If you read my post on Excessive Shedding yesterday, you know that I’ve been on a quest to get my shedding under control for a while now. Last year, in a search for solutions, I came across this great post on MopTopMaven’s website that provided an essential oil (EO) blend to address shedding and stimulate growth. I’d been applying a modified version to my scalp a couple days a week as I didn’t have thyme oil and didn’t feel like buying it online.
However, a couple of months ago, I finally tracked down thyme EO at a local health food store in a neighboring town. So, I did some additional internet research to locate the recipe again. I came across this article from Men’s Health Magazine that indicated that there was a limited study (84 participants) that showed 44% of the participants in the treatment group had new hair growth versus only 15% in the control group after 7 months of continuous use of the EO blend. On a daily basis, each participant in the treatment group massaged the EO mix into their scalp for 2 minutes, then wrapped their head in a warm towel to allow the oil to penetrate more fully into the scalp.
The recipe from the later post is below and was slightly different from the version on MopTopMaven’s site. If you google the mix, you’ll find lots of links on it. A couple of months ago, I made the Men’s Health version below and began using it 2-3 days a week:
Hair Oil Recipe
3 drops of essential oil of thyme
3 drops of essential oil of lavender
3 drops of essential oil of rosemary
3 drops of essential oil of cedarwood
1/8 cup of grapeseed oil
1/8 cup of jojoba oil
The first picture below is of my nape area in July 2010 and the second is the same area in May 2011. I think that there is some improvement, though my hair is still a lot finer and less dense in this area. However, the thinness doesn’t look as if it goes as far up my head as it did last year.
(Yes, I just applied the EO mix, so my nape is a bit oily. *lol*)
What do you think? I’ve never been a big scalp “greaser/oiler,” but I like massaging this oil blend into my scalp a few times a week and believe that, even if it’s not promoting new growth, it’s not causing any harm.
Have any of you used this Essential Oil Mix? If so, how often and what was your experience with it?
hairscapades 
I’ve never used it. People always swear by Castor Oil for hair growth, especially around the edges (front and back). *whisper* I’ve even heard that people use Monistat!!! *gasp*
LikeLike
MONISTAT?!??! What the … ?!?! JBCO on my scalp makes it itch, so I couldn’t use that. This mixture is light and doesn’t bother my scalp at all.
LikeLike
Yes, the moninstat and castor oil blend actually works! l used it to grow my bald edges post-partum and I was shocked at the results. Gonna try this EO mix for sure
LikeLike
To each their own, but hte monistat made my hair fall worse! I wore a weave and my hair grew back and then it is now breaking again because I did not know not to use a Hard Hat Hairdryer which was too much heat on the crown of my head. So starting all over again, depressing!
LikeLike
Monistate, like rogaine, only really works while you use it. There is a video on YouTube by a white girl who,does a good job of explaining it.
LikeLike
castor oil is actually really great for the hair.It thickens it. I use it on my eyebrows and lashes as well. Idk about using monistat… I would not recommend it.
LikeLike
LOL at monistat. Lord!
My scalp is itching a lot lately and not sure why. What I did notice however (and this is unrelated) was that I did a scalp massage with a mix of olive/jam. black castor oil and developed a sore spot. What’s that about??? That was last night and it’s gone as fast as it came. No scabs or cuts. Just a sore spot. Weird.
but back to the itching. i cant’ figure out the culprit. that’s where using too many products is bad. its now hard to single out what’s causing the itching!
LikeLike
Michelle,
My scalp was itching a lot last year too! But, again, I think it was related to amla and castor oil on my scalp. Try simplifying your products on your next wash day to no more than 3 or 4 (shampoo, conditioner, DC, styler) and keep the last off of your scalp. See if it continues to itch. Do you use any type of oil or grease on your scalp other than what you indicated above? Again, castor oil made my scalp itch a lot. It stopped itching once I stopped using that and amla. Some say itching can be good though if you don’t scratch and there is no dryness/flakiness. They say that it means your scalp is stimulated and blood is flowing, which means new cells & growth. Yeah, I never had an itchy scalp before and always had good growth, so I wasn’t buying it for myself;-).
LikeLike
Ive heard of the monistat thing on the scalp and throughout the hair. I have two friends who swear by it but they also wear perms. I would be nervous becuase its not a natural product but she says it grew her hair tremendously
LikeLike
I saw that same post and just started doing this process not too long ago. I’m hoping to see a significant difference, but not holding my breath. Who know! Like you said, I don’t think it’s hurting.
LikeLike
lol and ‘oh gross’ at Monistat.
LikeLike
Itchy scalp and hairloss may be being caused by sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) in the hair shampoo and conditioner. It is also in soap as a foaming agent, do any of you also get dry skin on the hands? If you do then I would think you are definetly sensitive to it. I’d suggest using a natural SLS free shampoo and conditioner which are available at health shop. Having a search on the net will reveal this info. As a balding man I am now going to try natural oils, a blend of castor oil, olive oil, maybe coconut oil (pure, not expensive organic which has the same qualities anyway) and I have recently found that sesame seed oil can help and certainly mustard seed oil, the latter promotes blood circulation were applied.Scalp massage is also said to work and there is an instrumental called the violet ray (hi frequency electrical therapy device) which also promotes circulation were applied. You can get cheap one’s from Ebay about £60, the antique one’s are more powerful but cost a lot more, I use them for treating bad backs and muscle problems too which it is great for. These are also used by beauticians for facials. again all this info is on the net if you search.
Hope this helps someone
LikeLike
Pingback: Experiments with Amla « hairscapades
Pingback: My CN NYC Meet-Up Do! « hairscapades
Pingback: Operation Blow-Out: Mission Accomplished « hairscapades
Pingback: My Winter Afro Puffy Twists Regimen « hairscapades
Pingback: November GOC Update: Adrienne « hairscapades
Pingback: Afro Puffy Twists: A Protective Style in Review « hairscapades
Pingback: Afro Puffy Twists: A Protective Style in Review « hairscapades
Pingback: Bald Spots: Help! « hairscapades
Pingback: Growing Nape Hair « hairscapades
Pingback: GOC Contender #48: Me! « hairscapades
Very good product and very high efficienciable oil. Iam satisfied from them.
LikeLike
Pingback: Best Bun Practices for Length Retention « hairscapades
Pingback: My Albatross: Darker Than Brown’s Edges « hairscapades
Hi Shelli, do you still use this EO blend? And do you wash it Out After a few hours or the next Day? I just made my own Mix and have decided to use it Daily on my scalp but only wash Twice a week. 1 Co-wash and 1 shampoo wash. Please advise.
LikeLike
I haven’t used it in a while. I’ve been trying other things (Wild Growth Hair Oil and, recently, JBOC mixed with jojoba oil). I used to apply it during my pre-poo, so it would stay in as long as it took until I washed my hair: Sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days. I also used it to oil my scalp between washes. So, my opinion is use it however you like.
LikeLike
Hi Shelli,
Thank you for the post! I’m curious to know…why have you stopped using the mixture? Were you no longer seeing results?
LikeLike
I wasn’t seeing anything amazing, so I tried WGHO because I didn’t mix it. I actually started making this mix again, and I switch back and forth between it and WGHO. I have all of the EOs still, so I make it when I feel like it. Otherwise, I use what is easy and at hand. LOL!
LikeLike
Hi Shelli, I just ordered the vatika oil enriched with lemon from amazon. I was wondering if you’ve ever used it?
LikeLike
Hi Anon. Vatika Oil is one of my staples. I use it to pre-poo. Love it!
LikeLike
Pingback: How To Grow Out Your Nape Hair | Black Girl with Long Hair
Pingback: How To Grow Out Your Nape Hair | Blog
Here is the recipe used in the study.
3 drops Lavender, 2 drops Cedarwood, 2 drops Thyme, 3 drops Rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon of Jojoba oil and 4 teaspoons Grapeseed oil.
Here is the link to the actual study. (4th paragraph under “Patients”)
http://archderm.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=189618#RESULTS
LikeLike
Thank you for posting.
LikeLike
Yes, thank you!
LikeLike
one pic the hair is wet the other is dry. so its a bad comaprison
LikeLike
My hair is dry in both pictures. That is just the EO mix of oil that you see at my nape in the second one.
LikeLike
lately i’ve been shedding like crazy and i want to get it under control. Can you please tell me if the hair oil recipe mentioned above really work?
Please and Thank You
LikeLike
Hi Jessica, didn’t find that it did anything to reduce shedding. Protein treatments are what helped with my shedding and I think it was partly breakage too, both due to over-conditioning/over-moisturization. I first tried ApHogee 2 Minute Keratin Treatment and that worked immediately. Later I started using Aubrey GPB conditioner as a pre-poo DC tx and that worked great. But now I’ve moved onto my DIY goat milk conditioner.
LikeLike
I’m seeing some results using this blend of oils from a fantastic doctor with a incredible biologist and herbalist background in Blackburn, England. These work by the oils penetrating into the scalp and slowing down the over-production of sebum from sebaceous glands in the scalp. To aid this process you can also use nettle root tincture (I make this but it is easy to make tinctures and a quick look on the internet or youtube can guide you through this). Nettle root stops the body converting testosterone into DHT, which also restricts the hair follicles. its only been 3 or 4 weeks and my hairline was half-way back on my scalp when I started. It is now starting to redevelop at the front and the signs are very promising. You can get the drops below
http://www.kaldos.com/products/all-products/hair-revival-serum-product.html
being half bold I only need 4-6 drops which means the bottle will literally last months!
Give it a try. If you can access a violet ray machine (hi-frequency electro therapy) this will further aid hair development as it stimulates circulation where ever the electrode is placed. You can pick cheap versions of these up on Ebay for around £60-70 from Ukraine and a naturopath told me they are very good for the price.
LikeLike
Chris (comment dated August 31, 2014) can you inform the blends of oils that you are using to get hair back.
My email address is: poornima@unitechouse.com
I am really interested as I am losing a lot for hair since last year.
Your help will be appreciated
LikeLike
Pingback: Best Bun Practices for Length Retention | Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Natural Hair Care
Pingback: Afro Puffy Twists: A Protective Style in Review | Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Natural Hair Care
Pingback: Growing Nape Hair | Curly Nikki | Natural Hair Styles and Natural Hair Care
hair fall is such a common yet devastating problem, used hundreds and thousands of lotions without any effect, so now am determined to try this essential oil blend, hope to get some good result soon.
LikeLike
Pingback: Hair Growth Serum By Shelli | Traditional Solutions For Hair Loss
Pingback: How to Bun Natural Hair - Naturally Curly
Pingback: How to Bun Natural Hair | NaturallyCurly.com