There are many good essential oils for hair: lavender, peppermint, cedarwood. And then there’s rosemary essential oil. Is it the best oil of all? Well, I don’t like to put ‘the best tag’ on it or for that matter on any oil, shampoo or things in general. But rosemary oil certainly is a big deal for hair.
Before we look at its amazing hair benefits, let’s find out more about rosemary herb.
I love the name rosemary, it has a very good sound to it. And the herb itself is very fragrant. It’s not floral like rose, but it has the hint of sweetness and a herby, fresh smell.
Let me tell you more about the name rosemary. It’s origin is latin, ‘ros’ meaning ‘dew’ and ‘mariuns’ meaning ‘of the sea’. The plant was named ‘dew of the sea’ as it thrives best by the sea, in sandy, salty soil.Rosemary is one the oldest known plant to be used as food, medicine and magic. Sprigs of rosemary were burnt in the shrines to drive away illness as well as evil spirit. Greeks wore rosemary garlands around their head while studying, as it was believed to improve memory.
In fact, this memory enhancing property of rosemary was put to test by the researchers from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle. And they discovered that rosemary aroma indeed enhanced the overall quality of memory of the participants and made them more alert. So if you are struggling remembering, try taking a sniff.
Besides, rosemary is a great taste enhancer.
Though it’s often paired with meat dishes. But since I am more inclined towards vegetarian foods, I like using rosemary with vegetable stir-fries or put it in boiling pasta or rice. It really elevates the flavour and also benefits our health due to it’s fantastic antioxidant properties.
You get rosemary oil from the leaves and flowers of rosemary plant. It is extracted by the process of steam distillation. The fragrant rosemary oil is high in antioxidant compounds such as: ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, 1,8- cineole and camphor. And these compounds are super beneficial for our hair and can possibly help slow or reverse hair loss. So, how does it work?
Well firstly, rosemary oil helps to increases scalp circulation.
This is vital because one of the reasons for thinning hair is inadequate blood flow to the scalp. And the culprit many a times is stress. If you have a habit of stressing over every small thing or are a type A personality, it causes your scalp muscles to tighten. And that leads to reduced blood flow to the scalp, and thereby to the hair follicles.
* Rosemary Oil for Head Massage
If you love head massage, you will enjoy using rosemary oil. The soothing properties and therapeutic benefits makes it a treat for the hair. You can use any base oil you like, but I especially like it with coconut oil or olive oil.
You will need:10 drops Rosemary essential oil
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 teaspoon Castor oil
Method- Place the oils in a bowl and mix well.
- Using your finger tips, massage the oil blend into your scalp.
- Leave it on for an hour or overnight to take maximum advantage of its healing and stimulating properties.
- Wash with a natural shampoo or use a homemade shampoo.
* Rosemary Oil and Aloe Vera Leave-on GelIf you don’t want to get your hair oily, I suggest you mix rosemary oil up with aloe vera gel. It’s easily absorbed into your scalp and boosts hair growth. And bonus, the combination of aloe and rosemary oil gives hair a sleek and defined look. How cool!
You will need:10 drop Rosemary essential oil
2 tablespoon Aloe vera gel
Method
- Combine aloe and rosemary oil and apply into your scalp and hair and leave it on. That’s it.
* Rosemary Oil and Egg Hair Mask
You can also put rosemary oil in a homemade hair mask. The combination for egg, rosemary oil and olive oil works miracles for hair. Egg is packed with essential hair vitamins and olive oil is antioxidant rich as well as moisturising for the hair and scalp.
You will need:10 drops rosemary essential oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
Method- Place the ingredients in a bowl. And using a fork or whisk mix everything well.
- Apply on your scalp and hair and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes. Rinse the mask off with warm water.
- You might not need a shampoo as egg itself works as a natural shampoo. See how your hair feels.
- To improve the shine, you can use apple cider vinegar rinse or any herbal hair rinse to condition and refresh hair.