Flaxseed Gel Fail

I made some gel last night per Naptural85's video. I didn't see the mucus trail she mentioned so I did boil it longer than 10 minutes and it was still kinda liquidy. After boiling I let it sit and strained it.

I applied it to my naked, damp hair and my waves and curls were poppin. Ok fast forward to this morning, my hair is hard as a helmet with white flakes like I used Ecostyler. I thought this was supposed to be moisturizing. Did I do something wrong?

I've usually had to boil it longer than recommended, not sure why. But always look for the slime trail. The longer you boil the thicker it usually gets. Strain it and then leave it to cool. You may have just applied too much because it was warm. It sounds like the results I get when I try to reapply flax gel. Or maybe it mixed badly with one of your products.

You should give it another try before giving up.

imaginary said:

I've usually had to boil it longer than recommended, not sure why. But always look for the slime trail. The longer you boil the thicker it usually gets. Strain it and then leave it to cool. You may have just applied too much because it was warm. It sounds like the results I get when I try to reapply flax gel. Or maybe it mixed badly with one of your products.

You should give it another try before giving up.

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Yes I was heavy handed; my hair isn't even dry yet. But I didnt put anything else on my hair so that why I was confused, lol.

I used Flaxseed gel last month to retwist my locs and my hair was very soft. I didn’t get as much shine as I wanted though. I’m going to try it again today and see if I can get more shine. This is the video that I followed last month.

mamarama said:

I made some gel last night per Naptural85's video. I didn't see the mucus trail she mentioned so I did boil it longer than 10 minutes and it was still kinda liquidy. After boiling I let it sit and strained it.

I applied it to my naked, damp hair and my waves and curls were poppin. Ok fast forward to this morning, my hair is hard as a helmet with white flakes like I used Ecostyler. I thought this was supposed to be moisturizing. Did I do something wrong?

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How old is your flax seed? Old flaxseed will often not produce the slimy gel no matter how long you boil it.

subscribing.

faithVA said:

How old is your flax seed? Old flaxseed will often not produce the slimy gel no matter how long you boil it.

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I just bought it from Whole Foods about a week ago.

Flaxseed gel makes my hair hard on the second day and then it sort of breaks down after. I use it for braidouts.
I don’t find it moisturizing at all.

Sosa said:

Flaxseed gel makes my hair hard on the second day and then it sort of breaks down after. I use it for braidouts.
I don’t find it moisturizing at all.

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You should probably add some oil to your Flaxseed gel.

^ I agree. I boil mine until it starts bubbling, stirring it slowly. Second, I remove it from heat and strain - it'll be very runny. I let it cool, usually overnight. I do this because while it's still warm, the consistency is different - you may have accidentally used too much as it was very thin.

I use a fork to whisk in castor oil and essential oils (those I just add for fragrance). Once it's cooled overnight (I keep it in the fridge) I can use it. It's usually VERY thick, but still slimy and slippery. You'll feel like you need a lot, but you want to definitely use it very sparingly because yes, it can flake if you use it the same way you would a regular gel. I recommend putting a moisturizer underneath and not using it alone. HTH.