"Natural/Herbal" hairspray

[VanillaTresses]

Does anyone have any good "natural" recipes (or product recommendations) for hairspray that don't involve (a) sugar or (b) alcohol (like vodka)? I looked but couldn't find a thread on "natural" homemade hairspray recommendations or recipes. I was thinking that maybe boiled flax might work?

I have pretty much switched to natural/herbal haircare for everything else, and as my hair is still growing out I have some wispy hairs that need some hold to stay in updos and such. I am still working on finishing my almost empty bottle of Dove hairspray, but instead of just purchasing another commercial hairspray I would like to try and make something myself.

I don't want recipes with alcohol because I don't want to dry my hair out and I don't want any recipes with sugar because I don't want to attract ants into the house (or make my scalp a feeding ground for sugar-loving fungi). I have some flaxseed handy so I may try some experiments with that to see if it can be made into a hairspray version (I have heard of flaxseed gel). Any other suggestions? :eye:

[CrisDee]

The trouble with natural hairsprays is that they are natural - they will begin to spoil without the alcohol. You can use any of the recipes you find and simply omit the alcohol if you're prepared to throw them out after a couple days. I've been using a boiled lemon recipe for a year or so now, sometimes putting in a couple drops of honey for additional hold, but always putting in alcohol to retard spoilage - and it hasn't dried my hair out at all, nor do I have any problems with the sugar attracting bugs :)

[Heidi_234]

You can look for the flaxseed gel recipe over at NaturallyCurly.com forums - complete with videos. No sugar or alcohol in that one, but I suppose it can go bad too fast for your liking. Did you try mixing equal parts of Aloe Vera Gel and some oil? It's called the frizzbuster, and for a very good reason. :D

[VanillaTresses]

Alright, so I have been doing some research and have found some recipes. It looks like if it is kept in the fridge then it can go for longer without preservatives like alcohol. It also looks like another possibility is to add strong herbs or EOs that have some mild disinfectant properties. I still wonder about grapefruit seed EO, because I know that it can be used as a preservative but I have also heard that it might not be any safer really than other types of preservatives (like DMDN Hydantoin or parabens). :confused:

Light and Lemon Hair Spray
2 to 4 lemons
Water
Slice the lemons and cover with water in a pan. Simmer for 1 hour, adding more water as it evaporates. Let cool, then strain. Pour the lemon liquid into a pump spray bottle.
Makes 2 to 3 cups.
Shelf life: About one week refrigerated. [From www.care2.com]

Natural Hairspray
Ingredients
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
Directions
Chop fruit into small pieces and place in a pot with 2 cups water. Boil until reduced by half. Cool, strain, and place in a spray bottle. Store in the refrigerator or add one once rubbing alcohol (optional) to store at room temperature for up to two weeks. Add more water to reduce stickiness, if desired. [From www.longlocks.com]

"I use flaxseed gel on my hair. It has super holding power! You can also use it as a hairspray.

Here is my hair gel recipe:

2 cups filtered water
1/2 c flax seed
1 T dried rosemary
1 T dried oregano (this is supposed to add some color to dark hair-if you have light hair, use chamomile)

Bring to boil, cover, remove from heat and let steep for an hour.
Strain everything with a mesh strainer.

When it cools, it will gel. Before it cools, I add 1 T Sea Kelp and 1 T Sweet Almond Oil to it and keep it in the fridge. To make hairspray, add 1/2 c flax seed gel to 1/2 c aloe vera juice (not gel) and jojoba oil, if you like, and shake. Keep in fridge. Add any kind of oils you like - lavender, lemongrass, etc." [From Skin Actives Discussion board, user tengenese]

[MandyBeth]

Might want to try the lemon rinse that Mariika came up with.

[CrisDee]

Oh, I guess I never considered keeping it in the fridge. I need my hairspray to be where I do my hair, running down a flight of stairs to the fridge for the spray wouldnt work for me. But if it works for you, it's a perfect solution! :)

[goldenoak]

Grapefruit seed extract (extract, not oil) is a natural preservative. I started adding 1/4 teaspoon of it to my needed-refrigeration natural conditioner, and suddenly it has a 3+ week unrefrigerated shelf life. (I always finish using the batch before it goes bad, so I don't know the actual shelf life). I buy my GSE at mountainroseherbs.com (http://www.mountainroseherbs.com), but there are other suppliers out there.

Vitamin E / Tocopherol is also a natural preservative, although as an oil I think it might weight your hair down a bit more than the GSE, which is water-soluble. Anyway, both are "additives" that aren't to scary to try adding. :)

[Meli1980]

Natural hairspray?! I never know such a thing could exist! Thats cool. Although I'm not an hairspray person. Now if there is a natural Mousse recipe I may be interested :cool:

[Aredhel77]

Natural hairspray?! I never know such a thing could exist! Thats cool. Although I'm not an hairspray person. Now if there is a natural Mousse recipe I may be interested :cool:

Meli1980, I think you can use gelatin and water as a natural mousse?

I have never tried it, but here's a link. It looks very easy:

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/mousse1.html

[VanillaTresses]

goldenoak, that is awesome. Thanks for the feedback on it. I actually have a Mountain Rose Herbs catalog...