How To Make Your Own Hair Styling Products When You Want To Ditch The Chemicals

If there’s one thing I’d have to say about adopting a natural lifestyle, it’s that it will make you into a true do-it-yourselfer.

You start to appreciate things more than you did when you were clueless about the dangers of this world. You start to see that they are literally lurking around every corner (or shelf).

For me, it has been a journey that has taught me that I can only trust myself, when it comes to the products that I put into and on my body and hair.

So over the years, I have played around with different recipes to try and make my own shampoos, conditioners and styling agents.

I have yet to try them all, but I definitely plan to. And for those of you who are considering making the switch from  chemical/store-bought products, you can always make your own or start buying products that are truly all-natural, so that your hair gets all of the benefits that it needs to grow healthy.

Why I feel it’s important to become a DIYer

Here is my opinion, I know a lot of you don’t have the time or patience to make your own hair products, but really, it only takes about 2-4 days out of the month, depending on how quickly you go through your products.

If you can set aside an hour to make a big batch to last you 1-2 weeks, that should make it a whole lot simpler. Of course, since you aren’t adding preservatives, you don’t want to go too crazy in how large of a batch you make.

You’ll need to refrigerate your concoctions that contain water or water-based ingredients, such as aloe, so that it doesn’t go bad.

The products that are sold in stores today all contain preservatives, which are chemically made. I personally don’t want any type of chemical placed on my body, which is why I resort to making my own hair and skin products. So if you’re like me, then you should try these recipes and attempt to perfect them for your own use.

Making your own styling gels

This is one of my favorites because I used to be really big on styling gel. When I first returned natural when I was 16, I started putting gel throughout my hair and not just my edges.

It helped to keep my curls/waves nice throughout the day. But of course, that didn’t last long because I could not deal with all the flakes!

Two natural alternatives to store-bought gels are aloe vera and flax seed. Flax gel has become increasingly popular, but I still want to give some recognition to aloe, which seems to be better for hair that is finer. Those with kinkier hair may find it to be too water-based for your liking.

1. To make flax seed gel:

Soak 2 cups of flax seeds overnight
Pour them into a pot of water and allow it to boil
Make sure to stir occasionally
Once you start to see a jelly that’s thin and foamy, turn the temperature to medium
When the seeds start to float, turn off the eye and strain the seeds out of the gel
Add in essential oils* like rosemary*, lavender* and neem*, once it has cooled
Now it’s ready for use (don’t forget to store it in the fridge inside of a glass jar)

2. To make aloe vera gel*:

This just requires aloe vera gel*, which can be taken from the plant. The pulp should be thick, not watery.
Add a few drops of olive oil*
Mix together to make a nice uniform consistency
And that’s it! It’s ready for use (make sure to store inside of the fridge in a glass jar)

Making your own hair mousse

This was another favorite hair product of mine that quickly replaced hair gel. I love the way it kept my hair looking “wet” and had a nice bounce to it. I now like to use fluffy butters on my hair and feel it provides me with the same look.

Here’s a quick recipe:

1/2 cup shea butter (soften it on low heat, use a bowl inside a pot of water)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut oil (room temperature or warm it same way as shea butter)
25 drops neem
25 drops rosemary
20 drops lavender

Blend together the mix inside of a food processor* or use an electric hand whisk on medium. Add the essential oils after it becomes nice and fluffy and continue blending. Store it in a glass jar in your bathroom or in a cabinet.

Making your own hair spray

If you like using aloe vera gel*, you can easily make a hair spray with it by pouring equal parts of the aloe vera juice* and filtered/distilled water. Put it into a hair spray bottle and use it when styling. I also like to add oils like moringa and baobab.

Making your own styling cream

If thick butters aren’t your forte, you can make your own hair styling cream using mango butter, coconut oil, moringa oil and essential oils*.

Here’s what you need:

1 cup of mango butter
1 cup of coconut oil
1 TB moringa oil
10 drops rosemary oil*
10 drops neem oil

You can blend this together in your food processor* or use a whisk. I have no problem making it without heat, but if you need to soften it for the whisk, you can do so using a pot of water and a bowl. Add the essential oils* at the end. Store in glass jar in a cool dark place.

These are just some of the DIY hair products you can make. I find making up new recipes to be quite fun, especially with all of the different ingredients out there that you can try. Have you started making your own natural hair products yet?