Making DIY Homemade Lemon Hair Gel is easy, all natural, and way more affordable than store bought! It takes just minutes to make and has been the perfect way to control frizz!
This lemon hair gel is great to have around for a little frizz control. My family and I have been making this hair gel for 20 years now! That feels so crazy to say, but it really has been that long.
My parents starting going more natural with bath and body products and eating organic back in the early 90’s. It was a wildly different time where options for natural bath and body products were almost non-existent. And things like health food cookies meant they most likely had carob chips in them. Thankfully times have changed!
But at the time, my mom got creative and started making her own gelatin based hair gel. It’s worked so well, I’ve been making it ever since. It’s just the perfect amount of hold for my curls. But I’ve also had so many people write in to say they’ve loved it on their straight hair as well.
At one point I tried the popular flaxseed gel, and it did work really well. But it’s a bit messy, and I’ve never made it again because it was too much hassle for me.
So… that’s where gelatin comes in. I need something around for those ‘we have an emergency’ frizz days, which let’s face it with curly hair is almost ever day! It keeps for several weeks in the fridge, and about a week at room temperature.
Let’s dive into some tips below for this DIY Lemon Hair Gel!
I make 3 different versions of this hair gel. For the first, after the gelatin has completely dissolved you can pour it into squeeze bottles.
Or you can add the moisturizing ingredients to the lemon-gelatin version as the second option.
And finally down in the recipe you’ll find my favorite most stable version which makes way less. It also omits the lemon juice and uses a few drops of essential oil. I love lemon, but you can use any essential oil you love the fragrance of.
Tip #1: Use a good quality gelatin like the Great Lakes brand for the best long lasting shelf life. You can definitely use the standard Knox brand. But I’ve found through a lot of testing it goes bad much faster.
How to make natural hair gel:
Warm the gelatin and water in a saucepan over low until completely dissolved. Or heat up some water until it’s hot but not boiling and pour it over the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice or essential oil.
From here, you can leave it plain or follow the moisturizing variation. Refrigerate whatever you think you won’t use in a week. And if some of it does go bad there’s no need to worry because this recipe costs just pennies to make!
Tip #2: Use a small funnel to help you pour the gelatin mixture into the squeeze bottle.
Tip #3: Experiment with a less gelatin to water ratio for a lighter hold and softer gel.
I put my two different gels into small squeeze bottles for ease of use. You want to keep your hands out of it if you can, or it will spoil more quickly.
Tip #4: Pour the gel into several small squeeze bottles. That way you can put one in the bathroom, and refrigerate the rest to keep it longer.
As a bonus, it only cost me $0.60 to make my own hair gel. And it works just as good as the one from the store that cost $10.00.
Looking for more natural bath and body recipes? Check out my favorite basics below!
- Easy Buttercream Lotion
- Grapefruit Body Wash
- How to do an at home facial
- Facial Oil Cleansing Method
- Lavender Sugar Scrub
What’s your experience with natural hair care? Do you have any favorite natural products?
Print
DIY Lemon Hair Gel
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1 cup
Description
Making DIY Homemade Lemon Hair Gel is easy, all natural, and way more affordable than store bought! It takes just minutes to make and has been the perfect way to control frizz!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plain gelatin
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
For Conditioner Version Add:
1–2 Teaspoons of coconut oil
4 Tablespoons of aloe vera gel
Small batch essential oil version:
1 teaspoon plain gelatin
1/3–1/2 cup water
a few drops of lemon essential oil, or oil you desire
Instructions
Mix together the water and gelatin in a saucepan. Then place it over medium heat and stir just until the gelatin dissolves.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool until it’s set up.
For the conditioner version, add the coconut oil and aloe vera to the lemon-gelatin mixture, after the gelatin had set.
Place everything in the blender and blend on low until creamy. You can also whisk this together by hand, but you will need to melt the coconut oil first.
Store the first and second hair gel options in squeeze bottles and use within 5-7 days at room temperature. I’ve had both versions keep for 2+ weeks refrigerated. So you can store the extra and get the bottles out a week or 2 later to use at room temperature.
For the small batch essential oil version, heat the water and pour it over the gelatin. Stir until dissolved and add a few drops of essential oil. Store in a squeeze bottle and use within 10 days.
Notes
If at any point something seems ‘off’ with your hair gel, throw it away! Natural products go bad at different rates according to temperature and such. My small batch essential oil version easily lasts me 10 days, and the lemon and conditioning versions last 5-7 days.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Category: DIY
- Method: Mixing
This recipe was originally published in 2013, but has been updated in 2021 with more information, tips, and new photos!
If my hair is protein sensitive, would this be good for my hair?
I can’t give personal advice, but since this gel is high in protein it doesn’t seem like a good idea.
I love this stuff but I notice it produces white flakes on my bed pillow. Any way to avoid this? Also I’ve been using ylang ylang and it seems to make it last longer.
Thanks for the tip about ylang ylang, I definitely need to try that out! The only time I’ve ever noticed this gel leave flakes behind is when I’ve used a lot of it, which also happens even with commercial store bought brands. I personally use just enough to have more a ‘smoothing’ effect rather than a firm hold if that makes sense. I hope this helps and sorry I can’t think of anything else that might be causing what you described.
Hey hi… Looks a good idea
But how you used after making it… I mean after wash leaving and then this gel??
I just add a touch to the palm of my hand and rub my hands together to liquify it before scrunching it into the ends of my hair. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions!
I made this hair gel about a half hour after I read about it here I’ve used it twice now, and am very impressed with it. It’s not sticky and it didn’t leave my hair too ‘crunchy.’ I live in high heat and humidity, and didn’t even have any frizz! I’m sold Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear it’s been working great in your climate too, (we live in a colder dryer climate)!
Hey Im interested in reproducing this recipe but I want to know if the lemon juice is chemically required? Can it be omitted or will that alter the efficacy of the gel?
You don’t need to use the lemon juice. It does help preserve it a bit better, but I’ve made this many times without lemon.
This is really a good diy post. I have read your article and comment sections. Some of the commenters get a good result. So I will give it a shot. Thanks for your post.
I sure hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made the gel last night with Great Lakes (orange can). Blended with the aloe gel this a.m. Have short 2a waves. Used about 6-8 small marble-sized bits, well melted in my hand on very damp hair. Because it’s so thin going on it was hard to tell if i was over doing it. Clipped roots and diffused to about 80%. Looks and feels good. Going out into a hot day … real test will be D2 – D3. Will let you know how it goes. Can’t believe i have jello in my hair lol
It’s always a process to figure out how much you’ll need for your hair, but definitely worth it!
Hello..can you Tell me the exact kind of Great Lake gelatin you used to make this gel? I seen different ones available on Amazon and I want to get the right one.
I’ve included the link below to the exact one I bought. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Unflavored-Gelatin-Kosher/dp/B0008D6WBA/ref=pd_sim_121_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0008D6WBA&pd_rd_r=X760DFNK0VGQYRGE64C1&pd_rd_w=IpLoW&pd_rd_wg=5W5a2&refRID=X760DFNK0VGQYRGE64C1&th=1
Acids (like lemon juice, or vinegar) prevent gelatin from firming. Grapefruit seed extract, essential oils, and alcohol prevent bacterial degeneration of gelatin to some extent. Refrigeration is the most inexpensive and effective means of preservation, for about a week.
Thanks for your tips!
Hello,
I guess that others haven’t had the sort of issue that I have because I have read through the comments. So, I am unsure if you left this out of the procedure due to simplicity or not. I am adding gelatin to medium hot boiled water and allowing it to dissolve, then adding lemon juice. However, the mixture is not setting up. I think I need to have the component of cold water to hot. For my third attempt I am going to dissolve warm boiled water with gelatin then pour into cold water.
Please let me know if I am doing something wrong!
I reworded the directions so that hopefully it will be more clear. 🙂 I mix together the gelatin and water, then place it over heat and heat only until the gelatin dissolves. It’s important not to let gelatin get too hot or it will start to break down. Also another thing that could be going wrong is your gelatin. The only time I’ve had my gelatin not set up is because it was really old, once I bought a new container, I’ve never had the problem again. You can also place the gelatin into the refrigerator to help it set up faster. I hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore details that might help me solve this!