If you weren’t born with a thick luxurious mane of hair then no lotion or potion will miraculously give you long Rapunzel like locks because you can’t make hair follicles where there aren’t any to start with, but what you can do through a healthy diet, lifestyle and some simple home remedies is keep the hair that you do have strong and healthy so the condition of your hair stays at its best.
Massaging your scalp (with or without oils) encourages blood flow to the hair follicles which brings oxygen and nutrients to the roots of the hair providing all of the things it needs during the growing stages so the hair produced is strong, healthy and shiny. By massaging oils into your scalp you are adding the benefits of the oils too, base oils are moisturising to the skin and hair and carry the properties of the essential oils which are absorbed by the skin. One of my favorite synergies is:
25mls of sweet almond oil
2 drops of Niaouli essential oil
2 drops of Rosemary essential oil
2 drops of Cedarwood essential oil
2 drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil
Niaouli is a tissue stimulant that encourages local circulation, it also has a stimulating effect on the immune system increasing white blood cell production and antibody activity (for this reason I wouldn’t include this oil if you were suffering from Alopecia as this is an autoimmune disease which wouldn’t benefit from more stimulation). Otherwise Niaouli is a good oil to include and is a great tonic to the whole body helping to clear the mind and aid concentration.
Rosemary is another very stimulating oil (although not specifically towards the immune system) its greatest benefits are for encouraging hair growth and scalp disorders such as dandruff. It’s also know to energise the brain which can be useful for those studying for exams. It clears the head and may be useful for headaches and migraines.
Cedarwood may be helpful for scalp disorders such as alopecia, dandruff and seborrhoea as it’s a very good hair tonic.
Ylang Ylang is a versatile and balancing oil that’s a tonic to the scalp, its stimulating properties encourage a strong and healthy hair growth.
Pour some of the oil mixture into the palms of your hands and massage well into your scalp with firm movements like you are shampooing your hair. Spend around fifteen minutes massaging your head to work the oils in and encourage the circulation, try tipping your head upside down while you do this to increase the blood flow and give your arms a rest if it becomes difficult to hold them up for too long. Comb the oils through your hair and leave them on for at least one hour or overnight, the oils will easily wash out of your hair with a regular shampoo, just do a double shampoo to make sure. Do this scalp massage routine once a week to maintain the condition of your hair and scalp or at least twice a week if you have a dry skin condition leaving the oils on over night if possible.
This scalp oil will help moisturise dry hair too if you run the oil through to the ends but if your hair is dry and brittle it’s probably due to damaged caused by colouring, perming, chlorine if you swim, blowdrying or heat styling your hair with straighteners or tongs so protections sprays, hair masks and leave in conditioners are worth using on a regular basis if you find this is happening.
If you are suffering with hair loss then applying a scalp oil is not going to completely treat the cause of your problem, hair loss can be caused by a number of factors that should be investigated by your doctor such as hormone imbalance, low thyroid function, low iron or vitamin B12 to name a few. Once these have been checked by your gp then you could considered working with a nutritionist to further investigate where the problem is coming from. I’m a registred nutritional therapist and naturopath based in Eastcote/Ruislip London, I can help with trying to find your root cause and have access to functional testing that can help reveal hidden dysfunction. You can find out more on my other website www.naturopath-tina.uk
