The 7 Best Essential Oils For Next Level Hair Growth

We’re always on the hunt for natural ways to boost our beauty routine, and essential oils for hair growth make the top of our list! Essential oils for hair growth are fantastic because they’re gentle, and there’s an option for everyone based on their hair goals and scent preferences.

However, there’s a right way to use essential oils for hair growth, and some are more beneficial than others.

If you’ve ever wondered how essential oils can help you sprout a thicker, longer mane, keep reading!

Essential oils are a type of liquid extract that can be made by any variety of botanicals, including lavender, geranium, eucalyptus, and orange. When essential oils are made from a plant, the manufacturing process extracts the beneficial compounds that are stored in these plants.

Because they’re so concentrated, essential oils tend to have a far more powerful aroma than the plants from which they originate, and they tend to contain higher levels of active compounds. This is because so much plant matter is needed to make them.

Essential oils can be made in a wide variety of ways, but they’re typically manufactured by either steam distillation or cold pressing.

With steam distillation, the process involves passing hot steam or water through the plants, extracting the compounds away from the plant matter. Cold pressing, on the other hand, is done through the mechanical process of pressing or squeezing the plant compounds.

Once extracted, some manufacturers may add these compounds to a carrier oil, or they may be sold in bottles, which hold high concentrations.

Essential oils are believed to possess a wide range of benefits, and people love them for skincare and hair care products.

And as it turns out, some essential oils may even offer benefits for boosting hair growth!

Our favorite essential oils for boosting hair growth are not only useful for boosting hair growth, but they can also unclog hair follicles for a healthier scalp.

Using essential oils for hair growth can also help prevent dryness, breakage, dandruff, and even thinning hair.

Without further ado, here are seven essential oils for hair growth!

1. Rosemary
If you’re looking to boost the thickness and length of your mane, rosemary essential oil is a wonderful choice for that.

Rosemary is a popular ingredient for promoting longer hair because of its ability to hone cellular generation. And as mentioned in one study, rosemary was found to work as well on hair as the common growth treatment minoxidil, but with less irritation.

2. Cedarwood
While research is limited, it’s believed that cedarwood essential oil can promote hair growth and prevent hair loss by balancing the scalp’s sebaceous glands. Cedarwood essential oil is also known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, making it particularly helpful for dandruff or hair loss.

3. Clary Sage
Because of the compound linalyl acetate, clary sage may be a particularly helpful essential oil for healthier hair. This is because it may increase the strength of the hair and speed up its growth, which may prevent breakage in the long run.

4. Geranium
Healthy, strong hair starts with a healthy scalp, and geranium essential oil is here to help!

Geranium essential oil helps balance secretions in the hair follicles, which help maintain oiliness, dryness, and the production of sebum. This is important, because hair follicles play a key role in hair growth.

While the research on geranium essential oil for hair growth is limited, one 2017 study found promising results.

5. Tea Tree
Known for its cleansing, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil is known for a number of different hair and skin benefits. With hair growth specifically, tea tree oil can help unclog hair follicles and promote hair growth.

In a 2013 study, it was found that a solution of tea tree oil and the hair growth ingredient, minoxidil, was more powerful than minoxidil alone, although further studies are needed on the use of tea tree essential oil on its own.

More recently, a 2015 review found that tea tree essential oil is a popular anti-dandruff remedy, which supports scalp health for a fuller mane.

Since tea tree oil is known to come in a variety of concentrations, it’s important to follow the label on whatever bottle you buy.

6. Lavender
Lavender may be known for its relaxing properties, but it may actually pack a punch for hair growth.

For starters, lavender has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, which can support scalp health. It was also found in one preclinical trial that lavender may help speed up hair growth by reducing stress and generating cell growth.

7. Peppermint
If you’ve ever stopped to smell peppermint essential oil, you’ve likely noticed its cooling, invigorating quality. As it turns out, peppermint not only boosts the senses, but hair growth, as well!

As a popular ingredient in shampoos, peppermint is renowned for its hair benefits. While research is still fairly limited, some studies like this one demonstrate that peppermint oil may be useful as a hair growth treatment.

This benefit may have to do with the fact that peppermint oil boosts circulation. In one study, it was found that menthol, the active compound in peppermint, helps widen the blood vessels to promote blood flow. By boosting circulation, it’s been theorized that peppermint oil can promote a fuller head of hair.

At this point, it’s safe to say that using essential oils for hair growth is a great idea. However, it matters how you do it.

It’s important to note that essential oils are incredibly concentrated, and it’s not a good idea to apply them directly to the skin. When applied in such high concentrations, they can cause irritation to the scalp.

Here are a few ways you can safely use essential oils for hair growth:

Add a Few Drops to Your Shampoo
One of the easiest ways to use essential oils for hair growth is to add 7-10 drops to your shampoo bottle. This will give you the opportunity to massage your essential oil of choice into your scalp, which helps stimulate blood flow. Plus, your hair will smell great, since you’re adding a little aromatherapy to your shampoo.

To make things even easier, try buying a shampoo that’s been formulated with ingredients like rosemary, geranium, or any of the other essential oils listed above. Our Kelp and Mint Volumizing Shampoo features both peppermint extract and peppermint essential oil.

Add to a Hair Rinse
A hair rinse is a simple way to use essential oils for hair growth. Simply add 10-15 drops of essential oil to a spray bottle of water, and spray in your hair after showering, much like you would with a leave-in conditioner.

Add to a Carrier Oil
Incorporating essential oils into a carrier oil is one of the most versatile, tried and true ways to use them for skin and hair. And in the case of using essential oils for hair growth, we especially recommend Argan Oil. Argan oil is especially known for its glossing, strengthening benefits, but you can also use coconut oil, rosehip oil, or sweet almond oil.

To use a carrier oil containing essential oil for hair growth, you can use it as a hair mask, or as a leave-in conditioner after shampooing.