by Angela Arnshek

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I’m always on the lookout for hair conditioning treatments, but rarely find any that really work for me. They make big promises that fall flat, or they provide only short-term improvement.   My ideal hair treatment would make my hair shiny, manageable, and lively, and would help diminish the effects of winter dryness, and summer water/sun/wind damage. My hair is long, so it doesn’t take much for it to feel brittle, and get hopelessly tangled (as in one step away from dreadlocks).

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So, dissatisfied with what’s on the market, I decided to do some research and make my own.  I love the results! The combination I came up with revitalizes my hair and reduces tangles for weeks. It also adds shine and brightens my natural highlights. The first time I used it was right before going to the beach for a 5-day camping trip. In the past, by the end of this trip, I felt like I was living in the middle of a spider web. But this time I didn’t have to do anything special to counteract the effects of a week of hair abuse. It was just a great vacation!

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So, my winning combination is:

 

1 oz jojoba oil

1 oz carrot tissue oil

11 drops lavender essential oil

11 drops basil essential oil

11 drops sea buckthorn oil

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Combine these oils in a two ounce bottle (a plastic, squeeze type is best, so it’s easier to apply) and shake vigorously to really mix the essential oils with the carriers.

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How to use:

• First, warm your oil:   Heat some water in a small pan, remove from the stove, and place your bottle of oil treatment into the pan of hot water for a few minutes to warm the oil.
• While waiting for the oil to warm, wet your hair and towel dry.
• Apply the warmed oil to your hair (those with long hair may need to use the full amount, but most will need less), and then wrap your hair with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Cover the plastic wrap with a towel (if you warm the towel beforehand, even better).
• You can leave the oil in for 45 minutes up to several hours. I like doing the treatment in the evening, since it often takes two shampoos to remove all the oil. I’ll wash my hair at night, and then again in the morning, followed by a normal conditioning.

What do these oils do?

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Jojoba is a wax and it helps moisturize the strand, as the molecules are small enough to penetrate the hair cuticle. It’s great for the scalp, too, and because it’s a wax, it won’t leave your hair feeling greasy.

Carrot Tissue is high in beta-carotene, anti-oxidants, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and several fatty acids, and helps nourish, heal and regenerate damaged skin and hair. Plus, because it’s bright orange in color, it helps bring out any of your natural red or gold highlights.

Lavender essential oil is soothing to the scalp and hair.

Basil essential oil promotes growth by stimulating circulation.

Sea buckthorn is rich in essential fatty acids, carotenes, tocopherols, and phytosterols and helps promote collagen production in hair, skin, and nails. Plus, like the carrot tissue oil, its vibrant reddish color brightens natural highlights.

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I have been applying a treatment monthly and I feel it has changed my hair, taking away that drab look that can so easily happen to long or treated hair. Even today I received a compliment on how healthy my hair looked!

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Working with essential oils doesn’t have to be complicated.  I was reminded of this the other day when checking out at a grocery store.  The clerk stopped scanning my items and inhaled, her eyes closed.  “Mmm….” she murmured.  “Someone smells so good…like patchouli.”  I turned behind me, to see if the woman next in line was wearing perfume.  Then I remembered the patchouli lotion I’d used before leaving the house.  “Oh!”  I laughed.  “That’s me–it’s just some lotion.”

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“You smell amazing,” she said as she began scanning items again.  Then she stopped.  “Do you mind if I ask you where you got it?”

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“I made it.”

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Her eyes widened.  “You made it?  How?”

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I didn’t tell her that I’d messed up an order, and made patchouli lotion instead of patchouli massage oil (one of the perks of working with essential oils–you get to enjoy your mistakes).  Instead, I explained how easy it is to make your own aromatherapy lotion, and how basically, with some unscented bases and essential oils, anyone can create their own personalized bath and body products.   She was very excited at this idea, and thanked me profusely for the “recipes”.

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If you want to experiment with making your own scented lotions, you can add around 30 drops of an essential oil or essential oil blend to 8 ounces of unscented lotion.  You may want to add your essential oil to half the lotion, shake vigorously, add the rest of the lotion, and again shake well.  That way you won’t end up with lotion that isn’t evenly mixed.

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Some nice essential oils to use singly are Lavender, Rose, Jasmine, Neroli, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang.   It’s also fun to experiment, and create your own blends.  It’s best to stay away from citrus essential oils in lotion, though.  Even though they smell wonderful, they can increase  your sensitivity to sunlight, so aren’t the best choice for skin care oils.

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There are lots of essential oils that are nourishing to the skin, but here’s a favorite recipe, especially for dry, sun-exposed skin, and for those of us trying to avoid or reduce wrinkles.   Mix and match ingredients depending on what you have—here are some ideas:

Mix four ounces of unscented (our gentle, organic is our favorite) lotion base with:

• One teaspoon Tamanu Oil or Rosehip Seed Oil (a few drops of Sea Buckthorn Berry would also be nice)

• 20-30 drops of Lavender Essential Oil, Carrot Seed Essential Oil, Frankincense and/or (if you really want to splurge) Rose Otto.  You can use single oils, or mix several together, to equal the total.

Mix well, and apply to face and neck with light upward strokes twice a day.  This lotion is free of harmful ingredients and synthetic fragrances and keeps your skin healthy and glowing.

We just received our latest shipment of beeswax candles and bulk beeswax, and they smell heavenly.  We’re lucky enough to have a family nearby who make their candles locally, and so they arrive here smelling incredibly sweet and fresh.  The bulk beeswax comes in one ounce blocks that stack neatly together, and make for easy measuring.  If you’ve never used beeswax before, read on for some tips and recipes.

General Guidelines for using Beeswax:
You’ll normally use about two parts of your chosen base oil to one part beeswax, and then adjust as needed depending on the consistency you want.  To make a balm, simply heat the carrier oils of your choice in a double boiler and add the beeswax.  Once melted, pour into a bowl, and mix well.  As the base starts to cool, check the consistency and add more oil or beeswax as needed. Wait until the base has cooled a bit to add your essential oils, to prevent them from evaporating.

Recipes:

Basic Lip Gloss Formula

1 cup sweet almond or olive oil

0 comments Wednesday 04 Aug 2010 | Joanne | Aromatherapy Recipes