Hot Oil Treatment for Dry Hair

Heather Scent finds herself home alone!  My family has gone off camping and I’ve decided to take a staycation instead.  I’m taking advantage of the peace and quiet tonight by giving my hair a hot oil treatment. 

Oiling your hair on a regular basis will help keep it soft & supple and make it less prone to breakage.  If you are trying to grow your hair long, weekly oiling is a must.  You don’t need to spend money on fancy drugstore treatments, either.  All the ingredients you need are probably already in your pantry or essential oil chest.

You will need:

1/4 cup base oil.   Some suggestions for base oil:  Avocado, jojoba, sweet almond, cocoa butter (needs to be melted first), coconut.  Sesame and Olive oil are fine, too, but remember that they have a strong scent to them that will overpower the scent of the essential oils.

10 drops Rosemary EO

10 drops Carrot Seed EO

5 drops Sandalwood EO

*Note: I realized that Carrot Seed and Sandalwood are two essential oils that your average person may not own.  You may substitute Lavender for one of the oils, or leave the other two out altogether and just use a total of 25 drops Rosemary.

 

Directions:

• Place the base oil in a small glass bowl and microwave for about 10-30 seconds.  You want to get the oil warm, not scalding hot.  Be sure to mix the oil well to eliminate any hot spots.  If it still isn’t warm enough, zap it in 10 second increments.  
• Alternatively, you may use a hot water bath.  Fill a larger bowl with scalding hot (not boiling) water, and place the bowl with the oil inside, being very careful not to let any water get into the oil.  Stir and test the oil until it reaches the desired temperature.
• Once the oil is warmed, add the essential oils and stir well.
• Apply to clean, wet hair, starting with the tips where hair is driest.  Be very generous in your application.  Use a wide-tooth comb to evenly distribute the oil.  Give yourself a little scalp massage while you are at it!  It’s even better if you can recruit someone else to do it for you.
• Soak an old medium-sized towel in hot water.  Ring out.  Wrap your hair, turban-style, in the warm towel.
• Leave the oil on your hair for a minimum of 15 minutes.  The towel with be cool by this point.  If you wish, you can soak the towel again and re-wrap your hair for another 15 minutes.
• I like to leave my oil in overnight.  Just use an old pillowcase!  (And remove the towel before going to bed!)
• Shampoo out the oil, and condition hair as usual.