Anyone ever tried pectin or gelatin instead of xanthan?

curlykey · 11-28-2008, 08:07 PM

I was wondering if anyone had tried gelatin or pecin in their homemade recipes for hair products instead of xanthan gum? Do they work the same? TIA

rhosyn_du · 11-29-2008, 01:40 AM

I just made a batch of aloe/flax/marshmallow gel with pectin. It's still cooling, and I probably won't use it for a couple more days since I just washed my hair, but I'll let you know how it turns out.

kathymack · 11-29-2008, 05:11 AM

I have. The problem with the pectin you buy in the store is that you are supposed to use sugar to make it gel. I've followed the directions for when your recipe fails to try to make it gel, it was okay. I also found pectin online that is not supposed to require sugar. The bottom line is--it didn't turn out like KCCC. Xanthan is much easier to use if thickening is what you want.

rhosyn_du · 11-29-2008, 07:37 AM

Interesting. I wonder what in the recipe I used caused the pectin to gel, then, since it set up pretty nicely.

misspam · 11-29-2008, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhosyn_du

Interesting. I wonder what in the recipe I used caused the pectin to gel, then, since it set up pretty nicely.

Would you mind sharing your recipe?

I mixed up a batch of flax seed gel the other day, using marshmallow root infused water. I think I mucked it up by adding a small amount of epsom salt (1/8 tsp.) and it ended up reminding me why I stopped using Jessicurl stylers - mag. sulfate dries out my hair. It sure makes my hair super curly though.

kathymack · 11-29-2008, 08:57 AM

I suspect the flax made it thick and gelatinous. When I make flax seed gel, it doesn't need anything to thicken it.

curlykey · 11-29-2008, 09:33 AM

Thanks for all the replies!

Curlygoddess · 11-29-2008, 09:17 PM

I have been fiddling around with some stuff this weekend and I find that pectin is much better than than xanthan.

I guess I was turned off by the xanthan since it is used to make chewing gum and can be drying to your hair. also KCCC does not use xanthan and it is very moisturizing.

I also use the pectin that does not require the addition of sugar. This cooked up with some aloe and marshmallow root gave pretty nice results. Nice and thick.

Kathymack are you trying to make KCCC? My aloe, marshmallow and pectin mixture came out good.

I will let you all know how it works after I try it out.

kathymack · 11-30-2008, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curlygoddess

Kathymack are you trying to make KCCC? My aloe, marshmallow and pectin mixture came out good.

I will let you all know how it works after I try it out.

Last April, there was a thread about this. I did some experimentation, but was never really happy with what I did.

Here's the thread:

Alternative to popular product

curlykey · 11-30-2008, 08:16 AM

I went to one of our local health food stores to pick up some xanthan. They don't carry it, but the lady suggested I try some arrowroot. Has anyone tried this? TIA for all the replies!!

rhosyn_du · 11-30-2008, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misspam

Would you mind sharing your recipe?

My basic recipe is 1 cup distilled water and 1/4 cup marshmallow root left to sit overnight, then strained. I then boil the marshmallow water with 2 Tbsp. flax seeds for ten minutes, strain that, and add 1/2 to 1 1/2 tsp. glycerin (depending on the humidity) and 1/2 tsp. each of jojoba and vitamin E oils.

This time, I replaced the water with aloe vera juice and added 1 tsp. of pectin to thicken it, since my usual recipe is pretty liquid. The new recipe gave me much better defined waves yesterday, but they were pretty flat (although still very clumpy) when I woke up this morning, so this is still very much a work-in-progress for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathymack

I suspect the flax made it thick and gelatinous. When I make flax seed gel, it doesn't need anything to thicken it.

This one came out a lot thicker than my usual flax gels, but it could be a result of replacing the water with aloe juice that did it. I'm going to try leaving out the pectin in my next batch and see what happens.

curlykey · 11-30-2008, 04:59 PM

Keep us posted..

vkb247 · 12-01-2008, 05:51 PM

I saw the pectin that didn't require sugar...but I didn't buy it thinking that it already had sugar in it or something silly. Do you think that the sugar in honey will be enough to make it set? I am trying to make a Fantasia IC Gel type substitute without the cones

vkb247 · 12-02-2008, 03:02 PM

Well I tried out the pectin last night. I used about 1 cup of water and mixed in the pectin and brought it to a boil. I added to this:

2-3oz. Honey
16 oz. FOTE Aloe Vera Gel
1/2 oz. glycerin
3 tsp grapeseed oil

The mixture was very thick and then I let it sit in the fridge overnight before I used it today. I love the curl definition this gave me so I think it is definitely a keeper, but I tried it on dirty hair so I have to try again after my next wash. It almost felt like nothing in my hand (similar to Elasta QP Feels Like Silk) and would work alll over my head but didn't have that thickness I look for to make my edges lay down.

I also made so Flaxseed gel using 1/4 cup of seeds and I boiled it forever so that it would be really thick. This stuff was unbelievable! I added a little of the aloe vera gel mixture to it to thicken that up and couldn't even mix it with a whisk! I had to use my hands to break up the "strands" of flaxseed, this stuff really does like to stick to itself. What was left on my hands I used to slick down my edges and its a little harder than I would like now that its dry. I am gonna mix in some more of the aloe mix and try again.

ETA: This ended up drying horribly and I never used it again!