Cold extraction

• 45 to 60 ml (3 to 4 tbsp) of whole brown flaxseeds (See the FAQ at the bottom of this page to find out what to do with your flaxseeds once used!)
• 500 ml (2 cups) of water
• 5 ml (1 tsp) of organic vegetable oil of your choice (sunflower, hemp, camelina, etc)
• 15 drops of essential oils suited to hair care (optional) (To discover our favorite essential oils for hair care, check out the article linked above. )

This method takes longer because of the 24-hour resting time, but it requires sooo much less precision. It gives a runnier gel than the hot method, but that doesn't change its effectiveness at all.

Hot extraction

• 45 ml (3 tbsp) of whole brown flaxseeds (See the FAQ at the bottom of this page to find out what to do with your flaxseeds once used!)
• 315 ml (1 ¼ cups) to 500 ml (2 cups) of water (Why this variation? Because you can make the gel in the texture of your choice. With 1 ¼ cups you'll get a more concentrated gel, with 2 cups it will be a bit runnier. )
• 5 ml (1 tsp) of organic vegetable oil of your choice (sunflower, hemp, camelina, etc)
• 15 drops of essential oils suited to hair care (optional) (To discover our favorite essential oils for hair care, check out the article linked above. )

If you need your gel RIGHT NOW, go with this method. But you absolutely must respect the cooking time and strain immediately, otherwise you'll end up with a lovely mass of flaxseeds turned into a loaf. That said, it's completely recoverable if it happens (see the FAQ at the bottom of this page).

I'm offering two methods: cold extraction and hot extraction. See the Ingredients section to make your choice.

Cold extraction

1. In a jar, pour the water and flaxseeds. Close the jar and let infuse at room temperature for 24 hours. After this resting time, the liquid should be viscous.

2. Strain through a sieve.

3. Add the vegetable oil and essential oils. Mix well.

Hot extraction

1. Put the water in a pot, add the flaxseeds and bring to a boil.

2. As soon as the first bubbles appear, lower the heat and let simmer gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes on the clock.

3. At the end of these 5 minutes, you should see little sticky strands if you dip a fork in the mixture. Mission accomplished!

4. Quickly remove from heat and strain immediately through a sieve, otherwise the gel will thicken and be hard to strain. Press the flaxseeds to get as much gel as possible out.

5. Let cool a little before adding the vegetable oil and essential oils.

6. Store in the fridge (see the point on storage in the FAQ at the bottom of this page!). Yes, that's all! That simple!

Shake well before each use. You can use it every day with no problem.

Personally, I use the flaxseed gel after the shower, on my damp hair. I put about two to three teaspoons, from roots to ends, taking care to “scrunch” my hair. Obviously, the amount varies depending on your hair length and your tastes. I'll leave you to experiment.

Then I let my hair air dry. And voilà, as simple as that! Beautiful defined curls and, above all, shiny, hydrated, truly silky hair!