Essential oils?

[Mainesongbird]

I've recently started learning about essential oils and the benefits of using different oils for different purposes. I was wondering if any of you use essential oils for your hair? I know rosemary oil is supposed to increase/ promote growth, but what are others?

[Quasiquixotic]

I like pepermint, rosemary and bay for scalp oil

[Mainesongbird]

How many drops of each do you use?

[ARG]

I use rosemary, lavender, and tea tree. Usually just a few drops of rosemary and tea tree, but I go crazy with the lavender.

[Quasiquixotic]

So into a glass bottle, I would put 1 drop of each per ounce of carrier oil and see how that feels on your scalp. If it's fine I would add one more drop, and so forth, until you found the right amount of tingle.

I would test this first though, mix each with a carrier oil individually and see how your scalp reacts for a week.

My favorite "cheap" oil is avocado. but olive will work too. There are a lot of quality oils you can use as a carrier - argon and Camilla come to mind. Really I would read up on oils and pick one that sounds good to you and your wallet can tolerate. Buy just a little and test it out.

[mira-chan]

I'd use about 10 drops per oz of essential oil is a pretty standard and safe dilution.

Another oil know to be very good for hair growth is Jatamansi (Indian spikenard) which is in the Valerian family and is also calming.

[HairFaerie]

I would avoid applying them directly on the skin/scalp (except maybe tea tree oil). It is best to mix them with an oil that your hair likes. Jojoba makes an excellent choice as well as grapeseed. For one ounce of oil, I would mix about 20 drops total essential oil. So if you are using two essential oils, ten drops of each (etc., etc.). Start with that ratio and see how your scalp likes it.

[HairFaerie]

Also, do some research because essential oils can be dangerous. For example, rosemary should NOT be used on/around pregnant women or people with epilepsy. There is a lot of information on the internet about what to avoid under certain circumstances.

[Nope]

I've only ever tried peppermint. Sometimes I'll add one or two drops of it to a big cup of cold water as a refreshing rinse at the end of my shower, and it's lovely. I really want to try lavender though, I LOVE the smell of lavender.

[ravenheather]

I use lavender, rosemary, cedarwood, peppermint and thyme in my mister bottle. Using it twice a day has cut my shedding down to 1/4 of what it was.