Rosemary Oil for Hair

In classical times, rosemary was seen as a sacred plant and was used in and around temples. It was also used during wedding ceremonies, food preparation, cosmetic care, and medicinal herbal care. The rosemary plant and its extract were also used by the ancient Egyptian civilization as incense. Also, during the Middle Ages, rosemary was used to smoke out devils and during exorcisms! However, today rosemary is loved not only for its fantastic culinary uses (who doesn’t want a roast leg of lamb with rosemary?), but also for the wonderful essential oil that can be extracted from its leaves.

Everyone wants a full head of luscious hair, but let’s face it, not everyone is blessed with one! Whether you are suffering from thinning hair due to the ageing process, prematurely grey hair, a dry flaky scalp, dandruff or just hair that naturally needs a little boost, then we recommend that you try some of our wonderful rosemary essential oil.

Along with our fantastic lavender fields, Jersey offers the perfect climate for growing wonderfully aromatic rosemary. Once harvested our rosemary is subject to the same steam distillation process as our lavender to produce amazingly pure, fragrant rosemary essential oil. Renowned for its invigorating properties, rosemary oil can act to increase blood flow to the scalp, which can help to treat a number of common scalp and hair problems.

1. Thinning Hair

As we get older many of us to find that our hair starts to thin, this can often result in male pattern baldness and extreme hair thinning in women. Whilst there is no 100% effective treatment for thinning hair and baldness, rosemary essential oil can help to stimulate the scalp and encourage hair to become thicker.

2. Grey Hair

Rosemary essential oil may also be effective in treating the premature loss of hair pigment i.e. greying hair. It is believed that rosemary can help to promote the pigmentation process of the hair, thus helping to prevent greys before they appear. In some cases, it has also been reported that rosemary oil has helped to revert grey hair into black with sustained use (although this is yet to be corroborated).

3. Dry, Flaky Scalp

The combination of a moisturising and nourishing carrier oil (see below – coconut and jojoba are particularly good here) and the invigorating properties of rosemary essential oil can be fantastic for treating dry, flaky scalps. The dryness will be treated and then future problems with a dry scalp may be prevented with regular use.

4. Dandruff

Dandruff is an incredibly common skin condition that causes flakes of dry dead skin to fall from the scalp. Although it doesn’t pose any particular health risks, dandruff can be embarrassing and can sometimes cause the scalp to become itchy.

A dry flaky scalp is not the only cause of dandruff; it can often be caused by a fungal or bacterial infection in the scalp. In this case, the antifungal and antibacterial properties of rosemary essential oil can help to provide an amazing natural treatment. Along with this, rosemary’s revitalising properties can leave the hair and scalp healthy and flake-free.

To treat your hair and scalp with rosemary essential oil you can use a number of methods:

1. Wet your hair with warm water and then massage a mixture of 6 drops of rosemary oil and 2 tablespoons of carrier oil (coconut, jojoba, sweet almond and olive are all good options) into your scalp. Leave this to act for a minimum of 20 minutes (or leave overnight) and then rinse off with your usual shampoo and conditioner.

2. Add a few drops of rosemary oil to your usual fortifying and nourishing shampoo and conditioner for a daily rejuvenating hair treat.

Hair Care

Rosemary oil is widely used in the cosmetics industry as an additive to shampoos, conditioners and scalp treatments, for its invigorating properties. Rosemary essential oil can also be used at home as it helps to stimulate hair follicles, making hair grow longer and stronger. It is also believed that rosemary oil slows down premature hair loss and greying of the hair. Rosemary essential oil is also beneficial for dry and flaky scalps, as regular massaging of the scalp with rosemary oil nourishes the scalp and removes dandruff. Simply add 2–3 drops of our wonderful rosemary essential oil into 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil such as olive, sweet almond or coconut (also very good for the hair and scalp), and massage into the hair and scalp. This can either be left in as a long term treatment or washed out after a few minutes.

PRECAUTIONS – All essential oils have the potential to be harmful if used incorrectly or in the wrong quantities. Only ever use essential oils under the supervision of a qualified aromatherapist. Also, we do not recommend using rosemary oil in its undiluted form directly onto the skin, either inhale the vapours or if to be used as topical remedy ensure that it has been correctly diluted. Finally, NEVER USE ESSENTIAL OILS IF PREGNANT, Breastfeeding OR HAVE EPILEPSY.

 

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