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Natural Hair Gel – Make an Easy and Natural Recipe

Posted by Kelly Hair, Natural Beauty 30 comments
Please Share

I’ve only had to use hair gel on certain occasions. I’m a low maintenance gal. But there are times when I want to use natural hair gel, because I, of course, want it to be a healthy product.

I also recently discovered that teenage boys and sometimes girls in dance performances need to use hair gel. I don’t want to disallow all use of such products (hoping to work with my children and have them LOVE our natural lifestyle instead of hating it). This is actually what really set me to investigating and testing various recipes and tweaking compositions until I found what I love.

I decided to make my own hair gel at home to save money, control ingredients, and provide something for my teens to use. And of course, it’s great to have another self sufficient project under my belt, so to speak.

Homemade Natural Hair Gel Recipe with just 3 Natural Ingredients from Simple Life Mom

There is GOOD REASON to make your own natural hair gel!

Check out some common ingredients in most gels: Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Polysorbate-20, Isosteareth-20, Tetrasodium Edta, Dmdm Hydantoin (a formaldehyde releaser, which is horrible), Benzophenone-4, and artificial coloring.

That alone should be a big motivator to find a healthy gel in the market or make your own.

It’s also very frugal. When you have simple ingredients that work, you can quickly whip up what you know is healthy and have those on hand for the next time you need to make more.

Does Natural Hair Gel Really Work?

There are homemade natural hair gel recipes all over the web using either unflavored gelatin or flaxseed as a thickener. This placed in the hair and allowed to dry should work, right? Well, I’m here to be your guinea pig.

This first time I made this gel it sat in the fridge and didn’t thicken whatsoever. So I tried again with a little more gelatin. It then became a wonderful gel consistency; not hard like jello, but not like water either. So far so good.

Next, was the testing.

I tried it in my hair first. It actually worked as any store bought gel has ever worked in my hair. It held my curls nicely.

I added a bit more to one area and it became really stiff and maintained a wet look to it. Since this is what store bought gel will do as well, I counted it as a success.

I did have to pick a few white pieces out of my hair of hardened gelatin, but only 2-3. So again, that effort seemed well worth it.

Last, I tried it on my son’s hair. It spiked wonderfully and held great. Again, I noticed a few white specks that I had to pick out, but that was really easy to watch for and do as soon as it finished drying.

All in all, super impressed!!

Homemade Natural Hair Gel Recipe with just 3 Natural Ingredients from Simple Life Mom

This is what I’m going to MAKE and USE when it comes to boys wanting to spike their hair or girls needing to hold back fly away hairs for up-do’s. So easy to make and it works well.

There honestly is no reason why I will ever use harsh, man-made chemicals again.

Homemade Natural Hair Gel Recipe

Gelatin: I use unflavored gelatin. You can find pasture raised beef gelatin by clicking here or if you don’t care about that you can go to the jello isle in your supermarket and find unflavored gelatin (sometimes it’s in a different area like by the pie making ingredients). You can also use a vegan gelatin type powder like Maca, though it is more expensive.

Essential Oils:  I like to add a drop of rosemary essential oil to each batch. This is great for the scalp after being diluted and incorporated. It also helps preserve the mixture.

Check out Starwest Botanicals. They’re an affiliate and have been around for over 40 years and are well respected with great products that I use often in natural bath and beauty products and soap making.

Natural Hair Gel Recipe

Ingredients:

  • ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • ½ cup filtered hot water
  • 1 drop rosemary essential oil

Instructions

  1. Combine water, gelatin and stir until dissolved.1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin,1/2 cup filtered hot water
  2. Add essential oils and stir.1 drop rosemary essential oil
  3. Allow to set in the refrigerator.
  4. Keep in a closed container until ready to use.

Use the printable version below if needed. Don’t forget to save it for later.

Homemade Hair Gel Recipe with just 3 Natural Ingredients from Simple Life Mom
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Homemade Natural Hair Gel

A natural alternative to store bought, chemical filled hair gels.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Total Time5 minutes mins
Keyword: hair gel, natural hair care, natural makeup, organic hair products
Servings: 6 ounces
Author: Kelly – Simple Life Mom

Equipment

  • 1 measuring spoons
  • 1 measuring cups
  • 1 small bowl
  • 1 8oz jar

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • ½ cup filtered hot water
  • 1 drop rosemary essential oil

Instructions

  • Combine water, gelatin and stir until dissolved.
    1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin, 1/2 cup filtered hot water
  • Add essential oils and stir.
    1 drop rosemary essential oil
  • Allow to set in the refrigerator.
  • Keep in a closed container until ready to use.

Let your friends know that there is a great NATURAL alternative for Hair Gel!

Save


Please Share
30 comments

About Kelly

Kelly is the author of number one best seller The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners and Easy Soap Making. She's also written multiple ebooks on herbal remedies and natural bath and body DIYs. Her journey toward better health has inspired her to make things in and around the home from scratch, start a homestead, and become more resourceful when it comes to health and home. She shares her recipes and DIYs here on Simple Life Mom and has a shop where she sells products for those who would rather buy than make (SimpleLifeMom.com/shop).

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30 comments

Leave your reply.
  • Terri
    · Reply

    August 10, 2015 at 11:22 AM

    Love this!! Do you need to keep it refrigerated? What is the “shelf life?” Can’t wait to try!!

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 10, 2015 at 11:42 AM

      I kept mine refrigerated. It should keep much longer that way. Bacteria will grow on gelatin in less than a week if you touch it with your hands and let it sit out – we’ve done science experiments on it ;-). Use a spoon to scoop it out of the container and then into your hands to minimize bacteria contact.

  • Deborah Davis
    · Reply

    August 10, 2015 at 7:02 PM

    5 stars
    I just hopped by from your blog hop to check out your DIY hair gel. This is a much cheaper and safer product than the chemical filled commercial hair gels! Great solution. I’m pinning!

  • Dayna
    · Reply

    August 10, 2015 at 9:12 PM

    Once, many, many year ago in my mis-spent youth, I used gelatin to give myself a zebra mane (mohawk), this “”do”” lasted for several hair washings, at the time it was SO not a good thing, but now a style gel that would hold for a couple of days, or when I go camping, would be kind a nice. Maybe by increasing the gelatin amount?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 11, 2015 at 6:46 AM

      I’m not sure. I think any more gelatin would make your hair rock hard, but it may just change the texture. If you wanted your zebra look again you’d probably have to put it on in drying layers 😉
      My son and I both used this and it washed right out (and he’s not the best scrubber in the world).

  • Marla
    · Reply

    August 11, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    5 stars
    HI Kelly.
    This is a great DIY alternative for chemical hair gel which i am going to try. Thanks so much for sharing it – I am always looking for ways to try to style my hair naturally. I have MCS and even the natural products in health food stores seem to make me react, but this might work for me. Pinned & twitted.

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 11, 2015 at 4:04 PM

      Thank you so much Marla. I hope it works great for you.

  • Lara @ MommyKazam
    · Reply

    August 19, 2015 at 9:51 AM

    This sounds wonderfully easy! I would have never known where to begin trying to make hair gel. I am definitely going to have to make some of this for my husband (and for my little-man when he reaches the hair gel stage), and it definitely sound worth it to watch for a few white pieces vs slathering chemicals all over your head 🙂

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      August 19, 2015 at 4:30 PM

      I completely agree. It’s so easy and quick to make, it’s definitely worth it compared to putting a bunch of crazy chemicals in my or my child’s hair.

  • IdlewildAlaska
    · Reply

    August 26, 2015 at 1:06 AM

    Great idea! Glad it worked for you!

  • Charlene
    · Reply

    February 17, 2017 at 12:08 AM

    If I were to sub maca powder for the gelatin, would I use the same amount?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      February 17, 2017 at 5:48 PM

      I’m not sure about the maca, sorry. I know you can substitute agar (1:1 gelatin, agar ratio) as a vegan sub.

      • Charlene
        · Reply

        February 18, 2017 at 9:56 AM

        Thanks! I purchased some agar yesterday and will try that!

  • Louise
    · Reply

    April 25, 2017 at 2:57 AM

    5 stars
    Hi Kelly,

    Thanks for your great blog!! I love reading it!
    Do you know how I could naturally conserve this gel, so it lasts longer?

    Thanks a lot,
    Louise

  • Louise
    · Reply

    April 25, 2017 at 2:59 AM

    (or would you call it “preserve” instead of conserve?) 🙂

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      April 25, 2017 at 7:22 AM

      Hi Louise,
      Yes, preserve its freshness 🙂
      The best way to make sure it stays fresh is to add one drop of clove essential oil and keep it in the fridge. Also, use a spoon instead of your fingers to get a little out at a time.

  • Karen
    · Reply

    May 25, 2018 at 6:56 PM

    Will essential oils fade the coloring in my hair?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      May 26, 2018 at 5:43 PM

      I’ve never heard of them doing so. You should be only adding a drop or two for scent so it shouldn’t be enough to change anything.

  • Candy
    · Reply

    January 20, 2020 at 9:15 AM

    What’s the approximate shelf life? Refrigerated and un refrigerated?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      January 21, 2020 at 3:27 PM

      It depends on temperatures and sanitation. I would use it even after a few weeks in the fridge, but only one week if not refrigerated because of the water content.

  • Nour
    · Reply

    March 12, 2020 at 5:35 PM

    After how long should you add the oils in the gelatin water mix?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      March 14, 2020 at 4:37 PM

      Just as soon as it gels. When you take it out of the fridge it should still be soft enough to stir and add the essential oils.

      • Dana
        · Reply

        September 16, 2022 at 2:24 PM

        5 stars
        This awesome. I was hoping to find a natural hair gel. I dont use gel daily, do you think it would last longer outside the fridge by adding preservative?

        • Kelly
          · Reply

          Author
          September 19, 2022 at 7:31 PM

          I don’t add preservatives, so I don’t know, but I would assume so.

  • Rebecca
    · Reply

    May 20, 2020 at 2:46 PM

    Is the clove oil ok to add if using this gel on a 15 month old?

    • Kelly
      · Reply

      Author
      May 30, 2020 at 8:31 PM

      I would not use clove on a very young child, no. It’s just a very strong and “hot” oil.

  • Jaquayliah
    · Reply

    September 12, 2024 at 5:23 PM

    I’m happy you made this,because I haven’t used gel scent I was 4

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