DIY Essential Oil Blend for Hair Growth and Scalp Health
Struggling with hair loss? This Essential Oils for Hair Growth Blend really helps--and it's based on real studies. Use this blend plus the other tips in the post to get a healthier scalp and follicles so that you can get your luxurious locks back.
When I was in college, I never thought I'd some day be writing about a DIY Essential Oils for Hair Growth Blend. Back in those days, some people referred to me as the "big hair girl."
I think some of it had to do with how I wore my hair, and also because I was temporarily obsessed with perms.
Thankfully, that "obsession" ended about 10 years ago :).
Since my "Big Hair Girl" Days, however, I've had some issues with hair loss on and off.
Mostly it appears to be related to stress. I had one year when the hair loss hit particularly hard and it was very difficult to deal with, so I get it.
It's hard for anyone to lose hair or have thinning hair, especially for us women.
Whenever hair loss / thinning has struck, I've found myself scouring the internet for ways to stop it, and to bring my hair back as quickly as possible.
Possible Reasons for Hair Loss
Here are some of the possible reasons that you might be finding that your locks aren't quite what you would like them to be.
- thyroid issues
- iodine deficiency
- stress
- adrenal stress
- iron deficiency
Ideally, for any of these conditions, you need to get to the root cause of your hair loss and figure out what is causing it, and work on getting healthier, so that you can have a more stable condition for your hair (and your health).
Hair Loss Remedies
I literally read for hours and hours -- about causes of hair loss, supplements that might help, testimonials from people about whether certain supplements and regiments helped them or not.....
Things that I have looked or tried, included:
- Supplements
I tried a number of these. Many didn't do anything (like the traditional Biotin), while others may have. One of them that I am on the fence about is BioSil. It has great testimonials, but every time I try it I get cystic acne. So I keep putting it aside. Hope to try it again. Update 9/12/16: - no more reactions so I am using it now :). - Shampoos
These didn't do anything for me, and many of them were filled with chemicals that I didn't want on my hair. - Reducing Stress
This. Works. Hard to do, but it works and of course reducing stress is great for your health. - Brushing / Massaging
Massaging your scalp with a massager has been proven to help hair growth. I personally prefer using my hands to do a scalp massage, but you could use this as well. (Note: See the Science-based Hair Growth Program below) - Special Oil and Blends
I tried one overnight oil blend that was a little hard to get out of my hair. And then I tried castor oil in my hair. While I LOVE castor oil for its liver benefits in castor oil packs, I do NOT like it in my hair. It was so terrible to get out that I ended up losing hair when I washed it over and over to remove the oil. Not doing that again!
However, one of the things that I have leaned on whenever I have had hair loss, is this simple DIY Essential Oils for Hair Growth Blend and I do think it has really helped me.
Initially, the recipe consisted of only 2 oils. Recently, I added another and I feel like it works better.
Why This Blend Works
There are a number of essential oils that can be useful for hair growth. Following are the ones that I chose and why I chose them.
Rosemary Oil helps with hair growth, and it has been proven to do so. In fact, it's been shown to be more effective than minoxidil. (source)(source)
Peppermint Oil has also been shown to aid hair growth in studies. (source)
Lavender Oil has also been proven to help with hair growth. (source)
Olive Oil seems to be great for hair health as well, as outlined in this source.
Melatonin - This is a new addition to the blend (years after the original writing of this post), but it's for good reason. The topical use of melatonin has been shown to assist hair health. I'm still researching how much is good to use. Studies show effectiveness at various concentrations, but you might feel a bit drowsy using higher amounts. (source)
Adding 1 capsule to 1 batch of these oils should be fine since each capsule is typically used in 1 night, but please take notes about how you feel when using it.
Essential Oil Hair Growth Blend
Ingredients
Oil Blend
- 3/8 cup olive oil (or other oil as desired)
- 6 drops Rosemary Oil
- 6 drops Peppermint Oil
- 6 or 7 drops Lavender Oil
- 50 g Vitamin E (optional)
- 1 capsule melatonin (optional)
Water Blend
- 3/8 cup filtered water (read How to Make Your Water Safe for water filtration tips)
- 6 drops Rosemary Oil
- 6 drops Peppermint Oil
- 6 or 7 drops Lavender Oil
- 50 g Vitamin E (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Diatomaceous Earth (bentonite clay, collagen, or gelatin are good options as well)
- 1 capsule melatonin (optional)
Instructions
Oil Blend
- Put oil in a small glass container.
- Add essential oils and melatonin, if using.
- Stir to combine. Put some of the mixture on your fingertips and massage into scalp.
Water Blend
- Put about 1 teaspoon of an emulsifier like Diatomaceous Earth, bentonite clay, collagen, or gelatin in a small glass container.
- Add essential oils to the emulsifier.
- Add the filtered water.
- Blend the emulsified mixture into the filtered water.
- Put some of the mixture into the filtered water.
- Put some of the mixture on your fingertips, and massage into scalp.
- Keep mixture in a covered container in the fridge and discard after 4 days or so.
Notes
More Non-Toxic Hair Growth Helps
Supplements and Herbs
I have personally used or am using the following products for hair health.
He Shou Wu: I currently use and love the He Shou Wu concentrate from Hyperion Herbs. It's a GREAT value since it's so concentrated. I take this morning and night. I love their Lion's Mane and so many other things too.
Biosil: this has many great testimonials about its effect on hair, skin, and nails. In addition, it's been proven to work to regrow hair. Topical use has been effective, but internal use might be even moreso. (source, source, and source)
Evening Primrose Oil - Evening Primrose oil has been known to help with hair issues. That link will save you some money on the price too.
Lysine and Iron - There is reported data that lysine and iron together have led to reduced hair loss.
Quality Leave In Conditioner - One of the things that is crucial for hair growth is not having stronger hair. I like this Leave In Conditioner but the Pure Haven Conditioners seem to work better for me.
Detangler - A quality detangler works great to help you not lose even more hair by too much tugging and pulling. I love the Pure Haven Detangler. Best I've ever used.
Crisan Hair Oil - I LOVE this hair oil. It strengthens your hair and nourishes your scalp. Smells great too and a little goes a LONG way.
Hair Growth Cap
There is some data to indicate that hair growth caps like this one work. I tried it but not for long enough to know, but the data seems valid.
Shampoo Tip
In addition to the above blend, it's crucial to avoid toxins in your hair care routine. There are so many chemicals in your shampoo that can affect your hair health including foamers, thickeners, preservatives, and irritants.
Ideally, you want to use hair products that are as clean / non toxic as possible to encourage your hair to be as healthy as it can be.
I've been using the shampoos in the post on Is Your Shampoo Making You Sick? - Probably.
I highly recommend you use a non-toxic shampoo so that you can have a healthier scalp and hair.
Beautycounter is a very solid, transparent brand that many have had success with. Many also report that their scalp issues vanish when switching over to this clean shampoo.
Another hair care line that I like is Pure Haven's. Their Supergreen's Line is nourishing, their hair masks are great for fullness, and their Scalp Treatment has ingredients proven to help with hair and scalp health.
Their Detangler is great - it's definitely helped my hair not fall out early since it's nourishing AND helps me comb through it easily.
More Essential Oils for Hair Growth
Now, of course, there are so many other oils that you could use. I just picked these from what I had read on the internet about oils that would help with hair loss and then made up a blend.
Some more oils that would be great to add to this blend are:
Ylang Ylang
Holy Basil
Cedarwood
Sage
You could also just add these oils to your shampoo, but since you are rinsing it out, using the DIY blend and leaving it on your scalp is more effective.
Science-based Hair Growth Program
My Perfect Hair Health is truly the ultimate in hair growth help. Rob English's program has had tremendous results for so many.
I personally am following his recommendations and doing his hair massage protocol and am very pleased with my progress. I try use this oil blend and do the massage daily.
Not only does he have a proven scalp massage protocol, but he evaluates many other hair health products and techniques scientifically and clearly desires success for his clients. Go here to get more information and sign up. Highly recommended.
Products to Help Your Hair Look Fuller
It can be really tough when your hair has thinned to wait for your hair to grow out. Thinning hair causes self-confidence issues and I know for me, it's been a cause of stress.
There are lots of shampoos, conditioners, and serums on the market that are supposed to help grow hair back. I have tried a lot of them and aside from this essential oils blend and the other things mentioned in this post, I haven't found anything to work and in fact, I have had what seemed to be accelerated hair loss from many of them. Additionally, many have ingredients that are quite disconcerting including artificial fragrances.
One product that's helped me is Morrocco Method's Volumizing Spray.
Have you struggled with hair loss?
What have you tried and how has it worked?
Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova
Would these essential oils be effective if added to my styling gel? I don’t have access to some of the other ingredients. Nmn
Hi Rosemary! They should be but you want them on the scalp and just not too strong.
I see you've discovered Pure Haven! I wanted to suggest it to you a few years ago, but someone beat me to it, lol. Among other of their products, I love their scalp treatment; it soothes my dry scalp!
Hi Michele! I actually was with Ava Anderson years ago but left them when everything went haywire (ick).....I actually haven't done much with them -- so don't feel too bad! We'll see what happens going forward but I'm glad to hear about your scalp!
Hi! I have a couple of questions about the Crisan Oil. I know you used to use Monat oil…how does the Crisan Oil compare ? Do you still need a conditoner or is the oil enough? And how quickly do you go through the bottle? I don’t really want to buy the big bottle b/c of the upfront cost but it might be worth it if I have to use a lot of oil each application. Thanks a bunch for any info!
Oh my goodness - I wrote out a long response to you and it vanished. Goodness!
So good questions.
1) The main differences are hmmmm...Monat has artificial fragrance and Crisan does not. Monat has a more immediate change to the hair (not sure why) whereas I feel that the Crisan is moisturizing deeply. My hair is much more dry now than when I tried Monat. I stopped using it for a few reasons, but this one feels good to me on a number of levels. It's definitely a differen mechanism by which is works.
2) I haven't used a conditioner since using it but I should try it. I use a lot of a leave in one when I wear my hair down and would likely need less I assume. Maybe I should try theirs.
I have a few other haircare lines I might try but -- time!
3) I use a lot less than they say (that's kind of a habit for me - frugality, you know?) and would likely get better results if I used more, but I just do what I can to coat my hair and leave it on overnight. I try to get away with using less of many things like Beautycounter - works for me!). I can't say how long it would last--depends on how long your hair is and how much and how often you use it. I didn't use it for a long time for some reason but I'm back to using it and my hair is loving it.
I'm doing a few other things in the post and going back to the lighted cap as well.
Anyhow, that's a lot of info - not too much of a direct answer but hope that helps and hope you like it! (AND I'm copying my answer this time before clicking REPLY, LOL!)
I am assuming the 50g vitamin E is just the oil correct?
Yes it is!
I use a hair oil blend much like yours that's been super effective, swap out the olive oil for a blend of carrier oils--2 parts hazelnut oil, 1 part sunflower oil, 1 part amla oil and 1 part black caster oil. Add in the rosemary, lavender, peppermint/wintergreen and cedarwood oils and blend well. Massage a few drops along your hairline or anywhere else you are experiencing thinning; don't go crazy with the oil in your hair, so it's easier to rinse out. Do this at bedtime 2 to 3 times a week. Side perk? All of the EOs are relaxing and promote sleep! I use wintergreen instead of peppermint for just that reason. 🙂
So interesting! What part(s) do you think are the most important? I have never used black castor oil or amla oil. Look forward to hearing and yes great tip re: the relaxation part!
I liked your post. But there is a shampoo with no toxins it’s by doTERRA. They only carry one shampoo and conditioner. I have a granddaughter who is in beauty school and my hair when through some adjustments. A couple of years ago I started losing my hair. But now I use doTERRA shampoo. It’s correcting my hair with all that’s happen. Try it. If you like it please continue to buy it from me.
My web site: (site removed by blog owner)
Hi Sonia - so glad it works well for you. Sounds like you had a problem with ingredients in other shampoos. Sorry but I don't allow people to promote their businesses on my blog so I had to remove your site's name. Thanks in advance for your understanding!
Your ingredients under the oil blend lists water. Is this a typo? What is the oil you use as the base of the blend?
Hi there - so sorry. Someone on my team made a typo. I think it's all fixed now including some oil recommendations. Thanks for letting me know!
dear friend could you tell me what is Morrocco Method's Volumizing Spray.?thank you very much;and for me when I use essential oils in water or hydrosol I use solubol ,do you know it please?but I need a great quantity of solubol 4 times the essential oil quantity; it is enormous thankyou very much Malika from FRANCE my email is :malika_b2012@yahoo.fr
Hi there. The link is back in the post. So sorry about that. Not sure what happened but it's there now. I'm not following the rest of your question. Can you explain, please?
I have questions about the heat show woo got to love auto correct. are you taking this by mouth are you making a paste are you using the liquid alcohol free and what concentration are you using 50 to 1:30 to 1:20 to 1:00 are you taking this once a day twice a day
Hi there. Ha ha the auto correct!! It's a powder. I just take about 1/4 tsp a day before bed. Hope that helps!