Rosemary oil has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, including as a natural remedy for hair loss and encouraging hair growth. As you might expect from the name, it is an oil extracted from the Rosemary plant.
Many companies are including rosemary oil in their formulations recently and it is growing in popularity in the curly hair community. We decided to look into some of the claims people are making about rosemary oil so you can decide whether this is an ingredient you'd like to look for when you're shopping at Curl Warehouse.
The benefits of rosemary oil include:
Rosemary Oil May Promote Hair Growth & Reduce Hair Loss
Rosemary oil has been shown to promote healthy curls by improving blood circulation in the scalp, stimulating hair follicles and encouraging hair growth. Many, many things can cause hair loss including stress, diet, genetics, hormones, medication, etc. Therefore hair loss may not improve just by adding rosemary oil to your curly hair routine. More studies would need to be done on this ingredient to say for certain whether it improved hair growth regardless of the reason for the hair loss in the first place.
If you are interested in using a product with rosemary oil for potentially improving hair growth, take a look at Righteous Roots Rx, which includes several other ingredients to encourage growth as well, or Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil. There's also the Oud Rich Infusion Hair Oil from Camille Rose.
Rosemary Oil May Strengthen Hair
Rosemary oil is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect hair and skin from damage caused by free radicals which are unstable molecules created by our everyday metabolic processes (just living, basically). When it comes to your hair, free radicals can weaken the hair structure because free radical production increases as we age, but our ability to protect our hair and skin from free radical damage decreases. Rosemary oil can potentially help strengthen hair and reduce hair breakage by helping with that defence.
For hair strength, try a treatment like the Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Masque or the Bounce Curl Ayurvedic Deep Conditioner.
Improving Scalp Health with Rosemary Oil
Dandruff is a common scalp condition that causes flakes of dead skin to appear on the scalp and hair. Sometimes having thick hair or using lots of styling products can make dandruff or dry or irritated scalps worse. Rosemary oil's antimicrobial properties that can help reduce the growth of bacteria and fungi on the scalp, which can improve overall scalp health even if dandruff is not an issue for you
You can potentially improve scalp health without adding anything extra to your routine by switching to a shampoo that contains rosemary oil. Try the Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo or the AG Hair Curl Fresh Shampoo.
Rosemary Oil is Great For Soothing Itchy or Irritated Scalps
Rosemary oil has a soothing effect on the scalp and can help relieve itchiness. It contains anti-inflammatory compounds that can help reduce inflammation in the scalp and soothe irritated skin too.
Luckily there are several products designed for just this purpose! Check out the Flora & Curl Soothe Me Scalp Refresh Mist.
Rosemary Oil May Prevent Graying
Rosemary oil contains antioxidants that may help prevent premature graying by protecting hair from oxidative stress caused by free radicals, as mentioned above. Our decreasing ability to protect our skin and hair from free radical damage as we age may impact the aging process, so slowing this down could potentially lead to a a delay in hair turning silver, white, or gray. Currently there does not seem to be much evidence for this claim, so we suggest taking it with a pinch of salt (and pepper!).
We never recommend using rosemary essential oil directly on your hair or scalp. This oil needs to be diluted (mixed with other ingredients, including carrier oils) to be safe for hair and skin. We suggest leaving that up to the experts, and selecting products that contain it as an ingredient rather than trying to make something on your own if you are new to using rosemary oil in your curly hair routine.
Rosemary oil as an additive to curly hair products may offer some benefits to overall hair health, however more studies are needed to confirm some of these claims. Like any other ingredient, the benefits may depend on what else is in the formulation and the quality of the oil being used, as well as how it is being used on your hair or scalp.
If you are experiencing prolonged or sudden hair loss, we recommend speaking to a doctor before altering your curly routine to attempt to improve hair loss.
