No-fail flax seed gel - I finally did it...TWICE! - Page 8

CurlyCowgirly · 08-30-2009, 10:15 PM

I'd really like to try this Flaxseed gel everyone's raving about, but I can't seem to find raw golden flaxseed anywhere! I've even searched online, and all I find is grinded flaxseed.

Can anyone provide a link, or stores that carry them?
Note: I don't have a whole foods nor a trader joe's around me.

Also, my hair loves protein, so what ingredients can I add to the mix that are proteins?
TIA!

kathymack · 08-31-2009, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

I'd really like to try this Flaxseed gel everyone's raving about, but I can't seem to find raw golden flaxseed anywhere! I've even searched online, and all I find is grinded flaxseed.

Can anyone provide a link, or stores that carry them?
Note: I don't have a whole foods nor a trader joe's around me.

Also, my hair loves protein, so what ingredients can I add to the mix that are proteins?
TIA!

I did a google search and there were tons of places. This place you have to buy in quantity, but there's free shipping:

http://www.stevensfarm.com/flax_seed_all_products.htm

I found them at my local farmers market. If you can't find them, the brown ones work. Golden ones are better. Whatever you do, don't use ground ones!

Alexjoujou · 08-31-2009, 08:32 AM

Hi CC

You can also try Bob's Red Mill. This is the type I've been using. I got mine at Whole Paycheck (oops,,mean Whole Foods!) but you can order online even just one bag.

Here is a link:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/product.p...cat=105&page=1

I buy the organic ones but they have both organic and non and brown and golden.

It is WELL worth it to buy these. FSG is GREAT!

Mochachino · 08-31-2009, 10:06 AM

What is the difference between the brown and the golden flax seeds?

curlpro · 08-31-2009, 03:29 PM

I bought my flax seeds (golden) at Publix.
Cynthia

belasuna · 08-31-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mochachino

What is the difference between the brown and the golden flax seeds?

I read somewhere online that golden flax seeds give you more hold. Not sure about this, but I use golden because where I live they are actually easier to find than the brown. (But I live in Los Angeles.)

CurlyCowgirly · 08-31-2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by belasuna

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mochachino

What is the difference between the brown and the golden flax seeds?

I read somewhere online that golden flax seeds give you more hold. Not sure about this, but I use golden because where I live they are actually easier to find than the brown. (But I live in Los Angeles.)

Ha! I was just going to ask this very question! I found brown flaxseeds at a grocery store near me, so I'm going to be cooking up some gel tonight hopefully!

Are there other ingredients that will increase the hold? And I'll ask again in case some missed it...since my hair loveess protein, is there anything beneficial I can add for that?

curlpro · 08-31-2009, 04:15 PM

scroll up to my other post to see the additives I used. The epsom salts and agave nectar plus aloe vera gel great hold.
Cynthia

belasuna · 08-31-2009, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

Quote:

Originally Posted by belasuna

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mochachino

What is the difference between the brown and the golden flax seeds?

I read somewhere online that golden flax seeds give you more hold. Not sure about this, but I use golden because where I live they are actually easier to find than the brown. (But I live in Los Angeles.)

Ha! I was just going to ask this very question! I found brown flaxseeds at a grocery store near me, so I'm going to be cooking up some gel tonight hopefully!

Are there other ingredients that will increase the hold? And I'll ask again in case some missed it...since my hair loveess protein, is there anything beneficial I can add for that?

I don't think you want to add egg to the FSG for protein lol. So you can actually buy hydrolyzed proteins (silk, oat, wheat etc) and add them to your FSG. They are not that expensive, I think. Just do a google search. Also, I do believe (and no one has given me facts to cause me to think otherwise) jojoba oil actually has protein in it. Coconut milk has protein in it. You can use powdered milk to add protein. This will also thicken the mixture up a bit. Never tried these last two. Might be a good experiment.

CurlyCowgirly · 08-31-2009, 06:14 PM

Thanks curlpro and belasuna!
I'm going to try adding jojoba for now since I have that on hand.

Has anyone tried adding Tea Tree Oil, coconut oil or rose water?

Ondulee · 09-01-2009, 08:52 AM

do you have a bulk food store nearby? I get my flaxseeds there and they are uber cheap...I you can buy as much or as little as you like.

CurlyCowgirly · 09-01-2009, 02:04 PM

I ACV'ed my hair today, and after my shower, I globbed the FSG on my very wet hair and scrunched the excess with a microfiber towel. I then reapplied a bit more FSG and plopped for 10 mins. Then I clipped up my crown area for about 10 mins and went outside, so the sun mostly dried my hair. I diffused the rest and SOTC'ed. Before diffusing I had to add a little of my aquage gel, because even though the FSG made my hair crunchy, it didn't give my ends good hold. It also gave me thin curls even though I didn't comb my hair at all (combing my wet hair = a thinning curly look). Some of my spirals came out bad. (helix-shaped only at the top; others were loose waves)

On the plus side, my hair looks shiney/soft, but I haven't decided if I like FSG or not.
I'll have to keep experimenting to get tighter curls. Would mag. sulfate have something to do with this?

Maybe some of you know what's causing the bad curl formation...
Here's the recipe I used:
1/4 tsp. mag. sulfate
1/2 tsp. honey
10 drops jojoba oil
1/2 c flaxseed (dark seeds b/c that's all I can find)
2 c water

Before FSG & after FSG pics are attached:
Before is the side view & after is the full back view

curlpro · 09-01-2009, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

I ACV'ed my hair today, and after my shower, I globbed the FSG on my very wet hair and scrunched the excess with a microfiber towel. I then reapplied a bit more FSG and plopped for 10 mins. Then I clipped up my crown area for about 10 mins and went outside, so the sun mostly dried my hair. I diffused the rest and SOTC'ed. Before diffusing I had to add a little of my aquage gel, because even though the FSG made my hair crunchy, it didn't give my ends good hold. It also gave me thin curls even though I didn't comb my hair at all (combing my wet hair = a thinning curly look). Some of my spirals came out bad. (helix-shaped only at the top; others were loose waves)

On the plus side, my hair looks shiney/soft, but I haven't decided if I like FSG or not.
I'll have to keep experimenting to get tighter curls. Would mag. sulfate have something to do with this?

Maybe some of you know what's causing the bad curl formation...
Here's the recipe I used:
1/4 tsp. mag. sulfate
1/2 tsp. honey
10 drops jojoba oil
1/2 c flaxseed (dark seeds b/c that's all I can find)
2 c water

Before FSG & after FSG pics are attached:
Before is the side view & after is the full back view

Honey is a humectant so if it get's too moist do your curls fall flat? Mine do, so I used Agave nectar, (recommended by Kathymac I think), 2 teaspoons, I added 2 teaspoons of mag sulphate and about 4 teaspoons of Aloe Vera Gel, I would cut the Jojoba down to three drops, try it out and add two drops every day till you get the right amount of moisture to hold ratio. You can add the oil after, day by day, just shake it up well. Also I have to tell you that I use like two ounces in my hair and it is shorter than yours, it is almost dripping it's so saturated, don't be afraid to use a lot at least twice what you are using with other gel etc..I just kept making more and more batches till I got the right formula. I handed out the rejects if you want to call them that to other curlies to try as an experiment.
Good luck with the science experiment.
Cynthia
ps husband loves it now (LOL) his hair stays all day and is easy to break up and looks so shiny. His formula is 1/2 tsp. flax to 2 cups h2o and 4 tbs of aloe vera gel, it's the consistancy of curl keeper. I made it smell manly with orange and sandlewood, yummy.

CurlyCowgirly · 09-01-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curlpro

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

I ACV'ed my hair today, and after my shower, I globbed the FSG on my very wet hair and scrunched the excess with a microfiber towel. I then reapplied a bit more FSG and plopped for 10 mins. Then I clipped up my crown area for about 10 mins and went outside, so the sun mostly dried my hair. I diffused the rest and SOTC'ed. Before diffusing I had to add a little of my aquage gel, because even though the FSG made my hair crunchy, it didn't give my ends good hold. It also gave me thin curls even though I didn't comb my hair at all (combing my wet hair = a thinning curly look). Some of my spirals came out bad. (helix-shaped only at the top; others were loose waves)

On the plus side, my hair looks shiney/soft, but I haven't decided if I like FSG or not.
I'll have to keep experimenting to get tighter curls. Would mag. sulfate have something to do with this?

Maybe some of you know what's causing the bad curl formation...
Here's the recipe I used:
1/4 tsp. mag. sulfate
1/2 tsp. honey
10 drops jojoba oil
1/2 c flaxseed (dark seeds b/c that's all I can find)
2 c water

Before FSG & after FSG pics are attached:
Before is the side view & after is the full back view

Honey is a humectant so if it get's too moist do your curls fall flat? Mine do, so I used Agave nectar, (recommended by Kathymac I think), 2 teaspoons, I added 2 teaspoons of mag sulphate and about 4 teaspoons of Aloe Vera Gel, I would cut the Jojoba down to three drops, try it out and add two drops every day till you get the right amount of moisture to hold ratio. You can add the oil after, day by day, just shake it up well. Also I have to tell you that I use like two ounces in my hair and it is shorter than yours, it is almost dripping it's so saturated, don't be afraid to use a lot at least twice what you are using with other gel etc..I just kept making more and more batches till I got the right formula. I handed out the rejects if you want to call them that to other curlies to try as an experiment.
Good luck with the science experiment.
Cynthia
ps husband loves it now (LOL) his hair stays all day and is easy to break up and looks so shiny. His formula is 1/2 tsp. flax to 2 cups h2o and 4 tbs of aloe vera gel, it's the consistancy of curl keeper. I made it smell manly with orange and sandlewood, yummy.

Honey could very well be the cause! And thanks for all the good info!! Agave nectar seems like it's easy to find, so I'm going to try a new batch in a day or two and will report the results. Your husband's recipe only calls for a 1/2 tsp of flaxseed?!

I heard that you can reuse the flax seeds again, and I have a few q's about that.
Do I need to rinse them out after using them? (because they have the gel stuck to them.)
How many times can they be re-used?

kathymack · 09-02-2009, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

I heard that you can reuse the flax seeds again, and I have a few q's about that.
Do I need to rinse them out after using them? (because they have the gel stuck to them.)
How many times can they be re-used?

BB is the one who told us you can reuse the flax seeds. Just take the gelatinous mass, as is, and freeze. I only reuse once--but I think she reported more, but don't remember. They're cheap, so it's up to you how many times you want to try it.

DEL2C · 09-02-2009, 07:46 AM

I've never been able to reuse the seeds not even once! They never gel up again for some reason. I don't know if it's because I'm using distilled water?

Anyway, it seems most use 1/4 c of flax to 2 c of water. Has anyone tried making it with more Flax Seeds? I wonder if this would help with hold, and actually work for me. I'm thinking of trying 1c of seeds to 2c water and see if it yields a harder holding gel.

kathymack · 09-02-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEL2C

I've never been able to reuse the seeds not even once! They never gel up again for some reason. I don't know if it's because I'm using distilled water?

Anyway, it seems most use 1/4 c of flax to 2 c of water. Has anyone tried making it with more Flax Seeds? I wonder if this would help with hold, and actually work for me. I'm thinking of trying 1c of seeds to 2c water and see if it yields a harder holding gel.

Del, I'd go with ingredients to give you hold. FSG doesn't really have any on it's own, in my experience. Why not try agave nectar or honey/honeyquat and Seamollient??

curlyhairmichuk · 09-02-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEL2C

I've never been able to reuse the seeds not even once! They never gel up again for some reason. I don't know if it's because I'm using distilled water?

Anyway, it seems most use 1/4 c of flax to 2 c of water. Has anyone tried making it with more Flax Seeds? I wonder if this would help with hold, and actually work for me. I'm thinking of trying 1c of seeds to 2c water and see if it yields a harder holding gel.

The problem is the straining if you add more seeds (well that's what I've found). Try 1/2 cup seeds to 2c of water.

anunmaker · 09-02-2009, 11:15 AM

Ok, I finally got some flax seeds (dark, I think) and made up some gel. Just plain...no additives. I wanted to see how it worked and if i could stand the consistency.

The first day, I only used the FSG and my hair was very frizzy and big. Kind of discouraging, but I decided to keep using it.

Today is Day 3. I just co-washed my hair, no leave-in and then applied the FSG and plopped for about 15 minutes. I took my hair down and applied some of my regular spray gel(Garnier) and let it dry. I came home and applied some more FSG to my hair and it is looking better than ever!

I did have a couple of questions, though.

Question1: does the FSG help moisturize skin too? I have had a real problem with dry scalp most of my life and for the last couple of days, it seems to have eased up. My head isn't as itchy anyway.

Question2: Is there a certain kind of AVG I should look for to add to the FSG? I have some that is for sunburns, with no color or fragrance added, but it has some ingredients I can only assume are preservatives (triethanolamin , tocopheryl acetate, carbomer, tetrasodium edta, dmdm hydantoin, diazolidinyl, urea) It does say on the label to try it as a hair styling gel!

belasuna · 09-02-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anunmaker

Ok, I finally got some flax seeds (dark, I think) and made up some gel. Just plain...no additives. I wanted to see how it worked and if i could stand the consistency.

The first day, I only used the FSG and my hair was very frizzy and big. Kind of discouraging, but I decided to keep using it.

Today is Day 3. I just co-washed my hair, no leave-in and then applied the FSG and plopped for about 15 minutes. I took my hair down and applied some of my regular spray gel(Garnier) and let it dry. I came home and applied some more FSG to my hair and it is looking better than ever!

I did have a couple of questions, though.

Question1: does the FSG help moisturize skin too? I have had a real problem with dry scalp most of my life and for the last couple of days, it seems to have eased up. My head isn't as itchy anyway.

Question2: Is there a certain kind of AVG I should look for to add to the FSG? I have some that is for sunburns, with no color or fragrance added, but it has some ingredients I can only assume are preservatives (triethanolamin , tocopheryl acetate, carbomer, tetrasodium edta, dmdm hydantoin, diazolidinyl, urea) It does say on the label to try it as a hair styling gel!

If you get frizz with the FSG you may not be using enough. You really have to soak your hair with it. Also, I find that the more I use it, the more moisturized my hair gets. I think the FSG is very moisturizing and my guess is that it is helping your scalp from drying out.

Also, you can definitely use the same AVG you already have because the other ingredients are mainly preservatives and thickners. The FOTE is a skin aloe gel with similar P & T.