It’s easy to make your own homemade hot oil treatment for hair to keep your locks healthy and nourished. In fact, you only need two simple, natural ingredients!
I love homemade solutions, especially for products I use on my hair and skin. Whether it’s a diy shampoo bar or an itch relief cream, homemade varieties let you control the ingredients and cost.
Benefits of a Hot Oil Treatment
I am pretty hard on my hair. Between my blow dryer, straight iron, and curling iron, my locks incur a lot of damage.
Aside from using conditioner after every shampoo, I’ve found that an occasional hot oil treatment (once every week or two) does wonders to eliminate dryness and restore shine.
Hot oil treatments seal your hair cuticle to make each strand stronger, while also moisturizing your locks and scalp. The result is healthy, supple hair.
Less frizz and fewer split ends. Even better, hot oil treatments can also eliminate dandruff!
Do you wash your hair before or after a hot oil treatment?
You definitely want to wash your hair before you apply a hot oil treatment. Clear hair will allow the oil to penetrate deeper and truly moisturize your hair follicles.
After your treatment, rinse out the oil (but don’t wash it away with shampoo) and apply your normal conditioner.
How to Make Your Own Hot Oil Treatment
You can easily make a DIY hot oil treatment with only two ingredients and skip the expensive, chemical-laden store bought option.
Items Needed
- Carrier oil
- Essential oils
Which oil is best for a hot oil treatment?
For dry hair, coconut oil and avocado oil are great choices. If your hair is normal or oily, opt for almond or jojoba oils.
A lot of people use olive oil since it’s already on hand but don’t use it if you have thin hair as it will weight it down. Argan oil is a really good option if you use heat to style your hair regularly.
If you’re hoping to promote hair growth, look for oils high in linoleic acid. Sunflower oil has a high concentration, as does flaxseed oil.
Which essential oils are best for hair?
Several essential oils are beneficial to hair health.
- Bergamot: hair growth, thickens hair, increases shine
- Cedarwood: prevents thinning hair, reduces dandruff, good for all hair types, masculine scent
- Chamomile: increases softness, increases shine
- Cinnamon: thickens hair, reduces dandruff, increases shine
- Eucalyptus: hair growth, repels lice
- Geranium*: hair growth, strengthens hair
- Juniper: strengthens hair, good for oily hair
- Lavender: hair growth, thickens hair, slows hair loss, reduces dandruff
- Lemon*: hair growth, good for oily hair
- Lemongrass: strengthens hair, reduces dandruff
- Orange: hair growth, thickens hair, treats dry scalp
- Peppermint*: hair growth, good for oily hair
- Pine: reduces dandruff
- Rosemary: hair growth, thickens hair, reduces dandruff, strengthens hair
- Sweet basil: hair growth, thickens hair, increases softness
- Tea tree oil*: hair growth, slows hair loss, reduces dandruff, repels lice
- Ylang ylang: hair growth, thickens hair, best for dry hair, strong (pleasant) scent, repels lice
If you want to combine several of the oils to reap multiple benefits, consider this variety pack which contains six of the oils listed above as well as four others that have great applications for other areas of your life.
*These oils are especially potent and may cause irritation if left on your scalp for the full 30 minutes. Consider adding a few drops to your shampoo rather than a hot oil treatment: geranium, lemon, peppermint oil, tea tree oil
How to Use a Hot Oil Treatment
- As mentioned earlier, start by washing your hair to make sure the oil can penetrate each strand.
- Comb through your hair to remove any knots or tangles.
- Microwave the hot oil treatment for 10 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Test the oil on your wrist to make sure the temperature is right (should be warm but not overly so).
- Lean over a sink and slowly pour a small amount of oil onto your hair.
- Massage the oil into your scalp and then pour more of the oil onto your hair, massaging it into your scalp and working it through your hair to the ends each time you add more.
- Once you have applied all of the oil, massage your scalp and hair for one to two minutes to make sure the oil is thoroughly applied.
- Wrap your hair in a towel or cover with a shower cap.
- Leave the oil on for 30 minutes.
- Remove the towel or shower cap and rinse hair with warm water.
- Apply a small amount of conditioner and work through entire length of your hair.
- Rinse hair with warm water to remove the conditioner.
- Comb hair with a wide-tooth comb to remove tangles and let hair air dry.
Ready-Made Hot Oil Treatments
Prefer to buy a hot oil treatment that’s pre-mixed and ready to use? Here are some good options:
Alberto VO5 Hot Oil Treatment
This is one of my favorites (and coincidentally, the first one I ever tried). It’s inexpensive, easy to find, and has stood the test of time.
Its oil blend combines 5 different oils (sunflower, almond, mango, roman chamomile, and rosemary) with aloe and antioxidants. Even better, it’s free of parabens, alcohol, pretrolatum, silicone, and mineral oil.
If you are looking for a faster, easier hot oil treatment, VO5’s Hot Oil Shower Works is the clear winner. You can apply it while you take a shower!
It’s not as intense as the deep conditioning version so you’ll have to use it more often (twice a week is the recommendation).
Alfaparf Milano Semi Di Lino SOS Emergency Oil
This product is different than other hot oil hair treatments in that you heat the oil AFTER you’ve applied it to your hair. You can either use a hair dryer or a heating cap.
With hundreds of 5-star ratings on Amazon, this product is a favorite of reviewers seeking soft, silky hair. Unlike the other treatments in this list, this one is loaded with synthetic ingredients so if you have sensitive skin, you may want to skip this one.
Black Jamaican Castor Oil Hot Oil Treatment
Made with 100% pure castor oil with added vitamin E and omega 6 & 9 fatty acids for better blood circulation in your scalp (to promote hair growth), this product is a solid choice.
Queen Helene Cholesterol Hot Oil Treatment
This hot oil treatment is made with lanolin oil which is well-known for locking in moisture. Queen Helene prides itself on using natural ingredients that are gentle on your skin and hair.
Homemade Hot Oil Treatment
Materials
- 3-6 tablespoons carrier oil e.g. olive, coconut, jojoba
- 2-4 drops rosemary essential oil
Instructions
- Wash hair thoroughly with shampoo, then comb through hair to remove tangles.
- Combine ingredients in a small, microweave-safe bowl. For short hair, use 3 tablespoons oil. Use more oil for longer hair. Stir well.
- Place bowl in microwave and heat on high for 10 seconds.
- Test oil on wrist before applying to hair to make sure it isn’t too hot.
- Leaning over a sink, slowly pour a small amount of oil onto your hair. Massage the oil into your scalp and then pour more of the oil onto your hair, massaging it into your scalp and working it through your hair each time you add more.
- Once you have applied all of the oil, massage your scalp and hair for one to two minutes to make sure the oil is thoroughly applied.
- Wrap your hair in a towel or cover with a shower cap.
- Leave the oil on for 30 minutes.
- Remove the towel or shower cap and rinse hair with warm water.
- Apply conditioner.
- Rinse hair with warm water to remove the conditioner.
- Comb hair with a wide-tooth comb to remove tangles and let hair air dry.
Tip: Want to enjoy the hair benefits of rosemary essential oil without the mess of a hot oil treatment? Add it directly to your shampoo or conditioner. Use 2 drops for every ounce of shampoo/conditioner.