Homemade Setting Lotion

My experiments in using Homemade Flax Seed Setting Lotion.
A normal part of the process for many a vintage hair enthusiast.
Although interestingly not a very old recipe in the UK. Quince Seeds are more commonly found as the main ingredient in Edwardian and Victorian recipes.
Flax Seeds recipes may well have been copied from people using it to look after C4 curls and can be used by Black women and people caring for Natural hair with both home made and commercial Flax Seed lotions and gels.
My recipe is very simple it consists of.
(Thank you to Sue Leonard for the recipe and the flax seeds).
1tsp of Flax Seeds (whole)
1 cup of Water (American Cup)
Simmer for 7-8 minutes
Strain (add essential oil if you like)
Wait for it to cool
Keep in fridge
Apply to clean wet or dry hair with a spray bottle or fingers.
Set in your desired style and leave to dry.
My thanks to Brooklynne Michelle for her joining me in the experiment. Links to her Instagram and Couture Clothing Company are below please follow along for her sewing, lace making and dressing fabulously.
brooklynnemich...
/ brooklynnemichelle.cou...

[@ItsBrandiFolseYo]

I love that you share all your various potions with us! Time travelling witchies unite!

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you, I do love a potion and its always nice to share them.

[@mariebray9831]

I have curly/wavy hair and use pin curls to control the wield shapes my curls can form. Us curly gals seldom brush or comb our hair as this leads to frizz, just a quick finger comb or the old 1980/90s scrunching.

[@diannemh2250]

I might just have to buy some linseeds and try this! I have not been able to find setting lotion in a bricks & mortar store here in Australia, apparently our population is “ too small” to bother selling it! There is one brand available on line, but I am super fussy about scented products ( all products have smells really!) and need to do a sniff test before I buy anything . I did find one pump bottle spray gel/ hairspray that is not too stinky, but when I went back to buy more the shop was closing down, and the product was being discontinued, so I basically bought the last 6 bottles they had in the shop!🤣

[@inanutshell2924]

I hear you am in the country side of Aust and it is super tricky to find anything that is - available, affordable and not going to set off my scalp condition because of perfumes . You were so lucky to find setting lotion to was a good one ! I do not blame you for buying all those bottles when you could.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

I'm going to put flax seeds on the shopping list. I've got wavy hair that can frizz and I found if I wanted to deal with it, gel applied when freshly washed tamed the frizz but I am really developing a hate for scented products. Also lately I discovered if I just want a bit of loft, if I wait till my hair's almost dry after washing then grab some clips and scrunch handfuls of hair near my scalp into the clips and let it dry that way. Then I look like I'm having a Good Hair Day if I let it out of its usual braid. Lazy curly girl for the win.

[@carynmeyer118]

The wall of inspiration was lovely!

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you I did not get the chance to use as many pictures as the Scarf Video but there are so many lovely pictures of Edwardian hair

[@geraldinefields1730]

Thank you for this very useful tutorial. My hair is fine and limp and is thinning. I will use this flax seed hair gel lotion to set whatever is left of my hair. Thanks also to Sue Leonard and Brooklynne Michelle.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Excellent I hope it works out for you.

[@annacatherinesendgikoski1965]

I may try this...although I may have to make an industrial drum size for my hair! LOL

[@stanceymackenzie]

yes we definitely need vastly different quantities

[@isabellaferretti7279]

I’ll definitely give this a try, the gentleness of the formula (recipe?) and no problem with build up sounds great. I liked your hair all frizzy, frizzy curls are so charming! Loved seeing June Brown/Dot Cotton in that Dr Who photo.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you. I bet it would work lovely on your hair. Glad you liked the headscarf pictures and she looks great in the Medieval headress. June Brown plays a great character in that episode of Dr Who

[@OldManFerdiad]

@@stanceymackenzie anytime I watch The Time Warrior now I keep expecting Lady Eleanor to ask the Doctor to nip forward and get her a few packs of Benson and Hedges.

[@janesouthworth4216]

I admire your patience as I'm way too lazy to do anything to my hair.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you.

[@MsHedgehog]

I have been meaning to try this, will put flax seed on my shopping list for tomorrow. :) I often sleep with my hair on the top of my head in a silky (not silk) bonnet. Because I have naturally curly hair and dislike the feel of rollers when trying to sleep. It preserves the style enough for me. Note on the brush out, I am no expert but I think you are setting a tigther curl pattern than most of the tutorials I have seen. It seems to work fine for you but that is most likely why you get frizzier results. For us with curls it is usually the ones with the tigther curl pattern that experience the most frizz when the hair gets brushed out.

[@stanceymackenzie]

I was using my really tiny regency style curlers which definitely worked better when my hair was shorter

[@jayneterry8701]

With red hair I have the frizz problem and am always fighting it. If I wash it, blow dry a little, but finger comb. I braid it in chunks 😅 whatever but sleep on it it comes out relaxed in the morning. I like how you add pictures to your background as you progress 😊. Need to see the doggo please🐶💞 . The matching headscarf and blouse , beautiful. Ps how's the scarf? 😉

[@nseb1958]

Wonderful! I will have to try this! Thank You so much for sharing! I hate hair sprays ! All natural!

[@stanceymackenzie]

I hope you can give it a try and enjoy it.

[@inanutshell2924]

Ohh this looks good for my thin hair !! I could do with the body , hoping it will help with my updo's, I like how it looks . Must try ,Thanks Constance.

[@Chibihugs]

Very nice. I love flax seed gel!

[@stanceymackenzie]

Excellent, thank you.

[@ariverdreaming]

Beautiful curls!

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you

[@rachelmayes298]

Constance I’ve got exactly the opposite in the fact my hair is always curly/frizzy. I thought you did an amazing job with popping in curlers, and brushing your hair out. I am very impatient and leave my hair unruly as I just can’t be bothered. One thing I don’t do is ever use a brush as it just turns really really frizzy. I only use my fingers to go through my hair. It keeps my hair much better in shape and less frizzy. I’m definitely going to try this method it must be healthy for our hair, and save me some money.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you, from my reading people with some curls or waves get a nice definition from the gel. I hope it works for you.

[@ragnkja]

I’m astonished by and envious of anyone who can sleep with their hair in curlers, because my scalp is sadly way too sensitive.

[@raraavis7782]

I know. Makes me wake like 10 times during the night 🫤

[@stanceymackenzie]

The are not the most comfortable curler but equally they are not the worst. they do take me a while to settle. I find a thick headscarf makes it more comfortable as it surrounds the curlers and pads them a bit. Rag Curls are the most soft and squishiest I have found

[@lesleyharris525]

Sounds like a cheaper option than the spray I use but I'm housebound just now so I don't have a choice. ❤

[@cypriennezed5640]

Jotting down notes... and may let you know how I get on! Usually I wet-set my naturally-a-bit-wavy hair with twists only after a wash and they fall out after a day.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Please do let me know if you try it and have fun

[@stevezytveld6585]

I'm about to cut my hair after having it in locks for the past 10 years. Going back to fussing with my head is going to be an adjustment. Thanks for the setting lotion trick. If it worked for the Grannies, it can work for me? Because modern hair jell makes my hair weirdly crunchy... That being said, I am looking forward to fussing with pin-curl technology... Instead of brushing out, have you tried finger combing your hair after setting? I have a medium-ish, natural, irregular curl and I find anything with flexible bristles tends to result in a 1980's style of Big Hair (plus the associated flashbacks, lol). - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

[@stanceymackenzie]

If I finger comb my hair I just have messy hair that doesn’t have a natural curl pattern that’s the difference with curled hair versus naturally curly. I brush it to create volume and styles I’ve watched loads of videos about trained bush outs on KZbin they are absolute artistry I’m just not very good at the trainer brush out that creates those styles.

[@stevezytveld6585]

@@stanceymackenzie Brushing out is an artform all of it's own - curled hair or curly.

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

When I was a kiddo my mom made me get perms so my hair would be as curly as yours or sometimes even tighter. I am much happier with my naturally wavy hair and as soon as I was home with dry hair, I'd immediately take a brush to it to relax it... and finger-combing did almost nothing for my hair back then.

[@stevezytveld6585]

@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 Hey AJ, hope your doing well. It was amazing to see you at Dave's memorial. The 80's jerry curl technology was tough on hair (and the maintenance must have been nuts). Wavey hair for me took chemicals that smelled awful. I'd be tempted to experiment into what wavey hair can do... In the meantime I'm back to finger combing and fluffing. I can live with it, lol.

[@lisahodges8299]

I couldn't set my hair that well, so I did watch. Which sort of roller do you use please? Birdy

[@stanceymackenzie]

I use a Sponge Curler like you often find in large chemist/drugstores usually in bright bold colours, mine are black to make them a bit more subtle.

[@MadameFonz]

I'm a licensed cosmetologist, so let me tell you that it honestly doesn't matter how you roll your wet set. There really isn't a right or wrong way to do it. Sure, in school, we learn common wrap patterns, but there are many different ways to wrap hair, that it's just preference. So don't worry about people who know what they're doing criticizing your wrap pattern. I mean, I can wrap other people's hair, but I can't wrap my own, so you're doing better than me.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thats very interesting to know thank you. I did find it funny how some people told me how I should do it despite not having my hair. I did use the wrong size curlers on this video as I had forgotten that my hair had grown a bit and suited the next size up although I do love the small tight curls for regency and 1930s hair.

[@MadameFonz]

@@stanceymackenzie I thought your hair was very cute. Wrap patterns are pretty versatile because it ultimately depends on the wave pattern you are trying to achieve, but of course there are a couple basic rules for rod size. It definitely gets trickier to use smaller rods on longer hair, but it's doable, as you probably picked up on. On the other side, when choosing a rod for short hair, the hair has to be able to wrap around the rod at least 2.5 times. Ultimately, you know what rods work best for your hair and intended style and will adjust accordingly, so you're doing fine.

[@stanceymackenzie]

Thank you.

[@eileenfb1948]

Don't brush it out - lightly comb it preferably with a wide tooth comb.

[@stanceymackenzie]

That doesn't really work for me I still have frizz or just broken up curls I think its because my hair is completely straight.