7-minute Flaxseed Gel

Image courtesy of WikiHow

Tired of expensive, store-bought, drying hair gels but put off of homemade alternatives due to disturbing visuals of women straining gel through pantyhose?

Or maybe you’re just a student who doesn’t particularly like the idea of using a stove unless you absolutely have to?

Well, I have your solution! Below you’ll find a recipe for Flaxseed Gel that is microwave-based, quick and easy. Not to mention mess-free!

Disclaimer: Microwave settings may vary, but I use 7 minutes as a maximum in case your microwave operates at a lower power setting. This gel actually should only take you three minutes. Also, I have tried this with the conventional recipe of a quarter cup of flaxseeds to two cups of water and got the same result. This recipe is scaled down to accommodate the natural who doesn’t want to make more gel than she uses in a single styling session. Feel free to adapt it to your hair length but remember that a little goes a long way, not only in terms of the final gel product, but also in terms of the flaxseeds necessary to produce a good consistency of gel.

Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp Flaxseeds/Linseeds (preferably brown, but golden work just as well)
2/3 cup of water (you may use less or more depending on how much yield you want)

Equipment:
A microwave safe bowl
A microwave
A spoon
A towel or oven mitten
A sieve/strainer
A collecting bowel or jug that fits well under the sieve/strainer
A squeeze bottle (optional)

Instructions:
1. Place your flaxseeds and water in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Place your bowl, uncovered, in the microwave and set it to 7 minutes.
3. Microwave for 2 minutes, open microwave and stir the mixture. At this point it should be watery but slightly sticky. It should not yet be gel-like. (If it is, remove it, your microwave is a beast!). You should also be checking that it isn’t bubbling over and out of your bowl, which it shouldn’t with such a small batch. Close microwave and allow it to continue.
4. Microwave for another 2 minutes. At this point I get impatient and remove it using a towel or an oven mitten. (You don’t have to, you can microwave for the full 7 minutes if you want.) The mixture should be thicker at this point, but still runny enough to easily get through a sieve.
5. Place your sieve on a collecting bowl and strain your mixture. If it is still too “liquid” don’t worry, it will firm up as it cools. At this point you are done. You can let it cool and add essential oils or other fun stuff, but I like to keep it simple.
6. Optional step: Decant gel, while still warm and runny, into a squeeze bottle for easier managing.

And viola!

All in (less than) seven minutes and for less than a rand! Cheap, natural, nourishing and time-saving…

just up my alley.