That’s right. I said it. Best hair gel ever.
A little presumptuous? Maybe. But as a DIY addict, I’ve tried a whole lot of hair gels (like this flaxseed one) and I’ve been most happy with this one. I’ll even go so far as to say that this works better than any hair gel I’ve ever gotten from the store. Even in comparison to this one I used to be in love (so of course it got discontinued!) with before my DIY-ing days.
This recipe is ridiculously easy and in all my years of DIY, I can’t believe I didn’t think of doing this before. I know that a recipe with just 2 ingredients has a tall order for calling it the best things ever…but I stand by what I said! As with all things DIY, I love that it can so easily been customized to have the hold that you want which is important for us curly-haired-folks.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons aloe vera gel
- 1/2-1 teaspoon gelatin
(the amount depends on the hold you want…I recommend starting low and adding as necessary)
- optional: whatever essential oils you want for scent. I did grapefruit because I love the smell!
Steps:
- Put your aloe vera gel in a small glass jar.
- Slowly start adding your gelatin–a little at time–and stirring well to incorporate.
- This mixture will gel-up over the next 24 hours or so. You can actually use it before it’s done but it won’t have quite as much hold.
I’ve found (and Hayley from the PrimalPalate found the same thing!) that diffusing (I like on low heat because my hair is delicate and because I don’t use a lot of products to cover up damage) after using this gel works really well. If you’re looking for softer curls, the hold will scrunch out with air drying as well but diffusing makes it look really nice (even if you don’t diffuse long enough to let it completely dry).
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Does it need to be refrigerated?
Oh right, thanks for asking that! Yes, I store mine in the fridge. You could alternatively make tiny batches to use up in a week or so and then you wouldn’t have to 🙂
I thought maybe you forgot to post that 😉 Thanks for the recipe!!
Absolutely! Keep me posted on how it goes! 🙂
Did you use aloe Vera gel from the store? Could you use aloe Vera from the actual plant?
I used aloe vera gel from the store (the one I linked to) but I think that it’s quite interchangeable with the real deal. It’s a little runnier so you might just require just a touch more gelatin. I’ll try to try it out soon but if you do it first, please swing by and let me know how it turned out for you!
I used the gel today. At first I was worried it was like a gelatin gel I had made before. The one before left flaky pieces but this one was awesome! Love it and can’t wait until your hairspray recipe!!!
Hooray! That’s so amazing! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know 🙂
Hey, one quick question:
I tried flaxseed gel on my curly hair for the first time today and it worked quite well. It tamed my frizz, even in the southern humidity. But…it looked like I had a major dandruff issue all day. And of course I was wearing a black shirt, too. So, does this gel also flake and shed like crazy?
Thanks for your help!
Melissa
Hey Melissa! Sorry to hear that! That’s never fun. I haven’t had that experience with this gel. Sometimes specks of gelatin won’t get dissolved all the way but it never looks like dandruff to me…if that happens, a little diffusing takes care of the issue pretty quick 🙂
Just curious, any way you can think of making this to not have to be in the fridge? Also, is it the aloe that requires it to be refrigerated?
Thanks!
Hm, maybe adding in something like tea tree oil would have it keep longer, or grapefruit seed extract? Good question! And yes, it’s the aloe vera I worry about since bacteria seem to love it as much as we do 🙂
Hi,
I have tried aloe vera gel for my hair and it really is very good. I did not use the gel that is available in the market and extracted the gel from the aloe vera plant and used it.
How do you think this would do as a volumizer for fine/thin hair?
I have that kind of hair and it definitely gives my curls more volume 🙂
Thanks for your reply! What about if my hair is stick straight? Do you still think it would give a bit of oomph?
Oops. One other question… Can I use store-bought aloe vera gel – like from the sunburn aisle? As long as it has no other ingredients? Or is that not the right kind of consistency?
Good questions! It really depends on which ones you can find in that aisle, in my opinion, they all tend to have additives or stabilizers. I buy mine at The Vitamin Shoppe though so it’s not too hard to find (it’s called Lily of the Desert). As far as if it works for straight hair, I really am not sure! I’m guessing it might but I haven’t gotten anyone with straight hair to test it out for me. If you’d be willing to try it and let me know, I’d love that! 🙂
Sounds good! Thanks for the help. I’ll give it a try on my stick straight hair and let you know!
Hello! I made this yesterday and tried it today seems to be working I’m letting it dry at this moment, but I worry about some little round white bits of what I think is gelatin. They didn’t fully get dissolved. There is some all over where I put the gel on! Did I do something wrong?
Hi! In that case, it helps to have the aloe vera a little bit warmer (either heated up on the stove or gently in microwave) next time you try it so that it all gets dissolved. I’ve had that happen and the little flakes go away with your hair dries (or you can diffuse if you want it to happen faster) so I’ve always just used it anyways 🙂
Thank you! I’ll try heating the aloe vera next time 🙂
Hello Alex! Great Article as usual. But the best I have ever used is the GKhair gel. Perfect for creating sleek and smooth hair style that lasts long with strong hold. Just Amazing. 🙂 <3
Nice! Glad you found something that works for you.
I used this yesterday and at first it was awesome. But this morning I put my hair in a side ponytail and some of my curls broke and those parts became flaky. I used 3 tablespoons of heated aloe vera gel and 1 teaspoon of gelatin. I didn’t diffuse my hair.