I’m a hippie. I know. But I don’t believe in putting things on my skin and in my hair that I can’t put in my mouth–except for hair dye and deodorant (when I’m not using baking soda.) Oh, and soap. Well, you get the point.  🙂

Ingredients:

Flax Seed
Vegetable Glycerin (I buy at Whole Foods)
Aloe Vera Gel
Jojoba Oil
Honey (I typically use raw honey but processed is cheaper, easier to find and will work too)
Peppermint Oil
Vanilla Extract (Optional)
Xanthan Gum (Optional)

The process:
Add one cup of  flaxseeds to 2 cups of water

And bring to a boil

As this is happening, combine everything else into a bowl. I typically eyeball but today I attempted to take measurements, as such they are waaaay approximate.

1/2 cup aloe vera gel
1/2 cup vegetable glycerin (hair [and skin] softener)
1/4 cup honey* (natural humectant)
1/4 cup jojoba oil
3 drops peppermint oil* (love the tingle)
Capful vanilla extract (solely for smell, otherwise, it’s pretty odorless)
3 tsp xanthan gum (You don’t actually need this but it acts as a thickener making the gel easier to use. I’ve never tried cornstarch but I imagine if you couldn’t find xantham gum–I found it a massage store in Redondo Beach–that it would work just as well.)

*The honey and peppermint oil act as preservatives. If there is not enough, or if the gel is left on the counter when it’s really hot for an extended period of time, it will mold. (Things I learned the hard way.) You can also keep it in the fridge.

(Those blobs are xanthan gum. I’ve struggled with knowing how to add it in so I tried to mix it with water first, like with cornstarch and that didn’t exactly work out. I realized that it’s best to stream it in, like olive oil into vinegar.)

After not too long, the seeds will develop a foamy layer

When this happens, they’re done.

Strain them over the bowl

Allow to sit. Normally I do this for about 20 minutes but today I had work so it sat for a few hours. I also typically make a smaller batch: 1/2 cup seeds to 1 cup of water.

Mix it all together and it will look something like this (depending on the amount of xanthan gum used)

This is the consistency I like

And that’s all it is 🙂