The DIY Okra Hair Gel Recipe Experiment

The DIY Okra Hair Gel Recipe Experiment

Okra slime on hair? Absolutely! This is probably not a completely novel idea since many natural hair care enthusiasts are at least aware that okra gel for hair has been used on natural hair. In my case, I decided to give it a try because there are only a handful of hair gels that I consider to be truly organic, healthy, moisturizing,  provide a good hold for curl definition and frizz reduction. It goes without saying that it’s always nice to have multiple options on hand when it comes to natural hair styling. Here is the recipe I tried:

Ingredients

6 pieces of Okra
Strainer
1 1/2 cups of water
Olive oil or other oil of choice
Vitamin E (preservative)
Pot
Bowl/container

The Process

Basically, 6-12 okra are submerged into a pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Once the mixture is removed from the stove and has been cooled, it can be strained and used on the hair.

Recipe Source: CaribbeanCurls.WordPress.com

Now here comes the fun part! I have 3c curls. I washed, conditioned them and then applied the gel, section by section, to my hair. I did not skimp with the amount that I applied. I found that the more gel (or, serum, really; the consistency is more of a serum) that I applied, the better my curl definition. Actually, my curl definition was off the charts; this gel produced well-defined, frizz free curls!

I need to repeat, however, that this came with complete saturation of my hair with the okra gel. An added bonus was the fact that, once it dried, my hair definitely had more movement that it had with most other gels that I’ve used, and it was softer too. Additionally, if you are expecting a firm or even a medium hold, this will not work for you. But it will produce a light hold that will last for a few days, and since it’s completely chemical free, it can be applied again when the hold releases itself. The best thing about this whole experience is that I learned that okra gel (serum) adds moisture to naturally curly hair and can be used frequently. Oh, and by the way, there is absolutely no flaking or product buildup with this stuff!
I also tried it on my daughter’s 3c/4a curls. This time, however, I saturated her dry hair. The results were great in this instance as well; her curls had movement and fullness, but since this gel is so lightweight, it did not provide much curl elongation on her hair. I’ve decided to opt for this when she wants more of a curly fro look. When she wants more curl definition, we will opt for a heavier hair gel.

As I stated before, it’s always nice to have several options, and this is definitely a must have for me to have on hand from now on. So, all things said, I would definitely call this experiment a huge success!

34 thoughts on “The DIY Okra Hair Gel Recipe Experiment”

  2. I am trying the okra serum for the first time but I am a bit confused on how much vitamin E and olive oil to use with the 1 1/2 cups of water. Please advise! Thanks

    Reply

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