Lisa G. ([info]poledradog) wrote in [info]no_poo,
@ 2006-04-19 13:35:00
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Entry tags:essential oils, leave-in conditioners, ~poledradog

Do's and Don'ts of EOs for no 'poo
I thought it might be interesting to talk about what essential oils (or other things, too) people use as part of their no 'poo routine that make their hair smell nice. I'm not very educated about EOs, but I know that some of them might smell good, but wouldn't be good for your hair/scalp, so it would be nice to know the "negative" ones, too.

Also, ones that you think *don't* smell good. Basically the do's and don'ts of EOs for no 'poo.

I'll start:

I *love* lavender. It makes a subtle, somewhat earthy scent.

I tried orange oil (not sure if this was a good idea), and basically couldn't smell it at all.


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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:20 pm UTC (link)
first, i googled around. (i'm sure there are going to be overlap)

Though it may be part of the natural aging process to lose some of your crowning glory, it's not a natural process for it to lose its gleam and glow. This lack of life is almost always due not to aging but to the unhealthy practices of overwashing, blow drying, and using chemical products such as sprays, perms, and gels.

Health, natural hair care is basically a very simple undertaking. Here are some tips of how essential oils can help!

Basil: Oily hair … promotes growth

Chamomile: Fine to normal hair … gives golden highlights

Clary sage: All types of hair … dandruff treatment

Lavender: Normal hair … Scalp treatment for itchiness, dandruff, and even lice!

Lemon: Oily hair … Gives golden highlights; treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands

Myrrh: Dry hair … Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands

Patchouli: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment

Peppermint: Dry hair … Promotes hair growth

Rose: Fine hair … Soothes scalp

Rosemary: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment; promotes hair growth

Tea tree: Oily hair … Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands

Ylang-ylang: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/399

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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:21 pm UTC (link)

What you should know before purchasing essential oils

Not all essential oils are created equal. Most of the essential oils on the market are what is called "perfume quality" or "fourth & fifth quality" oils. This includes oils found in health food stores. Perfume Oils”, “Fragrant Oils” or any "Aromatherapy Oils" that do not call themselves “Essential Oils” often are not pure at best and most are either cut/stretched and adulterated with added ingredients, or they are synthetic.

"Perfume Oils" and "Fragrant Oils" are almost always artificial. They may smell nice, but they do not have the natural and therapeutic properties of a natural, pure essential oil. Pure unadulterated essential oil is very hard to come by & can be very expensive.

DO NOT use essential oils directly on the scalp! Always dilute with a carrier oil and or with water.

How long will essential oils last? Unfortunately essential oils do not have date stamps when sold, so it is impossible to tell how old they are when you buy them. Most experts say it's about two years.

How/where to store essential oils? Essential oils should be purchased and stored in dark-colored glass bottles such as cobalt blue or amber with have tight seal and with droppers. The dark glass protects the essential oils from the light but you need to store them away from direct sunlight and away from any heat source, preferably in a cool and dark cabinet. Your oils can evaporate so always keep the cap screwed on tight. Also, be cautioned that essential oils can harm some varnished wood surfaces and some plastics.

What is the ratio of essential oils to carrier oils? As a rule, I use about one drop of an essential oils to every 2-3 teaspoons of a carrier oil.

The 4 levels of therapeutic oils

PURE - This means the oil was not diluted with a lesser quality essential oil. "Pure" does not mean it has no chemicals added to it. In the U.S., all you need is 5% of essential oil in the bottle in order to label it "100% pure."

NATURAL - This means the oil was not adulterated with vegetable oils, propylene glycol, SD Alcohol 40 or other chemicals.

COMPLETE - This means the oil was distilled at low heat & low pressure so that all the therapeutic properties are there. Essential oils are often redistilled to make a small amount of oil go farther. They can make more profit that way. The problem is, when you redistill the oil you lose the therapeutic properties. It's like using a tea bag over & over again.

GENUINE or GRADE A - These are the cream of the crop and quite rare. These oils are made never has chemicals put on it.



Dilution of Essential Oils

Normal Dilution by 2.5%
You’ll need (x) ml carrier oil/2 = total drops of essential oil. Sample Blend - (Essential) 5 drops Sandalwood, 3 drops essential oil, 2 drops orange in 20ml carrier oil.

Low Dilution by 1%
You’ll need (x) mil carrier oil/4 = total drops of essential oil
Sample Blend - 3 drops essential oil per 20 ml carrier oil.

Extremely low Dilution by 0.5% (very sensitive skins)
You’ll need 1 drop essential oil per 10ml of carrier oil.

Conversions:
5ml = 1 teaspoon
30ml = 1 fluid oz
1ml = 20 drops of essential oil
600ml = 1 pint

ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils are the highly concentrated, volatile, aromatic essences of plants. It is non-oily and highly fragrant which is extracted from a plant and evaporates quickly.

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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:22 pm UTC (link)
Popular Essential Oils For The Hair:

Basil: Promotes hair growth.

Cedarwood: Antiseptic, astringent, tonic reduces the production of sebum, normalizes both dry and oily skin and hair, stimulates the scalp and hair follicles; used in hair care to treat dandruff and hair loss.

Chamomile: Conditions the hair, helps withy making sheen.

Eucalyptus: A powerful antiseptic, helps to get rid of dandruff.

Frankincense: Great for dry scalp.

Jasmine: Used mostly for the scent.

Lavender: Scalp treatment for itchiness, dandruff, and for the smell.

Lemon: Refresh invigorate, improve elasticity, helps to cleanse the scalp.

Lemongrass: Useful for oily hair, help to slow down scalp oil production.

Myrrh: Can be used for dry hair, scalp & dandruff.

Orange: Balances the production of sebum.

Palmarosa - Regulates sebum production.

Patchouli: Dandruff treatment for oily hair.

Peppermint: Promotes hair growth.

Rose Oil: Soothes scalp and smells great.

Rosemary Oil: Promotes hair growth & Dandruff treatment - DO NOT USE IF YOU'RE PREGNANT!

Tea tree: Treatment for dry scalp, oily hair, dandruff, and underactive sebaceous glands.

Sandalwood: An antiseptic, astringent, anti-inflammatory; good for dry scalp.

Ylang-ylang: A soothing antiseptic, helps to control the production of sebum and stimulates hair growth.




Carrier Oils

Carrier Oils can derive from a vegetable, nut or seed oil, which are used to dilute essential oil(s). These oils have therapeutic properties and presents a good source of nutrients and energy. The following oils can be used on their own, or with essential oils.

Popular Carrier Oils For The Hair:

Almond Oil: Non-greasy, spreads & absorbs easily and also is great for nourishing the hair.

Apricot Kernel Oil: Good for dry hair. Rich in essential fatty acids, Oleic and Linoleic acid. Spreads easily on the skin.

Avocado Oil: Very light. Avocado oil is very nourishing to the hair and contains vitamins A and E and especially large amounts of vitamin D and potassium. The avocado has the highest protein content of any fruit.

Castor Oil: Acts as a humectant by attracting and retaining moisture to the hair. In combination with other oils, it makes a wonderfully emollient!

Grapeseed Oil: A light, odorless oil which contains vitamins, proteins and minerals. Contains Vitamin E and Steroids. It's an emollient and moisturizing.

Hazelnut Oil: This oil is a medium weight oil and is a very penetrating oil. This oil contains oleic acid and a small amount of linoleic acid.

Jojoba Oil: This oil resembles sebum, which is the oil the scalp secretes. For massage blends, it is best to mix approximately 50% Jojoba Oil with another carrier oil. Jojoba oil can be applied without being diluted.


My Personal Thoughts On Oils

I don't need to use direct oils on my hair. I do occasionally use coconut or avocado oil on my ends, peppermint oil & water for scalp massages, and other essential oils (lavender, ylang-ylang, jasmine, mango, gardenia and orange are my favorites) for the scent of my homemade hairsprays. I also add a little olive oil or avocado oil to my deep conditioners during the cooler months.

Have fun experimenting with various oils!

http://motowngirl.com/oils.php

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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:24 pm UTC (link)
Learn About Essential Oils for Hair Care Products by clicking on link below.
Fenugreek Oil - stimulates blood flow to root of the hair
Thyme -deep cleanser of hardened sebum
Burdock Essential Oil -stimulate hair circulation
Basil: Oily hair … promotes growth
Chamomile: Fine to normal hair … gives golden highlights
Clary sage: All types of hair … dandruff treatment
Lavender: Normal hair … Scalp treatment for itchiness, dandruff, and even lice!
Lemon: Oily hair … Gives golden highlights; treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands
Myrrh: Dry hair … Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands
Pacthouli Essential Oil Patchouli: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment
Peppermint: Dry hair … Promotes hair growth
Rose: Fine hair … Soothes scalp
Rosemary: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment; promotes hair growth
Tea tree: Oily hair … Treatment for dry scalp, dandruff, lice, and underactive sebaceous glands
Ylang-ylang: Oily hair … Dandruff treatment
http://www.healthyhairplus.com/essential-oils/index.htm


and an article: "Essential Oils Can Help Regrow Hair"
http://www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/nsn_backs/Sep_00/hair.cfm

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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:29 pm UTC (link)
i've used rosemary, sage, lavender. all have been nice. actually, i put 3 drops of each lavender and sage in my 1.5 cup bottle and it actually smells nice. it's an interesting combo. not too floral, not too herby.

maybe i'll put the different EOs in categories some time.

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[info]jennie_c_d
2006-04-19 09:32 pm UTC (link)
*bookmarks* great info!

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[info]supercarrot
2006-04-19 09:34 pm UTC (link)
and i found an interesting article on oiling.
http://www.tlhs.org/cardry.html

In my opinion, there are no down sides to oiling: only benefits. Curly hair people will like it for the weight it imparts showing off the pattern of the curls; increases moisture content; provides a protective layer against damage such as splits and so forth; the weight helps the hair to move as one body (very appealing to the eye); frizz concerns are reduced; brittleness & dryness cease; and the hues of one hair color come forward resulting in a beautiful sheen that catches the light in interesting ways; and finally, the hair becomes supremely soft.

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[info]zeldaophelia
2006-04-20 02:18 am UTC (link)
Thanks for sharing all of this! :D

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[info]amazing_angela
2006-04-20 12:56 am UTC (link)
I would love to try essential oil of rose, but that stuff is EXPENSIVE. Where I used to work, we could special order it for customers at like $100 for a 0.5 oz. bottle. It must have been truly pure! you can buy rosewater (water scented with rose EO) for pretty cheap (if not at health food stores, check out middle eastern markets - they use it in cooking), and it smells amazing, but i've used that as a light fragrance/body splash and the aroma just doesn't last, so i doubt it would work as a rinse for no 'poo. Has anyone experimented with this?

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[info]sockmonkie
2006-04-20 01:56 am UTC (link)
for my daughter i use rosemary in her baking soda wash, always. then i let her chose another oil to put in.

her choices are:
lavender (her number one choice)
lemon
orange (her number two choice)
grapefruit
tea tree oil (she never chooses this because it stinks)

i have always heard rosemary and lavender are good for your hair. i think that the rosemary has helped her itchy scalp so i keep using it.

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[info]azdesertrose
2006-04-20 02:01 am UTC (link)
Wow, [info]supercarrot, ask and ye shall receive, eh? *grin*

Great info.

I use a few drops of tea tree oil in my baking soda solution because I have a bit of dandruff, and I put rosemary and lavender EOs in my ACV rinse.

The lavender is there because I like the smell of it. As to the rosemary, I'm not sure if this is actually documentable, but I have heard/read that rosemary EO (or for that matter, infusion of rosemary) in the ACV rinse will darken the hair somewhat. I have noticed that using my ACV rinse with rosemary and lavender EOs that my color looks nicer. I have dark reddish brown hair, and it seems like the brown is richer and the red tones are brighter. I'm not sure if that's the ACV or the rosemary or what, but I like it.

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[info]jinxaire
2006-04-20 02:17 am UTC (link)
I use tea trea oil to keep my scalp from itching, but this past weekend, I bought some lemongrass EO to make my rinse smell yummy. I'm glad to see on the list above it's good to use, especially for oily hairtypes.

Lemongrass is has a delightful tang, it's invigorating. I hope the smell lasts.

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