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I think the main ingredient in hair gels, or most of them, is PVP Copolymer something or other. I know you can buy it at http://www.makingcosmetics.com, but I would just rather buy gel from the store😁
Yes! The rules! I read through the book you recommended, and it seemed intense, lol
But I think it will really helpI’ve tried making a plain brewed spray of water, heat-infused with slippery elm and marshmallow root, and while it added great slip, it didn’t do much for frizz. I’m thinking that with the gel, it might do very well without adding weight. Will definitely be trying that next week!
Yes, I think you’re right about the copolymer.
I’ll try to see if there are any good reviews for good gel hold from natural brands on the market, and compare from there.Another website that has some interesting recipes and ideas for hair care and the like is The Hippy Homemaker. I’ve tried out some of her infusion/decoction suggestions to put in my hair conditioner recipes before. I am very careful about preserving the infusion/decoction after making it and it’s cooled, adding whatever amount I need and then preserving the product I make. I have not had a decoction/infusion go bad with this method. I still have a decoction/infusion in my refrigerator that I made last year, or maybe year before, and it’s still perfectly clear. No mold or funky stuff growing in it! Score! Anything with botanicals can be tricky to preserve, so I thought doing it the way I described with give me the best chance for keeping my product preserved and mold/fungus/grossness free, and it seems to work.
A natural brand I’ve heard RAVE reviews about from every Curly Girl who’s tried them is Raw Curls. Everything in their product line for waves and curls seem to work fabulously. I have not tried them because they are really expensive and always seem to be out of stock. I guess that means they’re good if Curl Mart keeps running out of them! If also heard a rumor that Ulta may start carrying that brand.
You might want to look at their products and ingredient lists and get some ideas for hair care formulations. Their website is Raw Hair Organics if you want to check them out. In fact, I think I might do that today. Maybe I could try to dupe one! *eyes rolling because I have an abundance of products I need to work through….*
I’m so glad I stumbled on this thread! My family has been having problems with dry, flaky scalps and I just couldn’t figure out what to do. Exfoliate, duh! Because it’s dry, flaky skin. I tried a sugar:oatmeal:shampoo scrub yesterday and it made a huge difference.
Thanks ladies!
You’re welcome!😊
If the flaking continues, try a couple of drops of a light oil massaged into the scalp once a day. The dry winter air always does a number on my scalp and this helps immensely! I didn’t have any flaking this winter thanks to this trick. Woo hoo! Score!
Belinda, I’ve been pondering your oil on the scalp suggestion. Since mine is dry and dehydrated, I think it needs water too, so I’m thinking I need more of a lotion, which is like a light leave-in conditioner, I suppose. I only wash my baby fine hair once/week, so I need to come up with something really light that won’t add greasiness.
SimplyShe had this same concern when I suggested to her to massage a couple of drops of oil on her scalp. She has reported that this works great for her itchy scalp and she doesn’t look oily.
My hair is very fine and it doesn’t look greasy when I do this. This is how I apply it after cleansing. Put two drops of argan or whatever light, light oil you have on hand on the tips of your fingers. Rub fingertips of both hands together to spread the oil across all fingertips. Flip head upside-down then plunge fingers into the middle of your head, massaging scalp from the center to the outer edges. By the time you get to the edges where you can see the oil, the heavier amount is in the middle of your head where it’s not really visible. Just two to three drops is all I use and I have not looked greasy unless I get carried away with how many drops I’m putting on my fingertips. Then, yes, I will look greasy, but that’s using triple the amount of drops I’m suggesting.
Another suggestion that might help might be to use a co-wash mid week. Water would add some moisture to your scalp and the conditioner would act as sort of a lotion to moisturize the skin a bit. Or maybe make a lavender water spray with a bit of conditioner added to it (a teaspoon, tablespoon, or so) and spritz your scalp with it whenever you need to add a bit of moisture. Use distilled water and add the proper amount of preservative to mixture to ward off mold issues.
Or, if you want to do the bold Cyn thing…rub in the oil at night. Sleep. Then wash in the morning. Not only does the scalp feel awesome, but your hair gets benefits from the oil too. Still I don’t go nuts. Just a few drops massaged in with a drop of rosemary or peppermint essential oil.
Excellent suggestion, Twin! I put either a drop of rosemary and a drop of tea tree in my argan oil for hair bottle OR a couple of drops of sea buckthorn oil with a drop of helichrysum and a drop of chamomile in the argan oil. Both of those work well for me.
BLECH! my scalp is back to itchy, flaky yuckiness. I had used a hotel supply shampoo a week or so ago and excema and flakes were instant. I lost the shine to my hair too :(.
I finally sourced shea moisture 🙂 curl and shine shampoo and milk and the gel. But my head is NOT happy. I have been working too much to take the time to argan oil as per Belinda’s suggestion to see if it works ( I just ran upstairs and grabbed it and gave myself a good massage before finishing this, lol). Hair loves shea moisture products, it feels moisturized and thick without looking like it, sadly it still isn’t maintaining curl. I did get my hands on a couple not polyquat gel products to play with so I might get somewhere this weekend (or have really bad hair for easter pics rofl !!!Connie, I was wondering, did you ever clarify your hair before starting the whole co-washing routine? Lorraine Massey’s book suggests using a sulfate shampoo one last time before you start using her method so that you can start with a clean canvas, so to speak. I know you’d been co-washing your hair before you ever got on the Forum so I guess I assumed you’d done that already. I know your hair is low porosity, but maybe you have some buildup on your hair too that’s contributing to the problem too. Maybe??
I’m glad you found the Shea Moisture products. They are very good for a drug store brand and usually easy to find most places. Well, it is in my neck of the woods, anyway! I’m so sorry your hair and scalp are giving you such problems! I wonder if you put a bit of baking soda in your shampoo to clarify and did a diluted ACV rinse on your hair if that would help out? I would do that on occasion when I first started the CG method and it helped.
Connie, I think if you focus on getting your scalp and hair happy and healthy, the curls will follow. I worried and fretted so much over how curly my hair was or wasn’t in the beginning and I really just needed to accept my hair the way it was and is. It’s never going to be as curly as I want it to be but it’s healthy and it looks better than it ever has. I get compliments on my hair now and that is a first for me!
I’ve been doing this for over two years now and my hair is still changing. It’s changed so much my curly haired friends are starting to ask me questions about what I’m doing, the products I’m using, etc. Y’all know I can talk all day about hair so don’t get me started unless you got a couple of hours to spare! Haha
You know, Belinda, I was thinking the same thing. I was switching how I washed my hair because of my scalp. My hair has never been an issue. The dry scalp thing seems to come with the seasons and then settle out. Although I think the trigger this time was going back to the sulphate shampoo for one wash. I used the shea moisture this morning and my hair is POOFY. The curls are there but undefined, my hair is light. I think my next venture is going to be making my own shampoo. I have almost all the ingredients gathered.
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