Flax Seed Oil = Hair Gel (but that's not all!)

I saw this post the other day from Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, where she shares a recipe (with video) for a natural hair gel made with flax seeds.  She said it's for curly (and wavy)-haired girls (and boys), so I thought maybe with it's use, I could tame the wavy-frizzies I have and semi-retire the flat-iron, while I'm at it.

I had the flax seeds, and the only other ingredient is water... so off I went to the kitchen.

Sarah said the recipe is 1 cup of boiling water, to which you add 2 T. of whole flax seeds.  Let simmer for 10 minutes (no longer!), and strain.  Voila.

 This part takes patience...  it is thick and gooey. 

 Drip, drip, drip...  actually, it was more like ooze, ooze, ooze.

 

It's the consistency of egg whites.

 



 

 

It's very slimy and gel-like.

 

 

I used it yesterday after I washed my hair - just a quarter-size or so in my palm, and applied it while my hair was still damp.  I let it air dry and gave it a scrunch every now and then to encourage it's natural wavy-ness.

 

Turns out I'll not be retiring the flat-iron.  Yuck.  It didn't work for me. It may have reduced the frizziness slightly, but it was a bit crunchy.  Only a bit, but still... I don't like that at all.  I want my hair soft and be able to run my fingers through it - or a brush - without having to worry about messing up it's "style."

 

So... the gel went back in the fridge with me not quite sure what to do with it (wait till it turns bad and throw it out?).

 

 

Then I read a comment by one of Sarah's readers and she linked this post: Breathe Easy with Boiled Flax Seed Oil, where the article states, "Boiled Flax-seed Oil has the ability to clear the lungs of mucus, and help the body rid itself of disease."  I had an ah-ha moment!  It helps alleviate not just the symptoms, but the cause of cough and sniffles - exactly what I've been dealing with for two weeks (with no end in sight).  I figured it was worth a try since flax seed is good for me and the only other ingredient is water, what do I have to lose?

 

So, after a couple of suggestions in the article for incorporating it into recipes... off to the kitchen I go - again!

 

 

I modified the Icey-Orange Drink recipe to fit the ingredients I  had on hand (or preferred to use)... clementines instead of orange juice concentrate and raw honey instead of sugar!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup ice

1/2 cup filtered water

1/3+ cup (3 oz.) flax seed oil (flax seed goo!)

One large, peeled clementine (this latest box of clementines I have has very large fruit - if you have small (normal) size clementines, you might want to use 1.5 or 2 of them.)

1 T. raw honey

 

Add all ingredients to blender and mix well.

 

Pour into a tall glass and [actually] enjoy!  This is very palatable with a mild clementine flavor.  You'd never know gooey flax seed oil was there.

 

And - it works!  Within minutes, the sniffles were gone and the cough was greatly alleviated.  The symptoms stayed at bay for several hours, returning in the morning to a lesser degree.  So, I made more...

 

 

This time with fresh-frozen blueberries from summertime and milk.

 

1 cup ice

1/2 cup milk

1/3+ cup (3 oz.) flax seed oil (flax seed goo!)

2/3 cup frozen blueberries

1 T. raw honey

Add all ingredients to blender and mix well.

 

 

 

Mmmm, so since it's 29 degrees outside (and 60 something in here) I turned on my space heater, positioned myself in front of it, and savored this icey, summery treat.

 

I love natural remedies - and I didn't have to throw away my hair gel!

 

 

 

Linking up with the Clever Chicks Hop and the Homestead Barn Hop today.