Find the best oils for hair and scalp care for all troubles with organic and natural ingredients for natural shampoo recipes.
When making your own hair care formulas (or purchasing them from the store), you want to be sure that the ingredients you choose to use are the right ones for your particular hair condition. Many recipes call for a generic oil. That means that it’s up to you to decide what your hair needs. Some guidelines are below. Remember to look for natural, organic oils when picking healthy ingredients for natural shampoo.
Base Oils
Normal Scalp: Sunflower, almond, coconut, castor, or olive oil
Dry or sensitive scalp: Sunflower, almond, coconut, castor, or olive oil
Dry, brittle hair (including overstyled, permed, or color-treated): Jojoba, sesame, or almond oil
Oily scalp and hair: Canola, safflower, sesame, or almond oil
Note: Those who suffer from dandruff will, depending on their condition, benefit from formulas designed for either dry scalps or oily scalps.
Herbs and Essential Oils
Normal hair and scalp
- Beneficial Herbs: Calendula, chamomile, horsetail, nettle, rosemary, sage
- Beneficial Essential Oils: Bergamot, carrot seed, cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, geranium, juniper, lavender, lemon, neroli, orange, parley seed, rose, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, thyme, ylang-ylang
Dry hair and scalp
- Beneficial Herbs: Aloe, bay leaf, calendula, chamomile, coltsfoot, horsetail, lavender, marshmallow, nettle
- Beneficial Essential Oils: Carrot seed, cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, jasmine, lavender, neroli, orange, parley seed, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, ylang-ylang
Oily hair and scalp
- Beneficial Herbs: Bay leaf, burdock, calendula, chamomile, horsetail, lemongrass, mint, nettle, thyme
- Beneficial Essential Oils: Basil, bergamot, burdock, cedarwood, chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, juniper, lavender, lemongrass, orange, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sage, thyme, ylang-ylang
Sensitive scalp (dandruff, dermatitis, inflammation)
- Beneficial Herbs: Aloe, bay leaf, burdock, calendula, chamomile, horsetail, marshmallow, nettle, oregano
- Beneficial Essential Oils: Cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon, marjoram, neroli, orange, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sage, tea tree, thyme
Hair loss or thinning
- Beneficial Herbs: Aloe, basil, bhringaraj, burdock, nettle, parsley, rosemary, sage
- Beneficial Essential Oils: Bay, carrot seed, cedarwood, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, lavender, lemon, rosemary, sage, thyme, ylang-ylang
Blond hair (enhancing)
- Calendula, chamomile, lemon
Dark hair (enhancing)
- Rosemary, sage, black tea
Red Hair (enhancing)
- Henna, saffron (copper tones), sandalwood (reddish brown)
Many recipes may also call for an unspecified essential oil, and in other cases you may decide to add a few drops of essential oil to a homemade or store-brought product. A few recipes even call for the herb of your choice. Your decision will be based upon the desired effect, whether physiological or psychological, from calming to stimulating or from balancing to moisturizing.
Use these lists as a way to assess the labels of products you purchase at health food, department, and drugstores as well as hair salons for the most healthful ingredients possible. Note that many herbs and essential oils cross over into different categories, showing the incredible diversity and efficacious nature of botanicals in beauty care.
Read more from Naturally Healthy Hair
• Make Your Own Natural Shampoo With Soapwort
• Make Your Own Natural Shampoo With Essential Oils
• Make Natural Shampoos That Are Chemical Free
Reprinted with permission from Naturally Healthy Hair: Herbal Treatments and Daily Care for Fabulous Hair by Mary Beth Jansenn and published by Storey Publishing, 1999.
