Hair Basics: Rosemary Spritz

The other day, my neighbor gave me a beautiful bunch of fresh rosemary. It was fresh from her herb pot and smelled great. So, what was I going to do with this unexpected gift? I love to cook with rosemary (which is one of the things I did with it) however I know my family would not want to eat rosemary in every meal for the next week or so. Then I remembered that rosemary is also fabulous for hair. I did a little internet research and came up with great info. A few examples can be found here, here, and here. Besides smelling great, rosemary is known to stimulate the scalp leading to hair growth. So, I decided to make a couple of hair products with my fresh rosemary.

The first was a simple spritz. I steeped the fresh rosemary in my Teavana tea maker and let it stay in there until it cooled. While it was still warm, I added about a teaspoon of raw honey – good for moisture and shine. The honey completely dissolves in the warm water so there is no stickiness in the final product.

I keep the spritz in the fridge since it is all natural and won’t last long at room temperature. So far, I love it! I spritz my hair at night before going to bed and also mid-day just to give it a quick shot of moisture. It works well and is easy and inexpensive to make.

Homemade Hair Spritz

My hair loves spritz. Despite Florida’s humid climate, I feel that my fro benefits from a nice spritz of moisture in the middle of a hot day. However, I was getting pretty tired of spending $5 - $10 for bottles of water infused with herbs and oils that I already own. So I decided to add a few things to my collection (as only a true product junkie would) and make my own spritzes.

I did a bit of online research and found great resources such Anita Grant who provided information on how different herbs affect hair. I placed an order and was very excited to receive my packages of dried herbs. I have to admit that my dried herbs sat under my bathroom sink for about two months while I used up my store bought spritz.

I was excited about the idea of making my own spritz but dreaded the process of dealing with herbs. However the process I was dreading turned out be easy peasy. I decided to make two bottles of spritz. The first is supposed to prevent breakage of dry, coarse, naturally curly hair and consists of organic hibiscus and blue malva. The other consists of organic nettle, coltsfoot, and horsetail, a combo that promotes healthy natural hair growth and prevents split ends.

I infused herbs into my water using two types of Teavana tea infusers. Both worked well and were as easy as making a cup of tea. With each type, I placed the loose herbs into the container and poured boiling water over them. I then allowed them to steep until the water cooled. I poured the infused mixtures into spray bottles that I bought from Target.

I have only used my homemade mixes for about a week but so far I really love them. These two bottles barely put a dent into my herb supply. My $20 investment in dried herbs will probably make about 20 bottles of spritz! I added a bit of lemongrass essential oil to nettle/coltsfoot/horsetail combo and it smells great and makes my hair feel super soft. I have few other herbs that I have yet to use but will keep you posted as I channel my inner mixtress.