Forum Activity for @sarai

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

...and to help the locking process along. I don't think that using globs and globs of it over a long period of time would be good, just like any other dreading product (besides shampoos Ect) . But if you wash every 2 to 3 days ...especially if you use the baking soda rinse your dreads should be okay.Further reading has made me aware that the gel that is formed is called mucilage -a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. flax produces it as a soluble fiber. It is a water-soluble fiber.... Which means it dissolves easily in water.I think this recipe and information should be shared with the dread community.
updated by @sarai: 07/23/15 05:22:45AM

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

Lol I really do not believe you can mess up something like this the worse that can happen is your gel won't be thick enough or it will be so thick that its too putty like to strain. Thanks for sharing the link, I like what that person had to say and the video was very helpful.Once again after a bit more research about gel forming seeds...I'm more and more convinced that this is the base that the other lock up gels are made of and is perfectly safe for dreads to tame frizz

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

Lol. I dunno maybe it couldn't hurt to ask the makers of lock up. But then again they are selling a product so I doubt they would be willing to admit how they form their gel with flax seed. But as far as I can tell boiling is the only way to form a gel with flax seed.

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

Thanks. I'm also not fond of experiments either but after a little reading it seems pretty harmless and can't be much different than the lock up gel advertised here which is made of water flax seed and xanthan gum.I also just read that xanthan gum is an additive that thickens the consistency of the gel that is made by boiling the flax seed. Which further convinces me that boiling the flax seed in water to form a gel is how the lock up gel is made. As a side note this site( http://m.wikihow.com/Make-Flaxseed-Hair-Gel ) tells you all about it and as a side note it says that xanthan gum may be drying to your hair.I'm a bit disappointed that there isn't more information or at least interest in finding our more about this homemade Gel here on this site which is all about forming and maintaining dreads the natural and inexpensive way.

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

?? From the info I came across it seems to be a very gentle easy rinse substance that is pretty much fool proof to make. Everything that I read about it says it also doesn't cause build up or residue.Also, Boiling flax seed in water doesn't extract a concentrate of flax oil...which I agree would be hard to get out of your hair.Can this post be moved to maintenance or dread products please?

homemade flax lock up gel

Dread Maintenance

I have been interested in buying the lock up gel sold on this site but after reading the main ingredients I did I quick search on google and found out that I can make my own gel by boiling about 1/2cup whole golden flax with 2 cups water, straining and storing in the fridge! There are plenty of sites and videos with recipe info if your curious about trying this. I am going to pick up some flax today and give it a try!Anyone have first hand experience with homemade flax gel?Update:I have edited the title to this posting to better reflect the tone/topic being discussed. Read on to learn more about what flax gel is and its safety.
updated by @sarai: 02/14/15 06:24:20AM

need your opinion

General Talk

I think so. Plus it sounds like lock shops have a tendency to use more aggressive methods and products rather then encouraging natural methods.Spiral combing sounds like the hair is twisted tightly then backcombed??...ouch!

Excited newbie!!

Introduce Yourself

Happy dreading!Ps love your 2yr olds name...I was going to name my first that but baby was a boy so we went with Jasper. I'm four months pregnant now and I'm probably going to name baby hazel if its a girl this time. (Not finding out, I love to just wait till babys born)

thankful

Introduce Yourself

It's wonderful to read everyones replys. There's a lot to be said about the many levels of shared inner experience. I love it.I dont see how spending hours on something essentially superficial and transient can be spiritual...lol. but we are all on our own path towards liberation, some have a longer way to go than others and isn't something that can be judged by outer appearance and false attitude alone.I have noticed that Having dreads is really just exchanging one ego trip for another if you begin to see yourself as better or more real. I have noticed this in myself at times, especially when I was going though yoga teacher training its what's termed as spiritual pride and its just another ego layer that will shed itself in its own time if being real and loving towards all is your goal.All that matters is you love yourself and love others for who they are as well. It's a long road but each step is a blessing.

thankful

Introduce Yourself

I just updated my profile and wanted to share what I wrote.I just want to say that dreading my hair has been the best decision I have ever made. I have spent countless hours over the past 9 or so years of my life infront of the mirror and filling my head with mainstream beauty nonsense and beating myself up inside because I didn't look like the girls in the magazines. After attending yoga teacher training I realized that I put way to much into my looks and caring about what other people think. I realized I needed to let that part of myself go if I ever wanted to be happy just being me and focus more on loving the Universal spirit that is within and without. I tried to just have the mind set of that but my old habits of getting ready, using hot irons, wanting that perfect layered haircut and negative self conciousness weren't going to go away on their own, so dreading seemed like the perfect option. Something that I had to fully commit to that I couldnt really go back on easily. Well its working. I spend almost zero minutes infront of the mirror obsessing about how I look, I wear little to no makeup and I am more comfortable with myself than I have ever been. That isn't to say I haven't had any freak out moments wondering Oh my gosh! I traded beautiful silky sexy long hair for knots! But those moments don't last long once I contemplate the superficial egotistical truth of that thought. I am so thankful for finding this site and I'm so thankful I can live my life fully instead of living it infront of the mirror.
updated by @sarai: 01/13/15 09:36:25PM