You will want to tailor this recipe to the length of your hair. Personally, my hair is extremely long (when standing it is a few inches above my tailbone), so I have had to use quite a bit of the oil while short haired beauties will have to use much less. I have tried to adjust for standard length of short, moderate, and long, but feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly as you see fit for your unique hair length and texture. Speaking of texture, you will need to account for this when customizing the recipe for you as well. If your hair is naturally oily you should use less than recommended, if your hair is naturally brittle and dry consider using a bit more! I never feel that my recipe should be followed to the letter, every one is different!
Long Hair- Add 3 quarter sized portions of both coconut oil and almond oil (6 total) and three drops each of Lavender, Rosemary, and Tea Tree Oil into a clean, small bowl and mix together with a clean spoon.
Medium Length Hair- Add 2 quarter sized portions of both coconut oil and almond oil (4 total) and two drops each of Lavender, Rosemary, and Tea Tree Oil into a clean, small bowl and mix together with a clean spoon.
Short Hair- Add 1 quarter sized portion of both coconut and almond oil (2 total) and one drop each of Lavender, Rosemary, and Tea Tree Oil into a clean, small bowl and mix together with a clean spoon.
Now, to apply to your hair you can do one of two things. Pour bit by bit from your spoon into your hand and massage through, or you can carefully pour straight from the bowl a little at a time over the top of your head. This can get a little messy so I would recommend doing this with a towel on the floor underneath you or over the sink. As you are applying a little at a time, you will actually want to massage it into the scalp and hair for the conditioner to be the most effective. Make sure to concentrate majority of the oil at the end of your hair and around your scalp where your hair follicles are. When you have finished using all the oil you should brush your hair out to evenly distribute the conditioner. This will also make it much easier to brush out the tangles produced when massaging the oil into your scalp while there is still oil in it, and it will also leave a slight oily residue on the bristles of your hairbrush which will continue to add a subtle shine and softness to your hair even after your conditioning is done. When you have finished brushing your hair smooth, make sure to put you hair up all the way in a bun, or for short hair use a head wrap or headband to keep your oily hair off your forehead and neck/back area to avoid any breakouts. Leave the conditioner on as long as you feel comfortable. I personally will do it when I wake up in the morning on a day when I don't have much planned. I will then leave it on about 2-4 hours and then shower and wash my hair as I regularly do. After showering, I make sure to brush it out and I typically let it dry naturally.Once dry you should be left with smooth and silky hair with extra thick body and no greasiness. If you feel that your hair still looks or feels greasy, try lessening the quantity of oil used next time and rewash your hair a second time which should eliminate any residual greasiness.
Coconut Oil -Coconut oil limits the amount of protein loss from hair (Rele and Mohile, 2003). Proteins are what give hair its strength and moisture so limiting their loss is vital for healthy hair. As we have talked about before, coconut oil is also very high in fatty acids which can help add shine and nourishment to the hair as well as moisturize and fight against dandruff.
Almond Oil -Almond oil helps to combat dry and damaged hair due to its many vitamins and fatty acids that will nourish and mousturize hair from top to bottom. It can help to repair those pesky dry and damaged split ends that occur mostly from having our hair endure high temperature styling products.
Lavender Essential Oil -Lavender Essential Oil has been shown to help improve circulation when massaged into the scalp. Improved circulation then allows more blood flow into the area which leads to more hair growth. Lavender oil also helps to add shine and moisture and balances out the natural oils of the hair and scalp.
Rosemary Essential Oil -Rosemary Essential Oil when massaged into the scalp also helps to promote increased blood circulation to the scalp which increases hair follicle production. Rosemary oil is also great for those with naturally greasy hair as it helps to lessen the oil production from the oil glands in the scalp and also helps to unclog pores in the scalp leading to not only more hair production but a healthy scalp to go along with it!
Tea Tree Essential Oil -Tea Tree Essential Oil is commonly known as your anti-dandruff oil. You will see it in many shampoos marketed to prevent and treat dandruff. Tea Tree oil can do this due to its antimicrobial properties which can help fight off the yeast thought to promote dandruff. Tea Tree is also known to unclog scalp pores, moisturize hair and stimulate hair growth leading to a thick and healthy head of hair!
Well there you have it, an amazing deep conditioning recipe and some information regarding how these ingredients work for you. As always, please let me know your opinion if you try it out! Pantene Pro-V commercial, here we come!
References
Bright, Sierra. February 16, 2016. 12 Essential oils that work wonders for your hair and how to use them. http://www.naturallivingideas.com/essential-oils-for-hair/
Rele AS, Mohile RB. 2003. Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. J Cosmet Sci. Mar-Apr; 54(2):175-192.
