A month and a half ago we announced that several powders/herbs are available on the African Naturalistas store. (FYI quite a few are actually sold out now). I was excited to see what powders were available, but then when I clicked on the post, I was a trifle confused because I didn't know what 75% of them were, how they're used and what their benefits are. I know there's at least someone out there who's in the same boat, so I started a series with a focus on all the herbs posted, so that we can learn a thing or two.
We've learned about Amla, Shikakai, Neem and Hibiscus so far, and today we have FLAXSEED on the lineup!
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| Source - Brown flaxseed |
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| Source - Golden flax aka Golden linseeds (Doesn't it look like egusi/melon?) |
HAIR USE
Flaxseed as shown above comes in two varities - brown and golden. Both are high in omega-3 fatty acids, so help to keep your hair moisturized! Yes, a gel that moisturizes and doesn't leave your hair dry and/or crunchy! It also gives good curl definition, so those that like wash and go's should like this. Some of the benefits according to Urban Bush Babes are:
- Leaves hair soft, shiny, and moisturized
- Promotes hair growth
- You can reuse the flax seeds
- Cost effective (more for your money)
- Nourishing for the hair rich in omega 3
- Gives great curl definition
- Gives hold with no crunch/non flaking/not drying to the hair/doesn’t cause breakage/or shedding
- Fast drying
- Great for wash n go’s/sleek styles/twists and twist outs and sets the twists once dry for a lovely twist out
- Mixes well with oils/conditioners/ many products
- All natural. Organic.
- A lot of reviews compare it to Kinky Curly’s Knot Today, but say Flax seed Gel is actually better
- Great for all hair types
Like I mentioned above, flaxseed for natural hair is most commonly used as a gel. Since it's a natural ingredient, a lot of naturalistas would prefer to use this instead of store-bought gels. The recipes I've seen call for the flaxseeds themselves (I'm yet to see any videos using the flaxseed powder).
Ekene of The Kink and I recently made a batch of Flaxseed gel, and this is her result below.
Things to note:
You can learn more about making Flaxseed Gel for Natural Hair in the following video.
Ekene of The Kink and I recently made a batch of Flaxseed gel, and this is her result below.
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| Source |
- Don't make too much gel unless you plan to keep and refrigerate for a week or two, or want to give some out.
- Don't douse your head in gel, natural or otherwise. Ekene had a lot of flakes because she mistakenly used too much, after hearing about the moisturizing properties.
You can learn more about making Flaxseed Gel for Natural Hair in the following video.
P.S. You can use a strainer instead of pantyhose.
Remember, try new things on a small section of hair first to ensure that you don't have any negative reactions.
This is something that I would like to try out - maybe not making my own batch, but buying as I've been using gel this whole week and my whole head is full of flakes :(
Have a nice weekend!
oh wow, I add flaxseeds to my cereals and smoothies, did not know it can also be used to make "healthy gel" for natural hair!
ReplyDeleteNice, thanks for sharing....