Winner, would you like to learn how to make aloe vera hair food?
Good. Because in this post, I’m about to teach you how to do it in ONLY 10 steps. (That’s right. 10 easy steps!)
I know because I make my own aloe vera hair food as one of my 15 hair care tips on a budget.
Yes, I am the Queen of DIY. Basically, I DIY a lot of things in my frugal lifestyle. Just to try using less money. And cultivating more simplicity.
And because I already have an aloe vera plant in my backyard, I use aloe vera, not just on my hair, but in my every day life.
My DIY aloe vera products include aloe vera juice for drinking (which I also use for my hair. And I share it with my broiler chickens too!), aloe vera hair mask, aloe vera body lotion, etc.
See? That’s one versatile plant right there, isn’t it?
But I’m not stopping there. I’m ALWAYS on the lookout for other ways of getting the benefits of aloe vera onto my hair.
Why should you make your own aloe vera hair food?
Reason #1: It saves you TONS of money
And who doesn’t want that? (I know I do).
Aloe vera is a highly esteemed product for hair (and for beauty in general). And guess what? It doesn’t come very cheap.
Aloe vera hair food is selling at close to $7 at Amazon.
And if you think that’s too much (and for me, it is), then take a look at Amazon’s other aloe vera products and you’ll see a single product selling for more than $20.
By making my own hair food, I’ve been able to save at least $3.
That’s great motivation for making your own aloe vera hair food, isn’t it?
Reason #2: It puts you in charge of what goes onto your hair
If you’re trying to keep a healthy mane. Or grow your own hair long (I’m trying to grow my 4c natural hair to waist length),
then knowing the ingredients to every product you put on your hair is not only empowering, but it actually makes the difference between growing long hair and losing it.
Because some ingredients can be damaging to your hair, unbeknown to you.
But with aloe vera hair food, you know you’re winning because of aloe vera’s myriad benefits to your hair.
Take it from the experts. Healthline brilliantly discusses aloe vera for your hair: what are the benefits?
Webmd also discusses the benefits of aloe vera for your hair which include growing hair, strengthening hair, controlling greasiness, among others.
Winner, are you sold on trying to make your own hair food?
Great! Because here are:
10 steps to make aloe vera hair food
Step 1: Chop aloe vera leaf into small pieces
Smaller pieces will cook much faster than bigger pieces.
And the smaller the pieces, the more aloe vera juice is released to make your hair food richer.
Step 2: Start with a base
My base is coconut hair food which I bought for approximately $2 at a beauty store.
But you can use pretty much any hair food you have.
If you’re not so sure, just use a little bit of your hair food as the base, not the whole container.
Step 3: Melt your base in a pot
You can melt your base on the stove. (I did it outside in the open fire).
Use as much (or as little) base as you need.
But don’t use too much heat. Because your base will likely melt very quickly under little heat anyway.
Step 4: Add aloe vera pieces to melted base
You can use as much (or as little) aloe vera as you need.
Stir the aloe vera pieces into the base to make sure the two get into as much contact with each other as possible.
Step 5: Boil the mixture for at least 2 mins
You need to boil the mixture for as long as is needed to release as much of the aloe vera sap into the base as possible.
But don’t put a lid over your pot as the mixture boils.
Because you don’t want to trap any moisture inside.
Instead, you want all the moisture to evaporate, leaving behind only the oils.
Step 6: Let the mixture cool down
You’ll know your aloe vera pieces are done when they start turning brown.
At that point, lift your pot out of the fire and set it aside for your mixture to cool down.
Step 7: Sieve out the aloe vera pieces
You can use any kind of sieve.
Alternatively (and this is what I did), you can easily lift the pieces out of the pot with your spoon.
Making sure that you lift out ONLY the pieces, not any of the oil.
And here’s what you can do to get the most of out the aloe vera pieces before throwing them away:
Because they are coated in oil, you can rub the oil off with your fingers and apply directly to your scalp.
Step 8: Stir in some essential oil (s)
You might deem this step optional. (And rightly so.)
But I feel that adding an essential oil boosts the richness of your hair food.
Not to mention tailor the fragrance to your taste.
Essential oils are great because of their versatility.
Here in my house, I use them in a wide range of recipes.
I’ve used eucalyptus oil in my homemade all-purpose cleaner. As well as my coffee sugar scrub.
And to my hair food, I added Jamaican Black Castor Oil .
Just for added boost in hair growth.
I’ve also used my JBCO in my fermented rice water for hair.
Winner, feel free to add an essential oil of your choice.
Step 9: Transfer the cooled-down mixture to a container
Any container of your choice. As long as it allows for easy access to your new hair food.
And as long as it’s completely sealable.
Because I used all of my store-bought hair food as a base, I transferred my new hair food back into that container.
Step 10: Seal the container and use as needed
Sealing your container helps to keep the contents of your container safe from contamination by outside elements.
And helps you avoid any spillage.
Now you can just pop open the lid to use your aloe vera hair food as needed.
Congratulations, Winner! You just made your own aloe vera hair food.
Summary
Learning how to make your own aloe vera hair food can help you save money and put you in charge of what goes onto your hair. And following the steps in this post will help you whip up the best hair food for massive hair growth and maintenance.
I hope the steps have been helpful to you.
In that case, please share your thoughts by commenting: what did you think of this post?