Thicker, Softer Hair with Rosemary, Lavender & Apple Cider Vinegar
"Keep Rosemary at your Garden Gate and Fall in Love Whenever you can"...
...use it in your hair too!
Rosemary essential oil is one of those powerhouse oils that serves us in many ways. One of those being it's amazing hair rejuvenating properties. Another, Rosemary improves memory, both very good reasons for us to drench our scalp with Rosemary Recipes!
My Rosemary Story...
This is me, pointing to my genetic tendency. In our family, a few of us are watching our hair thin at the hairline, of course it's the front of my hairline. Heaven forbid it be at the back and "un-noticable"!? However...
A while back, I decided to enlist the help of Rosemary EO, straight up in fact! I've been massaging 2 drops of Rosemary into that thinning spot directly on my scalp everyday. Some days, I even layer a drop of Frankincense with the Rosemary. I highly recommend this protocol daily, I'm noticing very nice results!
Without good blood flow to the scalp, hair will thin, genetics and hormones can accelerate the thinning process too. As we age, the skin on our scalp gets tighter with less blood flow inhibiting hair growth. Since using Rosemary EO regularly, I've seen my scalp go from a very pale pink to downright rosy!
Note: If hair follicles have been shut down long term, you may not see much of a change in new hair growth BUT, if you're just beginning to notice some thinning, by all means...enlist the help of Rosemary essential oil!
Since this success with direct application of Rosemary to my scalp I looked for more ways to use Rosemary EO. Thanks to lots of different recipes from different websites, I settled on one that I love...it's a Crunchy Betty blogpost, she adds Lavender and Apple Cider Vinegar too!
How to use a Hair Rinse
If you're a poo-less fan, you can use this rinse as your only hair product. No need to rinse it out. If you shampoo and condition, use this hair rinse as your final rinse. Again, no need to rinse out. Trust me, the vinegar scent will fade away leaving only the faint fragrance scent of Rosemary and Lavender, love it!
Rosemary: Cleanses, strengthens and nourishes hair follicles and encourages growth. It also has the ability to darken gray and the aromatherapy effect improves memory.
Lavender: Called the Swiss Army Knife of EOs, is antibacterial but also enhances the properties of Rosemary for improved cell regeneration and better penetration. Beneficial for dandruff too!
Apple Cider Vinegar: ACV cuts through shampoo and hard watr build up and balances the pH of scalp and hair! This is great news for those with oily tendencies especially. Vinegar also closes the cuticles making hair smoother. In case you're wondering, I color my hair and haven't noticed lightening of color but I color light so I can't speak to whether this would strip dark hair color.
Borax: This is optional, I know some people get all worked up about Borax but it's a salt/mineral, it won't hurt you. Borax is an amazing softener but like I said, completely optional (but really, really nice!).
Rosemary & Lavender Hair Rinse
4 cups water (filtered if possible)
8 drops Rosemary essential oil
8 drops Lavender essential oil
1 tsp. Borax
3 T. Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg's)
Combine ingredients in a glass jar, I love my 1/2 gal mason jars for this! I also picked up two plastic condiment squirt bottles for a $1 at the dollar store...this is what I take to the shower with me. One recipe can give you 2 to 4 rinses depending on the length of your hair. Once or twice a week application is all you need! The rinse will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, but more than likely you'll use it all before then :))
Enjoy your newly, naturally softened hair and all the other benefits that Rosemary and Lavender have to offer!
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posted by Rebecca @ 6:57 AM
81 Comments
81 Comments:
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definitely going to try this...I've been using baking soda and water for shampoo with an ACV rinse...I will now use this instead for my rinse....super excited! Thanks!
Just love the things I learn here! My mom always used the vinegar on my hair as a kid to help rinse the shampoo out. Have very thick hair. I will try this!
I'm a brunette and color my greys - I've been using the ACV rinse and haven't noticed any fading. I dilute with 3-1 ratio water to ACV.
Good idea, I suggested that very thing to my daughter who's a dark brunette :))
Thanks for the info!
I have naturally dark auburn hair. I've been useing a rosemary /ACV rinse for several weeks now and I haven't noticed any more than usual fading.
I love spring because of all of the flowers poking through the ground. It's a peak at what's yet to come...summer!
I love spring because it's warm again and everything comes to life, including me!
Does anyone know why hair rinses the recipe asks for apple cider vinegar? Can I use regular plain vinegar? I buy gallons of regular vinegar for household cleaning and laundry. Anyone?
I love spring because everything wakes up.
I love spring because of the sunshine. I have missed it a lot this winter.
I love spring for tulips and open windows!
I LOVE SPRING because it starts to get warmer which means summer is just around the corner!!
I love spring because it's time to plant our organic square foot garden!
I LOVE SPRING because of all the pretty flowers growing!
I LOVE SPRING because after all the winter blahs and cold/flu season, it is so wonderful to open all the windows and air the house out! Of course, then it lets in pollen which KILL my allergies.... Lol.
I love spring because there is color again around me!
I love Spring Beacuse its a new beginning!
Angey
I LOVE SPRING because of the sights of the beautiful flowers and green grass, the sounds of birds and children playing outside, and the smell of fresh air :-).
I love spring because it's signifys a fresh start to something new!
I love spring because it means the return of garage sales!...and gardening!
I love spring because it means open windows, beautiful colors, and the start of planning my garden!
I LOVE SPRING because of the weather. In Florida its still cool enough to enjoy doing things outside before the harsh heat of summer arrives!
I LOVE SPRING because it is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. Flowers begin their yearly journey of beauty, reminding us that even through the harshest of Winters, anything is possible. I take this time to take stock of my life, make changes, and reflect on all the wonderful blessings that have been bestowed upon me and my family.
I LOVE SPRING because it's a new season. It's starts with Christ death and resurrection. A reminder of God's love and grace for all of mankind. A time to reflect on every moment of past joy and pain, being grateful for each because you can't experience one without the other. To move forward with open arms, in this new season with faith and confidence regardless of the circumstances, knowing there will be new blooms and blessings.
I love Spring because... well there's to many reasons to list them all, but just a few are: new vibrant colors in the grass and flowers, baby animals being born, and more time to play outside!
I love spring because I can open all the windows and let the fresh spring air flush out the stale air of winter.
I love spring because I can wear shorts!!
I love Spring because it is a sign of new beginnings!
I love spring because it brings new growth.
I love spring because of the hope it brings.
I love Spring because of new life! It's a great time to connect with my family outdoors. I love the smells of newly grown flowers and herbs. Spring gives me happiness all over.
I love spring because the sun is out more, the snow is almost gone, and it meand I am that much closer to SUMMER!!!
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Oh Rebecca, I have a question. I have Borax that I use to make my laundry detergent ( 21 Mule brand,) is this the correct type of Borax?
Also, just to clarify: when you use it in the shower you wash, rinse, condition, rinse, then just use this and don't worry about rinsing after applying it, just finish shower as usual? I guess that is why you are using it in the shower so it doesn't leave a mess in the bathroom. :D
I love spring because my clothesline goes back up and I can dry all of my laundry outside. LOVE that smell!!
I love spring because my littles can run outside and play.
Yes, same type of Borax that you would use in your DIY detergent. And yes again...this would be the final rinse...which you could rinse out or leave in! (I leave it in)
I Love Spring because I can get outside and dig in the dirt.....and plant.....and weed....
I would expect that this would make your color hold better because the vinegar would acidify the cuticle (outer layers) of the hair strands, closing them down over the color.
So you could use this in place of shampoo? Add to your hair and leave it? I've stopped using conditioners a long time ago and just wash my hair every 2nd or 3rd day (usually by day 3 I really need to wash it) with parabin free shampoo. (This alone, not using conditioner, has helped my fine hair. I would love to make it thicker.) Or should I still use shampoo and just use this as a rinse at the end, not actually rinsing it out? I've been wanting to shop the shampoo, but also wanted to finish up the nice shampoo I have. Of course I just ended my 'hibernation' of winter and now become social again. Not exactly the best time to test out stopping the shampoo. =)
I was also thinking of my DH whose genetics say his hair will thin out. He would love me so much if I could give him something easy to use to slow it down.
Stephanie, no you wouldn't use this in place of shampoo...it's a final rinse :))
is there a substitute for borax? Can I leave it out altogether?
It's fine to leave the Borax out :))
Interesting recipe that I haven't come across yet. I already use the BS & ACV when washing my hair and love the results so quite interested to see what effect the added ingredients will have on my hair too.
Thank you for sharing!
Do you rinse this out of your hair? Like you would conditioner?
This is a final leave-in rinse :))
Hi Rebecca I love love your blog. I have been doing the poo-less rinse with 1st with the bs/water with a a drop of tee tree EO then follow up with acv/lavendar/rosmary rinse. But my hair is sooo dry & coated feeling. It got so dry it felt like straw and would be puffy. If I turned my head upside down then flip up right my hair would stay UP!LOL So I tried putting a little coconut oil in & NOPE made it worse. So I started rinsing out the acv rinse then after towel drying my hair I would put a little jojoba oil in it. That was better but my hair was still sooo dry. So I have been omitting the bs/water rinse altogether & just using the acv rinse but im still rinsing it out and putting in the jojoba oil after I towel dry. Does anyone else have this problem? Thank you for sharing with us. Yours & your sister's blog is why I started with an essential oil daily routine along with coconut oil, etc.
Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing it!
Does this need to be refrigerated? can't i just leave a squeeze bottle full in the shower?
Hi, I'm a dopey English person - 3T? What's a T?
I love English persons :) T = Tablespoon
So you rinse the shampoo and conditioner out and then put the ACV mixture in but don't wash it out, right?
Right :)
Would this harm bleached hair? And how long do I leave the rinse on my hair?
I lighten my hair too, the rinse hasn't damaged my color at all. I don't rinse it out, it's a final rinse meant to leave IN your hair but you can certainly rinse it out after a few minutes if you like :)
Hi Rebecca, I am dying to try this as I have thinning hair as well. Would you mind if I blog on this and link to this article?
Not at all, thanks for asking Lyn :)
So this is all an at home remedy that should be used after I wash my hair? FYI: I shampoo once a month and co-condition weekly.
I use rosemary and patchouli. Have dark hair and no problem with the color leaving my hair. One thing that the article missed is that you should massage your scalp daily. For some reason ever since I have been using this mixture i get SO many compliments on the smell! People stop me where ever we go saying how relaxing the scent is. I am not a patchouli fan but it is good for dandruff. I tried tea tree oil and it was too over whelming!
@Lorimae I recommend that you not try this the day before you color; rather perhaps a week before. Ask your hairstylist if you'd like to confirm, but to achieve the longest lasting hair color it is best to have your hair a little oily/dirty hair. When the hair is stripped (if this formula would infact strip the hair, or even your regular shampoo) it will throw off the PH balance of your hair especially when coloring product is applied to hair. Thus, damaging your hair more easily. Any hair stylist would even recommend that you not wash your hair one day prior to coloring. Just a suggestion coming from someone who has taken a few hair coloring classes myself.
I have naturally white hair (which i love). I am a little concerned about the Rosemary EO darkening my hair. Is there an alternative to using the Rosemary which I could use?
I apologize if something similar has been asked before, but I use homemade vegan shampoo bars & am looking for a conditioner. Would I need another conditioner & then this rinse, or could this be the sole conditioner in my life?
Laurel, you could try it as your conditioner/rinse. Personally, I like a conditioner first, then the rinse application :)
I have been a no-poo-er for a year. I color my hair dark brunette to cover grey! (I'm 51) and I have never had a problem with fading. I have to rinse hair with the ACV. (so soft n shiny too!!) ...sometimes I put a little more water back into the plastic shower bottle I use, drop in 2 drops of lavender and squirt that on, and leave. I do NOT rinse out the lavender. I'm inspired to get some rosemary oil and add that too.
could you use this safely on a toddler? I have been using green tea and honey on her hair (it is very thin, dry, and curly). Looking for something super moisturizing that will help her curls stay happy.
It's safe enough but your toddler may not need the clarifying of ACV properties with her young hair :) I would add a drop of Patchouli to her shampoo :)
Why would this need to be refrigerated? None of the ingredients need refrigeration.
I don't refrigerate mine :)
Would it be as effective spraying it in your hair or will pouring it in be better as it will cover the roots & scalp?
I used to pour it on my hair as the final rinse, now I keep a "glass" spray bottle safely on a shelf and spray thoroughly before I step out of the shower - it lasts a little longer. Part your hair and do the best you can to saturate scalp too :)
It has to do with the ph level, I think.
Can you also add a cup of brew green tea ?
I am a brunette with lots of years of using hair coloring. Started using this rinse maybe a month or so now. I cannot believe how soft my hair is now. I have also recently gone to just using baking soda and water to shampoo with. I also am trying to use natural ingredients to rinse my hair with instead of buying hair coloring.
Hi,
I truly like to reading your post. Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a nice information. I'll definitely add this great post in my article section.
All Natural Hair
Hi there, this is silly question but I'm new to this and would love to try it, hope you don't mind answering my question. In the hair rinse recipe it called 3T of ACV, does it mean 3 tablespoon? Thank you....
Is this recipe for oily hair? My hair looks even more dry and brittle than before I used it..any suggestions?
Can I use this rinse on my doggie?
Hi do I use warm water with the acv rinse are it's suppose to be room temperature water and do I ofto use lavender oil are I can use tea tree oil instead of that with rosemary oil please reply and tell me what to do
Hi do I use warm water with the acv rinse are it's suppose to be room temperature water and do I ofto use lavender oil are I can use tea tree oil instead of that with rosemary oil please reply and tell me what to do
Baking soda and vinegar will clean a clogged drain, I can't imagine using it on my hair. Try a keratin shampoo, conditioner and an vocational deep conditioning. Changed my damaged hair to full, shiny and beautiful.
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