Okra Hair Gel | Easy DIY

For those with natural coils and curls, this gel is a great alternative to flaxseed gel, especially if you have sensitivity to Flaxseed. This is a great gel to have on hand not just for styling, but for improved hair growth and detangling. So, keep on reading for our step by step instructions on how to make your very own okra hair gel – easy DIY that is sure to please.

What Makes Okra So Great Anyways?

Okra is for one, an all natural, well rounded plant when it comes to nutrients, did you know the leaves are useful too? More on that at a later time. So, what makes okra so great, anyways?

Well, okra is filled with loads and loads of minerals and vitamins. It is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, antioxidants, folate, Vitamin A, C, K and plenty others, plus it has a good amount of fiber (great when you are eating it).

For the sake of hair care, our main focus is making use of the slimy, thick gel we can get from okra. This vegetable gel will give your curly hair a beautiful sheen (or shine if you have straight hair).

How to Make Okra Hair Gel

So, here are the step by step directions on making some thick okra hair gel. It will cost you nothing if you grow your own, but if you don’t then you should be able to get a bag of frozen okras for under $5. If you can only find cut okra, you can use about half a cup to every cup of water and reduce your mixture down to thickness you like.

If you are concerned with being wasteful when it comes to using whole okra, then use the okra ends and save the main part of the okra for cooking some delicious okra stew…. Or any dish of your choice.

For a very thick gel, you can add in some okra leaves, yes, okra leaves. Not only are okra leaves edible, they are are excellent at thickening up sauces, stews, and even gels. And they can prove very useful in making the perfect consistency of hair gel.

Directions

1. Get 5 lovely, plump lady fingers (lol), slender okras are good too – fresh is always best, but frozen will work as well.
2. Slice your okras lengthwise once or twice to help release the mucilage or slime. You can also choose to prick holes throughout the body of your okra veggies if you have a little time on your hands…but most would say “ain’t nobody got time for that!”
3. Bring a pot of water – about one and a half cups of water to a boil.
4. Add in your okra and let it come to a boil to the point where it starts to bubble and release its mucilage.
5. Once you start seeing the slimy bubbles, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat once mixture becomes noticeable thick, much like the thickness of a slightly runny custard or porridge, don’t worry as it cools off, your mixture will thicken substantially.
7. Let okra water cool to a completely or to a comfortable temperature and strain out (if need be… usually not needed if using whole okras if they are not cooked to mush) any okra bits or simply pour out the slimy liquid.
8. Store in a glass container or jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. After then, it may start spoiling and growing mold.
9. For a super thick gel, you can add about half a cup of fresh okra leaves which are fantastic for use as a thickener.
10. OPTIONAL: Add a few (about 3 to 5) drops of Ylang Ylang Oil, Orange Oil, or any fragrance oil of your choice.

Summary

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