Before we continuing further on this itchy scalp mixology series, you need to figure out if you have dandruff. If you have dandruff, then you may want to check out my previous mixology series on oils for controlling dandruff. Now on to this series!

The most common reasons for an itchy scalp are listed here.
- A very dry scalp (very common after a clarifing wash).
- A fresh retighten/twist/interlock locks.
- Different type of skin disorders
- Stress and Anxiety

If your locks are NOT MATURE, then I don't recommend adding this mixture to your hair/lock. You can use a temporary solution such as Sea Breeze or Witch Hazel for your itchy scalp (soak either solution on a cloth and rub it around the affected area).

Material Needed
3-4 oz Cobalt Blue or Amber Wide-Mouth Jar
2oz (1/4) Measuring Cup
Recipe: Essential and Carrier Base Oils for Controlling Itchiness
7 Drops of 100% Pure Essential Oil Lavender
5 Drops of 100% Pure Rosemary Essential Oil
2 Drops of 100% 100% Pure Tea Tree Oil
2 oz. Castor Oil (heavy) or Jojoba oil (light)

Apply this combination directly to the problem area. NOTE: DO NOT add this mixture to witch hazel, if you do, it will shorten the lifespan of the solution. In other words, this will have a shorter lifespan. If you want to use witch hazel, I suggest using witch hazel to clean the area, then apply this mixture for a double itch relief. Another suggestion is rinsing your hair with diluted Lemon Juice, and then adding this mixture. If you decided to rinse your hair with lemon juice, please understand that if you are out in the sun for a long period of time, your locks will start to lighten up due to the acidic content in the lemon juice .

Lavender Oils - Beside it soothing and wonderful scent, Lavender oil is great for providing comfort to an irrated scalp. It is known for fighting off pain (by rapidly aiding in the formation of scar tissues), hair loss, dandruff, as well as burning senstion. This oil is very popuplar due to the fact that it is known to relax the mind and help calm the scenses. As a bonus, this oil can be use in effectively fighting off lice, lice eggs or nits.
Rosemary Essential Oil - If you have an itchy scalp, then I'm sure you are constently scatching it,  this can cause some kind of hair lost. So added rosemary essential oil will aid in hair growth, as will as effectively increase the chance of healing for the scalp.
Tea Tree Essential Oil - Is great for any scalp related aliment period. This essensce oil is marketed in a lot of skin & scalp related products. Its natural antibacterial disinfectant properties make it a great choice for this mixture.
Castor Oil - A natural carrior oil that has a thicker consistency then jojoba oil. It beeh shown to help retain hair, and improve and thicken the natural growth process of the hair. Castor also prevents dry scalp and boost overall scalp health.
Jojoba Oil - A carrier base oil that resemble our natural scalp producing oils. It's lighter then Castor oil and it is an ideal moisturizer. It's also known as a great scalp conditioner as well.

Note: If you been itching your scalp, and have broken into skin, you will get a tingling sensation, but do not confuse this with an irritation. Irritation would be a burning sensation which mean you are either allergic or you need to dilute the mixture some more. 


Please note: This mixture is purely based on research. So use caution and please test on your skin first. If you not sure of any of these essential oils you welcome to contact an aromatherapy specialist for advice and usages. All of my mixture are at a 1 percent dilution. You can go up to 2.5 dilution if your scalp/skin can handle it. Do not use while pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have allergies please test a small amount first. Keep away from small children. It is recommended that diabetics stay away from lavender oil. More Information on measurement can be found here http://www.ehow.com/how_2200143_how-much-essential-oil-use.html. More helpful & caution tips can be found here http://www.aroma-essence.com/mini-guide.html.

When buying 100% Pure Essential Oils, have you ever notice or paid any attention to the color of the bottles? You will notice they come either in a dark amber (more common), cobalt blue, or green bottle. The reason behind this is simple. Many believe to maintain the EO's purity, you must put it in a darker bottle to prevent sunlight for diluting/breaking up the EO potency. Essential Oils benefits and effectiveness will last longer when they are contain in a darker bottle, preferably amber, cobalt blue, and green. Now there are some debates on whether the color of the bottles really makes a different for essential oils, and that may be true for some EOs, but does it really matter? Would buying an amber bottle vs. a clear bottle really hurt you?

When other element are added to your essential oils, for example carrier oils and water, those element will depreciate your EOs, so adding a little extra protection is not a big deal, especially since the amber, cobalt blue, and green bottles cost about the same as the clear ones.

So when you are thinking of buying a bottle for your mixtures, whether it a spray or rub on, keep in mind the color you want. Amber bottles are my choice for preventing sunlight from diluting my mixture any further, as well as shortening the life span of my EO Mixtures.

Note: It also recommended to store any essential oils in a cool dark place to maintain the life span of that product.

This mixology is a little different, since the previous mixology talk more about the benefits for the scalp, and this mixology will focus on the locks itself.

I like the smell of Lavender and Grapefruit Essential Oils, so that is why I use Lavender and Grapefruit as an essential oil, but you can you use what ever oils you like the SMELL of. This mixture will also work fine without any EOs. As always, this mixture can be play with.

I made this for me, since I wanted to see if I can do a mixture spray without having to buy a moisturizer spray and it turned out GREAT (I must say, I’m very proud of myself).

The feel of this reminds me of using "Oyin Greg Juice" on my natural hair days. With proper storage, you can make 6 bottles ( 8 ounce) without any issues. Please note, I used Jojoba Oil, since Puritan Pride had buy 1 get 2 free promo going on, but you welcome to use coconut oil, if that is your preference. 

So once again, I have change my moisturizer for this homemade mixture. Since this spray is all natural, you will need to sake before you spray on your sisterlocks. If you follow this recipe to the "T", you will love it as much as I do. If you are looking for shinier sisterlocks, this mixture is not for you, and you should read this post about why our hair is not suppose to be shinny. Note: Please do not use on newly install sisterlocks!!!

Material Needed
8oz Amber, Cobalt Blue,
or Green Spray Bottle
Measuring Cups
Tablespoons

Recipe for Dry Locks
4 Drops of 100% Pure Grapefruit
Essentials Oil
8 Drops of 100% Pure Lavender
Essentials Oil
1/2 oz (1 tbsp.) 100% Pure Vegetable Glycerin
1/2 oz (1 tbsp.) 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel
2oz (1/4 cup) Coconut oil or Jojoba oil4-5oz (1/2 cup) Distilled Water

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UPDATE 3/2/2013 - I use rosemary, sage, lavender, and vanilla for scent. I love the aromas of those combine scent (less fruity then above) and that is what I use to scent my spray.
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Lavender Essentials Oil is light medium body floral oil that smells light, and fresh. The smell is wonderful for soothing stress, depression, and anxiety. Other uses: Used to relieve an itchy scalp.
Grapefruit Essentials Oil is light medium body citrus oil that smells clean, light and has a wonderful pleasant fruity smell. Other Uses: Work as a natural preservative because of it antioxidant properties.
Coconut Oil is rich in it anti-fungal and antibacterial properties as well in vitamin and mineral. The oils in the coconut also contain proteins, which work well in helping hair retain proteins. Other Uses: Cooking. Stimulate circulation on the scalp and works well as a scalp moisturizer.
Jojoba oil is known to conditions your hair and prevents it from being brittle, shedding, and becoming dull. Jojoba is also non-greasy, colorless and odorless. Other Uses: Useful for Dry Scalp since it resembles our natural scalp producing oils and won’t clog the pores.
Vegetable Glycerin is derived from plant oils and is also humectants (meaning it binds to water). It mostly marketed in leave in conditioner, hair moisturizer, and lotions. As far as hair is concern, it is use to soften and prevent breakage (natural hair only) and can act as a thermal protection when using heat from hair dryer, flat iron, etc. There is no scientific evidence that glycerin absorbs water from hair, and should be very stable once mixed with water since that is what it prefers. A little goes a long way! Example: 15% Glycerin to 85 % Water Other Uses: Can be uses as a skin moisturizer, an eye shadow primer (mixed with water), a natural preservative at a ratio of 15-20%.
Aloe Vera Gel is a wonderful universal product and you should consider adding it to your collection of home items period. For hair, it detangles and moisturizes. It balances the pH Level of natural hair, and contains natural building enzyme for proteins. Other Uses: Scalp treatment for dandruff, seborrhea (dermatitis), psoriasis. Healing agent when applied to burns, scrapes and wounds and can also soothe pain and regenerate skin cells. Can be used as a gel to smooth back frizzy hair vs. using a black gel, etc... Great for stomach condition such as digestion if mix with juice.

Note: During winter time, they are talk that Glycerin doesn't work as well. If your mixture contain enough water (which Glycerin attractive to) then you shouldn't experience any issue.

Having dandruff is not a pleasant thing. If you don't take extra care, you can find yourself with a clumpy and flaky scalp & locks. I have a friend that has really bad issue with dandruff and this was done for him. So this will be my second round of my "mixology" series.

When we clearing off dandruff, we tend to get a comb and try to scrape it off. You can do that, but try to be gentle so you can avoid irritating the scalp, as well as harming it (especially since you plan on applying some oil to the scalp). Before applying this mixture, clean the hair with some clarifying shampoo (or BSW & ACV Wash) & use a conditioner if you can. Once that is done, look at what is left, I tend to wait for the scalp to dry, before gently scraping the dandruff off that wasn't caught with the deep cleaning. Once the area is clean, I then apply the mixture below (only in the affected area).

Materials Needed
3-4oz Cobalt Blue or Amber Wide-Mouth Jar
1/4 (2oz) Measuring Cup

Recipe: Essential & Carrier Base Oils for Controlling Dandruff

8 Drops of 100% Pure Tea Tree Essential Oil
1 Drops of 100% Pure Patchouli Essential Oil(Warning: Very STRONG smell)
3 Drops of 100% Pure German Chamomile Essential Oil
2 oz (1/4 cup) of Jojoba Carrier Base Oil

I apply the oil mixture to the affected area, and that seem to work the best. You can apply this mixture to your conditioner if you want to, especially if you don't want to add additional oil to your scalp. Note: Do not add it to your shampoo since the whole purpose of the shampoo is to clean the locks and scalp from impurities. By adding oils to the shampoo, it defeats that purpose.

My first post in the "mixology" series will be about hair thinning, since I have been battling this issues for years and it is very personal to me.

Materials Needed

3-4oz Cobalt Blue or Amber Wide-Mouth Jar
1/4 (2oz) Measuring Cup

Recipe: Essential & Carrier Base Oils for Thinning Hair

7 Drops of Rosemary 100%
Pure Essential Oil
5 Drops of Clary Sage 100%
Pure Essential Oil
2 oz (1/4 cup) of Jamaican Black
Castor Oil Carrier Base Oil

Note: This mixture should last for about 4-6 month of daily use.

Note: Most 100% essential oil comes in a little bottle that have orifice reducer or a small hole. The size of the drop vary but it should even out the same. Whenever you are creating an essential oil mixture, you will need to apply it to a carrier base oil. If you added an extra drop of essential oil by accident, just add more carrier oil to dilute it. The key is to dilute the essential oil so it doesn't irate the skin or scalp. To learn more about what essential oils and carrier oils are  click here.

Benefits of each Essential Oils & Carrier Oil on the above recipe

Rosemary is a well known ingredient/essential oil that is used on most hair care products ranging from shampoo, conditioner, and even hair color. Rosemary essential oil on hair is mostly used to stimulate hair follicles and increase hair growth. It is highly recommended to be use for the prevention of hair loss as well as slowing down the process of hair loss.
Clary Sage is also a well known ingredient/essential oil. It used to strengthens hair follicles, tone skin, as well as stimulate hair growth.
Black Castor Oil is highly recommended by many of the natural hair community to help with hair growth and hair retention. Also this carrier base oil has an extra side benefit, which is that it is a natural anti-bacterial, and anti-fungicidal fighter, which in turn protects the scalp.

Final Note: It always my recommendation to people that is experience major hair thinning, to seek professional advice. Document your process via pictures to see if your hair is progressing or getting worst. The above solution may works for some people, and if it doesn't work for you, then you need to consider getting some professional help.

My recipe can be adjusted to suit your needs or wants. If you don't like the smell of this mixture you can add a drop or two of an essential oil that you do like the smell of. Keep in mind that you must remain in the 12 drop range to be at a 1 percent dilution. So that mean you will have to subtract from one of the essential oil in the above mixture. Just make sure you dilute it enough where it doesn’t irate your scalp or skin. Have fun and if you know of a recipe for hair thinning please comment on my post. Remember sharing is caring!

Please note: This mixture is purely based on research. So use caution and please test on your skin first. If you not sure of any of these essential oils you welcome to contact an aromatherapy specialist for advice and usages. All of my mixture are at a 1 percent dilution. You can go up to 2.5 dilution if your scalp/skin can handle it. Do not use while pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have allergies please test a small amount first. Keep away from small children. If you have high blood pressure do not use. More Information on measurement can be found here http://www.ehow.com/how_2200143_how-much-essential-oil-use.html. More helpful & caution tips can be found here http://www.aroma-essence.com/mini-guide.html.

Image source for castor plant : http://chiotsrun.com/2009/10/03/castor-bean-plant/