INCI: Chondrus Crispus or Carrageen
Irish Moss belongs to the red algae family of seaweed. What’s awesome about it is that its a natural thickener and emollient.
It is thought to help repair skin, is a demulcent and is thought to have antiviral/antibacterial properties. Its also full of minerals (like Sulfur, Manganese, Iron, Bromine, Selenium, Zinc, etc) and mucilage. Its also high in iodine.
Whipped Irish moss can get so thick, it can replace gelatin (hydrolyzed collagen) in your regular recipes. It can also be used to create a hair gel.
Internally, Irish moss is used to help the upper respiratory system, to help clear out mucous, for bronchitis, sore throat, and other issues.
TIP from mountainroseherbs.com: Don’t ingest (internally) Irish Moss on a daily basis for more than 2 weeks at a time. Its full of iodine which could cause a potential imbalance in thyroid function. There does not appear to be a limit on how often you can use it externally.
Irish Moss is best processed by soaking it in water. After washing/rinsing it, sit it in distilled or purified water overnight in the fridge.
The water (tea), can be used as an ingredient in some of your homemade concoctions. Make sure you add some type of essential or fragrance oil because it will smell like seaweed.
After soaking, whatever amount you used will at least double in size. Take the actual herb (the actual seaweed) and put it in a blender to get it as smooth as possible. Let that gel sit (I put mine in the fridge) and it will get super super super thick like gelatin.
That final Irish Moss gel can be used as one of the base ingredients for almost anything you want to make.
Add oils and fragrance to make a gel. Add it as part of your water phase when making a conditioner. Add it to your already existing homemade honey hair gel to thicken it up.
And yes, you can use it on your skin as well. According to reports, it helps to retain moisture and helps support healthy skin. It aids in calming rashes, eczema and psoriasis. Add it to your homemade lotions, or store bought lotions to give it a kick.
From my own personal testing, it can make your hair really soft. Because of it slippery, mucilage properties, it can also help with detangling. 🙂
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PS: If you’re getting Irish Moss from mountainroseherbs, you’ll be getting the dried, chopped version. So it may or may not look like the Irish Moss in this video.
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