Cheap Cheez

If any of you readers out there have naturally curly hair you will truly appreciate this article as well as the recipe that follows.

I have naturally curly hair - corkscrew curls on the bottom and boticelli curls on top.  I have battled my hair all my life.  I grew up wanting “Jennifer Aniston” hair.  Unfortunately this was impossible for me.  I even had my hair chemically straightened once - a process my hairdresser promised would make my hair straight and remove all frizz - only to find that not only was my hair now flat, but it sustained its curl and frizz!  My mother’s remedy was to put her hair in curlers and hold the hair dryer on it for 45 minutes until it dried.  She did this faithfully for decades.  She finally retired her curlers last year and now has a shorter cut that is more manageable for her.

After Anthony and I got married we were out and about on a beautiful summer day - happy, in love, enjoying each other’s company.  He was not yet sensitive to the torture I had endured during my lifetime because of my hair.  The beach, humidity, rain - even a slight drizzle or mist.  All of these words struck in me an intense fear of going outside.  So with a twinkle in his eye he looked over at me, did a once-over of my hair with his eyes and proclaimed, “Yup!  It’s humid today!”  I said, “What?!”  “You’re my humido-meter.  I can tell how humid it is by the size of your hair!”  he said with a smile, intending it to be funny, but with absolutely no idea that at that moment he would have died had we not been bound by a contract.

I have always had a graveyard of hair care products.  I would try anything that promised “frizz-free” hair only to find that nothing really worked. It wasn’t until my late 20’s that I finally came to terms with my hair and embraced it for its uniqueness and beauty.  It was after I read a book called “Curly Girl” by Lorraine Massey.  Acceptance was the first step in finding the beauty in “our” hair.  It is what it is - frizz and all. She encouraged using natural remedies to enhance the health of your hair which would in of itself eliminate a lot of the frizz because your hair would be healthy and moisturized.  She included all kinds of natural recipes that I use to this day to help my hair be as healthy and natural as possible.  One recipe not in her book though is this one for gel:

Hair Gel

1/4 tsp gelatin (plain, no flavor or color - you can get it in the jell-o aisle)
1/2 cup boiling water

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water.  Let it sit at room temperature until it firms up.  That’s it.  I add a little vanilla extract for a nice, light scent.  You can add whatever scent you like - essential oil or extract.  Apply to your wet or dry hair.  Best used at room temperature so I recommend only making enough for one or two days.  If you make a larger batch it will have to be refrigerated.

I have shoulder-length hair and only needed about 1 tbsp of this!  I applied a little when it was wet, let it air dry for a while, then after I diffused my hair I added a little as a glaze.  I can’t believe how soft and curly my hair is!  I would never have believed it unless I tried it.  I hope all you curly girls out there give this a try.

Another plus is that gelatin is all protein - something that hair desperately needs!  This gel is light enough that it can also be used for those of you with straight hair that like to use a product as a glaze or shine. This is a VERY inexpensive way to be very kind to your hair.  You don’t have to use a lot so a little goes a long way. If you only used this finishing product on your hair you would save a tremendous amount of money!

Remember:  you get what you give.  Give your hair what it needs and it will give you what it’s got.  Very scary, but very true!

Peggie

P.S.  Check out the article below from our archives about Baking Soda and how it can help your hair/scalp too!

http://cheapcheez.com/2008/07/25/home-remedy-series-miracles-in-your-cupboard-exposed/