DIY: Agar Agar Hair Rinse For Shine And Hold -- Great Alternative To Honey






  I present to you the DIY agar-agar hair rinse for shine and hold!

    I was looking for a vegetarian version of the gelatine hair laminating method, because although I lusted after the results, I didn't want bits of baby piglets on my hair. Agar-agar is often substituted for gelatine in cooking and is made of algae (which makes it vegan). I suspected that it wouldn't work exactly like gelatine on the hair, but I hoped to get at least a slightly similar result.

     I dissolved a spoonful of agar-agar powder in a cup of boiling water. It is really important to first dissolve the agar-agar in a teeny bit of cold water, and then add the boiling water -- otherwise you'll end up with clumps. I let this mixture cool slightly -- now this is a bit tricky, because if it cools completely it will turn into jelly (in which case you can use it as a styling gel). You have to use it when it's still warm, and has the consistency of a syrup.
     I used this syrup as a last rinse, I scrunched my hair in my palms as usual and air-dried. Result? I didn't get the DIY-Encanto look, but my hair was a bit smoother, and quite shiny. Most importantly, the agar-agar set my waves and they held their shape for three days (normally at the third day my waves are very limp, not with agar-agar). You can see the result of the photo on the top. I heard that the results are even better on fine hair (which mine isn't ).
    I'd say that the agar-agar rinse is similar to the honey rinse -- both work a bit like hairspray. The agar agar is not as moisturising as honey but is also less sticky (won't attract dust), doesn't frizz when it rains (honey does because it's a humectant) -- and it won't lighten the hair like honey can.
   I didn't notice the agar-agar loosening the curl pattern of my hair. Rather, as I already mentioned, it "held" the shape that I scrunched them into for a longer time.
      On the whole I recommend trying out agar-agar and seeing what it does for your hair. I'm very interested what results would look like on straight hair. You can get agar-agar from health food stores. Mine was a powder, but I hear it can be flakes too. I don't remember the price but it was pretty cheap, and a little pouch like in the photo can be used for many rinses.

      If you do try agar agar on your hair, let me know! Do you know of other DIY hair rinses for gloss and hold?
      
       




Comments (14)

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I experimented two days ago to combat my very few and fuzzy-dry hair, and for that I took Alverde's new avocado face mask for very dry skin. I combed it into all of my dry hair (almost bra strap length), and let it work with a shower cap over my head to provide some slight warmth. When I had a look at it a quarter of an hour later, the sticky white stuff I had combed in had become clear and hold my hair like a hair gel! It didn't look greasy, you could see the streaks of the comb just like I used gel (which I never do). It had a surprisingly firm hold, but I could wash it out with warm water very gently and without any problems.
(...)I used som Khadi shampoo on the roots, and covered the lengths in Alverde's Amaranth conditioner (got that trick from you :) ), and my hair has been very shiny and seems somehow "thicker" to me than usual! I like that very much.
I didn't care a lot about the form it was drying in, and as a result, it's not in a nice shape, but the structure and everything has improved a lot, I think!
The Agar Agar-Rinse seems worth a try, although I can't call my hair really wavy, nor straight. It's a little like yours in the photos at the beginning of your hair care experiments, not very structured, not straight, not always/really wavy... just strange :)
Hi! :D I used the agar agar rinse on my hair this morning. I pored the mixture over my hair as a last rinse and got out of the shower (so I didn't rinsed my hair with water after I pored the agar agar mixture over my hair). I wrapped my hair in a towel for 5 minutes or so and after that just let my hair air dry. My hair got really nice waves, but they were really hard and crunchy. Did you had the same? So I brushed my hair out after it completely dried, and although my hair feels nice, the waves are pretty much gone (I only wanted the crunchieness gone, not the waves :P).
2 replies · active 655 weeks ago
To get rid of the crunch, try scrunching (lightly squeezing) the hair in your hands :)
Thank you for your reply :D
Thank you for posting this. It seems easier than making flax seed gel, and I've been wanting to try something that provides hold.
4 replies · active 593 weeks ago
This left white residue throughout my hair. Any thoughts on how to prevent that?
Was it the agar, or the calcium in the water? If it was calcium, it helps to boil the water first and let the calcium settle down at the bottom.
I'm not sure. Do they look different? It was a long time ago that I tried it, but I don't think it looked like white powder. The white residue was larger pieces. I might try the boiled and settled water anyways. Thanks.
Does your water normally leave white stains on stuff? Does calcium collect around taps? If not, then it's the Agar Agar. Maybe you need to try to dissolve a small amount really well in cool water (mix very vigorously), before pouring in the boiling water.
I made up some agar hair gel for my very fine hair it's fantastic my hair looks thicker and doesn't start to frizz and curl at the ends when it's raining. Best thing ever well so far!
How much agar do you use for 1 cup water?
How much agar did you use per cup of water?
1 reply · active 387 weeks ago
Around 2 teaspoons, but I always kind of eyeball it.

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