101 On Essential Oils For Relaxed Hair

So what are essential oils?

While they are called oils, they aren't really oils because they lack a key characteristic that oils have - fatty acids. Essential oils are instead highly concentrated plant constituents that are made by steam or water distillation of various parts of plants such as the seeds, leaves, stems, roots, and bark.

Additionally, essential oils have a small molecular size which makes them highly concentrated and easily absorbed which can quickly cause irritation on the skin and scalp. As a result, it's best to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil, such as a penetrating or non-penetrating oil, before using them on your hair.

Essential Oils For Chemically-treated Hair | A Relaxed Gal

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The benefits of using essential oils

Essential oils have two key benefits that are great for us gals with relaxed hair:
  1. They fight bacteria and fungus which can cause scalp issues. So essential oils are helpful in purifying the scalp, treating dandruff, and soothing an itchy scalp
  2. They promote hair growth by when used in scalp massages by stimulating blood circulation in the scalp

Other benefits of essential oils are adding shine and strength to your hair and some can also help to lighten your hair color. 




Types of essential oils

With so many essential oils out there and it can be hard to choose which to use on your hair. There are a handful of essential oils though that can provide the most benefits for hair whether natural or chemically treated. Essential oils like basil oil, rosemary oil, lavender oil, peppermint oil, sage oil, and tea tree oil.

Essential oils are typically sold in small bottles, but that can be deceiving because they are highly concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. You can find essential oils in natural food stores and also on Amazon.

To help essentials keep their potency they should be stored in dark glass bottles and kept out of direct sunlight.

Essential oils for hair 101 | A Relaxed Gal

How to use essential oils

As I mentioned before essential oils are highly concentrated which makes them perfect for mixing into other products. Mixing essential oils with other products also helps with diluting the potency so they don't irritate your scalp and skin. To get the benefits of essential oils you can mix a few drops of them into your deep conditioner, shampoo, hair rinse, or hot oil treatment.

I share more about incorporating essential oils into a hair routine in these posts

Which essential oil have you used for your hair?



References: http://www.crunchybetty.com/21-things-you-should-know-about-essential-oils

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