Aromatherapy is the process of using essential oils, or oils taken from various plants, for their health and beauty benefits. Essential oils may be used to care for your hair. There are many scents that have benefits for any type of hair.
Application
Aromatherapy for hair can be applied in different ways. According to "The Essential Natural Health Bible," options include hair tonics, hair oil, shampoos or conditions that contain essential oils. The tonic is made by adding essential oils to an herbal tea mixed with glycerine and borax. This is massaged into your hair one to two times daily.
Hair oil is made by adding essential oils to jojoba oil to make a mixture that is spread over your hair. Add essential oils to a mixture of liquid Castile soap, water and glycerine to make a shampoo. For conditioner, mix an egg, glycerine, milk powder and castor oil together and add essential oils to the mixture.
Types
When using essential oils, it is important to find out the type of hair you have and the type of oil you should use for your hair type. These two factors usually go hand in hand. The main types of hair are dry, normal and oily. Determine which application method to use based on your hair type. For example, essential oils added to a base oil would probably be too much oil for hair that is already oily.
Function
After discovering your hair type, choose your oils based on that information. Lavender is the one essential oil that can be used for all hair types, because it balances the amount of sebum your hair produces. For normal hair, use geranium, rosemary and lemon essential oils. Geranium, sandalwood and yarrow are moisturizing oils for dry hair. Oily hair calls for eucalyptus, lemon or rosemary.
Effects
By massaging essential oils into your scalp, the oils will be absorbed through your skin. "The Essential Natural Health Bible" explains that essential oils are carried to the bloodstream in this way, thereby bringing different healing properties into the body. There will be additional benefits from inhaling the essential oils while applying them to your hair. According to "The Aromatherapy Kit," by smelling essential oils, the limbic section of the brain is affected. In this part of the brain, essential oils can have an effect on emotions and hormones.
Warning
It is important to use caution when using essential oils. They should not be used as a treatment method on their own without consulting your physician first. You may have an allergic reaction, such as a skin rash, to certain oils, so it is important to do a skin test on a small area first. Also, it is important to dilute these oils in water or oil because they are too potent on their own. A certified aromatherapist can teach you the proper way to use essential oils.
References
- "The Essential Natural Health Bible"; Nerys Purchon; 2006.
- "The A-Z Guide to Healing with Essential Oils"; Aromatherapy; Shelagh Masline & Barbara Close; 1998.
- "The Aromatherapy Kit"; Charla Devereux; 1993.
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