Flaxseed-based Homemade Fabric Softener

As you already know, most hair care products contain ingredients that are highly harmful to health. What are the most common?

5 common ingredients in your shampoo that damage your hair

• Parabens: These are artificial preservatives that have been linked to breast cancer. You can identify them in your products with the following nomenclature: E214, E215, E216, E217, E218 and E219, or also all those that contain the term “paraben” such as benzylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, etc.
• Silicones: they are occlusive artificial softeners, what does this mean? They do not let the skin perspire, and with prolonged use they dry out and weaken the hair. The worst are the insoluble ones (such as siloxane, dimethicone or cyclomethicone), since they do not come off with washing, and they have a cumulative effect.

• Sulfates: are detergent agents that are irritating to the skin and scalp. They enter the bloodstream and disrupt the immune system. The most common are: sodium lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate.
• Mineral oils : they are derived from petroleum used to give consistency to hair treatments, but like silicones they clog pores (comedogenic risk), and also drag the natural keratin of the hair, leaving it dry and dull. The most used are: paraffin, petrolatum, petroleum jelly.
• Formaldehyde: is a powerful preservative considered a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is currently very present in hair softening and straightening products. It can be found in products that contain the following ingredients: metaldehyde, methylene oxide, formic aldehyde, oxomethane formalin, phenol formaldehyde, formalin, or urea.

Furthermore, most of these products are tested on animals that remain locked up in laboratories, where they are subjected to in vivo experimentation tests.

Flax seed hair softener recipe

Preparing this fabric softener is very simple, you only need two ingredients.

Ingredients

• Water
• Flax seeds

Instruments

• A saucepan.
• A strainer.
• A wooden spoon.
• A glass jar with a lid (for example a jam jar).

Preparation

Preparing this fabric softener is very simple.

1. Put two glasses of water in the saucepan and bring it to a boil, add two tablespoons of flax, and boil between 3 and 7 minutes, until the water acquires a slightly gelatinous consistency.
2. Stir and check with the wooden spoon, and when you see a trickle like gelatin fall, (with a light gel texture is enough), remove from the heat, let it rest for 3 minutes and quickly strain the water into the glass container.
3. It is important that you strain it while the water is still hot, because if you wait too long afterwards it will cost you more.

Voilà ! That easy!

How to apply it

Like any softening cream, after washing your hair, once the hair is rinsed, apply the linen gel, leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse with water, as usual. Your hair will feel hydrated, soft and elastic.

This preparation will last you approximately two weeks in the refrigerator and if you add a splash of lemon, a few more days.

Benefits of flax for hair

Flax is a mucilaginous seed popular for being rich in omega 3 (alpha-linolenic).

Mucilages (soluble vegetable fibers) are precisely those that will naturally act as a cosmetic treatment, leaving your hair hydrated, flexible and soft. In contact with water, they release a viscous liquid (flax gel), which makes your hair retain water, making it highly moisturizing and consequently hydrating.

The mucilaginous fiber, in addition, will provide a lot of flexibility to your hair ; It will be one of the things that you will notice the most, especially if you have been using commercial products with mineral oils and silicones, which clog the pores, reducing the looseness and vitality of your hair. Unlike the previous ones, the linen gel seals the cuticle in a natural way, without clogging the pores.

In addition, with this gel you will also avoid frizz and with prolonged use you will notice your hair stronger, thanks to the omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins (vitamin E and C, vitamins of group B and vitamin K),the lignans (highly antioxidant)and minerals (calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc), all of them important in the formation and care of tissues (bones, skin, nails, hair …).

Consuming flax seeds will also be a great ally in your beauty routine. With the prolonged use of this cream, you will treat the hair fiber and the scalp in a natural way, and you will keep it healthy and beautiful without attacking it.

And one more trick, if you apply the more concentrated linen gel (letting it boil for a longer time), it will serve as a natural fixative in place of gummies and lacquers.

As if all this were not enough, you are practicing ethical beauty, without animal testing, with a minimal ecological footprint and without side effects for your health.