DIY Homemade Herbal Hair Oil

Want to prepare an all-round, proven, tested and natural hair oil that can work wonders for your hair and scalp?

A very popular recipe in the Asian countries, this hair oil has ingredients that are both good for hair and scalp. Women and men have used it for centuries and they have their long, voluminous and healthy hair and scalp to prove it! I learned this recipe from one of my friends, who learnt it from her grandma and it has been used in their family for generations now.

Trust me, while the procedure looks cumbersome, the ingredients list long and the procedure scary, it is really easy and you will get a hang of it with time. The best part – the efforts are really and truly worth it!

Ingredients

Sesame Oil – 1 Liter
Indian Gingseng / Withania Somnifera – 15 Gms.
Sweet Almond Oil – 100 Ml
Soapnut – 15 Gms.
Indian Gooseberry – 300 Gms.
Terminalia Bellirica / Vibhitaka – 15 Gms.
Terminalia Chebula / Haritaki – 15 Gms.
False Daisy – 15 Gms.
Convolvulus Pluricaulis – 4 Gms.
Spikenard – 5 Gms.
Wild Asparagus / Shatavari – 4 Gms.
Curry Leaves – 5 Gms.
Waterhyssop Leaves / Brahmi Leaves – 30 Gms.
Fenugreek – 1 Tsp.
Neem Leaves – 5 Gms.
Henna Leaves – a Handful
Holy Basil – 5 Gms.
Hibiscus Leaves & Flowers – 7 Nos.
Camphor – 5 Gms.
Rose Petals – a Handful
Alkanet Root – 5 Gms.

Instructions

In a deep and heavy, preferably copper wok add the Sesame Oil.

Add in all the dry ingredients – Spikenard, Terminalia Bellirica, Terminalia Chebula, Soapnut, etc.

Grate the Indian Gooseberries and add it to the oil. If you don’t get fresh ones, dried ones are good too.

Now, add the fresh ingredients to the oil – Brahmi, Henna, Curry Leaves, Holy Basil and Neem.

Toss in the Hibiscus Leaves and Flowers, along with the Fenugreek and Rose Petals.

If there’s any moisture in the ingredients, let it fully get eliminated – skip this step or even heating the oil if you make sure the ingredients aren’t moist – I will explain how to do this later.

Finally, add in the Camphor, Alkanet Root and Sweet Almond Oil.

Let the oil get infused over the course of 2 – 3 days, after covering it with a lid. While this is an important step and recommended, if you don’t want, you can skip this.

Now, heat the oil to boiling temperature and then simmer it.

Let it simmer till the moisture is fully removed and the oil is dark in color – this takes 2 hours or more.

Let the mixture cool down fully before you filter it with a muslin cloth and transfer to a sterilized bottle.

How to do the Infusion the Traditional Way

All the fresh ingredients are washed and then air-dried by placing it on a cloth. When the water fully drains out, you can use the ingredients directly for the oil.

Also, traditionally, all the fresh and dry ingredients are added without heat to allow infusion. However, that being a tropical country, it works out perfectly – so if it doesn’t work for your skip it and go for heating.