hair for at least four hours, then rinse it out. The website I linked above has a lot of helpful information as well!
Just realized I missed your question about the flaking! Yes, it does flake a bit if you put too much on, so I had to experiment a bit to find the right amount to use. But generally I don’t have any issues with it!
Where can I buy the gelatin at?? Super excited to give this a try as I have a super thick head of curly hair!
I usually buy my gelatin on Amazon (here) but I’ll also often use plain Knox gelatin for my hair gel, which you can buy at most grocery stores. I don’t care as much about the quality of the gelatin if I’m not eating it! Let me know how you like it!!
Hi Alyssa! I may be 20 years older than you are, but it sounds like we have EXACTLY the same hair! I also use henna; I love adding red to my mousy-brown hair, and it just so happens that henna really sticks to grays. 🙂 (I use Morrocco Method henna, and I totally agree with you that it’s important to get chemical-free stuff.) I definitely have the same issues you do with controlling this crazy, frizzy, thin curly hair, so I look forward to making your gel and giving it a try. Can you tell me more about the two different recipes for light hold versus strong hold … which do you use more often, under what circumstances do you use one or the other, do you recommend one over the other for humidity and other weather conditions (I live in Houston, very humid), etcetera? Trying to decide which to make first. Thank you!
Yay Tammy! I love finding hair twins 🙂 Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried other Morrocco Method products? I’ve heard they have awesome natural shampoos and conditioners that fit in well with a no-poo routine, but I haven’t tried anything of theirs yet.
As far as the hold, I actually tend to make the light hold one more often! The strong hold starts out feeling more stiff, but the light hold seems like it might resist humidity just a tad better. (Probably because the extra moisture from the aloe keeps my hair from ‘reaching out’ (aka frizzing) to absorb the moisture in the air.) You could also experiment with just adding a bit more gelatin powder to the light hold recipe without increasing the amounts of anything else (I’d start by just adding ¼ teaspoon extra). Let me know what you try, and how it works!
Indeed, I have tried other MM products. I rarely buy anything but their henna (and Euro Oil to mix in it, supposed to help the henna rinse out) because of the price, but I recently splurged on a curly-hair package of Sea Essence shampoo, Pearl Essence creme rinse, and Blood of the Dragon styling gel. The shampoo is great, but because it doesn’t foam up, I focus on applying it to my head, at the roots, and just trusting that enough gets on the rest of my hair. I do like what it does for my hair. I only use it once or twice a week, but it’s still running out too fast and I doubt I can afford to keep buying it. I make my own shampoo, though, with coconut milk, Dr. Bronner’s, and small amounts of oils, aloe vera gel, and glycerine. The creme rinse is ok, can’t say I noticed its effectiveness like I did the shampoo. The gel is good, and it comes in a nice big bottle that lasts a while. But if your gel works as well or better, and obviously costs less, why not, right? I too have made flax seed hair gel, and it worked very well, but it goes bad (in hot Houston) if it isn’t kept refrigerated, and I always forgot to grab it on my way to the shower, so I end up not using it. Never tried okra gel – that’s too funny!
Ever added coconut oil to the gel? I wonder how it would do?
I haven’t! My hair actually doesn’t do super well with oils left in it. I’m not sure how well it would work, since the gel is refrigerated; it might be difficult to keep the coconut oil from separating into hard little lumps. The ingredients are so cheap though, it’s worth a shot! Let me know how it goes 🙂