DIY Styling Hair Paste

This is some sassy styling paste for those who hate store bought products with crazy chemicals. Jake has super fluffy hair after he washes it and loves to use this paste to give it some direction. I've used it to tame down frizz. A little goes a long way. Unless you like the feel of a lot of product in your hair, then pile it on!

Ingredients:
   2 tablespoons shea butter
   2 tablespoons beeswax
   3 tablespoons sunflower oil
   10 drops sweet orange essential oil
   5 drops grapefruit essential oil

The beeswax give the paste its structure. If you really want to give form to your hairdo, beeswax is the thing to use.

Shea butter is solid at room temperature to help provide structure, but it is also moisturizing.

Sunflower oil is gives you a little shine and also keeps the mixture at a softer texture so it's easier to use. I wouldn't use too much paste, because sunflower oil can give you the greasy look. I have read recipes where people use jojoba oil, which is supposed to be more of a 'dry' oil, but it's a bit more expensive. Someday, I will splurge on the jojoba, but not today.

You can get sunflower oil in any grocery store. It's usually with the vegetable oils. For my other ingredients I like to use Bulk Apothecary. I bought yellow beeswax, but you can also get white wax if you like a cleaner look to your final product. Shea butter comes in refined or unrefined. I have used both and prefer the refined butter since it is smoother. The unrefined shea butter feels a smidgen grainy and doesn't mix as well as I would like it to. It's personal preference, though.

Materials Needed:
   pan with about two inches of water
   glass or metal bowl
   spoon
   container for final product (I used a 4 oz mason jar)

Heat your water on medium heat. It doesn't need to boil, but mine usually does, because I'm impatient. Dump all of your ingredients into your glass or metal bowl. You can either set it in the water or use a larger bowl to set on top of the pan like a double boiler. Stir the ingredients every so often until the mixture is completely melted.

Remove the mixture from heat and let stand for a moment. If you are adding essential oils or fragrance, this is the time to do it. Always add flavors or scents during the cooling phase. I added my oils after I poured the mixture into my jar. Give it a quick stir and allow to cool. You can put it in the refrigerator if you want it to set faster.

Give your container a cute little label and say goodbye to store bought styling paste. With this mixture, you have to dig into it a little and let it melt on your fingers before applying it. Be aggressive, B-E-Aggressive! Pictured below is my goofy husband after our paint photos done by P&T Photography. Besides the bit of blue, his hair is perfectly styled with my homemade paste. Success!

Courtesy of P&T Photography

If you want to see more paint photos, visit P&T Photography to flip through our album. It was a blast. Or check out my Paint Fight Photos post if you would like to try something like this on your own. Do it.

Anywho, thanks for checking out my post. Leave questions or comments below! If you enjoy this recipe definitely try my Shimmer Body Butter or Natural Face Cream.