Rosemary Oil for Hair Loss and Scalp Health

Rosemary oil is known to promote scalp health and is often used for hair loss. Rosemary oil is said to help to revitalize hair follicles and encourage hair growth, and has even been shown in a small research study to be effective in blocking DHT (the hormone associated with hair loss and pattern baldness).

Hair loss can be a tricky thing, and can have a variety of causes- I certainly don't want to promote rosemary oil as a miracle cure, but it's inexpensive and smells nice, so it doesn't hurt to try. Rosemary may also help with reducing dandruff and itchy scalp.

Rosemary oil (and all essential oils) must be diluted before using topically. Essential oils are very potent oils from plants and when used directly on the skin they may cause irritation. Essential oils should be mixed with a carrier oil or other diluting agent like shampoo or lotion before using on the skin. Also, some people are more sensitive to essential oils than others so I would recommend starting with a small amount to see how your skin reacts.

To use rosemary oil on the scalp, you can use it diluted with shampoo when washing your hair, using roughly 5 drops in the palm of hand combined with shampoo, and then massaged into the scalp.

For a rosemary oil treatment, it can be mixed with a carrier oil like coconut oil and applied to the scalp 30 minutes before shampooing (coconut oil is great for the hair and scalp).

Just remember, use a smaller amount to begin with to make sure your skin doesn't have any problems or reactions. Let us know how it works for you!

Stop by and see us at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights, we have a great selection of 100% pure essential oils for reasonable prices, and have a kind, knowledgeable staff.

Homemade Hair Serum for Split Ends

If your hair is feeling dry and damaged, try a bit of this simple to make serum on the ends of hair to help to restore moisture!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp castor oil

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp organic aloe vera gel

a few drops of tea tree essential oil or lavender oil

This recipe can also easily be increased and stored for regular use.

See the entire recipe and directions at Style Tips.

DIY Hair Serum with Essential Oils

The summer sun can be damaging to hair, as well as exposure to pool chemicals. This easy DIY serum is great for hair, helping to deeply moisturize the ends of the hair.

I’d recommend using this at night or after washing hair. Start with just a few drops and only apply to the ends of hair, or from the shoulders down depending on your hair’s length.

You can use any carrier oil with this blend, though personally I recommend a fractionated coconut oil. Coconut oil is often a solid at room temperature, but a fractionated coconut oil is made to be liquid all the time. Coconut is especially helpful for dry and damaged hair since it’s so moisturizing and full of fatty acids that benefit the hair.

Essential oils that can be beneficial to the hair are lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, and geranium. Feel free to use any combination of those oils in your blend depending on the oils you have available.

Ingredients Needed:

1oz amber dropper bottle

Fractionated coconut oil

15 drops essential oils (we recommend lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, and geranium for hair)

Put the essential oils in your dropper bottle and then fill the rest of the way with coconut oil or a carrier oil. Take care not to overfill the bottle so the dropper top can go back in.

Use a 2-3 drops on the hair daily (or more depending on thickness and length) making sure to distribute through the ends of the hair evenly.

Natural Beard Oil Recipe - DIY with Essential Oils

There are a variety of essential oils that are great for using as part of a beard oil recipe, and you can mix and match depending on your personal preferences. See below for more information on the benefits of specific essential oils for beard health and growth.

Bergamot has natural antiseptic properties and has a nice, fresh, slightly green, slightly lemony scent. Bergamot is best known as an ingredient in Earl Grey tea.

Cedarwood has a great woodsy scent without being overpowering. It has antbacterial and antifungal properties and is said to help with increasing circulation.

Clove oil gives blends a wonderful, slightly spicy depth. Like the oils listed above, it has natural antiseptic qualities and is also said to help with hair growth and preventing hair loss.

Rosemary oil is used to help with strengthing hair, it also has a nice, fresh scent. It can help with reducing skin redness and stimulate circulation around hair follicles, encouraging hair growth.

Other oils with benefits for beards would be lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and patchouli, so feel free to experiment with scents in making your beard oil.

Essential oils should always be mixed with a carrier oil before being applied to the skin, since essential oils are very strong and can irritate the skin when not diluted.

There are many different carrier oils available, though we recommend using jojoba oil for this recipe since that oil is closest to the skin’s natural oils and helps to protect and moisturize hair without feeling oily. It also helps to prevent acne and skin irritation around the beard.

DIY Beard Oil:

1 oz dropper bottle (we sell amber glass dropper bottles at the store)

Jojoba oil

5 drops cedarwood essential oil*

4 drops bergamot oil*

3 drops clove oil*

3 drops rosemary oil*

*Alternately, you could do a combination of 15 drops total of any of the essential oils for beards listed above.

To make the beard oil, fill an empty 1 oz dropper bottle with 15 drops of essential oils (either the oils listed above or any others you prefer) and then fill the rest of the way with jojoba oil. Make sure to not fill the bottle too high with oil so it doesn’t overflow when the dropper is put back in.

To use, apply on a freshly washed beard, warming the oil in your hands before rubbing on to the beard. Once the oil has been applied and gently rubbed in, it can be helpful to use a comb on the beard depending on length.

The amount needed depends on the length of the beard. Shorter beards might only need 2-3 drops, whereas a longer beard may need 4-6. Experiment with what works best for you. Apply once or twice a day to encourage beard growth and to condition your beard.

In particular, we recommend our NOW brand of essential oils. They’re a local company that makes high quality essential oils for a very reasonable price. They test each batch of their essential oils for purity and quality (read more about their testing methods here). Stop by the store to try them out- we have essential oil testers of each essential oil we sell- at 7228 W. College Drive in Palos Heights, IL.

Castor Oil for Eyelash Growth- DIY

We have had numerous people asking about castor oil for eyelash growth (eyebrow growth as well). We do carry pure, cold pressed castor oil at the store and have also found empty mascara tubes that we have available for sale so you can make your own eyelash (or eyebrow) serum preparations.

Castor oil has been getting a lot of press lately for possibly helping to encourage eyelash growth. There is some research that has linked an ingredient in castor oil with encouraging hair growth and preventing hair loss, though it is far from conclusive. Still, using castor oil (particularly when it is used with an eyelash brush container like we have at the health food store) won’t hurt, and will definitely help with moisturizing eyelashes as well as reducing damage and breakage of eyelashes. Using an eyelash brush will help to apply castor oil only to the eyelashes, since you don’t want to put castor oil inside your eyes.

I’ve started using just straight castor oil on my eyelashes to see if it makes a difference- the oil is thick so it coats the eyelashes really well without dripping or anything. I don’t feel extremely hopeful that it’s going to make my eyelashes significantly different, though I guess conditioning eyelashes (which I know it at least is doing that) is only beneficial, but who knows. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t hurt, so I figure it’s worth a try!

I’ll link a couple other recipes below that I’ve found online that you may want to try:

Growth Serum with Castor Oil, Emu Oil, Coconut Oil, and Vitamin E

Eyelash Growth Serum with Castor Oil and Lavender and Cedarwoood Essential Oil

I would especially advise making sure to use an eyelash brush with the above recipe, since you don’t want essential oils going in your eyes.

Good luck!

How to Use Neem Oil for Healthy Hair and Scalp

The oil from the neem tree has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands due to its healing properties. In Hindu texts, neem is referred to as the plant that “cures all ailments and ills” and has its roots in the Sanskrit word meaning “bestower of good health”.

Neem oil is a potent source of beneficial oils and is astringent, antibacterial, and antifungal. It also helps to boost circulation and repels lice and mites.

Neem oil can be beneficial to the skin and hair, and is often used to rejuvenate hair growth as well as to combat a variety of problems of the scalp including psoriasis and eczema, scalp irritation, and dryness and dandruff. Massaging neem oil into the scalp before bed or a few hours before washing can make a big difference in the overall health of the scalp.
Neem oil can also help with the overall condition of the hair, since neem is rich in essential fatty acids, which help to nourish dry and damaged hair. 

The only drawback to neem is that it has a slightly odd or medicinal smell (it personally reminds me of peanuts). If you dislike the natural smell of neem, you can add a small amount of essential oils to the neem oil before applying to the hair (which will also enhance its benefit). For dry and damaged hair, try sandalwood or geranium oil; for encouraging hair growth try atlas cedar, juniper berry, cedarwood, or lavender; for oily hair and scalp try patchouli, rosemary, or ylang ylang.

One more note about neem oil- at room temperature (especially when it’s on the colder side) neem can begin to turn solid, so when you open a bottle, you may see tiny chunks of oil on the dropper. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the oil, it’s just what it naturally does. If you find your neem oil beginning to solidify around the dropper or cap, just run the bottle under warm water for a minute and it should be fine.

I’ll also link another article below that you may find beneficial:

How to Use Hair Oils for Gorgeous Hair

Be Well!
 

DIY Preventative Essential Oil Lice Spray for Hair

With school back in session, many parents are worried about lice, since it can run rampant through a classroom. Luckily, there are several essential oils that actually repel lice.

Tea tree oil is wonderful at repelling lice (and its also antibacterial and antifungal), but it isn’t the greatest smelling. Mixing it with other lice repellent oils helps it to smell nice while also being very effective for keeping head lice away.

These oils work well when mixed with water in a small bottle (we sell small 2oz. amber bottles at the store that would be perfect for this).

 

Preventative Essential Oil Lice Spray

This preventative spray has a pleasant, herbal smell. It’s best sprayed on in the mornings before school on both the scalp and on the length of the hair as well. This recipe is to be used on children 5 and up. For younger preschoolers, omit the eucalyptus oil from the recipe.

2 oz. spray bottle, filled halfway with water

10 drops tea tree oil

5 drops lavender oil

5 drops rosemary oil

5 drops eucalyptus oil

witch hazel (optional)

Fill a 2oz spray bottle halfway with water (it’s best to use distilled or bottled water) and add the essential oils.

After adding the oils, fill the rest of the way with either witch hazel or water (witch hazel helps to keep the oils mixed with the water better, and works as a natural preservative, though the recipe can be used with just water as well).

Shake well before each use.

How to Use Hair Oils for Gorgeous Hair

Many people shy away from using oils in their hair because they don’t want a greasy head (and really, who does). Used properly, however, certain oils can be extremely beneficial to the hair, and make a huge difference in hair texture and condition. Hair treatment recipes are simple to make and most people have the necessary ingredients in their kitchen cabinets!

Hair oils can be used two ways, as a treatment before washing, or as a styling aid after washing their hair.

To use as a hair treatment, apply to the hair, concentrating on the ends, and leave in for one to two hours (leaving oils in the hair overnight is especially effective) and wash hair normally in the morning. You may want to sleep with a towel over your pillowcase or use a shower cap to avoid an oily pillow, though I don't think it's really a problem if you wait a short time for the oil to absorb a bit before bed.

Using hair oils after washing hair is a great way to add a bit of shine, reduce static and fly away hair, as well as helping to seal the damaged ends of hair. Use the oils sparingly- use less than you think you’ll need at first to avoid an oily look. Dry, sun damaged hair can especially benefit from a bit of oil added after washing.

Four oils to try on your hair:

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is especially helpful for damaged hair. Coconut oil has a low molecular weight, so its able to actually penetrate hair strands, conditioning from the inside out. The fatty acids are also able to bind to proteins in the hair to help protect the hair from the roots to the ends.

Argan Oil

Argan oil is full of vitamin E. It’s frequently used to help to tame frizzy hair and can also be a good moisturizer for dry hair or a flaky scalp. Argan oil absorbs quickly, and doesn’t leave any residue behind, so it’s suitable to use as a leave in conditioner or styling aid (start with just one or two drops).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil can help to promote scalp health and fight off bacteria. It’s also a great oil for increasing shine. Massaging extra virgin olive oil into the scalp has even been said to help with hair growth, since it removes sebum that can block hair follicles.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is full of healthy fats and vitamins that help to rejuvenate damaged and dry hair. It’s also a fantastic oil to use as a deep, overnight, conditioning treatment.

Essential oils can be added to the above oils to help further increase their benefits.

I’ll post traditional uses for essential oils for hair below.

For Hair Loss and Hair Growth:

Atlas Cedar

Cedarwood

Clary Sage

Juniper Berry

Lavender

Oily Hair and Scalp:

Lemon

Patchouli

Rosemary

Ylang Ylang

Dry and Damaged Hair:

Chammomile

Geranium

Sandalwood