December 10th, 2009

Tis’ the season for holiday styles and updos—and for winter weather to wreak havoc on your hair. Did you know that the cold, dry weather can cause hair to be brittle and unhealthy? On top of that, indoor heating can dry it out even further, causing extra frizz and making it even harder to style. So to help combat bad hair days during the holidays, here a few essential oil-infused recipes to help you protect and repair weather-worn hair:

Hot Oil Treatment for Damaged Hair

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. organic soybean oil or organic sunflower oil
• 8 drops Young Living sandalwood essential oil
• 8 drops Young Living lavender essential oil
• 8 drops Young Living geranium essential oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well. Warm oil to a comfortable temperature and apply the mixture to damp hair. Cover hair in a plastic wrap and apply a hot towel for 20 minutes. Shampoo.

Lavender & Rosemary Hot Oil Treatment

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. organic soybean oil or organic sunflower oil
• 5 drops Young Living rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops Young Living lavender essential oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well. Warm oil to a comfortable temperature and apply the mixture to damp hair. Cover hair in a plastic wrap and apply a hot towel for 20 minutes. Shampoo.

Super Deep Hot Oil Treatment

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. almond oil
• 1 Tbsp. jojoba oil
• 1 tsp. evening primrose oil
• 5 drops Young Living rosemary essential oil
• 5 drops Young Living Roman chamomile essential oil

Directions:

Melt coconut oil in a double broiler on low temperature. Add other carrier oils and allow to cool. Add essential oils. Apply to hair and wrap in a towel for 30–45 minutes. Shampoo.

By treating your locks to these hot oil treatments, your tresses will not only survive winter, but will also be beautiful and healthy come springtime. The Lavender and Rosemary Hot Oil Treatment is one of my favorites: Let me know which one works for you! And if you’re looking for additional cold weather hair protection, try implementing the following tips into your daily hair care routine:

• Wash your hair with lukewarm water. Hot water can strip your hair of moisture, and during the winter you need all the moisture you can get!

• Use a quality conditioner. If you have dry hair to begin with you may want to look for a hair conditioner that is made for dry hair, such as Young Living’s Rosewood Moisturizing Conditioner.

• Use styling tools designed to lock in moisture. Using hair tools such as ionic hairdryers and ceramic-plated straighteners will style your hair without drying it.

• Don’t go outside with wet hair. If you expose wet hair to cold winter weather, you risk the possibility of your hair freezing, which leaves it prone to breaking and getting severely damaged.

• Use a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment at least once a week. Your hair needs this extra attention to help repair and undo winter damage. Check out the end of this post for some essential oil-enhanced recipes for home hair treatments!

• Wear a hat or wear your hair up as much as possible. Choose a hat that will not flatten your hair completely, but one that will just cover up most of your hair. Fortunately, there are lots of cute style choices that can make this attractive as well as functional. Wearing your hair back and up will also help reduce exposure to the cold. Just remember: This doesn’t have to be the typical ponytail. Experiment with cute updos or sleek chignons to help protect your hair.

• Rub a dryer sheet on your hair brushes and combs to minimize static electricity. This might sound silly, but it works! Because most people have their heat on and their house closed up, static cling is a huge problem in winter. This simple little trick will save you that highly undesirable frizz frenzy.

—Rebecca Jarvis

Product Manager, Young Living Essential Oils

This is reprinted from Young Living’s Product Blog