What is Hair Oiling?

Hair oiling is an ancient tradition originating in India and has since become a tradition for many all around the world. Hair oiling was part of the practice of Ayurveda which is a South Asian traditional healing modality. Ayurveda focuses on healthy habits rather than treating disease, and incorporates the use of herbs, dietary changes, movement and overall lifestyle to promote wellness. 

Hair oiling is the practice of applying an oil to the scalp and hair for the purposes of nourishment, improving hair texture, encouraging hair growth and relieving scalp issues. 

(BloomHerbss Hair & Scalp Oil)

How Can We Be In Relationship To The Ritual Of Hair Oiling?:

Scalp oiling is an amazing way to connect with yourself and even others. Many of the rituals we develop throughout our lifetime is instictual, almost unconscious. Bloomherbss wants to create an understanding for the intentional use of the practice of scalp oiling and massage. Some of these rituals are ways we choose to care for oursleves on a daily basis. Hair oiling is one of those habits that can really bring you closer to yourself and the people around you.

Practicing hair oiling and massage can be a way for you to take a moment out of your day and focus on the connection between you and your body. This can be integrated as a form of meditation or an act of self love. Taking the time to focus on applying a natural, herb infused oil to your scalp and hair, and really connect to that experience is something that can ground you and help you find your center. You can also oil a loved ones hair and incorporate gentle massage as a way to bond. This time that you give to scalp oiling and hair oiling for someone eles can be a way to get to know someone better, or express your love language, especially if it is physical touch. 

  

(Scalp Massager)

Types Of Oils For Hair And Scalp Oiling:

Any combination of carrier oils and essential oils along with herbs can be used to nourish and support the hair and scalp health. My personal favorites include rosemary oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil pepermint oil, pumpkin seed oil and castor oil. I tend to have more dry hair and an inflamed scalp and all of these oils help to target dryness and irritation. 

Carrier Oils:

  • Coconut oil
  • Jojoba oil
  • Sweet almond oil
  • Pumpkin seed oil
  • Apricot kernal oil
  • Castor oil
  • Olive oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Argan oil

Essential Oils:

  • Rosmary oil
  • Lavender oil
  • Pepermint oil
  • Sage oil
  • Eucalyptus oil 
  • Clove oil
  • Rose oil
  • Tea tree oil

(BloomHerbss Hair & Scalp Oil)

Methods Of Personalizing & Building Your Hair Oil Formula:

When creating a formula specific to our hair and scalp needs we need to consider the things that we are looking to treat or focus on. For example, I suffer from very dry and itchy scalp with dry strands and I want to promote growth, with a healthy scalp so a formula that is made with oils like jojoba, rosemary, tee tree, peppermint, pumpkin seed oil, green tea, and olive oil will be best suited for my hair type and scalp needs. These herbs and oils target dryness in the scalp,  prevent dandruff and encourage follicle health which promotes overall hair health/growth. 

Every herb and oil has its own constituents and benefits which can be directly focused on your hair needs. Starting with a conbination of two oils can be a great place to start. 

  • Choose an essential oil and one carrier oil and begin by adding a few drops of the essential oil into the carrier oil. 
  • Massage the oil into your scalp and into the hair to stimulate blood flow. 
  • Leave the oil in your hair for 30 mins- 1 hour or longer (the longer its in your hair the better your results will be).
  • Repeat this at least once a week and experiment with different oils. 

Why Massage the Scalp?:

Scalp massage is one of the best methods to promote blood flow to the scalp. Blood flow is an important part of the hair growth process. The hair growth process has four phases: anagen (growth), catagen (transition), telegen (resting), exogen (shedding). We all naturally go through all of these phases, and everyone varies at the speed in which they are in each phase. Most peoples goal is to reach a longer anagen phase and prevent the exogen phase.

 Many factors contribute to changes in the hair growth phases including diet, lifestyle, blood flow, sleep, and movement/exercise.  Massage is one method of promoting blood flow which encourage hair follicle health resulting in a longer anagen phase. It is important to understand that nothing externally can really make the hair grow faster. There are ways to improve the state in which your hair and scalp health are in, which can lead to a better ecosystem for your hair to thrive in leading to healthier hair growth, but growth is not the result of the oils and herbs themselves. Diet, sleep and exercise are the most important factors of improving your hair health from the inside out. (I will write a separate blog post discussing some specifics on the internal factors of hair growth! Stay tuned for that.)