From styling tools to monthly dye jobs, our hair takes a beating. If your locks are starting to look a little frazzled, there’s no need to get your hair in a knot. Use these 10 best essential oils for hair to add shine and bounce to your locks, so you can have the gorgeous, healthy hair of your dreams!
The best essential oils for hair are:
- Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
- Cedarwood essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Ylang Ylang essential oil
- Peppermint essential oil
- Orange essential oil
- Thyme essential oil
- Lavender essential oil
- Geranium essential oil
- Sacred Sandalwood essential oil
It’s time to learn how to weave the best essential oils for hair into your routine! From DIY hair masks to exfoliating scalp scrubs, we’ve rounded up the best ways to use essential oils for hair.
Best Essential Oils for Hair – DRY
If your hair feels drier than the Sahara Desert, it’s time for an essential oil-infused oasis. Simply adding a drop or two of Cedarwood or Peppermint to your conditioner can hydrate the most parched hair. You can also create a dry hair spritz or add essential oils to carrier oils for extra shine and moisture.
Lubricate your locks. Let those powerful essential oils work their magic while you work on your beauty sleep with a moisturizing night mask.
Ingredients:
- 3 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil
- 2 drops Orange essential oil
- 2 tablespoons of a heavy carrier oil like olive or avocado
Method:
- Combine ingredients and spread through hair, starting on the ends and working your way up.
- Wrap head in a towel and let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing and shampooing.
Rise and shine. After styling, put a dab of Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil in your palm and add 1 drop each of Cedarwood and Rosemary. Rub between your palms and smooth over hair for added shine.
Best Essential Oils for Hair – OILY
Has your bob lost its bounce due to overachieving oil glands? Believe it or not, oily hair can totally benefit from essential oils. The trick is choosing oils with cleansing properties. When combining them with carrier oils, go for non-greasy options like jojoba oil.
Wash those oily worries away. Add a few drops of Tea Tree oil to your shampoo and massage it into your scalp for extra cleansing power and an extra bright, fresh scent.
Wet it and forget it. Leave-in conditioners can work wonders on oily hair. Give it a try!
What you need:
• 2 cups distilled water
• 1/3 cup of your favourite conditioner
• 3 drops Orange essential oil
• 3 drops Peppermint essential oil
• 3 drops Thyme essential oil
What to do:
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and spray on wet hair before drying as usual. Note: Shake well before using.
Give oil the brush-off. By now, you and dry shampoo should be thick as weaves. This DIY dry shampoo recipe uses household ingredients plus Rosemary, Tea Tree, and Cedarwood essential oils.
Best Essential Oils for Hair – NORMAL
Not dry and not oily? You likely fall in that sweet, somewhere-in-between spot: normal. Try one—or all—of these ideas to turn normal hair into the mane event!
Take your conditioner to a new, EO-infused level. Add 15 drops of essential oil to every 240ml of conditioner. For extra moisture and an exotic scent, add 10 drops of Cedarwood and 5 drops of Ylang Ylang.
Lock in salt-kissed waves. Make mermaid hair a part of your world with this DIY mermaid hair spray or serum. In fact, that dreamy, beachy hair will have passersby at a loss for words.
Treat your tresses. Take time to pamper your hair with an overnight aloe-Mirah hair mask.
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
• 1 tablespoon Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil
• 2 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil
• 1 drop Thyme essential oil
Method:
- Mix ingredients together and spread through hair with a wide-tooth comb.
- Cover with a shower cap or old t-shirt and let sit overnight before shampooing.
Learn more about the Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil in my blog post – Top 10 reasons to LOVE Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil.
Best Essential Oils for Hair – SCALP
Taking care of your scalp is an important step toward supporting healthy-looking hair. (Plus, all that massage makes for one happy head!) Show your scalp some love with this fringe-friendly duo!
Give your scalp the spa treatment. Mix 2 drops each of Rosemary and Peppermint with 1 tablespoon of carrier oil. Use fingertips to gently rub into scalp. Massage for 5 minutes and let sit. Wash hair as normal.
Clarify the situation. Product buildup can cause flaking and a dry scalp. Detangle the situation with a clarifying DIY scrub to help exfoliate your scalp.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons carrier oil
- 2 drops Cedarwood essential oil
- 2 drops Tea Tree essential oil
Method:
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Use gentle pressure and circular motions with your fingertips, not your fingernails, to massage into scalp for up to 10 minutes before washing hair.
DIY Hair Growth Spray
Ingredients
- A bottle of Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood Hydrosol
Method
- Add essential oils to the Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood Hydrosol and invert to gently mix.
- Shake well before using, then apply to the scalp in the morning and evening and brush through with a dry brush.
- Continue using twice a day for 3 months.
Nourishing Hair Mask
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 4 drops Rosemary essential oil
- 3 drops Lavender essential oil
Method
- Gently mix the avocado oil and essential oils together, then apply directly to the hair either in a small spray bottle or by dipping a wide tooth comb/brush into the mixture and brushing into the hair. Focus on dry areas and ends.
- Let sit 30-60 minutes, then rinse, wash and style per usual.
Want more great DIY recipes?
I’ve been making my own skin and hair care products since high school when I made a mouthwash and a cold cream for a science fair. It’s so simple to do, saves you money and best of all you know exactly what’s in the products you’re putting on your skin.
I’ve included some of my favourite recipes for making your own natural hair care products. They’re all low-tox and they work! They include:
- Leave-In Conditioner
- Sea Salt Spray
- DIY Hairspray
- Hair Rinse
- Scalp Massage Oil
- Dry Shampoo
- Shampoo
There’s something for everyone in this book. I love sharing these recipes and I look forward to hearing what you think.
Click the link below to download your FREE copy and enjoy!
Subscribe to Hot Oily Mumma
