I absolutely love using essential oils for my hair. Not only do they smell great, but they are nourishing, strengthening, moisturizing, can balance hormones, prevent hair loss, and get rid of dandruff.
For the best results possible, use therapeutic grade essential oils. I only use Young Living essential oils. Young Living carefully monitors every step of the production of the oils from beginning to end through a unique seed to seal process, ensuring the purity of each essential oil and protecting nature’s living energy in every bottle. In other words, Young Living oils are the purest of the pure. And isn’t that what us no poo-ers are striving for? Pure, natural products. This unsurpassed commitment to quality means that you can be confident that Young Living essential oils are both safe and effective. I trust their essential oils above all others because they are pure and unadulterated and are manufactured for therapeutic use not just for smell. Find out more here and order here.
Essential Oils for Hair
This information is from the Life Science Publishing Desk Reference.
Dry Scalp Recipe
- 6 drops cedarwood
- 4 drops lavender
- 2 drops sandalwood or geranium
- 2 drops patchouli
- Application:
- Apply 1 teaspoon diluted 20:80 with a carrier oil onto the scalp and rub vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Leave on scalp for 60-90 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients.
Oily Scalp Recipe
- 6 drops peppermint
- 4 drops lemon
- 2 drops lavender
- Application:
- Apply 1 teaspoon diluted with a carrier oil 20:80 onto the scalp and rub vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Leave on scalp for 60-90 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients.
Hair Loss Prevention Recipe #1
- 10 drops cedarwood
- 10 drops sandalwood
- 10 drops lavender
- 8 drops rosemary
- 1 drop juniper
- Application:
- Dilute 50:50 with a carrier oil and massage 1 teaspoon into scalp vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Dilute 5 drops of the essential oils with 20 drops of carrier oil. Massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Add 10 drops of the essential oils to 1 teaspoon coconut oil and massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients. Massage into scalp. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Hair Loss Prevention Recipe #2
- 5 drops lavender
- 4 drops cypress
- 3 drops rosemary
- 2 drops clary sage
- 2 drops palo santo
- Application:
- Dilute 50:50 with a carrier oil and massage 1 teaspoon into scalp vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Dilute 5 drops of the essential oils with 20 drops of carrier oil. Massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Add 10 drops of the essential oils to 1 teaspoon coconut oil and massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients. Massage into scalp. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Hair Loss Prevention Recipe #3
- 5 drops lavender
- 5 drops sacred frankincense or frankincense
- 2 drops clary sage
- 3 drops eucalyptus blue
- 1 drop peppermint
- Application:
- Dilute 50:50 with a carrier oil and massage 1 teaspoon into scalp vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Dilute 5 drops of the essential oils with 20 drops of carrier oil. Massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Add 10 drops of the essential oils to 1 teaspoon coconut oil and massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients. Massage into scalp. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Hair Loss Prevention Recipe #4
- 4 drops rosemary
- 4 drops thyme
- 4 drops lavender
- 4 drops cedarwood
- 2 drops sacred frankincense or frankincense
- Application:
- Dilute 50:50 with a carrier oil and massage 1 teaspoon into scalp vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Dilute 5 drops of the essential oils with 20 drops of carrier oil. Massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Add 10 drops of the essential oils to 1 teaspoon coconut oil and massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients. Massage into scalp. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Dandruff Recipe
- 5 drops lemon
- 2 drops lavender
- 2 drops peppermint
- 1 drop rosemary
- Application:
- Dilute 50:50 with a carrier oil and massage 1 teaspoon into scalp vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Rinse. OR
- Dilute 5 drops of the essential oils with 20 drops of carrier oil. Massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Add 10 drops of the essential oils to 1 teaspoon coconut oil and massage into scalp. Leave overnight while you sleep. OR
- Mix 2-4 drops of essential oils with 1-2 teaspoons of your no poo ingredients. Massage into scalp. Leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
For More Info
For more info, be sure to check out my ebook, The No Poo Method.
Complete List of Essential Oils for Hair Care
Here is a complete list of essential oils great for hair so you can make your own custom blends.
- Lavender
- Cedarwood (dry scalp & thinning hair)
- Peppermint (oily scalp)
- Rosemary
- Clary Sage
- Sage
- Basil
- Juniper
- Ylang Ylang
- Amazonian Ylang Ylang
- Sandalwood (for greying)
- Lemon
- Cypress
- Rosewood
- Melrose
- Thieves
- Citrus Fresh
- Purification
- Inspiration
- The Gift
My Personal Favorites:
See how I use them here:
Be sure to check out the FAQ page!
The recipe is not helpful without oz. For instance 2 oz of carrier oil then listing how many drops of each oil. For the layman or math challenged like me the recipes don’t make any sense. Can you convert these to ones using 2oz size of carrier oil? That way if someone wants to make a bigger batch they can double it. Thank you.
I found my way to this page in search of which essential oils to add to my no-poo baking soda/water solution. I chose three from your list, using a drop of each in my recipe of 2 cups warm filtered water and 2 Tbsp. baking soda. A couple days later I washed my hair with my new solution and was excited with the results. My hair had more body and felt smooth and manageable. The problem is I don’t remember the oils I used! I can narrow it down to cedar wood, lavender, frankincense, rosemary. and possible tea tree, lemongrass, lemon, or eucalyptus. I need to start writing down my experiments!
Oh that’s fabulous news! Thanks for sharing your results! And I have that problem All.The.Time with my DIY experiments 😉
I too found my way to this web page while looking for a nice smelling combination of essential oils to use for a scalp massage. After reviewing it and realizing I had many of the oils suggested for thin hair which is one of my biggest issues, I tried it out. I used coconut oil as my carrier and I cant say enough on how wonderful the smell is when you add ceder wood and peppermint together along with other scents. Ive bookmarked this page on my system so that I dont loose it …EVER. I cant wait to explore even more great ideas and mixes for my poor stressed thin tresses…bless you!
Oh thanks for the great testimony Stacy!
I’m doing the water only washing method and I love Jasmine essential oil for an awesome “flowery” smell.
love this sight!!!!
Thanks Ruby!
hello Ashley, I have been trying to get up the nerve to go fully NO POO for many months, but am about to get started. my main concern now is that I have (had) white hair, and am currently growing long for a friends wig, so I have been using lots of things to try to boost that process. I don’t know what caused it, but my white hair has now tinted. I just don’t know what caused it. For a while I was taking Mineral Essence, and stopped because I thought that was responsible. Right now I use straight Cedarwood at bedtime(ZZZZ) on the crown of my head, and Rosemary on the tips because I understand it may strengthen and encourage growth. now I have many people asking me which of these darkened my hair, because they want to try it!
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Brenda! I have heard of people using sandalwood to color their hair https://thenopoomethod.com/natural-hair-dye/. So it wouldn’t surprise me if cedarwood and/or rosemary also tinted hair. I haven’t heard any testimonies of it happening (other than yours), but the oils never cease to amaze me with what they can do!
Hello.. ^_^
Do you always have to wash the mixtures out of your hair or can you leave it in for a few days?
I do not wash the essential oils out of my hair.
So I have been no-pooing for the last almost years. I really like the results(mostly) however, I noticed it last year too at the change of season my scalp gets super itchy and flaky!
I am going to try out some oils from my cousin who sells Young living oils…
My main issue is that I am allergic to soooo many things… even the “good for you/hypoallergenic” stuff!
So I am going to use sweet almond oil as my carrier oil and then we decided on peppermint,lemon and lavender. (I have an issue with tropical fruits and veggies so coconut oil is out, as are some of common oils for itchy skin….tea tree oil) my question is this…
Should I use my normal baking soda/then apple cider vinegar wash, then apply the oils? Or should I just put the oils on, let it sit for a while, then wash with my normal stuff?!? My other worry is that while my scalp is dry, my hair gets greasy pretty quickly!! Any suggestions you have would be welcomed!
thanks 🙂 Becka
I’m with you. What exactly does 50:50 mean… I get its 1/2 the carrier oil, but what’s the other half? Is it water? Certainly it’s not the essential oils, especially if you’re using several for one issue or another…. Or maybe that is what she means?!?
So should I use 1 table spoon of the carrier oil. Or 1/2 cup then add the drops suggested?
Also no one answered my question I wrote Wednesday of last week?!? 🙁
Hi I’m looking for what is good for dry colored hair ? And calming it down , I have tons of curly hair, more then the average person .
Curly hair typically responds well to clay washes (more info here https://thenopoomethod.com/faqs/). And here are some conditioning recipes https://thenopoomethod.com/deep-conditioning/.
You could do it either way. And you’ll probably have to test both methods out and see what works with your hair. You could put the oils on your hair at night before you wash your hair the next morning. I’ve also put the oils in whatever I’m washing my hair with (so mix the oils in my baking soda or rye flour).
Good stuff! I have a lot of oils and I’ve been looking for a way to use them / combine them for hair care. I appreciate you writing this. Take care.
Can you please explain the directions for the shampoo? The 20:80; the 50:50. A little confused. Thanks
Hi Bonnie – 20% essential oils and 80% carrier oil; or 50% / 50% mix (equal parts).
Plus which oils you recommend for thick, curly, coarse hair ?
I just fund your site and am willing to give this method a try, but my main concern is if it will work on a scalp with seborrheic dermatitis?? Thanks
I’m not familiar with seborrheic dermatitis. All I know is that I’ve heard from lots of people who have converted to no poo and scalp issues have improved.
Hi Ashley,
I would like blend some essential oils to massage my scalp. Does the base oil needs to be essential as well?
Hi Diane, The base / carrier oil will not be an essential oil. It’s a vegetable oil like coconut oil, argan oil, etc.