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Essential oils are indeed a good complementary therapy for treating dandruff. Commonly used in aromatherapy, it's also widely applied to alleviate and assists in a wide range of medical conditions.

There are a great selection of oils that you can use to treat your dandruff and other scalp conditions. Choose the correct oils and they can help you alleviate your dandruff problems as well as harmonize your scalp and hair.

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Understanding Essential Oils

There are more than 100 types of popular oils and each oil has their own medicinal and therapeutic effects. Most of these oils are extracted from plants and botanicals through various processes like

• Distillation
• Expression
• Solvent Extraction

No matter what way the extraction method is, these oils carry the essence and the chemical properties of the plant.

Although essential oils are great alternatives, they do have downsides. Unless you understand and apply the oils properly, some might trigger serious allergic reactions. If you are interested in trying, let's do some research to find the oils that are suitable for your dandruff problems.

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Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) Extracted from the leaves of the tea tree and have a long used by the indigenous people of Australia for its cleansing and purifying properties. Great for treating dry scalp, mild dandruff, head lice and regulating the sebaceous glands. Precautions: Not suitable for sensitive skin as it might trigger some allergic reactions.

Basil (Ocimum Basilicum) Basil is a low-growing herb that thrives in warm and tropical climates. Recently, research have been exploring the health benefits of basil and found it to have great anti-oxidant properties as well as anti-bacterial properties. Great for controlling stress, oily hair and promotes hair growth. Precautions: Pregnant Women and Children under 16 years avoid this oil as it might cause menstruation problems.

Chamomile (Chamaemelum Nobile) Chamomile is a mild soothing oil that is popular in a lot of herbal preparations and general tea consumption. It has antiseptic effects and can calm rashes, dry and irritated skin. It's really good for reducing the symptoms of eczema, psoriasis and other dandruff problems. It also aids in skin regeneration too. Precautions: Pregnant Women should use with caution as it high dosage might affect pregnancy.

Lemon (Citrus Limon) Lemon Essential oil is great to help you focus and helps reduce the acidity in your body. It also helps with arthritis, gout and digestion problems. For the hair it clears dandruff, removes sebum and acts as a very effective anti-bacterial treatment. Precautions: Rashes might developed on sensitive skin. Lemon Essential oil has phototoxic (might turn toxic after UV exposure) properties so try avoid direct sunlight exposure before washing it off.

Myrrh (Commiphora Species) A great oil that helps alleviate skin ailments as well as detoxifying qualities to the body. This oil can aid in expelling mucus and phlegm too. Great for dry hair, dandruff and regulating oil glands production. Precautions:Not suitable for pregnant women as Myrrh might trigger uterus contraction.

Patchouli (Pogostemon Cablin) One of the best skin care essential oil available. Patchouli helps break down cellulite and stimulate cell regeneration. It also speeds wounds recovery and reduce visible scarring. Great for removing dandruff and control oil production. Precautions: Some people might not tolerate the strong smell. Large doses might trigger appetite loss.

Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) This refreshing essential oil provides cooling and antiseptic effects to your body. It helps reduce redness, itchiness and irritation. Great for itchy dandruff problems and cooling the scalp's inflammation. Precautions: Avoid if your skin is sensitive to menthol. Pregnant women and children below the age of 7 should also avoid using this oil.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) The smell itself is tantalizing. It's great for stimulating your brain and clarifies your thoughts. Helps with respiratory problems and boosts liver efficiency. Great for washing away dandruff and also help promote hair growth. Precautions: Not suitable for pregnant women or people suffering from epilepsy. If you have high blood pressure also try to use another oil instead.

Ylang-ylang (Cananga Odorata) A fragrant oil that has good calming effects on the mind and soul. Helps to balance skin regeneration and stabilize sebum production. The herb is also said to be able to assist in hair growth. Precautions: Over usage or large doses can cause nausea and headaches in some people.

Neem (Azadirachta Indica) Neem oil is extracted from a tree back and works wonders as a fungicide and insecticide. If you have head lice you might want to use this oil. Studies also show its potential to treat Scalp Psoriasis and Seborrheic Dermatitis without the side effects. Helps reduce scalp inflammation and itching too. Precautions: No known side effects for topical application.

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Researching Further

If you are really interested to learn more about essential oils as an alternative treatment for other conditions or for general well-being, you can try this site . It's one of the web's premier aromatherapy resource that provides concise information using essential oils. It's important to do research and consult your doctor before trying out any alternative therapies.

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Carrier Oils

To start, you will also need to get a carrier oil for diluting your essential oils. Carrier oils are vegetable oils derived from seeds, nuts or kernels. If you apply concentrated essential oils to your scalp it might trigger allergic reactions like itchiness or inflammation. Carrier oils also act as a medium to facilitate the oils to fully penetrate your scalp and skin.There are many types of carrier oils like

• Jojoba oil
• Olive Oil
• Hazelnut Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Hemp Seed Oil

But for the scalp, I recommend using Jojoba oil because the oil's properties are very closely related to your skin and scalp's oils. In fact jojoba oil

• Has better absorption rate
• Longer shelf life
• Has natural anti-inflammatory properties
• Great for oily scalp
• Assists in treating acne

Furthermore jojoba oil isn't really an oil but instead a type of wax ester that has a very low melting point so it stays in liquid form at room temperatures.

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Other Essential Stuff

Next you will need to get some items to make and store your own anti-dandruff blend. Some of these items are

• 5-6 eye-droppers or pipettes.
• A 100ml or more dark glass bottle with stopper cap for storing your mixture.
• A small funnel for pouring the carrier oils into the bottle.
• Small strips of paper for testing the aroma.

Most of these items are available from your local aromatherapy store and it's really cheap too.

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Test Before you Mix

Now who says you can't have fun with treatments? It's great to choose the types of oils that you like and mix one with the aroma blend that you fancy. So before mixing, what you can do is

1. Apply a drop of the essential oil to a strip of paper.
2. Repeat for as many oils you want to use.
3. Hold your breath and then fan the strips together.
4. Take a good smell at it to see whether you like it.
5. Once you get the final formula, you are set to make it.

Bear in mind that although most of these oils are great for your scalp and hair, there are a few recommended essentials that you should consider a priority for treating dandruff

• Rosemary
• Cedarwood
• Patchouli
• Tea Tree Oil
• Ylang-ylang
• Neem

So you might want to make sure you include at least 3 of these essentials to your recipe. If you don't want to mix and match your own recipe, you can even use these oils. I have a bottle of this self mixed oil at home and I love the smell. It's very refreshing as well.

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Mixing the Oils

Let's start by making your little own essential oil formula. Make sure you get all the stuff and oils ready.

1. Depending on the total amount of oils to be mix, you should not exceed 20 drops for every 60ml of carrier oil.
2. Use the different dropper for each essential oil.
3. Use the funnel and pour the carrier oil into the new bottle (60ml is around 12 tsp)
4. Drop the essential oils according to your liking to the bottle.
5. Close the lid and give it a good shake.

There you are done with your own essential blend. Keep it in the refrigerator or a dry shelf to prevent the carrier oil from turning bad.

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How to Apply to Your Scalp

Finally, it's time to aromatize your scalp with your own essential oil therapy for dandruff. Follow these few simple steps and you are done!

1. Pour a small amount of oil about a teaspoon into a saucer and dip your fingertips into the oil.
2. Massage the scalp lightly for 2-3 minutes by placing your fingers on to the affected area.
3. If done correctly your hair shouldn't be oily and you probably won't need to wash it off.
4. If you want to shower after the treatment, wait at least an hour for the oils to infuse your scalp and hair.
5. Use a mild shampoo instead for washing your hair. If you are using a dandruff shampoo, skip it for that particular day.
6. You can also add 4-5 drops to your normal shampoo to give it an additional boosts.
7. Use the oil 2-3 times a week and you will end up with a more refreshing hair and scalp.

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Treat Essential Oils as an Alternative Therapy

Alternative therapies like Essential Oils treatment should be treated as a supplemental treatment to your scalp problems. It's good to try if you do not like to use harsh anti dandruff shampoos or if your dandruff condition is not serious. However, if your condition worsens, it's best to use medicated shampoos or see a doctor for proper treatment.

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