Nourishing & Refreshing Scalp Oil
- thereformedproduct
- Feb 7
- 5 min read
The scalp is the source of healthy hair. I think most people understand that the hair that exists outside of the hair follicle is actually dead. Hair does not absorb things into our bodies. Since follicle health determines the health of our hair - it is vital to give it some extra TLC! It's important to treat this area gently and keep it nourished - especially if you are using traditional hair products.
Disclaimer: This scalp oil is pretty strong from the essential oil blend - both from a smell and feel perspective. So you do not need much for it to be effective. It can have a slight cooling sensation when it sits on the scalp. I personally am a big of that, but if you aren't you can easily drop the percentage of the essential oils and replace with a little extra oil. Though I wouldn't change the oil blend (more on that further down).
This scalp oil recipe has helped me balance the oily-to-dryness of my scalp, resulting in less itchiness, which is something I struggle with in the winter. A few years ago I went through some very stressful life events and was losing a lot of hair, it was the thinnest my hair had ever been. Stress does some nasty things to our bodies. I started working on managing the things in my life that I could control, to the best of my ability, and worked through not letting all the other stuff hold power over me (easier said than done 😉) and eventually the "fog" started to lift. And the excess hair shedding went back to normal. After doing some research, I decided to try a natural scalp oil to see if it could help my hair get back to its regular thickness and improve general scalp/hair health. I thought about buying something on the market but I kept seeing 2 things over and over again - so I figured I'd try my hand at making something similar and see if I liked it. I've have been using it now for roughly 3 years and am happy with the results.
Castor Oil
It should be noted there are not a lot of studies showing any benefit to using castor oil. However...having said that, for myself - I really like using castor oil in different formulations. My hair is much stronger than it was, even before the stress-shedding, and I notice less split ends in-between trims. It is said to protect the scalp and reduce damage to the hair follicles. It also has the potential to be anti-microbial. There is no way to directly prove causation here, but I have noticed it since I started being consistent with it. This is one of those areas where N = 1 and each person may see different results. Also, because this is a "drying oil" I do not recommend using this at 100% strength on your hair as it could cause the hair to become knotty or even matted. So definitely mix it with another carrier oil. Now on your skin, I think that's fine, especially if you are using it for the purpose of acne or as a drawing salve. I actually keep a mixture of 85% castor oil and 15% tea tree oil in a dropper in case of breakouts or ingrown hair problems.
Rosemary Essential Oil - Article on rosemary oil effectiveness with links to studies
Again this will be an N = 1 scenario...but even a lot of mainstream beauty companies are using it in different products. It seems to support healthy circulation of the scalp and hair follicle, reducing inflammation and stimulating growth. Since it is an essential oil it should be diluted per the manufacturer's direction. I also recommend educating yourself on different oils and their dermal limit and what applications might warrant a higher usage rate. In this product I use rosemary oil at 3%, which is way lower than the maximum dermal limit [1]. I really enjoy the smell of rosemary oil, it just has a very clean and fresh scent.
The Other Ingredients
Peppermint essential oil is also added to this formula at 3% - well below the dermal limit [2]. It aids in circulation and shows promising effects on hair growth [3].
Tea Tree essential oil is used at .5% - as it is very strong. It has great anti-microbial properties and can stimulate the hair follicles through better circulation.
Carrier oils....
Abyssinian oil is very light and non-greasy. The main fatty acid in it is erucic acid which provides smoothness, combats dryness, and can make the hair look lustrous. It is a very stable oil. I keep a small bottle with my hair supplies so I can apply on dry hair to tame any frizz (naturally wavy hair here 🤷♀️).
Meadowfoam seed oil is also a light, non-greasy liquid oil. It nourishes the scalp and can help add softness to the hair. This is also a very stable oil, with a good shelf life.
Almond oil is good for hydration and healing, due to it's high vitamin E content. It is a little heavier than the previous 2 listed.
Vitamin E oil can be healing and helps to maintain the stability of the formula. It is very heavy/sticky so it is used at .5%.
I also added some dried calendula flowers to the bottle before adding the oil. This is totally optional. I just thought it would be pretty. You could do another kind of dried flower, if you wanted. Since this is a totally liquid formula there is no need to heat anything up. Pure cold-process. I packaged the final product in a 2 ounce dropper bottle.
Recipe (makes 2 oz.):
Abyssinian seed oil | 29% | 16.44 grams |
Meadowfoam seed oil | 26% | 14.74 grams |
Sweet almond oil | 25% | 14.17 grams |
Castor seed oil | 13% | 7.37 grams |
Rosemary essential oil | 3% | 1.70 grams |
Peppermint essential oil | 3% | 1.70 grams |
Tea tree essential oil | .5% | .28 grams |
Vitamin E | .5% | .28 grams |
Instructions
Weigh and add all the ingredients to your beaker.
Stir well.
Set beaker aside while you add any dried flowers to your final container/dropper bottle.
Put a funnel on top of the dropper bottle to avoid spilling and pour the oil into your final container/dropper bottle.
Super quick and easy! For usage, I recommend starting with 1 to 2 times per week and make sure you allow it to soak into the scalp for at least an hour, if not a few, if you have the time. You could even put it on at night and then wash it out when you shower in the morning. To apply, be sure to part your hair and drop only a drop or 2 per area - a little bit goes a very long way - then gently massage it in.
[1] AromaWeb. Essential Oil Profiles. https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/rosemary-essential-oil.php#:~:text=Rosemary%20Essential%20Oil%20Safety%20Information,-Tisserand%20and%20Young&text=They%20also%20warn%20not%20to,and%206.5%25%20for%20Rosemary%20Verbenone.
[2] AromaWeb. Essential Oil Profiles. https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/peppermint-essential-oil.php
[3] Ji Young Oh, Min Ah Park, Young Chul Kim. Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4289931/#abstract1
