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It seems that many natural hair products are quite expensive and still contain a list on ingredients that you can’t pronounce. When my bottle of hair gel ran out and I decided I didn’t want to pay $$ to replace it, I started looking for options.
The first thing I did, of course, was to turn over the bottle and read the ingredients. I was more than a little unhappy to discover that the main ingredient was aloe vera gel. It was just water, aloe vera gel, some thickeners, some oil, a little essential oil for fragrance and some preservatives.
I paid how much for that?!?!
I then checked out the hair care aisle at my local health food store and I saw more of the same. So I set out to make my own. I only use hair gel a couple of times a week, after washing my hair, so one bottle can last me a long while. I have fine hair that is wavy and prone to frizz.
In looking at the ingredients, it appeared as though the thickeners were just there so the company could water down the aloe vera and still have it come out as a stiff enough texture, so I knew I could scrap the water and the thickeners, leaving me with aloe vera, oil and some essential oil if I wanted it, for fragrance.
I knew I needed aloe vera, but there’s a wide variety of types on the market. I finally settled on one meant for the skin with a minimum number of additives and preservatives. Since I don’t apply the gel to my scalp, I wasn’t concerned about the tiny amounts being absorbed by my skin.
I started out using just plain aloe vera gel, but it didn’t work well because my fine hair would still frizz. I knew I needed oil with it to give shine and smooth out the frizzes. But some oils, no matter how little I added, made my hair look greasy. With others, the difference in one drop could make me go from frizzy to greasy. I couldn’t get a good balance and I didn’t want to pre-mix it because I didn’t want to run the risk of it going bad. I re-washed my hair multiples times through this experiment, trying to get it to come out looking nice.
I finally hit upon a solution. I had received a tiny bottle of LC of Acirema’s Thai-Ginger herbal oil as a sample from the company and it works perfectly. Two drops of the oil mixed into one tablespoon of aloe vera gel and my hair looked smooth without looking greasy. The benefit of the Thai-Ginger herbal oil is that it is a blend of oils that have been infused with herbs, with essential oils added. Due to it being a blend, I didn’t have issues with it being too heavy.
I’m not an affiliate for L.C. of Acirema, I just like the product. I received multiple little samples from them, and I will be reviewing them soon and doing a giveaway. Look for that on the blog next week.
8 ounces commercially purchased natural hair gel $12.78
8 ounces aloe vera gel ($4.96 for 12 ounces) $3.31
32 drops of L.C. of Acirema’s Thai-Ginger Hair Oil ($9.50 for 1 ounce, equaling 591 drops) $0.51
Total cost of 8 ounces of hair gel $3.82
Total savings per bottle $8.96
I can make over three bottles of gel for the price of one commercially produced bottle!
Of course, if your hair is a different texture, you might need a different number of drops in with your tablespoon of aloe very gel or you might need more of the mixture. Experimentation is best. But no matter the combination you use, you’re not going to come close to approaching the cost of the expensive, natural hair gels!
Shared at Real Food Forager, Far Above Rubies, Chef in Training, Frugally Sustainable, We Are that Family, The Nourishing Gourmet, The Prairie Homestead, Skip to My Lou, The Better Mom, and Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
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Does this need refrigeration after it is made? if not what do you think the shelf life is? Thanks for the recipe, I’ve tried others with gelatin and not 100% happy, they require refrigeration or they turn to liquid and are useless.
Sally, I always make it on the spot and use it immediately. I just eyeball about a tablespoon of the gel in my hand, add two drops of the oil on top, mix them by rubbing my palms together, then apply to my hair.
Well i guess with only 2 ingredients there is no reason not to do it that way!! Thanks for the reality check! LOL!