This post is in honor of my darling, gel-using husband.
So many of my dabbles have been born out of my own curiosity and have been nearly exclusively just for me. What I didn't realize until recently is that Mr. Dabblist was feeling a bit left out. My first clue was when I caught him washing up with my beloved manuka honey and then ran out of my bottle of facial oil a week earlier than expected. It was time I let him in to my creative projects.
So we started with gel. Tim's a company man, so he runs gel through his hair every morning before heading to work. His precious scalp pores and hair follicles were being slathered in chem-filled nasties from drugstore gel (it takes just 30 seconds for something put on your skin to enter your bloodstream). He needed relief. So I got to work researching an effective and therapeutic gel recipe, and as it nearly always turns out, it's pretty dang easy.
The beauty of this gel recipe is that you can customize the oils you use with it - for aromatherapeutic or bodily needs. For instance:
To stimulate hair growth, use peppermint or rosemary
Homemade Hair Gel
- 1/8 tsp powdered gelatin (I like this grass-fed version)
- 1/4 c. hot water
- 10 drops essential oil of your choice
- 2 oz glass jar (like this one)
Place the gelatin in a glass bowl and mix in hot water and stir until dissolved. Aid in the essential oil(s) and stir.
Pour the mixture into the jar, seal and put into the refrigerator to set overnight. The next day, it's gel. I suggest taking a spoon (or a chopstick, like I use) and mix the gel around so it's a bit easier to slather on your hands.
Apply as needed to your hair. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You gotta be kidding me!
My grandma used to make her own Dippity Do, by pouring hot water over flax seeds and then straining out the husks. I love you ideas. Keep dabbling.
can you give me full details on how to make your flax seed Dippity Do ? Please, thank you
I made this and it’s FABULOUS!!
Nelda, that’s brilliant!!!
Your print is so light I have trouble reading it. Please change so I don’t miss a thing. Anyone else having this problem? I do not have trouble with other sites. Thanks
love your DIY homemade items…thanks for sharing.
Love this and all your home made ideas! Thank you for sharing!
Hi! Making gel is such a great idea – I’m a vegetarian and don’t really use gelatin, is there anything else I could use? Thanks for your lovely website!
Hmmm… I love this idea but I’m going to have to try this with Agar-Agar powder (the vegetarian/vegan’s gelatin). One week ago today, I got my crown of naturally red (yes, I am hideously vain about my hair), chin-length bob chopped into a super fun and sexy razor cut but kept my long bangs on the left side. Like a pirate’s patch fit for a femme. I have this fabulous *mostly* natural styling creme by Andalou, but I haven’t touched it in months, a almost out and have been switching to making all of my own beauty and personal care products. Even some of my own healthcare stuff… I’ve always been terribly allergic to neosporin but I did a lot of research and came up with an essential oil-based salve that works wonders for me!
So anyway, I love your blog! That Cuticle Cream is fabulous! Have a lovely day/weekend/whathaveyou! xoxo
Did anyoneend up trying a vegan version of this with agar agar? How did it turn out? I need something that gets my husband away from the nasty chemicals or animal-tested products also.
Thanks for this lovely idea. I’m going to make some tonight. I’m curious though. What does being vegetarian have to do with the hair gel though if you’re not ingesting it?
Usually vegetarians/vegans are such as an ideology. They don’t believe in using animal products of any kind for any reason.