Most hair care and other personal care products contain a practically endless list of ingredients, and among them are typically a host of harmful toxins and chemicals. Not only that, but they can also be extremely pricey.
While many turn to silicone to create the illusion of smooth, healthy hair, that brings other problems. Silicone actually coats the hair shaft, seals out moisture, and clogs follicles. The hair can even become “addicted” to silicone, dependent on its synthetic coating, and will stop producing its own natural emollients.
Of course, lustrous, long and healthy hair doesn’t come easy. Between environmental influences, our diet, all of that shampooing and intense heat our hair suffers through, it’s no wonder that for most people, a beautiful head of hair seems out of reach.
So, what can a girl do if she doesn’t want to subject her body to potentially dangerous substances to get the long, healthy locks she wants?
Make her own haircare products, of course. It’s amazing what a few natural, beneficial oils can do! Not only will you save a ton of hard earned cash, you might find that making your own hair repair and growth serum is a lot more effective than those store-bought brands. It’s a simple, frugal, and an outstanding way to cut exposure to toxins.
Let’s look at the specific benefits of the oils included in the instructions that will follow, so you can understand exactly why each one is so important for achieving maximum benefits.
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one of the hottest foods on the market today. The oil of this tropical fruit is enjoying its time in the spotlight for good reason. It’s incredibly versatile, offering a wealth of health benefits when consumed, and there are a wide range of ways to use it when it comes to personal care and beauty.
Whether used as a cooking ingredient or as an emollient in a lotion, coconut oil offers numerous useful applications. When utilized for beauty treatments, many experts recommend utilizing fractionated coconut oil. It’s lighter in consistency and has been processed to remove some of its long-chain triglycerides which makes it liquid at room temperature. Removing the these helps to improve the stability of the oil and increases its shelf-life.
Fractionated coconut oil also has a higher volume of caprylic and capric acid, which helps to create even more powerful antioxidant action. This makes it ideal to use on dry, damaged hair. Because fractionated oil has a low molecular weight, it can more easily penetrate the hair shaft too.
Coconut oil is known to help improve the health of the scalp, fight infections and fungus, support hair growth by getting deep into the follicles, all while moisturizing, adding volume and shine.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Ylang ylang essential oil is derived from flower petals of the large, tropical ylang-ylang tree, and it’s been highly sought after for centuries, thanks to its natural thickening effect on the hair. It helps to balance oil production for all skin types, and when used on the hair and scalp, it even stimulates hair growth. It also tends to have a balancing effect on scalp oil production, aids in repairing split ends, helps improve the appearance of the hair by making it shine, and it can even prevent tangles and dandruff too.
Rosemary Essential Oil
This aromatic herb commonly used in cooking also offers significant benefits to the hair, including the ability to stimulate growth. Some people have used it effectively for preventing baldness, slowing down those pesky gray hairs and treating dandruff and dry scalp too. One of its more immediate effects includes stopping the hair loss that often occurs with shampooing.
One of the reasons rosemary is so important, is that it’s packed with powerful antioxidants. In fact, one 2012 study that was published in the International Journal of Biotechnology found that rosemary had even superior antibacterial and anti-inflammatory values when compared to other herbs like oregano, spearmint, thyme, peppermint, and basil. The antioxidants in rosemary essential oil help to battle free radical damage that’s caused by a number of factors, including pollution and the use of harsh chemical products. These same compounds are what makes it so helpful for preventing hair loss and contributing to faster hair growth. When applied to the scalp, it increases blood flow, bringing nutrients to hair follicles – when the follicles receive a greater amount of nutrient-rich blood, it encourages healthier, longer hair.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is not only a relaxing, sweet scent, it’s mild, soothing, and great for your hair and scalp. It’s known to help improve blood circulation, prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. It helps to moisturize the scalp and balance sebum production, which is especially important for those who tend to have combination skin, such as oily skin near the forehead and back of the head, and dry areas elsewhere. As it also offers potent antiseptic and antimicrobial action, it’s great for helping to control dandruff and even fight a fungal or bacterial infection on the scalp.
Now that you know why all these ingredients are used, are you ready to make your own hair repair and growth serum?
Simply follow these instructions:
Ingredients:
- fractionated coconut oil (buy it here)
- 5 drops ylang-ylang essential oil (buy it here)
- 4 drops rosemary essential oil (buy it here)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil (buy it here)
Equipment:
- 2 oz glass spray bottle
Instructions:
- Gather all of the ingredients and the glass spray bottle.
- Fill the 2 oz spray bottle almost to the top with the fractionated coconut oil.
- Add all of the essential oils.
- Place sprayer onto the bottle and shake really well. Make sure to shake bottle well before each use.
- Spray 2 to 4 sprays on your hair after you shower while your hair is still wet and work it into your hair really well. If using the spray on dry hair, spray the same amount on before you fix your hair for the day. Massage evenly into your hair and scalp.
- If you have oily hair, just replace the fractionated coconut oil with distilled water. A little goes a long way.
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