5 Homemade Hair Gel Recipes for Natural Hair Growth

While commercial hair gels are great, a good homemade hair gel will always be a notch up from those.

I started this series after the Eco Styler gel controversy a few weeks ago. To catch up on this, read:-

• Is Eco Styler Gel Bad for Natural Hair
• 10 Benefits of Homemade Hair Gel

In this article, I will be sharing 5 homemade hair gel recipes for natural hair and how to use your homemade hair gel.

The next article will share the best tips for making and preserving your homemade hair gel.

I will also cover a list of other ingredients you can add to achieve more definition, more hold, softer hair, shinier hair, etc.

If you have any questions about making your homemade hair gel afterward, be sure to ask in the comment section.

These DIY recipes work because the main ingredients have a mucous-like exterior that is activated and lifted by water and heat.

Homemade Hair Gel Recipes for Natural Hair

1. How to Make Chia Seed Gel for Natural Hair

Chia seeds contain the following beneficial vitamins and minerals that help strengthen hair

• Protein
• Calcium
• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Zinc
• Niacin
• Potassium
• Thiamine

Ingredients

• 1 cup of chia seeds like Viva Naturals Organic Chia Seeds or BetterBody Foods Organic Chia Seeds
• 4 cups of distilled water
• 2 tablespoons of castor oil or sweet almond oil
• 10 drops of vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil

Directions

• Mix the chia seeds and distilled water in a pot
• Cover and let the mixture sit overnight
• The next morning, place the pot on the stove and heat up for 10 – 15 minutes
• Stir once, remove and strain through a piece of cheesecloth or colander like this one. Discard the chia seeds.
• Add the vitamin E oil, lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil, castor oil, or sweet almond oil, and stir thoroughly with a whisk.
• Set the mixture aside to cool for a bit then pour into a clean and sterilized bottle. I use an empty glass bottle.

Viva Naturals Organic Chia Seeds

2. How to Make Flaxseed Gel for Natural Hair

Flax seeds contain omega-3, vitamin B1, selenium, manganese, and copper, which help nourish hair.

There are two kinds of flax seeds, brown and golden. You can buy either one but the brown variety has more nutrients. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of flax seeds like Terrasoul Organic Golden Flax Seeds or Food to Live Organic Flax Seeds
• 4 cups of distilled water
• 2 tablespoons of castor oil or grapeseed oil
• 10 drops of vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil

Directions

• Pour the flax seeds and distilled water into a pan.
• Bring the pan to a boil until white sediment starts rising to the top. Watch the pot though. If you boil the seeds too long, it will be impossible to separate the gel from the seeds.
• You should have enough gel within 20 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the stove and immediately strain through a piece of cheesecloth or colander. You will need to really squeeze the cheesecloth or stir in the fine mesh colander to get most of the gel.
• Add the vitamin E oil, lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil, castor oil, or grapeseed oil, and stir thoroughly
• Once cool, pour into the glass bottle and refrigerate.

Terrasoul Organic Golden Flax Seeds

Note: Flax seed gel can be stored in the freezer and reused later on to make more gel. I use a batch up to three times before discarding.

3. How to Make Okra Gel for Natural Hair

Okra aka Lady Fingers contains potassium, vitamins A, C B & K, folic acid, and calcium.

Okra also contains amino acids which make hair softer and easy to detangle.

Okra is used to make soup where I come from.

As a kid, I didn’t like the soup, and every time my mother made it, I would bellyache about the weird slimy texture.

She usually rolled her eyes and told me I wasn’t going to bed unless I ate it. lol. 

Ingredients

• 5 pods of okra
• 2 cups of distilled water
• 2 tablespoons of castor oil or grapeseed oil
• 10 drops of vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil

Directions

• Rinse the okra pods then cut them into pieces.
• Place the pieces into a pan and pour in the distilled water.
• Bring to a boil within 10 – 15 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the stove and immediately strain through a piece of cheesecloth or fine mesh colander.
• Add the vitamin E oil, lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil, castor oil, or grapeseed oil and stir thoroughly.
• Once cool, pour into the glass bottle and refrigerate.

Fresh Okra

4. How to Make Aloe Vera Gel for Natural Hair

Aloe vera contains amino acids, beta-carotene, vitamins B, C & E, lignans, and other minerals that promote soft and moisturized hair. 

Ingredients

• 4 – 5 aloe vera leaves. You can get fresh aloe leaves HERE
• 10 drops of vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil or vanilla essential oil

Directions

• Rinse the leaves and pat dry.
• Split open and use a spoon to scrape out the gel within into a bowl
• Add the vitamin E oil and essential oils
• Use a whisk (if you have a strong arm) or a hand blender to mix the ingredients together until foamy
• Scrape into a sterilized jar like this one

Fresh Aloe Vera Leaves

5. How To Make Sea Moss Gel for Hair

Sea moss is also known as Irish moss. It contains a ton of vitamins and minerals with the most notable being calcium, iron, vitamin B2 and B12.

Sea moss conditions and strengthens hair and provides amazing slip which makes for a great detangling session. Sea moss hair gel also promotes shine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dried Irish moss. I recommend True Sea Moss Wild Crafted Sea Moss or Red’s Kitchen Sink Wildcrafted Sea Moss
• Two cups of distilled water
• 1 teaspoon of avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil
• 10 drops of vitamin E oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil

Directions

• Measure the Irish moss into a clean cosmetic bowl and pour in the distilled water until the moss is immersed.
• Let the Irish moss soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• The next morning, the Irish moss will have expanded and will be soft. Pour into a saucepan and add some more water.
• Bring the mix to a boil over medium heat. Stir every few minutes until the moss has completely broken down into gel.
• Remove from stove and set aside the cool. Once cool, add in the avocado oil, grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil, vitamin E oil and lavender essential oil.
• Whisk until thoroughly mixed. If too thick, add a little bit of water and whisk again until the gel is silky smooth.
• Pour into a glass jar with a airtight lid.

Tip – sea moss hair gel has a tendency to flake so apply in moderation and work thoroughly through strands in small sections.

Red’s Kitchen Sink Wildcrafted Sea Moss

How to Use Homemade Hair Gel for Natural Hair

You can use your homemade hair gel in several ways for hair. Below are the top ways naturalistas use their homemade hair gel:-

• Curl definition after your wash and go. Because these gels are all-natural, they cannot dry out the hair so apply as much as you like to define your curls.
• After deep conditioning your hair, you can use your homemade hair gel for braid-outs and twist-outs.
• Sometimes, if you want to change up a style during the week, you can also use homemade hair gel to define the style.
• Of course, homemade hair gels can also sleek down your edges. Apply a little, blend in with a boar bristle brush and wear a silk scarf or satin scarf for a few minutes to finish off the style.
• Use it for the hair gel stel in the Max Hydration Method.

Do you have other ways you use your homemade hair gel? Share in the comments section.

In the next article, you can view my top 8 tips for preserving and getting the best out of your homemade hair gel.

The Ultimate Hair Growth Guide

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Curly Abi

Abi is a curly hair expert, researcher, product tester, and author of the highly-rated Healthy Hair Care Series. She is also the founder of Ade Ori Hair Care, Healthy Natural Hair Products, and Natural Oils for Hair & Beauty. HNHP has strict editorial standards and ensures all the information on Healthy Natural Hair Products is the best for natural hair care. Learn more about our Editorial Policies