Homemade Natural Hair Gel Recipe

Homemade natural hair gel gives you soft, beautiful curls that hold, without weighing your hair down. This natural hair gel may be my favorite homemade natural beauty product of all time! It takes just a few ingredients and a few minutes to whip up. Follow my DIY hair gel tips below.

Ingredients you will need: gelatin, water, aloe vera gel, oil, and essential oils (optional)

This post was updated January 2019

Homemade Natural Hair Gel Backstory

Have I ever told you that my hair is insane? Most of the time, I just throw it in a bun because that is the only way to sensibly deal with its craziness. In school, my friend gave me the nickname Mufasa – yes, like the character from Lion King – because I have a crazy mane.

I don’t have the nice kind of natural curls either. Not even close. It’s more of a frizzy mess. Without some type of styling product, like this homemade hair gel, my hair would look like this….

Ahhh. Put it away. What was I thinking showing that to you? Gosh. Pardon me. In all seriousness, my hair just needs some extra love, and unfortunately, most commercial products are chock-full of harmful chemicals. So, I decided to make my own and share it with you.

Now, with this homemade hair gel, my curls look like this.

Ahh… much better. Soft, bouncy curls that hold together. Plus, this homemade hair gel tames that crazy frizz. I also paired the homemade natural hair gel with my homemade anti-frizz serum. This picture was after Libby and I shot our very first video, and I was a hot, sweaty mess. It still looked nice. Lesson learned… wear shorts, not jeans, while filming a baking video.

So if you are wondering how can I make my own hair gel? Well today is for you friends. This is the best recipe and I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Tips for making and using natural hair gel!

• I tried making this with an without oil and found that just using gelatin can be a bit drying to my hair. The oil really adds extra moisture.
• When you use this homemade hair gel and notice any small chunks while applying, just smash them with your fingers and run through your hair.
• Add essential oils to one make it smell pretty, and two for hair benefits. See below which essential oils are best for your hair.
• Curly hair does best when you don’t wash it everyday. I will usually rinse it with water, apply conditioner, and then apply this natural hair gel.

Natural Hair Gel Ingredients

It’s really simple and only contains four ingredients you might even have in your pantry.

• Water
• Aloe vera gel
• Olive oil
• Gelatin
• Essential oils – optional peppermint, lavender, rosemary, etc. 

How To Make DIY Natural Hair Gel + Video

1. 1. Pour water into a small saucepan. Mix in gelatin and aloe until dissolved. Put saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
   2. Turn off heat and mix in olive oil and essential oils and pour into a glass jar. Place in fridge to cool. I like to stir it occasionally while it cools.
   3. Once cooled, mix with fork and smash any big lumps. You can probably run though blender for a smoother product, although I have not tried this personally.

How To Use Homemade Natural Hair Gel

Place a small amount onto your finger tips and run your fingers through your wet hair from root to tip. Continue applying desired amount throughout hair.

*If you notice any small gelatin chunks while applying, just smash them with your fingers. Allow to dry. I use very liberally. Pair this with your favorite anti-frizz serum or make your own for extra awesomeness.

Side note:

• This will last about a week on the counter and about 2 weeks in the fridge. It also depends on what essential oils you use. 
• I tried using coconut oil with this, and although it works, olive oil makes a better product. The coconut oil separates and leaves hard little oil chunks in the hair gel. It would probably work with fractionated coconut oil or another oil like jajoba, argon, avocado, etc.

Need more natural body care products? Check these out!

• My favorite go-to foaming hand soap
• Easy DIY Sugar Scrub
• I’ve been using this homemade makeup remover for years.

Homemade Natural Hair Gel

DIY natural hair gel may be my favorite homemade natural beauty product of all time! This hair gel gives you soft, beautiful curls that hold, without weighing your hair down.

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Author: Amy

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3/4 tsp gelatin
• ▢ 1 tbs of aloe vera
• ▢ 1/2 cup cool filtered water
• ▢ 1 tsp of olive oil or another oil (i.e. jojoba oil, argan oil may also work)
• ▢ 5 drops essential oils optional peppermint, lavender, rosemary, etc.

Instructions

• Pour water into a small saucepan. Mix in gelatin and aloe until dissolved. 
• Put saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. 
• Turn off heat and mix in olive oil and essential oils and pour into a glass jar. Place in fridge to cool. I like to stir it occasionally while it cools. 
• Once cooled, mix with fork and smash any big lumps. You can probably run though blender for a smoother product, although I have not tried this personally.

To use:

• Place a small amount onto your finger tips and run your fingers through your wet hair from root to tip. Continue applying desired amount throughout hair. If you notice any small gelatin chunks while applying, just smash them with your fingers. Allow to dry. I use very liberally. Pair this with your favorite anti-frizz serum or make your own for extra awesomeness.

Notes

This will last about a week on the counter and about 2 weeks in the fridge. It also depends on what essential oils you use.

Cuisine: none

Keyword: diy hair gel, homemade hair gel, natural hair gel

Tried this recipe? Tag me!Mention @ablossominglife or tag #ablossominglife!

Natural Hair Gel FAQ

Can you just use aloe vera as hair gel?

Yes you can! You can find my post here about it. I find that many times I really need the extra hold that this recipe for homemade hair gel gives. So this is my go-to, but if I’ve run out and need an emergency back up then I will just use aloe vera gel.

What oil works best for hair products? And can you use coconut oil?

Personally, I like to use what I already have on hand and not buy something extra. Olive oil has worked great, but if you have another oil that works well in hair like jojoba oil, argon oil, almond oil, macadamia nut oil, etc. those should work to. It should just be a liquid oil. I tried coconut oil and it didn’t work well. Fractionated coconut oil, which always stays liquid, would probably work a lot better. Everyone’s hair is different, so you may have to play around with it and find which one works for you.

Also note, don’t just use straight up coconut oil. Your hair will be a greasy mess.

What are the best essential oils for your hair?

Here are a few essential oils that work well for your hair. You can just use one or mix a few together. Peppermint is pretty powerful so less is more.

• Lavender- can help increase the number of hair follicles and can help increase the thickness of your hair. (source)
• Rosemary– Also can stimulate hair follicles, rosemary has been touted to help grow longer thicker hair and can help with premature baldness (source). Also great for dealing with dandruff.
• Cedarwood– can stimulate hair follicles, increase circulation, and help with dandruff.
• Peppermint – This study showed that peppermint can significantly increase hair growth.
• Chamomile–  can add shine and help soften hair. (source)

*Note: If you are pregnant, breastfeeding make sure the essential oils are safe to use before using them.

Is hair gel bad for you hair?

Not this recipe! It is made from natural, non-toxic, and nourishing ingredients. Many conventional products are made with potentially harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances which have been linked to health issues and endocrine disruption, so I like to avoid those. I mean this is a natural living blog ha.

Have you ever tried to make your own hair gel?