Any reader of this blog knows how much I love crafting, making, and DIY. Essential oils, along with some products from a local health food store or Amazon, can replace a lot of store-bought products. It's often cheaper to DIY these products, and you also remove a ton of the toxins and questionable ingredients found in store-bought products from your home.
One of the first places I started integrating essential oils was in my haircare. My hair is an important part of my identity, and it's not always in the best shape because I color it. Coloring my hair also limits the products I can use, because some ingredients will strip color. I've struggled over the years with an unhealthy scalp, but now I have my homemade Scalp Mask.
There are only six ingredients in this recipe! Three of them are essential oils, and three are carrier oils.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for products:
-With carrier oils, it is important to look for expeller- or cold- pressed oils. This means that no chemicals were added to pull the oils from the nut or seed
-Make sure your carrier oils are hexane-free. Again, it means chemicals were part of the extraction process.
-Do a little research on your carrier oil brand and be sure you feel comfortable with them. All of the carrier oils I used here are NOW brand because it's what my local health food store carries, but it's not neccessarily my favorite brand or one that I'd say is significantly better than others.
-For essential oils, I only use the Young Living brand. Their Seed to Seal promise makes me certain I'm getting pure, potent, unaltered oils made from plants not treated with toxins. Young Living oils are grown with therapuetic properties in mind and are tested to ensure those properties are intact.
-There are many store-bought brands of essential oils, but they are often diluted with fillers or made from plants that wouldn't pass Seed to Seal testing. I've compared other brands side by side with Young Living - I don't buy store brand oils.
Essential Oil Scalp Mask
In a two-ounce bottle combine the following:
1/2 ounce argan oil
1/2 vegetable glycerin
1 ounce almond oil (also known as sweet almond oil)
30 drops each of Cedarwood, Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), and Rosemary essential oils
Shake well before each use. Apply directly to the scalp all over or wherever needed and let sit for 1-2 minutes before shampooing. If oil remains, shampoo a second time before conditioning.
This recipe has been a God-send for me. I use it each time I shampoo to nourish my scalp. I'm no longer scratching or dealing with an embarrassing scalp! And as a bonus, Cedarwood can help promote strong hair growth.
My hair is thick and a little on the drier side, so these carrier oils working great for me. I also only wash my hair once every few days. If you find that this particular combination of carrier oils leaves your hair feeling oily, there are lots of other carrier oils that you can swap in until you find the right balance for you - not all carrier oils are the same!
