When many of us think of hair gel, we remember our high school days. What better product is there to hold pesky hairs in place, right? Well, you don’t always have to hit the store to grab a bottle of this gooey substance. In fact, you can make it at home in the comfort of your PJs.
Below, you’ll find a recipe you can follow that will teach you how to make hair gel at home. With this formula, you can customize how strong it will hold hair as well as different aspects like the way it smells and so forth. Ultimately, you’re in the right place if you’re looking for a budget-friendly approach to homemade hair gel, so let’s get into it!
How to Make Homemade Hair Gel
When it comes to making a nice batch of DIY hair gel, the process takes only a few minutes. You will need to wait a few hours for it to chill before using it, though. If you use hair gel often, make sure your batch is enough to last you a couple weeks so you don’t have to whip it up too frequently.
What You’ll Need
- – ½ to 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin (you’ll find it in the same section as the boxed Jell-Os in the grocery store)
- – 1 cup of distilled, warm water
- – Essential oils (this is optional, but helps add fragrance)
-
Directions
- First, take your ½ teaspoon of unflavored gelatin and mix it into the warm water until it dissolves.
- As needed, add more gelatin until you reach the consistency you’re looking for and continue stirring.
- Next, chill your DIY hair gel in the fridge. Let it sit there for about 3 to 4 hours.
- Finally, take your gel from the fridge when it’s set and feel free to add a few drops of your favorite-smelling essential oil and be sure to mix it well.
-
Using your Gel
When you’re ready to use your homemade hair gel, simply go about your styling process as you normally would. The gel you’ve made can be used on dry or wet hair and it will last you between one and two weeks when you keep it chilly in the fridge.
If you ever find yourself feeling like a change of color would do you good, check out our post on the 5 best semi-permanent hair colors for 2021 and see how you’d look as a gelled-up redhead (or whatever color you choose)!
Customizing the Hold
What’s great about this hair gel recipe is that you have the ability to customize it to your needs and preferences. This means that whether you’re a dancer and need a strong hold to make sure your hair stays in place during your pirouettes or you simply would like for no wispies during your work presentation, you can make this recipe work for you.
To achieve stronger or less strong holds, you simply must tweak the amount of gelatin you use. Below, we’ve listed a guideline for you to find the hold you need and adjust accordingly. It might take you a few batches to get just the right hold you’re looking for, but in the end, it will absolutely be a money-saver and end up worth it.
- – Light Hold: Per cup of water, use ½ teaspoon of gelatin
- – Medium Hold: Per cup of water, use ¾ teaspoon of gelatin
- – Strong Hold: Per cup of water, use 1 teaspoon of gelatin
-
Fragrance
If you’re the type that loves a great-smelling hair product, you can easily add a scent to your DIY hair gel batch. All you have to do is add a few drops of essential oils to make your own unique fragrance. You can use your favorite smelling one or a combination of a couple. The great thing is that many essential oils also benefit your hair’s health, so it’s a win-win.
Check out the list below for ideas on several ones you can try:
- – Lavender: Safe for all hair types. This oil balances oils and encourages hair growth.
- – Lemon: Works very well for oily hair.
- – Peppermint: Try not to overdo it with the number of drops you use of this scent, or you’ll smell like a Christmas candy cane! This one is great for hair that’s dry and it also promotes hair growth.
- – Sandalwood: This oil smells sweet and wood-like.
-
Tips
Here are some final tips for making your DIY hair gel:
- – Storage: Be sure to divide your hair gel and funnel it into small squeeze bottles. Then, store them in the fridge between uses to help the gel last longer.
- – Labeling: Label your little gel containers with the date you made the batch as well as the fragrance you used for each bottle, assuming you tried different oils per bottle.
- – Quantity: If you need more or less gel from your batch, you can use the ratio in the recipe above and make as little or as much as you require!
-
There you have it! All the info you need to make your own hair gel right at home.
