CARING FOR HAIR AND NAILS

Both the hair and nails are made of keratin, a modified skin tissue, and both are present to protect us from harm. The hair and nails benefit from good nutrition, and care with essential oils can improve their appearance.

Teenage Hair
Hair problems for teenagers will often mean greasy hair. Greasy hair needs frequent washing with a suitable shampoo to prevent the excess oil from causing spots around the hairline. However, the rubbing action on the scalp stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum and can make the problem worse. If you have greasy hair, shampoo it no more than once a day. Add an astringent essential oil to an unperfumed shampoo for your own aromatherapy treatment at home. Take care to apply the shampoo to the hair and not the scalp.












If your hair lacks lustre, try adding the appropriate oils to an unperfumed conditioner base. After shampooing, gently comb the mix through to the ends of your hair.



Hair loss can also be a problem for some young women. This can be brought on by the stress of exams and personal worries, and also by harsh treatment of hair that is already weak, such as dragging it back too tightly from the forehead with hair hairbands. Mixing essential oils with your shampoo can help to strengthen weak hair. Handle hair with care, and ease it forward slightly before adding hairbands and accessories.

Conditioning
The condition of our hair is crucial to how we look, and good hair treatment brings its rewards. Hair should be trimmed regularly - with no more than 1cm (1/2 in) removed - to keep the ends strong. This is especially important with long hair: the more often long hair is trimmed, the faster it will grow and the better it will look.

If your hair is in poor condition, use a separate conditioner: products which aim to combine a shampoo with a conditioner are rarely effective as they cannot do both jobs well. Add essential oils your hair needs to an unperfumed, basic conditioner. Apply the mixture to your hair and scalp after shampooing and towel-drying. Cover with a plastic bag to keep in the heat, and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing well.

Tips For Healthy Hair

• Add 8-10 drops of essential oils to 50ml (2fl oz) of unfragranced shampoo (not baby shampoo - it is not especially mild).
• Give yourself a daily scalp massage with soothing essential oils to arrest and prevent early hair loss.

Lavender oil is very useful for treating difficult nail conditions. Add a 2-3 drops to 5ml (1 tsp) carrier oil and use as required.

Nail care
Nail-biting is often connected to stress and has a strong emotional component. It can be a difficult habit to break. Because teenage girls are often concerned with appearance, the desire for beautiful, manicured nails may help to overcome the problem.

Strong and beautiful nails begin at the cuticle. Use an oil mix and gently massage it on to the cuticle and surrounding area daily. After three months, you will see improvement in your nails.

To encourage strong, healthy nails, you have to care for the cuticle as well as the nail, as this is is where nail growth begins. Health disorders can cause ridging and thinning of the nails. Psoriasis and fungus under the nail tips can be treated with lavender or geranium oils. As with skin and hair, the nails give an indication of inner health.

Tips For Healthy Nails

• Discouraged nail-biting by coating the nails daily with neat lavender oil. The unpleasant taste of the oil will stop the chewing.
• Apply neat lavender oil daily to the nail cuticle to improve the condition of weak nails. Results will show in three months.

Useful Essential Oils
Essential Oil
hair
Caraway Carum carvi
treatment: stimulant, encourages hair growth, aids scalp problems.

Cedarwood Cedrus atlantica
treatment: antiseptic and stimulant to scalp, reduces greasy dandruff, helps to renew hair growth

Clary sage Salvia sclarea
treatment: regenerative, improves poor hair growth

Juniper Juniperus communis
treatment: antiseborrhoeic (greasy dandruff), antiseptic (greasy scalp)

Lemon Citrus limon
treatment: antibacterial, astringent (reduces greasy dandruff)

Rosemary Rosmarinus offinalis
treatment: stimulating to circulation, helps renew hair growth

Ylang ylang Cananga odorata
treatment: tonic to scalp, aids hair growth

Nails
Geranium Pelargonium
treatment: anti fungal (athlete's foot, skin and nail fungi)

Lavender Lavandula angustifolia
treatment: anti fungal (athlete's foot, skin and nail fungi), healing (strengthens weak nails)

Tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia
treatment: anti-infections, anti fungal (skin and nail infections)

Skin
Geranium Pelargonium graveolens
treatment: cicatrizant (healing), useful for open acne

Juniper Juniperus communis
treatment: antiseborrhoeic, antiseptic

Lemon Citrus limon
treatment: antibacterial, astringent

Petitgrain Citrus aurantium var, amara (fol)
treatment: anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, useful for infected acne

Cedarwood Cedrus atlantica
treatment: antiseptic, cicatrizant, stimulant (skin and scalp problems)

Stress
Clary sage Salvis sclarea
treatment: calming

Geranium Pelargonium graveolens
treatment: relaxant (agitation, anxiety)

Lavender Lavandula angustifolia
treatment: calming and sedative

Lemon Citrus limon
treatment: calming and sedative

Petitgrain Citrus aurantium var. amara (fol)
treatment: balancing and calming

Emotions
Bergamot Citrus bergamia
treatment: sedative, neurotonic, cicatrizant, antispasmodic (anxiety, agitation, grief, fear, mood swings)