Rosemary Hair Rinse

Recently we trimmed our rosemary bush in our side yard and after making a few firepit bundles to ward off bugs, mainly mosquitos, we still had a lot left over. Brainstorming on how to use them so they didn't go to waste, I decided to create some homemade rosemary hair rinse. It was easier than I thought and I have definitely been enjoying rinsing my hair in the rosemary tea after my shower is over. I've also added a few sprigs bundled together with twine to hang in our shower for a nice scent when we shower.

Rosemary is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and vasodilator, meaning it dilates the blood cells. It also helps stimulate hair growth, improves circulation, and soothes the scalp to some degree. Rosemary hair oil has become more popular lately and creating your own rosemary tea will give the same benefits from the rosemary just in a different form. Rosemary tea is great for hair breakage and what I found out while using mine was fuller hair and less oiliness. Of course, these are only my personal experiences with the rosemary tea I created, and everyone's hair is different, but there are no harmful side effects known of rosemary tea. Another added benefit I noticed with daily use was a shiny, more manageable hair to style.

Here is how it's made:

Working in batches, I added the clipped rosemary sprigs from the previous rosemary trimming of our bush to a large stock pot (mine is from IKEA and hold five quarts) and poured 10 to 12 cups of water over the rosemary. I added about 20 sprigs per pot and allowed them to come to a boil.

Once they started boiling I allowed them to remain boiling for about 10 minutes.

The water will slowly start to turn light brown in color. This is where the heat should be turned off. I let the rosemary sit in the water for about 10 more minutes to get the most out of the herb.

Remove the rosemary sprig from the rosemary water and set aside. I used tongs for the large pieces and a slotted spoon for the smaller ones. Allow the rosemary water to cool to room temperature before bottling. Be sure to compost your rosemary scraps, or throw into a brown paper sack and toss on a firepit or campfire. Rosemary helps keeps mosquitos and other bugs at bay.

Once cooled place a funnel and a fine mesh strainer over the top of your jars and fill jars as much as you want per jar. I like to leave a bit of space, about two inches at the top of the jar, to help with pouring it into the applicator bottles later. I use an applicator bottle that has a small resealable top on the bottle in the shower to apply it, similar to the one pictured below, but you could pour straight from the jars onto your hair, as well. Store the jars in the refrigerator in the meantime. They will last about a month when refrigerated. The applicator bottle that I keep in my shower, I make sure to use that rosemary hair rinse in about three days and then refill it. I've been doing this rinse for about three months now and I do see a difference. Less hair in the shower drain, less itching, less breakage, etc. Everyone's hair is different, so if you are concerned about truing this on your own hair, speak to your hair stylist, or physician beforehand. Overall rosemary is a safe herb and I just love the benefits of it all the way around, from eating, to topical, to even medicinal, it's a great addition to your routine from head to toe.