• Lifestyle
    • Minimalism
    • Zero Waste
    • Home
    • Motherhood & Family
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
    • Abundance & Finances
  • DIY
    • Facial Cleanser
    • Facial Serum/Moisturizer
    • Facial Mask/Treatment
    • Eye Cream/Serum
    • Lip Balm
    • Hair Cleanser
    • Hair Rinse
    • Hair Leave-In/Styler
    • Beauty Oil/Butter
    • Beauty Mist/Toner
    • Natural Fragrance/Perfume
    • Deodorant
    • Nail Care
    • Makeup
  • Hair
    • Henna
    • Curly Hair Regimen
    • Healthy Hair Tips
    • Chemical-Free Series/Hair
  • Skin
    • Acne
    • Principles
    • Makeup
    • Chemical-Free Series/Skin
  • Style
    • Wardrobe Simplified
    • My Capsule Wardrobe
  • SHOP
  • About
    • Beauty Regimen
    • My Minimalist Home
    • Testimonials

Minimalist Beauty

your life as beauty from the inside out

Minimalist Beauty

Flax Seed Gel Made Easy

September 26, 2011 by Dawn Michelle

Flax seed gel is basically flax seed extract used as a natural styling gel in the curly hair community.  A jar of flax seed gel can be made for less than 25 cents, leaving hair moisturized, frizz free, and never crunchy like traditional hair gels.  I’m in complete awe that you do not need to use heat to create flax seed gel.

I’ve revisited flax seed gel for an ingredient in a new leave-in hair product that provides a slight hold.   This time I decided not to cook the flax seeds in water on the stove.  Instead I put 1/4 cup of flax seeds in 1 cup of boiled water in a glass jar and left it alone for 24 hours.  The gel released on its own and strained easily through a nylon with tongs.  I added a few drops of neem oil and other essential oils for their antibacterial properties.

This method was almost too easy.  Less cleanup with amazing results.  Flax seed gel should be stored in the refrigerator after it has been strained and reintroduced to air.  The price and effectiveness of making this curly hair concoction can’t be beat!

Whole flax seeds can be purchased from any natural grocery store or online here.  Check out the alternative way to make flax seed gel here.

*Using room temperature water using this method yields more of a very light extract similar to a curl refreshing spray.

If you are interested in more DIY hair leave-in/stylers go here.  To see my latest beauty regimen included hair care go here.

(General Note: Please research new herbs to ensure there is no conflict with pregnancy or medical conditions before using.)

(Image by Dawn Michelle)

Stay Connected with Minimalist Beauty & Subscribe with bloglovin’. Also Join the Community on Facebook & Twitter. For more about Dawn Michelle go here!

Share

Facebook Google+ Twitter Pinterest Email

You might also like...

Leave a Reply to Tutu Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. ek says

    January 27, 2012 at 7:38 am

    I’m going to try this tip today! I’ve been making flax seed gel and spray for a couple of years now. My partner and I have been trying to figure out a good way to travel with it and this may be it. I like the fact that it wouldn’t have to be refrigerated until the jar is opened and that it can be made on the road without a pot to boil the water. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      January 28, 2012 at 12:11 am

      Hi ek,
      After doing this a couple of times I found that this method creates a lighter gel more like a curl refreshing gel spray with light hold compared to when you boil he flaxseeds. It works even better if you soak the seeds in boiled water. I think it’s nice creating different products with only flaxseeds. Let me know how it works out for you.
      Peace and Sunshine,
      Dawn Michelle

      Reply
  2. tishushu says

    March 25, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Wow, no stove flax gel. I have a plug in teapot, and I sooooooo wanna try this. This is nice. I like the boil method, but the hold was a little tight. If this makes a lighter softer hold gel, this is perfect for my hair. And i have lots of neem thanks to my partner’s Ayurvedic practice. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      March 26, 2012 at 10:46 am

      Hi Tishushu, If you are looking for a curl refresher spray gel then you will love this!

      Reply
  3. BrownCurls says

    January 15, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    Hey Dawn!

    I have really been enjoying your website!

    I had made Flaxseed gel many years ago by boiling the water as it’s traditionally done. I was pretty curious to try your cold method as it seems simpler and also I know that the oils in flaxseed are pretty fragile and are better preserved in coller temps.

    So I tried this, 1/4 cup seeds in 8oz water in tightly closed glass jar overnight….what I found was that a very light watery liquid sat at the top and the swollen, muhc larger amount of seeds sat at the bottom. The amount of water was much less than 8oz. I didn’t measure but I eyeball it at about 2 or 3 oz?

    So I thought this was much less product than I used to get back in the day when boiling, and I also noticed that seeds were all clumped together gel-like. So I though, what would happen if I add more water? so I added 8 more oz of hot water from the tap…and voila! a bunch of the gel separated from the seeds and as I kept stirring the “liquid” became denser and denser, and more like the gel I remembered from back in the day…

    I dumped all the stuff into a nylon stocking and squeezed the heck out of it and ended up with about 8oz of gel. Since I have very freezy 3/b/3c long curls I need quite a bit of hold, so I added 1/2 a teaspoon of agave nectar, as I had read about that in some other website. This mix worked out very well for me. I thought I’d share, since I really appreciate so many of your tips! (I made a facial oil following some of your suggestions, thanks!)

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      January 15, 2013 at 7:34 pm

      Hi BrownCurls, Thanks for sharing how you made your flax gel! I have been using flax seed gel non stop as it is one of my favorite hair stylers other than shea butter. Quick tip: Used boiled water for your DIY products or purified water to make the product last as long as possible. Also I’ve gotten a few friends into using flax seed gel and one told me that after the holidays she now has her whole family using it! Best wishes!

      Reply
  4. rachael says

    March 25, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    do i need to refrigerate this?

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      March 26, 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Hi Rachael,
      Yes you will need to refrigerate this flax seed gel because it contains water without a preservative.
      Best wishes!

      Reply
  5. Tutu says

    October 24, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Hello Dawn,
    Came across your blog by accident and am loving it! I have made flaxseed gel a couple of times using the boiling method, but to my disappointment my hair always gets white flakes when the gel dries up. I also add a few drops of olive oil in it. What could I be doing wrong ? Thanks and have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      October 24, 2014 at 2:09 pm

      Hi Tutu,
      The only thing I can think of if the flaxseed gel is flaking is that maybe you are making it too thick or it could be another product that you may be using with it. I’m honestly not sure. If your hair can handle more oil you can also try adding 1 tsp to 1 tbsp of oil (more if you like) to your flaxseed gel after you have strained it. Use a food processor, stick blender, or electric mixer for an even mix, yet a fork does a good job too. Hope this helps and enjoy your weekend too!

      Reply
  6. LIN says

    May 27, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Hi, Dawn! What should I use as the strainer?

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      May 29, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      Hi LIN,
      I use a fine mesh metal strainer. You can also use a clean pair of tights if you don’t have one yet. Best wishes!

      Reply
Previous
Next
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

your life as beauty from the inside out

  • My Fall/ Winter 2019 Capsule Wardrobe is up FINALLY!  It's taken me a LONG time to get this capsule wardrobe together. Much of it is linen, thrifted, and a few pieces I sewed myself.  I was really worried I wouldn't be prepared for winter back on the east coast, but I did get it together.  Luckily winter in North Carolina is not even close to winter further north. 🍂🍁
My Fall/Winter 2019 Capsule Wardrobe consists of five tops, three skirts, five dresses, three sweaters, three coats, two pairs of shoes, a scarf, bag, and belt. 🍂🍁 This #capsulewardrobe is still #modest and should definitely appeal to the #linenlover.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🍂🍁 Much love! 🍂🍁
#modestfashion #thrifted #handmadeclothing #slowfashion #minimalistshoes #minimalistbeauty
  • My love for linen dresses hasn’t stopped. But since our big move from Los Angeles, CA to Raleigh, NC the budget for them has. Luckily I purchased a great drop shoulder linen top a year ago that I created a pattern from.
🕊
With this pattern I’ve made a top and two dresses so far. One of the dresses is in my spring/summer capsule, yet the dress I’m sharing today is for fall/winter. Today I wanted to share a bit of the process for making this latest dress on Minimalist Beauty.

#linenlover #linendress #handmadeclothing #modestfashion #minimalistbeauty
  • I haven't posted many things on food/nutrition on the blog or even here for a long time since I've been figuring things out myself.  One thing that I've been doing in the last few months is fermenting all grains, beans, and legumes. 🌿 I had stopped eating them all together because of the phytic acid that they contain which can really limit your diet.  Fermenting grains, beans, and legumes makes a huge difference.  If this is something you'd be interested in hearing more about just let me know. 🌿This delicious dinner is piled high with mixed greens, basmati rice, black beans, avocado, and a rather large mound of raw minced garlic which is my warrior food against getting sick while the weather is changing here in NC. #fermenting #minimalistbeautyeats #foodasmedicine
  • My most updated skin care regimen along with the HUGE benefits using only oils high in linoleic acid for six years in my skin care routine on the blog today.  Wishing all if you a beautiful weekend! 💞Dawn Michelle

#minimalistbeauty #organicskincare #organicbeauty #acnefree @iamazuha
  • I never thought I would actually say this but, I'm really enjoying the bare walls of our new apartment.  After the stress and chaos of moving our family across the country, I've noticed that bare walls allow me space to think. 🌿 We're constantly bombarded with information, and some of it we create ourselves.  It's all much more than I can comfortably handle. 🌿 Just sharing some thoughts on minimalism and decor on the blog today.  Pictured is part of my son's creative space.  Hope you're having a great week! 🌿 #simpleliving #minimalistbeauty #minimalistdecor
  • Moving is always challenging. No one is exempt. Our family of three (plus our dog) recently relocated from Los Angeles, California to Raleigh, North Carolina. We made a stop in Virginia to spend time with family as well as recoup from the first part of our move. We then planned what we could for our new location.
🕊
This entire move has been a true testimony of faith since I’ve only been to Raleigh once as a teen, and we chose our apartment online sight unseen. 🕊
More on minimalistbeauty.com 
#simpleliving #extrememinimalism
🕊
(FYI... @iamazuha is available again!)
  • We're currently selling and donating 95% of our things and relocating. 🕊What has surprised me more than anything else is when we decided to donate and sell practically everything, our possessions no longer had the same value to us. 🕊I'm extremely excited for this new beginning. 🕊Read more on minimalistbeauty.com.  #minimalist #minimalistlifestyle #decluttering #newbeginnings 🕊(FYI... During this transition @iamAZUHA will be on a summer vacation for a few weeks beginning Wednesday June 19th.  So if you need to restock on the AZUHA Red Raspberry Skin Elixir go for it.)
  • Yes I did it again. I was planning to grow it long, but things changed. I blame it on being a busy mom, but I've been eyeing this cut for a few years now.  All the details on how I cut my own hair in a very simple way is up on Minimalist Beauty... Linen dress by @cottoncandy_by_romana 
#curlyhair #naturalhair #curlybob #linenlover #linendress

Copyright 2019 Minimalist Beauty | Site design handcrafted by Station Seven