Want To Use Essential Oils For Natural Hair Care? Read This First

Hair of any color, type and texture can take advantage of the wondrous effects of essential oils for natural hair care, however African American hair, with its unique properties and appearance, can probably benefit most. Natural black hair is typically curly and thus harder for the natural oils to nourish through to the tips.

Curls and kinks are also more inclined to breakage and shrinkage (or your hair’s natural tendency to spring back to the scalp). So if you've got natural black hair, having well-moisturized, long locks can be very challenging. Let's just say it can be made easier if you have essential oils by your side.

What are essential oils and how do they help with natural hair care?

For starters, essential oils hardly possess the oily, fatty characteristics of real oils although they share the stubbornness in mixing with water. They sometimes suffer from misconception with the term “oil” when actually, they are more of plant based concentrates.

Essential oils are from plant’s flowers, roots, bark and other parts. In pure form, these are very potent and need to be diluted in carrier oils such as jojoba, avocado, coconut and sweet almond oils.

Why use essential oils for natural hair care? Essential oils differ in properties and some of these possess cleansing, nourishing, anti-bacterial and strengthening abilities that are excellent for your hair. Some well-known essential oils for hair and scalp are rosemary, lavender, peppermint, bergamot, tea tree, basil, chamomile, cedar wood, ylang ylang, myrrh, sage, lemon, sandalwood and orange.

It’s not surprising to see these oils in commercial hair care products because many manufacturers and consumers are already aware of their amazing effects on hair. That's providing they're essential oils and not synthetic or fragrance oils.

Essential oils and natural black hair

For African American hair, the importance of keeping your hair and scalp clean and moisturized should be emphasized. To address this, use essential oils with superb anti-bacterial and cleansing properties like peppermint and tea tree oil.

Those burdened with dandruff problems in particular should at least have these two essential oils for natural hair care in their cupboard or bath room. They are so efficient keeping your scalp free of fungi and bacteria. Tea tree is also a reliable moisturizer and helps in keeping natural oil production balanced.

Another hair disaster common to natural black hair is breakage. Many think that your hair is stronger than others but truth is, it's more fragile. If you notice your hair breaks easily even with little force applied. You can strengthen it by including rosemary, cypress, clary sage or peppermint in your hair care regimen. A good tip is to combine these essential oils for natural hair care with carrier oils and other natural ingredients that are equally famous for adding strength to hair. Examples of this are coconut oil, jojoba and aloe vera.

Naturally curly black hair is no doubt beautiful but those of you who have it sometimes grow tired of the look and try to have your hair straightened or colored. While getting a hair makeover is fine, we cannot say the same for most chemicals used in these procedures.

To prevent further damage and dryness, treat your locks with sandalwood, rosemary, geranium, lavender or patchouli. For inflamed scalp, apply some diluted lavender or chamomile. These essential oils have, time and again, proven their worth in soothing and healing your skin, scalp included.

Finally, many people with kinky, curly, coily hair, particularly women, want long locks. Not only does it give more styling options, it can also lessen hair volume which is preferred by many individuals with extremely curly hair.

However, black hair’s affinity for shrinkage can make your hair appear shorter so if you are looking to have longer tresses, grab essential oils that enable hair growth. Rosemary is very popular in this category as well as other oils previously mentioned. They improve circulation in your scalp and stimulate the follicles to speed up hair development and growth.

And …

If you’ve been wondering what essential oils are, why you should use essential oils for natural hair care and how they might help with caring for your natural hair, we hope the fabulous reasons above clarified any confusion. Use it in a variety of ways to make your black hair look great. Got a busy schedule? Simply add ten to twenty drops to a bottle of your favorite hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners and hair spritz.

Got time to experiment? Create new hair care products from essential oils. You can find several recipes online and offline. If you got a few drops left (which you will because a small essential oil bottle goes a long, long way), you can always grab an essential oil diffuser and relax in a wonderful aroma of your choice, or add it to your tub for a delightful aromatherapy bath.

Remember, there’s a link between hair and stress so taking away your worries can also give you good hair days.

That's it for this week, until next time ...

Dedicated To Your Beauty,

Juliette Samuel,

Esthetician/Aromatherapist/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care