The girls’ hair after their first time plopping and using gelatin hair gel!!
I tried a new hair gel recently! It was SO incredibly easy to make!! I loved that fact immensely, I also loved the hold. The first gel I tried making on my own is made from flax seeds and water. I got that recipe from Mommypotumus. In her post about hair gel she gives three recipes. I tried the flax seed recipe because she said that it likely had the strongest hold. It’s super simple to mix up, but it can be a little tricky to get strained through the cheese cloth. So, one day when the girls expressed interest in plopping their hair (a simple drying technique for curly hair) and I was really low on gel and energy, I decided to try her gelatin recipe.
It was so, so much easier to make. I mean you don’t even have to heat water on the stovetop, let alone strain anything! The one caution she gives though is that eventually gelatin, although it strengthens hair can reduce your hair’s elasticity. I had noticed a HUGE increase in my hair’s elasticity since using the flax seed gel, so I figured even if this did reduce my elasticity I’d be okay for a while. I was good for a bit, but I did notice a loss of elasticity. So, I have decided to go back and forth between the two, which is what she suggests in her post on the three recipes.
So, this recipe gets a HUGE thumbs up for ease, hold and overall usefulness. It is worth noting that, at least at the strength I make it, when you keep it in the refrigerator it does turn into a pretty solid gel and can be a bit tricky at times to get worked into your hair. But, if you let it warm slightly it becomes easier to work with. It also gets softer as you use it up. I’m not sure if somehow some of the gelatin gets used up first and leaves a higher amount of water versus gelatin towards the end of the batch, but something like that seems to happen. For some reason, this last batch of flax seed gel that I made turned out easier to get through the cheese cloth (I think doing it with tongs while it is still hot helped A LOT). It also seems to have even stronger hold than my previous batches! I highly recommend both types and do plan to go back and forth between them. The gelatin is my favorite for ease and hold. The flax is my favorite for hair growth and increased elasticity. I love both for using natural ingredients in my hair that I am happy to let the girls use anytime they are interested. So, here is the gelatin recipe and directions.
Gelatin Hair Gel Recipe:
1/4-1/2 tsp gelatin (I use 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup very warm water
up to 24 drops of essential oil (I’ve used peppermint and lavender)
Gelatin Hair Gel Directions:
Stir the gelatin into the water until dissolved
Add in the essential drops if you are using them and stir
Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator up to 10 days
That’s it! Super simple!! AND super useful! If you try it, please let us know how it goes in the comments below!
This past week I have tried two different DIY recipes to try to make my hair care more natural and to better support keeping what hair I have. I am on this interesting new journey with curly hair. My hair has always had quite a bit of wave in it, but not real curl. BUT, then I had babies! And, now it is curly. If I wash it and just leave it to dry it is curly, if I brush it out it is puffy and super wavy. AND, it is thinner than ever. I feel like I have lost so much hair. It started coming out after my youngest daughter was born and I thought it was just normal postpartum hair loss. And, maybe it is, but it seems like my hair loss hasn’t ever really stopped. It has seemed to slow or stop over the summer, both last year and this year. I was talking to my sister about that a few weeks ago and was thinking it must be due to the stress of teaching and taking care of the girls during the year. As I thought about it more though, I began to wonder if it may be my hair products instead. You see, since I am home most days during the summer, I rarely put any products in my hair. So, I began to wonder if maybe it is the products that are causing the problems, not the stress.
That concern along with the extra time I’ve had due to no vacation because of Covid, extra quarantines, closed activities, and closed restaurants finally pushed me to try making my own hair care products. First, I tried making hair gel from a recipe I found on Mommypotamus. I decided to try her flax seed recipe since she said it seemed to have the strongest hold. I added peppermint essential oil because that is what I had on hand AND it was one that was suggested for stimulating hair growth. I like it and will make some more. I will have to double or triple the recipe, though. It does well and I love the minty smell. I do wish it had a little more hold.
Since, I felt the need for a little more hold and because I had been using just hair spray when using regular products for my curly hair, I decided to go ahead and try a recipe for DIY hair spray. I had seen and wondered several times about one I saw from Whole New Mom. I have found that these two DIY products together work really well. The only struggle I have had so far is that I generally apply my products when my hair is wet. This works really well with the gel, but the since the hair spray is water based it actually makes my hair heavier and harder to dry. I have used the hair spray after my hair has dried with the gel on it and that seems to work the best.
So, once I have made more of the gel, I think that my plan will be to put the gel on and style as usual while my hair is wet. Then, once my hair is dry or at least mostly dry, then I will add the hair spray. This seems to work best. Now, here are the recipes that I am currently using to make these products. It was nice that both of them were super easy to make and TRULY made from stuff I already had on hand. Okay, except the distilled water, I used my normal city, tap water. I know that this is not recommended for either recipe and if you have distilled water you should definitely use it. However, I figured my city water in these recipes was better than the chemicals in the hair spray I’d been using.
DIY Hair Gel Recipe:
3/4 cup water
1 TBSP + 1 1/2 tsp Flax Seeds
Up to 24 drops Essential Oil
Hair Gel Directions:
Put flax seeds in the water and boil
Turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes
I didn’t have a mesh sieve, so I just put cheese cloth over a bowl and after the mixture had simmered for 10 minutes I poured it out on the cloth.
Mine was SUPER thick and I had to let it cool enough to touch and then I had to just squeeze and squeeze it out through the cloth until I had gotten most of it out.
I think that I may have left mine on to boil a little longer than I was supposed to. I’m hoping that the next time I make it, it may turn out a little thinner so that it is easier to get through the cloth. I will certainly try to watch it more carefully, but I’ll be honest, mommying makes it hard to be totally focused on very many things!! After I got out as much as I could I kept mine in a small Rubbermaid container in the butter compartment of the refrigerator door.
DIY Hair Spray Recipe:
1 cup water
4 tsp sugar
8 drops of peppermint oil – optional (Adrienne from Whole New Mom recommends a blend of oils, but again I typically just use what I have on hand and peppermint oil is what that was.)
DIY Hair Spray Directions:
Heat water to boiling
Add sugar and stir to dissolve
Allow to cool
Add essential oils if using
Pour into spray bottle
I admit the spray bottle thing is something I haven’t worked out yet. I honestly put it in the container I had been using for my homemade granite cleaner, after rinsing it out. The bottle is pictured above. It gave really good coverage as long as it worked! Unfortunately, it stopped spraying for some reason. I would guess that the sugar may be gumming it up a bit. So, I’ve been doing what I do whenever I’ve almost used up my sprunch spray and it won’t come out the squirty top anymore. I just pour a little into my hand, rub my hands together and then scrunch my hair. I did have to start doing this over the shower because it will make sticky spots on the floor if I get any on there. The only downside I have found to this spray so far is that it feels kind of powdery after it dries on my hair. I really like it though and plan to figure out a spray bottle that WILL work and keep using it! It’s kind of hard to see my hair in these pictures, but this was just using the hairspray to hold my curls after my hair had dried twisted in a bun on top of my head until it was just damp. I also got a compliment on my hair from my sister later that evening after pulling it up into a messy bun. She commented on how well it was held and how full it looked!! That’s nice to hear when you are trying to combat hair loss!!
I hope these recipes are helpful to you. Are you finding yourself at home more? If so, what kind of DIY projects have you found yourself making while being at home more?
My favorite countertop in our house! Those are my dad’s hand’s baking in that picture!
We were totally blessed by God to get granite counter tops throughout our new house. I really wanted granite or stone or anything but Formica. But, my ever practical husband pointed out that there are some really nice formica options now (and there are), and we just couldn’t justify the added expense to an ever increasing building total. So, off we went to price and pick formica countertops from Lowe’s. They did have a nice selection and there were even some other options that I liked, but installation would have been more for any other option. In fact, it was the installation cost that made us look into other options! The wonderful gentleman that helped us at Lowe’s asked Adam why he didn’t just install the counters himself, telling him that installation was pretty easy and straightforward. Adam said that he would, but he was a football coach and then I interrupted and said, “That says it all.” Adam just had NO time! Instead he had a new head coach that was requiring more and more hours of the coaches throughout summer off season. There was no way he could take on putting in our countertops. So, we left the store with prices and options in hand. Then Adam decided to check around just a bit more. And I am so grateful for God’s hand in orchestrating that!
It turns out that, as often happens with my outgoing and people focused husband, that one of Adam’s friends from high school was really close with the owners of a local granite and stone company in our tiny hometown. Through that connection, Adam set it up for us to go look at stone options on my lunch break one day. We were by now past our original early August projected house completion day and in the throws of the beginning of school and football season. That day we looked at several options including some remnants and some pieces that he’d had in stock for several years. It was one of those slabs that he’d had on hand for about 5 years from a build that ended up using something different, that gave us the deal of a lifetime and gave me custom granite countertops for the same price as Lowe’s formica countertops. I am SO grateful for reminders like this that God sees our hearts (I really wanted granite countertops), honors our faithfulness to Him (we were putting in cheaper countertops anyway to be better stewards of His money) and rewards us with His loving generosity (He gave us granite countertops for the same price).
Now I have these magnificent countertops throughout my house and I just kept cleaning them like I always had. I had seen some products for polishing granite and things like that, but I am not much of an investor in those kinds of things. Then the last time I looked up my DIY bathroom cleaner, I read that you should not use vinegar on granite because over time it can wear spots or rivulets into the granite. That meant that I immediately stopped using that cleaner on my countertops. But, it also meant I didn’t have a cleaner for my countertops. I was also getting increasingly frustrated with streaking on my kitchen counters, especially on the island behind the stove. I knew I had to find a solution and rather quickly with all this virus stuff and the fact that bathroom counters were involved and needed cleaned. Then I thought I remembered seeing something about a DIY granite cleaner from Mommypotamus. I knew if she had one it would be natural and safe for the little ladies as well. I found her recipe and I have been using it and I LOVING IT! It was SO simple to make and the girls LOVE cleaning the countertops now. I was not sure at first about how well it was really working, especially on the poor counter behind the stove. This was because, to be honest, it took a few cleanings to get through the greasy film left from cooking. However, it has and it continues to clean and make my counter tops truly sparkle. One thing I realized though is that you really do need as many drops of the essential oils as she recommends. I had less lemon on hand than I thought and my peppermint was coming out slowly and is not a brand I typically use, so I did not get quite the amount I was supposed to. That just meant that the smell of the rubbing alcohol really overpowers at times. But, I have also found that shaking the cleaner before using it helps with getting a better scent from essential oils. It would also likely help if I invest in an amber colored bottle to store it in. But I just used the spray top from my window cleaner and the rubbing alcohol bottle. I just can’t stop using what’s on hand whenever possible! I have been reading about the importance of investing in important things, so maybe I’ll get better at that! Now that you’ve heard a portion of my life’s story, here’s the recipe.
My Not So Fancy Cleaner Container!
Essential Oil Granite Cleaner
1/3 cup Rubbing Alcohol
1 2/3 cup Distilled Water
20 drops Essential Oils
You are to add the essential oil to the rubbing alcohol and stir together with a fork and then pour it into the spray bottle and THEN add the water. In full disclosure, I added the water to the alcohol before I read the directions. AND I didn’t have distilled water, so I think I boiled and cooled my water for this recipe, but I may have just used my city tap water. You already read about the essential oil changes to the recipe. I’m just not a natural recipe follower!! BUT, I absolutely LOVE this cleaner and am SO excited to actually follow the recipe for EVEN better results next time! I used lemon and peppermint in my mix. Peppermint was NOT recommended by Heather at Mommypotamus and she knows WAY more about essential oils than I do, so if you are going to use something other than lemon you should probably stick to her recommendations. Some of the other oils she recommended were cinnamon leaf (not bark), fir needle, fragonia, spearmint and marjoram sweet. These were the ones she said were safe around small children. As always, please do your own research on what is best for you and your family! Other citrusy oils she mentioned were pink grapefruit, bergamot, lemon or lime/expeller-pressed, lemon eucalyptus, orange/sweet, and tangerine.
That is the super simple, safe recipe the girls and I have been using to clean our countertops. What natural recipe do you love even more than commercial products? What is your favorite cleaning scent? How has Jesus blessed you beyond your expectation lately? Please share your answers to any of these questions in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!
I have felt and written that all along this CoVid-19 Virus has ups and downs, blessings and curses. One of the blessings is the additional time at home! Working from home has brought it’s own struggles with teaching my students remotely and my daughters in person. I have struggled with time management, and we have all struggled with patience, tempers, and kindness, peace and calm. However, today I accomplished something that is UNHEARD of when I am working out of the house! I cleaned my bathrooms for the SECOND time this week!!! Okay, I know that for some and likely even many you may be covering your face in shame for me or running to wash your hands just from reading that! But, sorry, it is just my reality.
When the girls and I get home form school, usually between 4:30 and 5:00, later, if there is anything to do after school like Bible Study, then the whole evening is swallowed up from the moment we walk in the door. I usually start dinner and lunches for the next day while working on any remaining homework. Then, the girls may go outside to play while I finish dinner and lunches. We eat, they shower and pick their clothes out for the next day, we may get a TV show in (usually while my husband and I are finishing cleaning up from dinner or still finishing lunches). We try to work on verses and Bible study for their AWANAs classes and then it’s time to brush teeth and cajole everyone to bed! Once that’s done. The house needs picked up, everything that hasn’t been set out for the next morning needs set out. AND I am EXHAUSTED!! I might make myself work on grading or a TpT product and/or get my shower done so I don’t have to worry about it in the morning. And that’s an evening when there isn’t church or softball practice!
All of this in the evenings means that the only time I have to clean house is Saturdays or Sundays. On a typical Sunday we have Sunday School and Church from 10:00-12:00, I work on food prep for the next week in the afternoons and we go to my mom’s for family dinner from about 4:00-7:00. Then it’s another rush to shower and get to bed on time so the girls are not starting the week tired. So, that really only leaves Saturdays to clean and I am so tired that day that to be honest at times it is even only once every 2 weeks that my bathrooms get cleaned.
But, thanks to working from home and social distancing and self-quarantining (kind of), my bathrooms got cleaned on Tuesday (or Monday, my days are mixing at this point) AND (drumroll please) Saturday! I mixed up my favorite DYI bathroom cleaner and used some straight vinegar for the mirrors and went to town!
I feel so accomplished. I was just going to do the toilets and maybe the showers, but all the reviews of the cleaner (I had to look up the ratio since I haven’t made it in a while and have been buying bleach cleaners) made me want to do the whole thing in both rooms! I do admit to not cleaning all the counters because I read, for the first time, today that vinegar can cause grooves or something in granite and that is what all of our counter tops are. I’m going to have to look into that some more. While the cleaner didn’t magically cut through all the drywall texture left in a few places on the showers from building it did clean and sparkle as well as I remember and love!! I’m including the “recipe” I use below in case you want to try it. I like that it is kid friendly. Because although I’m not particularly fond of “help” from my 5 and 7 year old right now, they will need to start learning some of these things and this cleaner makes it safer for them to do that. I love their enthusiasm, but the extra water and bathing that generally occurs when they help clean the bathrooms is a little much for me during my least favorite chore.
The recipe I use is just 2 ingredients:
Dawn Dish Soap
Distilled Vinegar
Most ratios are 1 part Dawn and 1 part vinegar. Some say if you want fewer suds to use more vinegar. Since we have lower water pressure because of being on the rural city water line, I used 1 part Dawn and 2 parts vinegar to require less rinsing. Honestly, I may even try 3 parts vinegar to 1 part Dawn the next time as it is still rather sudsy. Especially because I use a magic eraser with it for my sinks and tubs. And I used straight vinegar to clean the mirrors with the washcloth that I use to wipe the sinks and counters after I use the cleaner and magic eraser on the sinks, and that I use on the toilets. I don’t use my magic eraser on the toilets because I feel like once something has been used to clean a toilet it needs to be washed.
There you have it! My easy and (somewhat) safer DIY bathroom cleaner “recipe” to celebrate the rare (hopefully becoming more frequent) accomplishment of multiple bathroom cleanings in one week! I say somewhat safer because if you are being completely and thoroughly safe DAWN likely wouldn’t qualify. I have read that it gets a “D” rating from the Environmental Working Group. So, if you are looking for safer alternatives for dish soap you might check out the link below. I am not affiliated with the group or page it links to, I just wanted to be sure they were credited with the information below since I got it from them and not my own research.
Just this morning I was mixing up a batch of this scrub and I realized that I’d never shared this magical find with you! It is so simple and so CHEAP!! And my skin is incredibly smooth and baby soft when I make the time to use it regularly. I can simply use it in the shower or if I have extra pamper time I actually use it on my whole body and rub it in for a few minutes and then shower off. Some people recommend using a screen of some kind to collect it so that it doesn’t go down the drain, but I’ve never bothered to do that. I haven’t had any more than my usual drain cloggage either. We always had some trouble at our old house with the drains because of my or the girls’ hair. This never seemed to increase the trouble though.
So here is the recipe:
1/4 cup* used coffee grounds
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
*I use a 1/4 cup of coffee when I make it for my husband, I am a tea drinker myself. So, I don’t have an exact measurement for what the grounds come too after they’ve been used.
I just pour the grounds off of the filter into a mason jar, add in the oil and sugar. Stir it up and put on the lid. That’s it!
You will want to use it up within a week or two to prevent it from molding. Since these are all natural food ingredients that is a possibility. I just rub it into my legs and feet while I’m in the shower, right before I shave. Or, if I have time, I will do my whole body in the shower before I turn the shower on and then just shower as usual. It does a phenomenal job smoothing my rough knees and feet! I just love how smooth and soft my skin is when I’m done. The best results I’ve had were when I used it every day for a week during a Spring Break! It was amazing!!
