Why a Magic?
Because it gives: volume, softness, shine, elasticity and lightness.
A natural product with truly excellent properties for the care of skin and hair.
A product you should definitely try, especially for brittle, dry, weakened, dull hair.
Once tried, you won't be able to live without it!
Gond Katira, also known as Adraganth Gum, is a dry exudate extracted from plants of the genus Astragalus. It is used as a cosmetic raw material for thickening or gelling.
Today, the cultivation and extraction of this product takes place mainly in the regions of South-Eastern Europe and Western Asia: Iran in primis, but also Iraq, Syria, Greece, Turkish Kurdistan.
The gum has the form of transparent, white-amber coloured crystals.
Gum is odourless and tasteless.
It consists of 60%-70% bassorin, methoxylated acids (pectin-like complexes): a part that is not soluble in water. The remaining 30%-40% is tragacanthin, a complex mixture of polysaccharides such as D-galacturonic acid, sugar, starch and cellulose: water-soluble part.
Properties:
It has emollient, viscous, thickening and gelling properties. In cosmetics, hair benefits from its restorative and nourishing abilities: It actually has the ability to make hair appear instantly shinier and fuller!
Gives volume and suppleness
Gives shine and elasticity
Has a strong restructuring effect on the hair fibres
Preparation:
Gond Katira can be prepared in 2 ways: cold or hot.
Cold:
Soak the powder in water (the ratio is about 5 g of powder per 75 ml of water) and leave it overnight, this will give you a gel-like consistency.
Mix to get a cream that is easier to work with.
Hot:
Soak the powder in water (the ratio is about 5g of powder per 75ml of water) and put it on the cooker until it comes to a boil.
Once it reaches boiling point, you can lower the flame to keep the temperature constant and leave it on the fire for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The result is the same as the cold method, but the hydration time is much shorter (about 20 minutes compared to 12 hours).
Once hydrated, the gum will always look like ice cream and can be mixed to make it easier to apply.
How to use:
As a hair pack: apply with a comb to clean, wet hair, starting at the roots and ending at the ends, and cover with cling film. Laying time varies from 15 to 60 minutes until the hair is cured. Rinse without shampooing.
As styling: Apply a little product with your fingers before drying. Continue drying without rinsing.
For moisturising hair packs or colouring plants: Gond Katira is an excellent base for preparing herbal packs, also for colouring, so it can replace water in the preparation or be added to herbal and clay packs as desired.
For the skin:
Has an antiseptic and soothing effect, recommended for particularly dry skin that needs moisture. Useful for burns and chapped skin. As a face mask it can be used mixed with clay or herbs. The application time is 10-15 minutes. Do not let the mask dry, but keep it moist by spreading water or aromatic waters on the skin.
Storage: The gel will keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for about ten days or can be frozen.