Essential Oils for Hair Growth {Hair Care}

Since I have started putting up posts on Essential Oils, I have received so many queries regarding essential oils amazing for skin and hair and acne. So, I decided that I shall do a post on them. This post would contain essential oils I have explored as of yet which are amazing for hair growth.

For all hair types

• Ginger: It stimulates the hair follicles, makes the scalp feel a little warm and helps promote hair growth. It may also tingle the scalp. Ginger is mostly suitable for all hair and scalp types. It needs to be only applied on scalp. Helps with dandruff too.

• Cinnamon: Similar to ginger in all properties, but it can be a little irritating for the sensitive scalps. It helps warm up the scalp and should only be applied on the scalp. Suited to all scalp types.

• Rosemary: More suitable to oily scalps and hair but doesn't dry out the dry hair either so can be used for all hair types. Helps in controlling dandruff, promotes hair growth by helping in scalp stimulation and also conditions the hair and makes it look darker. Brings shine to the hair as well over long term use.

Oily Hair

• Lavender: Suitable for oily scalp. It helps control the oil production in the scalp. Conditions the hair and promotes hair growth. Also, makes the hair shiny in long run. 

• Ylang Ylang: One of my most favorite EO's, it helps a lot with oily hair and scalp by not only promoting hair growth but also making the hair smell really awesome and controlling the oil on the scalp. 

• Cedarwood: I haven't yet used this EO so I have no idea how it works. Its supposed to control hair fall and thus, aid hair growth in reverse. Also, its great for preventing dandruff and hair lice and other fungal and bacterial infections!!

Dry Hair

• Myrrh: Probably the only EO suitable for dry hair. It helps promote hair growth and stimulates sebum production as well. I haven't personally tried this product so I have no idea how it works.   

Related Posts:
Hair Types and their Hair Care Routine 
Hair Textures

Aloevera Scalp Gel for Hair Growth {DIY}

This is my first DIY which includes essential oils and are the heart and soul of this DIY after the perfume oil DIY.

Ingredients

• Aloevera Gel
• Rosemary EO
• Lavender EO
• Cinnamon Bark EO
• Ginger EO

Method

I used the Rustic Art aloevera gel for this recipe. I would not recommend fresh aloevera gel because of two reasons - first, preservation issues and second, you are not sure of how much quantity you have and how many drops of EO should be added. Thus, its better to use the commercially available aloevera gel. Take 100gms of the product and remember my guidelines to using EO's. 

In skin or hair care, you should use only 1-2% concentration of EO's and do not exceed as it can actually be allergic and harmful. So, for 100gms of aloevera gel, we can add 2 gms of EO and we use the equivalence of 1ml = 1gm though that's strictly not true. So, according to the 2% concentration, we can add 2ml of EO's. 1ml has 20 drops so 40 drops of EO per 100ml/gm of any product.

Add 10 drops of each essential oil to the aloevera gel. Mix it and leave in a dark place for 24 hours. Rosemary takes care of dandruff, Cinnamon and Ginger stimulate hair follicles and increase blood circulation and Lavender is conditioning for the hair besides helping in hair growth. Do not use more than 3-4 EO's per DIY as too many EO's might interact negatively with each other and can make the product extremely potent as well.

Results

Apply this gel on your scalp right after you finish with your entire hair wash and shower. Do not apply it when you hair is dripping. Wait the hair to get dry a bit and then apply to the scalp so that it doesn't cause breakage. There are two advantages - your scalp is clean so the product gets absorbed quickly and without any fear of trapping dust and since the base of the product is aloevera, it moisturizes the scalp nicely and prevents itching, flaky scalp and other scalp problems.

I made this DIY before I left for Delhi and have used it just once. Now that I am on a hair treatment, I am not using anything except the products prescribed. That's mainly to test the efficacy and worth of those products. But, I can vouch for one thing that this scalp gel does help in hair growth. Why? Remember the ginger tonic I mentioned? 

We are using ginger essential oil in this recipe and when I had applied this gel, it had tingled my scalp and gave me the feeling of warmth more than that ginger tonic does. Don't worry regarding the tingling. Its just coz of ginger. Even if you apply ginger juice or onion juice, the scalp tingles a bit and also makes the scalp warm meaning the blood circulation has increased. And, the gel doesn't make the hair heavy or greasy or anything. In fact, it keeps the scalp moisturised and the hair around the roots soft. It can be applied daily as well.

And, I am really hoping that you will give it a try :)

My Hair Diary - March 2012

What did I do in March?

• I have been using Rosemary EO since two months. As to how much its working, I am still unsure but I do definitely think its helping but as I said earlier, its too soon to say anything definite. 
• And, as I promised in my last post, I did research on the essential oils to stimulate hair growth so some of the essential oils I have added to the stack are: Ginger, Cinnamon, Cedarwood, Lavender and Patchouli. 
• Also, I got cocoa butter for myself because I wanted to use it as a hair mask to soften my hair and keep it moisturised as a weekly treatment. 
• So, I made myself a DIY mask adding hair oil to the cocoa butter but its been two times I have used, the mask so I am not sure how well it is working. So, when I spend a little more time using this mask, I shall post its recipe too :)
• Also, I would add a word about both the oils I am using - Biotique and Kama. They are both amazing and really good. I shall publish the reviews after I finish with the product but this is just a word on them.
• And, my split ends have grown to huge extent so I gave myself a hair cut in March and again, I shall do it today. Yes, I can trim my hair on my own :) It saves a lot of money and hair length too :O

Products used in March

• Shampoo - Dove Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo 
• Conditioner + Leave-in Treatment - Sunsilk Dual Treatment Shots
• Hair Oil - Biotique Flame of the Forest + Kama Ayurveda Brigandi
• Combs - The Body Shop Detangling Comb

Related Posts:

My Hair Diaries - February 2012

My Hair Diaries - January 2012

Guide to using Essential Oils {Beauty Products}

[Source:shivanismakeupblog.blogspot.com]

So, as I promised to you all that I shall be spending the DIY series of this entire month on my exploits using Essential Oils, I thought it would be prudent and informative to give a little theoretical background on how should an EO be used. And, we shall have practicals from next week :)

Skin and Hair Care

Essential Oils are very concentrated so they have to be diluted to be used in the regular routines otherwise they can cause skin sensitivity and many such problems. So, what is right proportion to dilute the EO's when using them in your skin or hair care routines. 1-2% at max. Do not exceed this ratio at any costs. 

Well, personally, I used like way too much of EO in one of my oils and when I applied the oil on my face, my face burnt for a few minutes before it settled. So, beware of this and you really don't want to go through that. 

How does EO help the skin and hair?.

EO's gets absorbed very easily into the skin as compared to anything else because of their small molecular size. That's why concentrated doses are pretty harmful.

The Essential Oil Desk Reference, 4th Edition tells us that “essential oils are lipid soluble and can penetrate cell membranes bringing an increase of 21% oxygen to the cells within 20 minutes of application.” [Source]

Ok, yes, they increase the oxygen supply and improve the blood circulation consequently and that is why more nutrients are delivered to the cells. It also improves the absorption capacity of the nutrients. Not only that, they are rich in anti-oxidants and can fight the free radicals. And, the EO's can also prevent cancer. So, you see they are pretty much effective in their own way but then excess of everything is bad. 

And, now, the fun part begins - we shall make perfume next week :)