Added: 1 year ago
From: 1ballerina
Views: 66,704
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:

All Comments (196)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • Lol the sounds it makes when you scrape of the gel from the sock

  • Hey, I absolutely love this video. Since I don't use gel often enough to use it all within 10 days, will vitamin E or tea tree oil be enough to preserve it longer without being in the fridge? Btw, your hair is amazing :-)

  • @NaturalJaLease13 Hi thanks! Vitamin e only helps to prolong the shelf life of oil so it would not preserve flax seed oil. Tea tree oil is not a full spectrum preservative so it would not safely preserve the flax seed gel broadly enough for me to recommend it. You can just cut the recipe in half (1/8 cup of flax seeds to 1 cup of water) that way you can use it up quicker and not have to worry about harmful bacteria accumulating in the gel from long term storage :)

  • @1ballerina oh i see. i think i'll just try making a small batch then. thank you so much for your help and quick response :-)

  • @NaturalJaLease13 You're welcome! :)

  • I'm gonna try this! :)

  • @Pretoriafly Cool!

  • You say it lasts btw 10 to 14 days can it last longer?

  • @fashionerdxo Hi, yes the gel can last roughly about 10 days in the refrigerator, it can last longer if a preservative is added. I would not go past that time frame due to the microbial growth due to lack of a preservative. You can always make smaller batches of the gel (just cut the recipe in half) and that way you can use it up quickly when it is fresh :)

  • thx for your video wow amazing...my daughter and my hair is exactly like yours but its been a journey to learn what to do with it do you mind telling me your hair routine and where i can get the items from

  • @pjarrells Hi, thank you! The oils and butters I use can be purchased at a local health food store and many products are reasonably priced at Vitacost,com. I formulate a lot of my own products but I think I am going to be making it available to purchase here soon. I will put a video out when it is available. The key is regular washing, careful detangling and lots of butters and or oils to keep hair soft and protected in between washes :)

  • I found your channel a couple of days ago & have really been enjoying all your videos. They're so informative & your explanations are so clear: thank you! I just wanted to ask you about this flaxseed gel. You mentioned in an earlier comment that "I will also sometimes add aloe vera gel to reduce the ph and prevent bacterial growth". Does that mean the flaxseed gel is quite alkaline? Can you remember what the pH was before adding the aloe gel? Thanks again so much and I love your gorgeous hair!

  • @piffleviewer Hi, thank you! If anything, flax seed gel is similar to water (neutral ph of 7), which is not as acidic as hair, however I don't believe the gel is more alkaline than water which means it falls within a ph range that hair is naturally and regularly exposed to through washing etc. Some aloe vera juice/gel (unsweetened food grade) would help to bring the ph down. I would also recommend using distilled water in the making of the gel :)

  • @1ballerina Thanks so much for your (very quick) response. You're wonderful!!

  • Do you really do ballet?

    I used to and I really miss it.

    ;-;

  • @SuperCheesetastic Hi, yes, I am a dance teacher :)

  • Do you really do ballet?

    I used to and I really miss it.

    ;-;

  • @SuperCheesetastic Hi, yes I am a dance teacher :)

  • I found this fascinating but I don't think I understand the use of it in hair. Is it to hold curl? Is it for a conditioner? Can you leave it in? I thought the video was cool and am at the ready to use it, but what for? :)

  • @lenoralb Hi, it works as a styling gel, it provides hold, curl definition, and shine :)

  • Hi: Looks good & seems a good inexpen alt to kinky-curly. I use flax seeds as a supplement. I'am interested in your technique of making a hair gel out of it. Have you ever tried grinding the flax seeds in the food processor & then boiling in water? When I add it to yogurt or sprinkle on other foods, I always grind the raw seeds then sprinkle, I'm thinkg grinding might be easier to get all the gel to release, not sure how straining process might be affected. IDK, I'm just wondering.

  • @SamFem Hi, yes I have consumed flax seeds in a variety of ways. I am not sure if extracting the mucilage from ground flax seeds would be easier, I would think the small bits would be more difficult to strain out of the finished product. The whole flax seeds release a lot of gel, they can then be boiled again to extract even more gel and the size of the seeds are large enough and smooth enough to not poke through or damage the nylon during straining :)

  • this is soooo cool nd chic! :) nd i lovvvve whole foods lol....im gonna make this!

  • i appreciate this vid. your info was thorough and you highlighted the important points. go girl! thanks! and lovely hair!

  • Great Vid!! I started using flaxseed jam/gel in my as well as my 6yr old daughters hair. It didnt turn out as thick as I'd like. Maybe because I added almond oil, vitamin e and coconut oil. I still think it works great. My fro is very soft. The next time I made it, I'll leave everything but the flaxseed.

  • @mssmtaylor1 Sounds great! Yes I agree that other types of flax seeds also work well :)

  • Very Pretty

  • @sheilasingsarabic28 Thank you! :)

  • i tried it and i keep getting flaxseed in my mixture :(

  • @hotdyme86 I use golden flax seeds that are round and will not go through the nylon. You might want to tie the end of nylon after pouring in the mixture and then rinse off any seeds on the outside before straining :) Hope this helps!

  • @1ballerina ...i looked all over for the golden flax seed :( ...but that dose makes sense lol thank you :)

  • @hotdyme86 If you are in the U.S. you can buy them at Whole Foods or call a local health food store to see if they carry them. You can also buy them on Vitacost . com

    God bless you.

  • Where did u purchase the Flaxseeds from? Sorry if u already said where. I'm really interested in making my own gel.

  • @BabyDollNatural1 Hi, I get flax seeds from Whole Foods (bulk bins), I get the 'golden flax seeds) :)

  • Thanks for this video, sure appreciate it.

  • Is your hair naturally curly.?

    Or is the flaxseed gel just holding the curls.?

  • @meme254ify My hair is naturally very curly:)

  • lol ew that looks really nasty when ur str

    aining the gel out with the stcks lol good idea tho

  • @jaszylaz527 It's just jelly/food that works great in hair, it doesn't smell bad and feel nice and slippery and nourishing :)

  • Hi great video, did you say which conditioner you use? Thank you!

  • @jilldva Hi I make my own conditioner at home. If I end up running my recipes through a laboratory for manufacturing and testing then I will make a video when it becomes available :)

  • Thanks so much for sharing ! Your results were beautiful :)

  • you are so, so sweet... :-)

  • @TheMatija20 Thank you!

  • I'm considering going natural -- I get sick of having permed hair sometimes. : (

    This looks like it really leaves your hair moisturized !!

    If i finally go natural I'll definitely keep this in mind ! :)

    While it's on my mind -- do you think this could would with permed hair too ? o:

    My hair is really healthy and i make sure to trim my ends and keep it in good health-- its about 4- 6 inches past shoulder length now. But I love to see these twists on people-- I'd like to try it myself too. :D

  • @CandiedKoi HI, yes it would make sense that having hair permed would be something that gets tiring. Curly hair, all curly hair has its unique beauty (God made all hair beautiful).

    This gel is pretty good at defining curls, (I use a leave in conditioner underneath and then once my hair is dry, I add oil and shea butter to keep it soft); people with straight hair can use it as well, I am not sure about chemically treated hair because of the chemical changes but it might be worth a try :)

  • @1ballerina :) Thank you soo much !!!

  • @CandiedKoi yaay! I decided to go natural in march and i'm still transitioning (and loving my new texture!, it has changed since I was in elementary, its so loosely curled). Remember, you can try letting your natural hair grow out and if you don't like it you can always just get a relaxer:) that's the thing with black hair, its so versatile! good luck:)

  • Have you ever tried boiling the seeds already in the sock? 

  • @zeegirl84 Hi, I remember considering doing so but if I let the sock hang over the side it would burn, then I remember being concerned that maybe the nylon would break down because of high temperatures so i didn't try it. Let me know if you try it that way if it works out well :)

  • How'd you let your mix get so thick? Some of the others mixes just look watery..

    And that's not what I want. -_-

  • @AmberAuNaturel You can get a really thick gel if you boil 1/4 of a cup of seeds in just over 1 cup of water, it will get super thick :) If it is too thick, just add a little more water until it is the right thickness :)

  • @1ballerina Thanks so much! :)

  • Today mark this video one year.And im just seeing it...wow

  • @dymesgirl :)

  • Very excited to try this! I have a new protein conditioning treatment for natural hair that is working out FAB so far! Just now discovering the YouTube Natural Community- Loving it!

  • @digitpurplerain Cool! Wow you are new?! Welcome to YT natural hair world! :)

  • I tried this and it flaked my hair... don't know why.. even when I add light oils and add more water to dilute the gel.

  • @LyricallyJustified1 Hmm I don't know why it would flake. Is there another product in your hair when you add the gel? Are you applying the gel to soaking wet hair?

  • WOW!!!! Your hair is so pretty. I made some about two weeks ago. I, too, love the results. It's so easy to make,works really well with my hair, and best of all it's cheap. Win, win, win!!! SN: I froze it by accident. I can still smell the grapefruit essential oil I added to it. Don't know but maybe a way to stretch the longevity of the gel.

  • @zheahra Thanks! There is always the option to make a smaller batch of gel so you can use it up quicker and not worry about trying to preserve it for too long. How did freezing work? Did the gel hold up once it was thawed out? From what I understand the extract from the grapefruit seed is a partial preservative, it has to be combined carefully with another preservative in order to preserve safely; however freezing slows down bacterial growth & should work if the gel holds up after freezing :)

  • Oh my gosh Americans do this too? lol I am Ethiopian i use to do this when I was a kid ....oh I am gonna start again. Thanks.

  • @cordoovab Cool! :)

  • I would never use that much gel in two weeks. Do you know the ratio to create maybe 4 ounces of gel? I wouldn't want to create so much only for it to go bad.

  • @ainokisu Hi, you can just cut the recipe in half (1/8 of a cup of seeds to 1 cup of water) or cut it into quarters (1/16 of a cup of seeds to 1/2 a cup of water) :)

  • @1ballerina thank you!

  • Tips:

    Skim the white milky scum from the boiling flax several times during preparation. Pour hot flax seeds soup through a fine strainer to avoid the bubble-back effect where gel remains in the sock. Use a spoon for scooping out gel to make it last longer (bacteria etc.). Your locs look wonderfu!

  • @hwiseman1 Hi, thanks. The white stuff from the flax seeds are just bubbles from boiling, they turn clear once the gel has cooled. I use a nylon stocking as a strainer as shown in the video for straining. I use tongs to extract the gel from the seeds to avoid contact with hands. I will also sometimes add aloe vera gel to reduce the ph and prevent bacterial growth. I will also sometimes add a preservative. Thanks!

  • Thanks so much for this video, very informative!!

  • great tutorial........Thank you! I look forward to trying this recipe.

  • @meyimani7 You're welcome!

  • You are stunningly beautiful, and this tutorial/review of Flaxseed oil was nicely done, very simple to use and I think I will try this out :D It gave you great results ;o! *i subbed* :p

    Thanks for the video.

  • @MyYuniko Thank you so much! I would give the flaxseed gel a few tries, it takes a bit to be able to evenly coat hair and match it up with the right about of shea butter and/or oi (I add the oil/butter once the gel has dried). :)

  • thats just doing way too fucking much for some hair ....

  • @loren12694fem If you're lazy it is doing too much lol

  • Just found you. I have a ton of these type of flax seeds and was wonder how i would eat them all. now i don't have to! This recipe looks really easy and effective. I'm trying it!

  • @periwaterfly Sounds great!

  • Do you notice any frizz after you separate your sections?? The problem I have with gels or gooy type of moisturizers is when I separate a clumped section of curls, I get frizz. Does each strand feel pretty coated and moisturized? =] I've been looking for the seeds to add to my health routine. I added the oil to my hair before once and loved the results so I DEF need to try this =]. Hemp oil is a gr8 moisturizer as well. It smells really nutty and is green but it REALLY tames my split ends!!

  • @21SayWhat21 Hi, I don't separate the sections, I just let them lay together. When I add an oil or a shea butter mix the sections will start to separate on their own from the slip of the oil/butter and that begins to add volume. The flaxseed gel feels good on my hair, I do need to add an oil and/or butter after it dries though because the gel has some hold that I like to soften up :)

  • omg thanks for going through all the days for us. *subscribes*

  • How does it smell?

  • @wonderwoman122 It doesn't really smell like anything. Make sure not to get the roasted seeds if you decide to make it otherwise it will smell like hot cereal :)

  • beautiful! your hair seems to really love the flaxseed gel

  • @godsflame2 Thanks!

  • @themoviebuff101 That sounds great! I lightly oil my hair every night; I use either an oil or shea butter, or a combination of oil mixed with shea butter :) Jojoba oil is awesome, I use coconut oil when it gets closer to my wash day. Just make sure to keep coconut off your face because it can clog pores, I usually top off coconut oil with jojoba oil or another oil. Jojoba oil won't clog pores :)

  • wow mixed race girls sure are stunning

    

  • @brianandrewstuart are girls who aren't "mixed race" any less stunning?

  • @brianandrewstuart Hey thanks!

  • Thx sis for this great recipe:)

  • @lalilaksha You're welcome :)

  • does anyone know how kC knot today is with glax seed gel? do they mix?

  • defiantly going to try this at home

  • @ZillaCurls7 Cool :)

  • It seems that you could save a step by boiling the flax seeds in the stocking. Just wrap the end of the stocking around the handle of the pot so that you can still extract the seeds easily after boiling. I just bought golden flax seeds for eating because they have omega 3, 6 and 9, but I'll make this gel because kinky curly is $17 at Target.

  • @VeeShay1 Yeah I thought about just boiling the seeds in the stocking but I did not want to risk damaging the stocking. I didn't want it hanging out over the pot and I didn't want to tie a knot in it and fuss with trying to get the knot out while it is steaming hot, however, it could possibly be done :)

  • @VeeShay1 (con't) Another thing is that the seeds need to be stirred constantly so that they don't stick together so you might not be able to boil them in the stocking even if you can avoid damage to the stocking.

  • Thanks for the tips. You and your hair are gorgeous!

  • @anikadiamond007 Thanks!

  • I'd imagine with some practice, chopsticks could work, too?

  • @rostand5264 Yes that sounds like it could work! :)

  • best tutorial on how to do flaxseed gel. thanks to you !

  • @krystlehime :)

  • @1ballerina oh, I've just rerewatched the vid, and was wondering something.

    The first "set" of gel you got at 3:49, is it with 2 cups of water to 1/4 of flaxseeds, and then you boiled the seep again in ONE cup of water.

    OR it's 1 cup of water to 1/4 of seeds, strained, then reboiled them again in 1cup of water ???

    sorry i was confused

  • @krystlehime Hi yes I normally make it with 1/4 of a cup of seeds to 2 cups of water then reboil the same seeds in 1 cup of water.

    I accidentally boiled both times in only one cup of water here and got a super thick gel, either way it works good it is just that the gel came out exceptionally thick and concentrated cause I forgot to add that extra cup in the first cooking session.

    I normally 1/4 seeds to 2 cups of water then I reboil the seeds in only 1 cup of water. Sorry!

  • What do you do with your hair at night?

  • @CourtneyNaturalHair I have a night time routine video where I show what I do :)

  • May I ask where you purchased your tongs from? I have metal ones and they are horrible. They totally ripped the nylon (duh. i mean what was i thinking LOL) Thank you for the video

  • @supercurlygurl7 Hi, the tongs was an included cooking tool to a wok I purchased at Cost Plus World Market; you might be able to find similar tongs at an Asian food store :)

  • @1ballerina Thank you!!!

  • i tried some but mine was more watery when i strained it so i put the mixture back on the stove and boiled it down to a paste. I tried it on my nape and i like how it showed up my curl on my new growth.

  • Thanks for sharing, hon! This is a really cute hair style too!

  • I can't wait to share your video with my niece...She's 16...with hair like yours. She's biracial and I can't seem to convince her to wear it curly. She is stuck on flat ironing it straight...but she'll "get there" one day...I pray. So thanks again for sharing your info & for your rapid reply...Big Hugs, Ms.SF :o)

  • @KEPBGeorgia Curly girls that straighten their hair have a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered :) I will pray she discovers it and goes with the flow of her hair and loves it ♡

  • Thank you for sharing...your hair is amazing, and your information is greatly appreciated! I've GOT to do this gel this weekend, and I'm SO excited! Thanks again!

  • @MsSunflower93 You're very welcome!

  • stuff looks gross lol but im sure its alot healthier n less gross then the mystery stuff you can buy from the store

  • @PumkinSeedandSpice  you got that right.

  • Quick Tip.. personally i find heating up gel i've had for a week tends to allow the gel to define my curls again !

  • @BlessedNaturally Cool thanks!

  • Wow! That is a lot of gel for two weeks! is there any way to preserve it so it stays longer? like freezing 3/4, and taking it out and thawing when you need it? But I guess it wouldn't really matter since it's so economically friendly =) I just dont want to waste anything, especially after all of that hard work!

  • @japanatheart89 I haven't tried freezing it, but that sounds like a good idea and worth a try. You can always just cut the recipe in half and make half the amount of gel too :)

  • @japanatheart89 Yes, you can freeze the gel. I used to do this, and I would thaw it out and use what I needed :) This gel is very eco friendly.

  • hey gurl..so did u shampoo, condition your hair and then applied a leave on conditioner and then this flaxseed gel? Please explain..thanks alot..

  • @harshagal Hi! Yes that is what I did, shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner, then the gel on top :)

  • @0119alt. It doesn't take long to make. I make it for me and my daughters hair but the one thing that I do differently is to not boil for so long. I let it boil until it gets thick but not too thick and while it is very hot and very runny I get more from the mixture almost a full 16 oz jar (using the same ratio of ingredients) not hard at all and not time consuming either. I began making it because my daughter has excema and the essential fatty acids work well to heal the skin.

  • I want to try this but it looks like a pain in the ass to make. lol.

  • Good verry good

  • you look depressed.... you aii?

  • @jessrulezdawholeworl Lol nah I'm not depressed, just in a "talking for a long time" mode lol. Thanks for asking though :-)

  • Have you ever tried making gel with xanthan gum or guar gum? You buy the power at health food stores and you just add a little bit to water. No cooking. It works great but I've never tried flax seed gel so I don't know if it's better, it's just easier to make.

  • @BronzeTrinity I haven't tried make gels with xanthan gum or guar gum, I have used some thickeners but have not put together the perfect gel :)without using flaxseeds quite yet, but I am working on it :-) Thank you for the suggestion, I will be looking more closely/considering guar gum.

  • Well first I want to say THANK YOU for this video I've tried to make this three times and FAILED I bought four different tongs and they all didn't work but my boyfriend suggested that i use a glove I chose a dish washing glove to squeeze the gel out and IT WORKED I've never been so happy lol but I just wanted to know How many times should you use the flaxseed gel before it goes bad? BTW I absolutely LOVE LOVE MY RESULTS it is in fact just like KCC :)

  • @1ballerina Oh wow! Hope the aloe vera gel turns out great! :) Thanks for the tip about calcium activating pectin...I didn't know there was a difference! Knowing me I would have done the same thing :P lol

  • @Guitarrachica777 Thanks :) Yeah there is a certain kind of pectin that is activated with calcium (for low sugar jelly recipes) but the most available kind of pectin is the kind that becomes jelly with the addition of sugar :)

  • @Guitarrachica777 I would have been more comfortable applying a pectin mixture that is activated by sugar, but since I used the calcium activated one I was not so sure, and it came out kind of lumpy so I tossed it.

  • Hola have you ever tried to mix your flaxseed gel with pectin like arcamp83? If so how has that turned out? Or has anyone that has commented tried this..? I would like to try it but I'm not too sure as to which stage to add in the pectin...

  • @Guitarrachica777 Hi, I haven't tried the pectin mix on my hair. I did try adding pectin to organic marshmallow root and then adding agave nectar to activate the pectin to make a jelly product but I got the wrong kind of pectin which was activated by calcium instead of activating with fructose (agave nectar) and got a result I decided not to use. I am currently trying to get a gel together using Aloe Vera to see how to see how that works out :)

  • What happens after that 12-14 day period when the gel is no longer considered "fresh" does it develop a smell or just become not as effective? I'm just trying to determine if its okay to use on day 15 or 16.

    Also is flax seed gel ready to use immediately after its been made or does it require a setting time?

  • @hellohaze I use the flaxseed gel as soon as I make it, no setting time. After about 14 days it starts to go bad, since it contains water, it is easy for bacteria and other micro organisms to grow in it. If there is no sort of preservative (broad spectrum preservative) then it can become contaminated. I make an amount that I can usually use up in usually about a 12 day period then if there is a little left, less than what I need, I throw that bit out and make a new batch when I need it :-)

  • try a hand soap dispenser it works great for that gel

  • @MarieS6060 That sounds like a good idea!

  • OMG gracias chula, my friend told me about you and your videos and it was well worth it me and her both are going to try this method next weekend I'm uber excited THANKS SO MUCH =D !!!!!

  • @indyha06 You're welcome <3

  • what happens if you keep it after 14 days? I am not prone to do doing wash an goes

  • @deede1 I don't do wash and gos either :) After 2 weeks of it being in the refrigerator it can start to go bad because there is no preservative in it, it is just water and gel which makes it an easy place for bacteria to grow. If you want it to last a little longer you can add things like a combination of tea tree oil and rosemary essential oil, or you can buy a preservative from a soap making company and add it to the gel. A broad spectrum preservative should help extend the shelf life.

  • @1ballerina well thank you, I was wondering about that. I was thing tea tree and rosemary. Know any perseratives ( that i could order) that could extend the self life?

  • @deede1 There is a preservative called 'Cosmocil' it is a very gentle broad range preservative that is commonly used in baby wipes and contact solution and only a tiny amount is needed (1% of the total weight of the product). I buy it at theherbarie[dot]com.

    You can also cut the recipe in half or quarters making a smaller amount, that way you won't have to spend on a preservative (theherbarie[dot]com has a minimum purchase order amount that exceeds the price of the preservative) :)

  • Where did you get tongs like that from?

  • @sweeteababy0427 Hi, I bought a wok at I think Cost Plus World Market a while ago and it came with a little package of cooking tools, the tongs was one of those tools. You might be able to find them at an Asian food market in the cooking tools section or a similar online store. I think they are made of bamboo.

  • your hair is awesome! =) I love it!

  • @thing1thingtwo Thanks!

  • My mom taught me to make this when I was a little kid. I still make it.

  • @LunaOverEden Cool :)

  • I looooooooooove flaxseed gel! I put a rubber glove over a pair of winter gloves, tie a knot close to the flaxseed and squeeze the heck out of it while it is hot. Throw the stocking bacl into the pot and boil and repeat! This is way better than eco-styler and IC Fantasia.

  • you are crazy beautiful!! and i loovvee your hair its soo health! :-)

  • @cibpurple145 Thank you!!

  • @BananaaMoon Thanks! Yes homemade is wonderful! :-)

  • i love how your hair came out and you looked really nice and you were about to go out with the lovely earrings! i make this gel too sometimes, i quite like it, although i have found i need the right leave-in underneath, otherwise my hair gets quite crunchy. :)

  • @louloumatou Thank you! Yes I have to use a leave in conditioner underneath the gel as well. I also have to add an oil or a butter to my hair as soon as it dries in order for it to feel protected and soft :)

  • hey wanted you to know that I tried your braid out using kccc and knot today and it had great hold but was frizzy.. I have watched your videos for a while.. I think where I went wrong was sitting under the dryer :( I was trying to avoid a wet head lol.. but I think next time I will attempt to air dry.. your hair is gorgeous btw.. I love your diligence in using protective styles like twist out and braid outs :).. keep up the great work :)

  • @Shemsa08 Eeek! Did I reply to this message already?! If not then: I have not used KC Knot today along with KCCC, but the conditioner I use is very similar to KC Knot Today I have a bottle of KC Knot Today and will try it and maybe do a video on it :)

  • is a nylon sock just a knee high?

  • @NotoriousLYNappy1

    Yes it is a knee high, the thin transparent ones made of nylon :)