Lemongrass is a tall plant in the grass family native to tropical countries. It has a strong aroma and is a staple spice in many Asian cuisines.
Yet, despite its popularity in the culinary world, few people know that lemongrass has benefits for hair and skin. For instance, studies show that lemongrass oil is great for preventing dandruff.
Today, we explore all the lemongrass oil benefits for hair you didn’t know about!
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What Is Lemongrass Oil?
Lemongrass oil is an essential oil manufacturers extract from the leaves and stalks of the Cymbopogon plant.
It’s a common ingredient in aromatherapy products because of its strong citrusy scent.
Lemongrass oil has an active compound called citral, which has antibacterial properties. It’s also rich in essential vitamins and minerals, giving it huge benefits for hair, scalp, and skin.
What Are the Benefits of Lemongrass Oil?
Below are some of the benefits of lemongrass oil for your hair.
1. Promotes Hair Growth
One advantage of lemongrass oil is that it boosts hair growth. It does this by stimulating your hair follicles and improving blood circulation.
Lemongrass has high antioxidant levels. The added stimulation from this strengthens your hair follicles.
Studies show that lemongrass oil can lessen or prevent hair fall. You can combine it with rosemary and lavender for maximum effect.
2. Moisturizes Dry Scalp
Lemongrass oil is a natural remedy that can maintain the moisture levels on your scalp. It has astringent properties that bind your body tissues. This helps lock in moisture.
What’s more, the same astringent properties of lemongrass oil can prevent the overproduction of sebum. Sebum buildup is harmful to your hair because it can block the hair follicles’ nutrition.
Simply put, using lemongrass oil balances your scalp’s moisture levels.
3. Improves Hair Shine
Part of the reason why lemongrass oil has so many benefits for hair is its vitamin content. It’s high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium.
These components reduce excessive oil production, allowing your hair to gain a natural shine.
4. Heals Scalp Irritation
Another advantage of lemongrass oil is its anti-inflammatory effect.
Lemongrass oil is rich in antioxidants and flavonoids. These components reduce inflammation, heal scalp irritation, and minimize pain.
In fact, a 2017 study shows that lemongrass oil supports tissue remodeling. It combats inflamed dermal fibroblasts in our body, which relieves scalp irritation.
5. Fights Dandruff
In 2015, scientists found that a tonic containing lemongrass oil was able to combat dandruff.
The test subjects experienced significantly less dandruff only seven days into the experiment.
Lemongrass oil became effective because it inhibits Malassezia furfur. This is a yeast that causes several skin conditions in humans.
7 Lemongrass Oil Products to Try
Now that you know about the benefits of lemongrass essential oil, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite lemongrass hair products.
1. Liv Nature Lemongrass Shampoo Bar
Shampoo bars are convenient and eco-friendly products that are gentler on your scalp. This one from Liv Nature, in particular, contains lemongrass, lavender, and tea tree oil.
I absolutely love this shampoo bar because it has no harmful ingredients. It’s also perfect for oily hair. Using it, I noticed how well it clarified my scalp and lessened the hair fall!
You can buy Live Nature’s shampoo and conditioner bars in convenient tins for traveling.
2. Lockology Lock Oil
Lockology’s Lock Oil is an all-natural plant-based moisturizer for dry hair and scalp. It combines coconut and lemongrass to strengthen brittle hair, promote growth, and reduce itching.
What I like most about Lockology’s formulation is it doesn’t cause build-up in my scalp, unlike other products. My hair looks extra smooth and shiny after using it!
You can use Lock Oil as a leave-in conditioner to seal the moisture within your cuticles.
3. Lather Bamboo Lemongrass Shampoo
Lather’s lemongrass shampoo is one of the gentlest formulas you can find. It’s gentle enough to use daily because it’s free from synthetic fragrances and sulfates!
I recommend Lather because it combines the antioxidant-rich bamboo with the strengthening lemongrass.
After using it, you’ll immediately notice how invigorated, lightweight, and clean your scalp feels, thanks to the lemongrass!
4. Alikay Naturals Leave-In Conditioner
Lemongrass is the perfect addition to conditioners. It reduces hair shedding and rebuilds your cuticles.
This one from Alikay Naturals uses lemongrass in its formula to nourish extremely damaged hair.
I like Alikay’s leave-in conditioner the most for its ability to volumize. It works well to soften my hair, and it smells amazing to boot!
5. Antidote Lemongrass Hair Spray
Antidote’s lemongrass hair spray is certainly pricier than other brands. However, I believe it’s worth the investment.
I love that it doesn’t build up and flakiness on your scalp, unlike other hair sprays.
This hair spray also contains lemongrass, aloe vera, and hemp to nourish and strengthen your hair. It’s color-safe, cruelty-free, and vegan, making it a guilt-free purchase for me!
6. The Gnarly Whale Lemongrass Spray
I’m the type of person to always have sea salt spray on my vanity. That’s because sea salt spray is an excellent volumizer and texturizer for an effortless beach look!
This one from Gnarly Whale, in particular, is one of my favorites because of its unique lemongrass and mint scent.
Using it, you’ll get gorgeously wavy hair without any greasiness. Plus, Gnarly Whale’s formulation ensures your hair stays nourished and shiny.
7. Botanical Hair Growth Treatment
Of course, let’s not forget lemongrass’s benefits to hair growth.
Botanical created this treatment with lemongrass and rosemary to stimulate your hair follicles.
The lemongrass works by boosting blood circulation to your roots. As a result, your hair will revive and thicken over time.
I highly recommend this product to anyone struggling with an itchy and flaky scalp. The lemongrass in it will reduce the inflammation, relieving your skin in the process.
Conclusion
Lemongrass oil isn’t a common ingredient in cosmetics. Yet, it offers a wide range of benefits you may not have known about.
Lemongrass oil benefits for hair include improved hair growth and balanced moisture. It also helps heal your scalp and reduces inflammation.
Overall, I highly recommend incorporating lemongrass oil into your hair care routine! Would you give it a try? Let me know in the comments below!