DIY: Citrus Holding Hair Spritz

[Source]

While the summer months are still upon us for a few more weeks, I'm experimenting with more homemade products for keeping my hair moisturized & my curls lasting throughout the day. I came across this homemade spritz on K is for Kinky & thought it would fit in perfectly with my Summer Regimen, especially because it's Citrus flavored. The great thing about this spritz is that it can be for both straight and curly hair. This can also be used on your curls to cut down on frizz & give them some hold.

Ingredients

• 1 whole organic orange (lemons would be too drying for curly hair; however use two (2) lemons if you have straight hair)
• 2 cups of distilled water
• 1 teaspoon castor, olive or jojoba or coconut oil (whichever you prefer)
• 1-2 drops orange essential oil (optional)

Cut up orange into half inch pieces. Do not remove the skin – as that is where the the fruit oils lie. You can also process the fruits in a food processor whole to release the juice and oils even better. Place your orange pieces and water in a stainless steel sauce pan and bring to a gentle rolling boil and reduce heat. depending on your stove, you will probably need to boil for about an hour. After boiling down to 1/2 of what you started with, let cool to a lukewarm temperature and pour in your oil of choice.

Pour reduced mixture into measuring cup (to make the transfer to your spray bottle easier) by straining with cheesecloth or a fine strainer. If you do not have one on hand, a clean nylon stocking works just as well. When your mixture is ready, pour into a dark colored spray bottle and store in the refrigerator. Your citrus hairspray will last for 2 weeks. You can also add 1-2 drops of essential oil to your mixture.

Why oranges?
The natural sugars in the orange give this hairspray hold while the oils from the skin and your oil of choice balance out the citric acid in orange.

Who can use this?
This citrus holding hair spray works for all hair textures from straight to kinky. Give this mixture a try and see how you like it!