Flaxseed Gel: Miracle in a...Bottle?

I don't know where to start. This stuff is amazing and I love it cause its overly cheap. So what I'm talking about is flaxseed gel. You can make it at home in under 10 minutes. Plus there are many benefits to it. They contain Omega-3 fatty acids which are not only good for your health but your hair. Flaxseed gel will leave your hair shiny, moisturized, and pretty defined for those curly girls out there. Plus it provides a light hold. It also mixes well with other products so you won't have to worry about little chunks of product staying in your hair or your hair looking white. I used organic golden whole flax seeds, I recommend whole rather than milled because its easier to strain.

What You'll Need:

1. 1/8 cup -1/4 cup flax seeds (this all depends on how thick you want your gel, I make mine thin to make it easy to strain )
2. 1 1/2 cup water
3. Saucepan
4. Strainer
5. Bowl
6. Funnel
7. Container to store it in the fridge (I used an old SheaMoisture bottle to make it easier to pour when I use it)

Step 1: Boil the flax seeds and water over medium to low heat. Stir it occasionally to keep the seeds from sticking to the saucepan.

Step 2: Once it reaches a gel-like consistency boil it more to thicken or take it off the heat and strain it into a bowl.

Step 3: Funnel the gel into your container and let it cool. It should thicken up a bit as it cools.

Step 4: Use it!

 

Your gel should be okay if refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. You can add in a preservative such as vitamin e to help it last a bit longer (maybe another two weeks?) You can also add in other ingredients for added benefits such as oils, aloe vera juice, or rose water but these are optional.

HOTD: Family BBQ

So for this particular day I decided to do a fresh twist out and pin back one side to give the appearance of a shaved side. 

So I washed my hair in 4 sections the night before with Keracare's Cleansing Cream, conditioned and detangled with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and a wide tooth comb. These aren't anything special its just what I had on hand.

 

Once I had finished detangling and rinsed out my conditioner, wrapped an old but clean t-shirt around my hair to soak up some excess water. After 30 minutes with a shirt on my head I decided it was time to twist. Now this is what I ALWAYS use if I'm braiding or twisting my hair for a twist out or braid out. I smooth a quarter sized amount of Paul Mitchell The Conditioner through each section of my four sections, then I use homemade flaxseed gel to twist.  I smooth a nickel sized amount of it through each twist. Each piece of hair I use for twisting is about 1 inch wide but my hair is thin so it doesn't amount to much.

When I'm done I pin the twists in the front in the direction I want them to fall when they're untwisted. For this particular style I basically made a side part on the right side of my scalp with the twists and the twists on the left of the part were pinned to the left.

So I slept on them and didn't untwist them until the next afternoon. But just wait until they are completely dry. Some people use oil to untwist their hair but I don't, I'm just too lazy. So I untwist each twist, splitting them into two pieces. Then I split each of those two pieces which means 1 twist = 4 pieces. That's how I make up for how thin my hair is. Once all my hair is untwisted and pieced apart I pin back the hair on the right of that initial part, all the way to the back. And thats it, just add in accessories if you'd like.

ThredUP mini haul

I recently found an app called ThredUP. They also have a website ThredUP.com. Its basically an online thrift store where people sell their gently used, practically new, clean clothing for others to buy. These clothes are inspected by ThredUp staff to make sure they are suitable for sale. For now the site offers clothing, shoes, and accessories for children, women, and juniors (sorry guys!). I downloaded the app which is currently only available to iOS users. Shipping is free if you spend over $50. For the first item shipping is $2.99 and for each item afterwards shipping is $.99

I spent the day looking through the app and found a lot of good items. Now let me just say their prices are REALLY cheap and the quality is great but as with any thrift shop, you have to take your time and search for what you want. Here's what I ordered (which they conveniently put into a collage for me).

ORDER DETAILS
6 - Levis Jegging 6   info		$5.99
28 - Uniqlo Jeans 28   info		$4.49
4 - H&M Jegging 4 (Tiny Flaw)   info		$3.99
28 - Forever 21 Jeans 28 (NWT with Tiny Flaw)   info		$5.99
28 - H&M Jeans 28   info		$3.49
5 - Just USA Distressed Jean 5   info		$3.49
Sm - Express Cardigan Sm   info		$3.99

Then I found a promo code: EWG which took off about $9 so I got seven items for $30 and change. According to ThredUP I saved $215.37 off retail price.