Flax Seed Hair Gel..the revoloution for my curly hair!

Been poking around Natruallycurly.com and reading all the posts with the ladies who have decided to abandon conventional hair products and get back to using more natural products which are safe for curly hair and also not stripping or causing reactions on the skin.

When i hear natural sometimes I tend to think the item is going to be more expensive than the store item which i can get for a budget price. Going green does not always mean cheap. It's an adjustment but using items closer to the natural state of things does work better in the long run if the family budget allows for it and i can maintain it well.

Okay so let's lay out how much hair care was costing me before i went the natural route:

Living Proof No Frizz shampoo and conditioner: 2oz bottles = $10 each = $20
Living Proof No Frizz Styling creme: 2 oz bottle = $14
Tresemme Hair Spray: 11oz = $4.99
Bioterra Hair Gel: 38 oz = $9.49 (with club card) plus 13oz bottle to use for travel and refill with the 38oz = 5.99 (with club card)
Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Hydrating-Clarifying Shampoo, for Normal to Dry Hair
8.5 fl oz = $7.97
matching conditioner: $7.97

total: $54.47
The no frizz items only last for at most 1 and a half months. The hair spray last really long b/c i barely used it except for the third or fourth day of having curls. Bioterra 38oz lasts a long time. I think about 2 years...had i not stopped using it it would have finally run out this month. The Giovanni used for clarifying once a week and it took a lot to clarify and deep condition my hair maybe 2 months. Not bad but ever other month for Living Proof was driving me up the wall. Besides the ingredients still had Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate in the shampoo and that is drying.

Okay, so having been fed up with no relief from frizz at all...a researching I went. Found Naturally Curly.com and started reading about what these girls have been doing ot better thier curly locks. My hair profile according to the website is a 3b. I have nice corkscrew curls and they can be loose but yes my hair comes out like curls from a curling iron naturally. A blessing and a curse. The girls follow the Curly Girl method or the system of co-washing which is conditioner washing. Using only conditioner to cleanse the hair. Wen is the infomercial version of this process. Couldn't go that route b/c it's so expensive. However the girls on the board said they used inexpensive conditioner like Suave Naturals (which you can get in the dollarstore... hey $1 not bad) for the first rounds of cleansing then used a quality conditioner for the leave in portion.

While this sounded like the way to go for me i still read on and looked for other methods. Shampoo bars. Made with oils and all things moisturizing. They are portable and take forever to use up for nice prices from $3 to almost $10. This sounded like something i could definitely go for. Supporting artisan soap makers and moms, while getting clean and conditioned hair.So i looked at Chagrin Valley Soap. Many of the NC posters use these soaps religiously. So to the web page i went and read the ingredients and was loving it. Okay the prices are really good and the sample prices were also good but i kept looking. To Etsy I went and found that some soap makers used sodium hydroxide in their shampoo bars and had to keep looking. Thanks to CV i knew what ingredients i wanted in my shampoo bar: coconut oil, jojoba oil, shea butter and a few other really moisturizing oils and butters. I was worried about castor oil weighing down my hair but i would have to try it out. Found Koala Care on Etsy and she has this amazing bar called Aphrodite's Shampoo Bar Soap. For $3.50 this mid sized bar (cause CV's are huge) had what i wanted (i think now it's $4.50). Shipping was $2.50 so for $6 happiness achived and conditioner, conventional conditioner knocked out.

To follow that rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar for shine and that's like $1.50 for a small bottle at the grocery store.

Now for the thing this post is name for: Flax Seed Gel
This has the buzz of all the natural beauties on NC forums. Flax seed gel is a natural gel you make at home from boiled flax seeds.
Basic Recipe:

One cup water

Quarter cup linseeds

Read more at Suite101: How to Make Flaxseed Gel to Style Curly Hair http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-make-flaxseed-gel-to-style-curly-hair#ixzz0v89K3lyM

1 C. Water (distilled is great if you have hard water)
1/4 C. Flax Seeds
Natural Preservative like (grapefruit Seed Extract or Vitamin E)

1. Mix one cup of water to a quarter cup of flaxseeds and add to a pan.
2. Heat slowly, stirring often to stop seeds from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Continue to stir gently as water comes to a boil.
4. A frothy jelly will form and it is crucial to turn the heat down a little when seeds settle in the jelly rather than falling immediately to the bottom of the pan turn the heat off.
5. Carefully pour the liquid through a strainer over a bowl checking for any seeds that may have passed through.
6. Essential oils or preservative can be added at this point.

To this recipe my preservative is Vitamin E ($6 for 200 capsules at Walmart) and for hold, agave nectar ($3 at grocery store) and for more moisture and great scent Sweet almond oil ($2 at Walmart Latino section of the hair styling products), oh yeah Flax seed at grocery store 1lbs for $2.99.

This has given me the perfect curls. Oh yeah must add EVCO just for volume and yes more moisture ( my hair is very thirsty). I use the EV Coconut Oil ($8.99 at Vitamin Shoppe) last because it seals the hair shaft. Air dry and my hair is just WONDERFUL! The gel lasts for about 2 weeks and i have made a more concentrated mixture so that the hold is stronger. My curls are tighter and frizz free! i love it! It's soft and touchable and even lasts in rain. I can even stretch out washings to almost 7 days and my hair looks better the more gel i add to it and do on water rinse mid week in case of the rim of fuzz appears from sleeping and tossing and turning due to pregnancy (so can't wait to get my body back so i can sleep still on my back).

Total: $30.48

Since I'm using very small amounts of everything this $30.48 is going to stretch a long way. I've only used a half cup- 4oz out of 16oz of the flax seed so far and the almond oil maybe half teaspoon (OMG my hair smells great between this and the EVCO..good enough to eat). ACV is only two cap-fulls in warm water. The shampoo bar has barely wasted away, same with the coconut oil. The vitamin E, two capsules per FSG mix and 1/2 tsp agave nectar. This is a great investment b/c i know this will last over months and $2 here and $6 bucks there my hubby will not complain about anything especially since he has seen the change in my hair health and look.

So for almost $6 more than the cost of just the shampoo and styling creme, I'm getting a much better value and usage. This to me is FABULOUS!

UPDATE: her is my hair i hope you can see it well:

One cup water

Quarter cup linseeds

Read more at Suite101: How to Make Flaxseed Gel to Style Curly Hair http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-make-flaxseed-gel-to-style-curly-hair#ixzz0v89K3lyM

One cup water

Quarter cup linseeds

Read more at Suite101: How to Make Flaxseed Gel to Style Curly Hair http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-make-flaxseed-gel-to-style-curly-hair#ixzz0v89K3lyM

One cup water

Quarter cup linseeds

Read more at Suite101: How to Make Flaxseed Gel to Style Curly Hair http://hair-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-make-flaxseed-gel-to-style-curly-hair#ixzz0v89K3lyM

The difference between this and my profile pic...i can touch it and it moves well and it's soft! and $23.99!!!!!!!!!!

Natural Makeup removers: reviews and feelings

Okay so in effort to better my skin and save a few bucks, I have decided to go the natural route with makeup removers. Granted i was only spending $6 at Sephora but i noticed I was getting sensitive to the removers. Maybe it's pregnancy but stinging is not a great thing when trying to remove mascara and eyeshadow.

So here is what i have tried so far:

1) Olive Oil: I use oilve oil from my kitchen which when i do purchase every so often is about $8 for the grocery store brand which i love to cook with has a light fruity scent and is not too heavy. I have used this olive oil along with brown sugar for a face scrub and as a makeup remover and it is great stuff. I have to be careful around the eyes because sometimes it will sting but that is if i over soak my cotton ball. It leaves my skin very soft and removing the oil takes minutes to a routine which i enjoy taking my time with. So rinsing off olive oil with cool water is not a problem for me. I also add it to my dry cleanser for extra oomph and a better exfoliating experience.

2) Milk: Simple always have it on hand and refreshing. Milk does do a body good and apparently my face loves it too. Using milk as a makeup remover is very effective and moisturizing. I rinse with cool water after 2-3 min of removing makeup just to let some soak in and my skin feel very soft and refreshed. Milk is supposed to cleanse and balance the skin so no need for toner. Also love mixing it with my dry cleanser for a mask or with Aveeno oatmeal powder for a soothing face mask..what a wonderful thing milk it.

3) Vitamin E Oil Capsules: Okay this was on the fence for me. Vitamin E has anti-aging qualities and can soothe the skin..Okay good stuff so far. Bought my Vitamin E capsules at walmart for about $6 to mix with my Flaxseed hair Gel and decided to try it out as a makeup remover. By itself i can use half a capsule on my eyes and the other half capsule on my face. also mixed with my dry cleanser and it took off my makeup but left my skin with a layer of the oil. I was a little worried but maybe a half hour later my skin was supple and smooth. Not greasy or gross. I'm glad i stayed up to read and give it a chance to soak in. In the morning my skin was fine and not an oil slick, but i'm still on the fence about this oil and i think i may need to mix it with another oil to work out the way I would like.

4) Coconut Oil: I use Coconut oil for my hair and to moisturize my prego belly. It soothes my itchy skin that I've had with this pregnancy and i love the smell!As an eye makeup remover this is great! it also removes makeup pretty well, not as well as milk or olive oil but it does get stuff off. My lashes are looking much better since using it as an eye makeup remover and i think i would keep it to that. The oil i have is Extra Virgin CO from the Vitamin shoppe. 15oz for like $9.

5) Sweet Almond Oil: Found a very small jar of this in the Spanish/Latino items section of the hygiene section of Walmart for like $2. Also using it to add to my Flax seed hair gel with great results! and wow what a miracle that stuff is! Smells great and removes everything! Eye makeup, mascara and primer! (that's been my problem i have a great primer and my makeup just stays on) No stinging and my face feels like my daughter's uber soft and smells great. Teh oil is very lite and not greasy and very little goes a long way. I also tried a mixture of this oil and oilve oil and love it!

So my results are almond oil and olive oil work best for my skin and EVCO for just my eyes. Love using milk and Vitamin E hmmmm jury still out on that one. My skin is usually oily but has changed to dry due to pregnancy. When it was oily i did use olive oil with wonderful results.

Try these out and save a few bucks..you might be surprised at the results.

Handmade earrings for a friend

Okay so now that the creative juices are flowing...i have made a belated birthday gift for a friend. a pair of earrings that are just super cute. I used gold filled chain bought at the craft store, and beautiful chunky dark smokey topaz acrylic beads which i found on ebay. Crystal pearls in an olive color also bought at craft store with gold tone hypo-allergenic surgical steel ear wires.

I wanted something flirty and that could go from end of summer right into winter. The dark smokey topaz was just the right shade of sexy. The olive pearl adds earthiness and softness to the facets of the topaz and the hard edge of the chain.


Still experimenting with new scanner so sorry about the fuzz in some places. And it also made the earwires look silver on the end when they are gold. I'm just very happy with these earrings. i 'd love to add them to my Artfire store. Gonna do another pair in silver. I've got deep emerald green chunky beads which would look great for the holidays. Also very sheer lavender which are so nice. I am hereby inspired. Now to create a bracelet to match...hmmm

Coconut Oil back in my life

Okay my hair has gone through so many changes during my twenties and now added on is pregnancy my hair has had it with me and i with her. That being said i looked back to my teen years and how awesome my hair was then. What was the deciding factor in my hair looking so wonderful back then? Coconut oil. It was a small 4oz jar i used to buy in Perth Amboy in one of the grocery stores and it was just pure unrefined coconut oil. Lasted a whole long time and i think the jar was like $2-3 each so not bad.

In the winter it was a great heat protectant for when i straightened out my locks, and the rest of the year a great conditioner and deep conditioning treatment once a week.

So having spent much bucks on stuff that only worked for like a day or a month now I'm going back to what worked for years.

Went to the Vitamin shoppe and got my self a 15oz jar of Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for $8.99. It's cold processed and has no additives..just pure coconut oil! The smell is heavenly.

washed my hair after going to the pool and just put the oil and aloe vera in my hair. My hair is bouncy, soft and shiny!

This is with only a dime size amount of product by no frizz in it and I'm very happy. Even put a little into my daughter's hair and what a nice transformation it has made to her curl formation..Shirley temple has nothing on my kid.

Used it on my belly for stretch marks from a very active and growing babe and they are already going away. Much better than the Cocoa Butter which was clogging my skin and causing unsightly breakouts. Hesitant to use it on my face but I've got a good system with rosewater cleanser going on there anyways. On my hands and arms for over night it's great.

I wonder how long it'll take me to go thru this jar? Oh yeah i keep it in the fridge to keep it solid b/c at room temp (76 degrees) it becomes a clear liquid. A little bit goes a long way.

yay! Next project..will be to make natural hair gel from Flax seeds. I'm sick of buying drying hair gel that makes my locks look dry and unhealthy. Hubby is now happy with the reduction in cost for hair products and i can toss conditioner, hopefully gel and other styling products.

this is the you tube video with the flax seed process that i'm going to try:


Until next time!

Update:
second day with coconut oil and i upped the amount in my hair and my hair is fabulous! Shiny, soft moves and i can fluff without frizz! sorry about the grain..my laptop camera needs to be cleaned again.