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The Best Essential Oils for Hair
When it comes to using essential oils for hair, there are plenty of beneficial choices. Whether you are looking to thicken your hair, treat dandruff and dry scalp, give your hair strength and shine, or lighten your hair naturally, essential oils are much safer and just as effective as conventional hair care products.
Essential oils have long been used in alternative, Eastern and homeopathic medicines thanks to their effectiveness and low risk of side effects.
They are also more cost-effective, one bottle of your favourite essential oil can not only nourish your hair, but it can help reduce stress, alleviate pain and fight skin infections as well. Plus, essential oils are all-natural, which means they are better for the environment and your home, too.
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Benefits of Using Essential Oils
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil is another natural product that can improve hair health. It can help promote hair growth, prevent dandruff, reduce inflammation, increase shine and moisturize dry scalp. Lavender essential oil is suitable for all different type hair and texture. Plus, because emotional stress is a factor that can contribute to thinning hair, lavender oil can be used to create a tranquil and stress-free environment by aroma therapy.
Mix several drops of lavender oil into 3 tablespoons of carrier oil, like olive oil or melted coconut oil, and apply it directly to your scalp. Leave it in for at least 10minutes before washing it out and shampooing as you normally would. You can do this several times per week.
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Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil is a natural product that can benefit hair in various ways. Peppermint essential oil can cause cold, tingling feeling when it increases circulation to the area it’s applied to. This can help promote hair growth during the anagen (or growing) phase. It can moisturize dry and damaged hair, stimulate blood circulation to the scalp, promote hair growth and thickness, balance oil and calm inflammation.
Peppermint essential oil should be mixed with a carrier oil and can be used up to three times a week. It may also work well with rosemary essential oil for hair growth.
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Rosemary Essential Oil
Rosemary essential oil is one of the top essential oils for hair thickness and growth. It is used to increase cellular metabolism, which stimulates hair growth and promotes healing. When it comes to boosting your hair health, the benefits of rosemary essential oil also include preventing baldness, slowing the greying process and treating dandruff, dry scalp.
To use rosemary essential oil for your hair, mix it with olive oil and lavender essential oil (olive oil hair treatment with rosemary and lavender), and then massage the mixture into your scalp for about two minutes. Leave it in your hair for three to four hours, and then wash your hair as usual.
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Lemongrass Essential oil
Dandruff can be a common ailment, and having a healthy, flake-free scalp is an important part of hair health. Lemongrass essential oil is an effective dandruff treatment, it significantly reduced dandruff after one week. Some bonus benefits of lemongrass essential oil include its ability to work as a natural bug repellent, relieve stress (which is associated with hair loss) and treat headaches.
You can add 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil to your bottle of shampoo or conditioner or you can massage two to three drops into your scalp along with your conditioner daily. Lemongrass essential oil can also be diffused at home to reduce stress and detoxify the space.
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Tea Tree Essential oil
The antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of tea tree essential oil ensure that your hair stays clean and healthy. The improved scalp health makes the follicles more receptive to nutrition and the unclogged pores help promote unhindered hair growth.
Tea tree essential oil needs to be diluted before you can use it. By combining a few drops of the essential oil with your regular hair oil, you can create a hair growth solution that boosts scalp health.
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Risks and potential complications
The biggest risk of essential oils is skin irritation or allergic reactions. This is especially common when an essential oil is applied directly to the skin, so it’s vital to always use a carrier oil to dilute it.
Prior to using an essential oil for the first time, skin patch testing is often recommended as a method of determining if you have an existing sensitivity/irritation to the natural constituents present in a particular essential oil.
Takeaway
Essential oils can help you improve the health of your hair at an affordable price point. They’re also easy to use.
For many, mixing some with a carrier oil or your shampoo and applying that to your scalp regularly can increase hair growth, strength or shine.
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