The best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth have many uses: head massages, growth tonics, shampoos, conditioners, and hair masks. All of the carrier oils we suggest can be and are recommended to be blended with our essential oils to boost hair-growing goodies that will grow your hair like Rapunzel and leave it shining like the sun.
Using oils like argon, castor, and coconut oil will improve the condition of your hair, but it will also improve the condition of your scalp, regrowth, and quality of your hair. The saying goes, “Invest in your hair, it’s the crown you never take off.”
This is a lengthy article, so let’s break down what we’ll cover in helping you on your quest to find the best carrier oils for hair treatments.
- Understanding the structure of hair & causes of hair loss
- The anatomy of the skin and how carriers help each part
- A deep dive into our NINE best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth
- Some of our experts’ best carrier oils for hair recipes
With all that done, let’s dive right in.
The Structure Of The Hair
There are two specific parts to the hair: the hair shaft with the cuticle, cortex, and medulla as the sum of its parts. And the hair bulb is the cauldron where the cells are cooked up and pushed out of the head.
The Hair Shaft
The hair shaft is the part you see that grows from the follicle - the hair on your head (or chest, legs, party area, hobbit toes..) The hair shaft has two / three parts: the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla (in thicker hair only). Carrier oils help the hair shaft to remain in excellent condition by feeding and sealing it. Of course, the fact it also smells good is a bonus!
The Cortex
This is the middle and the main bulk of the hair, which is made of Keratin. It contains two bonds (that hold it together); these are Disulphide bonds and Hydrogen bonds. When hair becomes dry, weak, or brittle, it’s because of the breakdown of these bonds; these are things that need to be repaired (by carrier oils, no less).
This is also the part of the hair that contains your natural hair color (or not, depending on your age), and the condition of your cortex is dependable on keeping your hair cuticles smooth and flat. If your cuticles are lifted (dry, brittle, and dull hair), the carrier oils bleed through these rough scales to feed your cortex with moisture and fatty acids, re-building the bonds wearing thin.
The Cuticle
These look like roofing tiles or fish scales all layered together and pointing down towards your feet. This is why backcombing gives hairdressers anxiety; it goes against the grain of your hair.
Healthy cuticles lie flat against the cortex giving your hair a healthy shine. Unfortunately, the cuticles are the first part of the hair to become damaged through chemical processing, heat styling, or sunburn. These scales protect the cortex and lift when chemicals are applied to the hair. Lifting allows the chemical inside the cortex to change the shade or shape of hair (bleaching, coloring, or perming).
Heat damage from over-styling or sunburn can also cause these scales to lift - scorched hair is dried and brittle, just screaming out for moisture. When applying oils for moisture, the carrier oils squeeze in through the lifted cuticles to feed the cortex. Once the cortex has absorbed enough of the oil, the remaining oil stays on the outside to seal the cuticle down against the hair shaft.
The Medulla
Amazingly, not everyone has a medulla in their hair - this is specifically for those blessed with thick luscious hair and contains a soft, thin, transparent core filled with air spaces and transparent cells, making the hair fuller and dense.
The Follicle
The follicle is the space where the hair grows through the epidermis - it’s attached to sweat glands and pores. The sweat glands on your scalp produce all the lovely natural oils (sebum) that can sometimes be lacking on dry, damaged scalps or covered in itchy eczema or psoriasis. This is where carrier oils do their business.
They load the hair with proteins and nutrients to make the hair cells healthier, more robust, and shinier than ever before - and they do it by seeping into the skin's dermis.
For scalps that are affected by skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or seborrheic dermatitis, the carrier oils moisturize and nourish that sore flaky skin by seeping underneath and providing it with nourishment, allowing the follicles to open up and produce healthy, nourished solid hair.
The Hair Bulb
The hair bulb is the base of the hair or the “root” that is found in the very bottom of the hair follicle; this is the space it grows from through the skin, like a tube. The hair bulb is where hair cells are constantly made - arrange themselves into concentric layers and are pushed up through the hair follicle. This is where the magic begins with the carrier oils for hair growth stirring the pot to get ultimate growth results.
Causes Of Hair Loss
When looking for the best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth, we must look at the many conditions that can cause hair loss, from some of the most intense and invasive medical treatments to hormonal imbalances and old age. Losing hair is traumatic; however, it happens. It’s a complex and emotional condition.
Let's look at some potential causes of hair loss and some of the best carrier oils for hair growth.
Alopecia
There are four main categories of alopecia:
Hormone Imbalances
We have the best oils around when it comes to the best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth, either during pregnancy or postpartum hair loss. Hair loss is a common complaint when growing a new human or if you have just given birth. Sleepless nights, sometimes not getting the right food, and the stress of becoming a parent, it’s no wonder our hair falls out. On the flip side, it’s menopause and old age for hair growth problems.
As hair follicles get older, they produce fewer keratin cells. As a result, hair gets finer and finer until it eventually stops growing. As we age, our bodies concentrate the nutrients on which areas need them the most, and as you get older, unfortunately, having a glorious head of hair is not a priority.
This is a lighthearted view of a complex issue, but one which carrier oils used for hair loss and regrowth can help with in spades. Carrier oils used for hair loss and regrowth penetrate deep into the scalp. Piling into the follicles with their mix of omega and fatty acids plowing into the pores what is lost or lacking during periods of hormonal imbalance.
Hereditary Male and Female Pattern Baldness
Inequality when losing your hair isn’t a thing about baldness; it’s an equal opportunity for employers. Genetics significantly affects whether you are selected for the privilege of losing your hair. If one or more of your biological parents are thinning on top, there’s a good chance you have this to look forward to.
The best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth will help you proactively manage thinning locks, stimulating the pores and glands in the dermis to produce more and more cells to keep a healthy head of hair for as long as possible and make sure that your remaining hair is healthy.
Stress - Bereavement, Divorce, and Work
When we talk about the best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth, it’s difficult to imagine scenarios such as grief, stress at work, and divorce contributing factors to need them. But sometimes, life is callous. Struggles and overwhelming situations happen to everyone—usually, significant life changes such as moving jobs, divorce, or grief.
Every single organ in our body can experience physical stress, anxiety, or worry symptoms. For example, our skin is the body’s largest organ and is covered in hair. So when we get stressed, our skin gets stressed. And when our skin gets stressed, our scalp and hair get stressed.
Anxiety, depression, stress, or grief can sometimes get too much for the body to bear. Under the weight of inner or external turmoil, hair sometimes falls out or is pulled out in frustration. Using the best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth is an integral part of the remedy to stimulate your follicles.
Including essential oils in hair and scalp treatments will invigorate your follicles, maintain your hair, and calm the nervous system. These oils (carriers and essentials) are important for re-invigorating your scalp and hair to regrow.
Medications and Treatments for Hair Loss And Regrowth
The best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth can help people who have lost hair when undergoing medical treatments. They stimulate the follicles in the scalp. And give them a jump start for hair growth.
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy have long been associated with hair loss. This can either be through the invasive nature of the drugs or radiation through the skin that targets disease underneath specific skin sections.
Using Carrier Oils For Hair Loss and Regrowth
Many methods use carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth; the main one is massage. Using anyone from our list of the best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth treatment will penetrate the skin, feeding the follicles with beneficial fatty acids and vitamins ordinarily not absorbed by the pores on your scalp. This list of carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth will stimulate your hair growth but will sustain the health of the hair already on your scalp while keeping it nourished.
Carrier Oils For Hair Loss and Regrowth, How Do They Work?
Carrier oils encourage hair growth by stimulating the hair bulb that sits at the base of the hair follicle. The follicle is the space where hair grows through the skin (it’s like a tube).
The real magic comes from the bulb; this is the part responsible for the growth of hair cells. These cells then form into perpetual circles and bond together to become hair. The bulb and cell production are what the carrier oils for hair growth stimulate to encourage locks like Rapunzel.
What Are The Best Carrier Oils For Hair Loss and Regrowth?
Our best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth are derived from plants and used as a base ingredient to safely dilute essential oils to be used topically for nourishing hair and scalp. They are an important part of any product or treatment containing essential oils too strong to be used directly on the hair or the scalp's sensitive skin. Carrier oil helps us to make them safe.
Carrier oils may not always be why you have chosen a product or decided on treatment for hair loss and regrowth (essential oils are usually the bigger deal, especially in product advertising), but carrier oils are a vital part. The treatment or product could not go ahead or be made without it. In addition, carrier oils are fixed oils - which means they don’t evaporate; essential oils, on the other hand, quickly evaporate.
When we look at carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth, we are also looking at ways to feed the skin and hair that encourage a two-fold process, hair loss to slow down and hair growth to speed up.
The Best Carrier Oils For Hair Loss and Regrowth
Coconut MCT Oil
Light and silky Coconut MCT Oil is a world away from the heavy and greasy “Fractionated Coconut Oil.” The difference between fractionated and the satin feel of Coconut MCT Oil is that although they are the same, they are made differently. The manufacturing of this oil leaves in some of the skin-loving triglycerides, which are removed in the manufacture of fractionated coconut oil.
Coconut MCT Oil makes an excellent base for hair masks and conditioning treatments; the hair's cortex quickly absorbs it because of its molecular structure that can bypass the cuticle. When the cortex has absorbed all the coconut oil it needs, the remaining oil stays on the outside of the hair shaft, acting as a seal for the cuticle to prevent anything else from penetrating it.
Coconut oil is excellent for keeping your hair hydrated, nourished, and healthy. It penetrates the skin on your scalp, leaving it hydrated and nourished, which is a perfect environment to grow healthy hair. Using coconut oil in a hair mask or treatment extends to the scalp.
Safety: Unfortunately, if you are allergic to nuts, this carrier oil isn't for you!
Grapeseed Oil
This wonder oil is a byproduct of wine manufacturing, and while usually the oil is extracted by solvents, here at VINEVIDA, we like to do things the old-fashioned way. We source our Grapeseed oil from experts who have mastered the complex process of cold pressing the grape seeds, making an inconceivably pure oil without chemical processing.
Grapeseed oil is a wonderfully thin carrier oil. It is slippery and easily absorbed into the skin and hair. Chock full of vitamin E and Omega chain acids hydrates hair by sneaking the cuticle into the cortex in the past again. Like coconut oil, it then sticks around and seals the cuticle, leaving a light coating on the hair. Finally, it covers the scalp like a slick blanket of sustenance on the skin, feeding your starving skin all the goodness it needs to jumpstart cell production in the follicles.
Using this carrier oil for hair growth can help support the skin on your scalp, significantly if the skin is flared up with eczema, psoriasis, or seborrheic dermatitis. We highly recommend grapeseed oil blended with tea tree essential oil as a pre-shampoo treatment for dry, itchy, and flaky scalp. Tea tree oil is highly underrated for hair and scalp with its antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Combining grapeseed oil with any essential oils and its brand of vibrant goodness (vitamin e and omega chain acids) will boost the effectiveness of the essential oil used in products or treatments. Particularly excellent for targeted hair growth on the scalp to encourage the follicles to jump and dance at the “Let's Grow” party Grapeseed oil starts on your noggin.
Sweet Almond Oil
If there were a prize for the most luxurious oil, it would be given to Sweet Almond. A beautifully rich, unctuous slick of luxury that can apply anywhere you like. It just so happens to be the most sweet-smelling, glamorous, rich carrier oil you’ll find this side of Cleopatra’s beauty chamber.
Sweet Almond oil is a little thick to use on its own for hair but blends so well with other carrier oils (such as grapeseed) when used for hair and scalp treatments. In addition, it is an emollient, so it is lovely for hydrating areas of dehydrated hair. For example, for very dry tips of the hair, which are heavily heat styled - rubbing a little amount of sweet almond oil directly onto the hair shaft will swell the dry cuticles with its lustrous ways and make your hair shine. Be warned, though - it’s very thick!
So it is always best to blend it with a little of another oil so it won't weigh down the hair and make it look like you’ve dipped it in grease.
If you are in the business of making your products, this oil is so thick and lovely; anything you put it in, such as hair masks, conditioners, and shampoos, will be best sellers. In addition, its superb non-comedogenic properties won’t block the pores on your scalp. This oil is better suited for drier hair, though, because of its ability to keep in moisture - you don’t want extra oil if you are already oily!
Safety: Unfortunately, if you are allergic to nuts, this carrier oil isn't for you!
Argan Oil
Argan oil is a moisturizing powerhouse thanks to its composition (80% no less) of fatty acids omega 6 and 9. Argan oil is a hydrating and nourishing carrier that can easily blend with essential oils. It’s easily absorbed into the hair, slathering it in these beautiful nutritional properties that swell the cortex, filling in all the dry cracks and crannies with moisture. Using a light layer of argan oil before heat styling hair protects the cuticles from becoming damaged (which is the cause of dry, brittle hair).
It’s good for hair but even better for skin, leaving a thin layer of residual oil and a faint, oily smell. Linoleic acid is a vital component of this oil (as well as the fatty omega acids 6 and 9). In addition, it is known to strengthen the skin barrier and promote cell turnover, making the skin soft and plump and increasing its ability to produce healthy hair cells.
All hair and skin types love argan oil - it’s a middle-of-the-road oil that helps everyone!
Safety: Not everyone loves nuts, though. If you have an allergy to them, I’m afraid Argan oil isn’t for you.
Avocado Oil
Like the fruit, the avocado is excellent for you. It’s a thick-ish glossy, easily absorbed oil, making it a fantastic base for hair treatments that need extra nourishing. Like all other oils we have spoken about, it is soaked through cuticle gaps to rehydrate the hair's cortex. Then, like a little magical plug, it covers and seals cuticles down, becoming a barrier. It’s convenient for hair that becomes frizzy in humid weather.
When faced with an exotic getaway or as a summer hair must-have, Avocado oil is essential to our vanity.
Avocado oil is not only good for the hair, but it’s also lovely for the skin on the scalp. A head massage with avocado oil and essential oils such as Lavender or Peppermint stimulates the blood flow to the follicles on your head, encouraging new hair growth.
Jojoba Oil
Dry hair and dry scalp-related ailments are sometimes linked to us not producing enough sebum. So guess what does a grand job of mimicking sebum? Excellent, wonderful Jojoba oil.
Now, too much sebum on the scalp can cause greasy hair - but not enough sebum can mean dry, brittle hair that is dull and lackluster. Here is where Jojoba oil steps up to the mark. It is chemically closer to wax than oil, and this unique composition makes it one of the most beautiful carrier oils for hair and scalp.
It contains Vitamin B, E, Zinc, Copper, and all skin-loving fats benefitting the skin, leaving it nourished and hydrated. If your head skin is nourished and hydrated - your hair will also be fed and watered well, leaving it in a condition similar to that of a mermaid.
Using jojoba oil in weekly hair masks for deep conditioning treatments will coat the hair in a residue that will stick to cuticles longer, sealing in the hydration and nourishment from all those beautiful components.
Tamanu Oil
Unlike the other carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth oils mentioned in this article, Tamanu oil is a solid at room temperature and must be warmed before use. Tamanu oil is cultivated from the Tamanu tree, native to East Africa; it grows from the southern coasts of India to Australia. Tamanu oil is used as a carrier oil specifically to support the body's natural immune responses to conditions affecting the skin.
As it contains anti-inflammatory properties, it’s helpful in treatments to promote scar tissue formation or heal the skin (for example, after radiotherapy burns). In addition, it’s an easily absorbed rich oil with a light spicy wood fragrance lingering on the skin after treatments—a gloriously rich oil, great for skin that is regrowing hair requiring a little extra healing oomph.
Safety: Unfortunately, if you are allergic to nuts, this carrier oil isn't for you!
Castor Oil
Castor oil has a rich, thick, honey-like texture - wherever it is placed (if not blended), it will stick. When used topically on the scalp for hair loss and regrowth, it will nourish, moisturize and cool the skin. Especially skin that has been damaged. BUT, if you warm it up and leave it to seep into the skin, it deeply penetrates different layers of skin, meaning the effects are even better.
Castor oil is a triglyceride (a fatty acid) mainly composed of ricinoleic acid. This acid is the key to luscious locks; this acid feeds the dormant hair follicles by increasing blood flow and promoting hair cell production. Warm castor oil seeps deep into the hair's cortex, swelling it with triglycerides, forming a seal around the cuticle - trapping in all that nourishment to make your hair smooth and vibrant from the inside out.
Rosehip Oil
Rosehip oil is made from the fruit after the flower has gone. It is bursting with Vitamin C and F. This makes it fantastic for more mature skin affected by hair loss. It plumps and moisturizes the skin with its unctuous ways and hydrates by penetrating deep into the skin, feeding the aging follicles with its beautiful liquid gold shine (the carotenes from the color of the hips).
Less is more when using this oil. There isn’t a strong smell associated with Rosehip oil, so when mixed with essential oils that will also stimulate hair growth, the fragrance of the essentials isn’t compromised or masked.
The Best Carrier Oils For Hair Growth Recipes
DIY Essential Oil Blend For Hair Loss and Regrowth
- 10ml Grapeseed Carrier Oil (Vitis vinifera)
- 10ml Jojoba Carrier Oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
- 10ml Argan Carrier Oil (Argania spinosa)
- 10ml Castor Oil (Ricinis communis)
- 10 drops Saw Palmetto essential oil (Serenoa repens)
- 10 drops Cedarwood essential oil (Juniperus virginiana)
- 10 drop Ylang Ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata)
Method of Use: Massage the scalp daily. Draw the oils down the hair shaft to gain beautifully conditioned locks. Leave on for 30 minutes before shampooing out. This is a lot of oil. You may need to shampoo twice.
Safety: Not suitable for use during pregnancy (Ylang Ylang)
Tingly Hair Loss and Regrowth Oil
Peppermint and Rosemary essential oils pick up the pace when blended with Castor oil for this wondrous growth oil.
- 50ml Castor oil (Ricinis communis
- 30 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (Mentha piperita)
- 10 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil (Rosmarinus officianalis)
Method of use: Spritz lightly onto the root of the hair daily to stimulate the hair follicles. Gently massage into your scalp using your fingertips. Brush the remaining tonic through the rest of your hair and style as usual. No need to rinse.
Safety: Unsuitable in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. If you have epilepsy or high blood pressure - omit the Rosemary essential oil from this recipe.
Turning the Best Carrier Oils For Hair Loss And Regrowth Into A Gal’s Best Friend
Rosehip oil and Peppermint essential oil stimulate the follicles in more mature skin. In addition, geranium essential oil is known to balance hormones.
- 50ml Rosehip oil
- 20 drops Geranium Essential oil (Pelargonium graveolens)
- 15 drops of Peppermint Essential oil (Mentha piperita)
Method of use: Massage your scalp daily to stimulate the hair follicles, and leave it on for as long as possible. Wash out and style as usual.
Safety: Unsuitable in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy
Using The Best Carrier Oils for Hair Loss and Regrowth on Receding Hairlines
Avocado oil is deep penetrating and stimulates hair cell production. Peppermint, Lavender, and Rosemary essential oils are all stimulants to increase blood flow to the bulb of the hair encouraging new growth.
- 120ml Avocado oil (Persea Gratissima)
- 10 drops of Peppermint Essential oil (Mentha piperita)
- 10 drops of Lavender Essential oil (Lavandula)
- 5 drops of Rosemary Essential oil (Rosmarinus officianalis)
Method of use: Pat onto the scalp in areas of thinning hair, massage into the skin, leave to penetrate for twenty minutes, and wash off and style as usual.
Safety: Unsuitable for use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy; if you suffer from high blood pressure or epilepsy, or any delusory conditions, omit the Rosemary essential oil from this recipe.
Postpartum Hair Loss and Regrowth Head Massage Oil
Sweet almond oil is luxurious and adept at calming and feeding the hair with all kinds of good stuff. The Geranium essential oil has properties known to balance hormones, and peppermint brings it to tingle to encourage the hair follicles to up their game.
- 120ml Sweet Almond oil (Prunus dulcis)
- 20 drops of Geranium Essential oil (Pelargonium graveolens)
- 10 drops of Peppermint Essential oil (Mentha piperita)
Method of use: Rub the oil directly onto your scalp using your fingertips, leave on the scalp for twenty minutes and then wash out shampoo, condition, and style as usual.
Safety: Unsuitable for use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy
Calming Hair Loss and Regrowth Scalp Oil
The castor oil in this recipe is the pacifying ointment you need when your nerves are frazzled. With Lavender and Rosemary, essential oils gently prick at the follicles to pick up their speed on hair growth, and then Melissa essential oil joins in to tell us it’s all going to be alright.
- 120ml Argan oil (Argania spinosa)
- 15 drops of Lavender Essential oil (Lavandula)
- 5 drops of Rosemary Essential oil (Rosmarinus officianalis)
- 10 drops of Melissa Essential oil (Melissa officianalis)
Method of use: Rub this lulling, peaceful oil onto the scalp and temples (don’t get it into your eyes). After applying it to the roots of the hair, gently massage it into the scalp and nape of the neck. Rinse with warm water, shampoo, condition, and style as usual.
Safety: Unsuitable for use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. If you suffer from high blood pressure, epilepsy, or delusory condition, omit the Rosemary essential oil from this recipe.
Scalp Massage Routine Using The Best Carrier Oils For Hair Loss and Regrowth
- Using both hands, start at the back of your neck and rake your fingers (in a claw shape) in an upward stroke towards the center of your head.
- As you touch the very top of your head with your fingertips, let your thumb rest on the base of your skull. Next, move your fingers in small circles to stimulate the follicles on top of your head. Then, slowly bring your thumbs up behind your ears and move your fingers forward, massaging the front hairline in a claw-like action pulling the skin from the hairline towards the center of the scalp.
- From the front center, hairline, move hands on either side of your head towards the side of your head while moving your fingers in small circles. Next, massage the scalp with your thumbs and forefingers, starting at the base of the skull, and working up towards the back of the scalp to the neckline. Repeat this up to five times.
Nutrition For Hair Loss And Regrowth
While we are on hair loss and regrowth, we would be remiss not to include a short section on a diet. The condition of your hair and scalp relies heavily on the rest of your body being fed the right things to keep it nice and healthy. In addition, your hair and scalp need several specific nutrients to keep it ticking along and growing the goods. So incorporating these items into your diet when you are explicitly trying to regrow your hair after some loss is beneficial and will produce growth results from the inside. In contrast, the carrier oils for hair loss and re-growth recipes work on the outside. A double whammy!
- Vitamin A - Oily fish, dairy products, carrots, broccoli, cantaloupe, and squash.
- B Vitamins - Whole grains, nuts and seeds, eggs, dark green vegetables (spinach, kale, etc.), citrus fruits, avocados, and bananas
- Beta Carotene - Yellow, orange, and green fruits and dark green leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach)
- Zinc - Baked beans, chickpeas, almonds, cashews, red meat, and milk.
Conclusion
Using our best carrier oils for hair loss and regrowth in any capacity is a decision your hair will undoubtedly thank you for; they will help re-grow your luscious locks to their former crowning glory. So if you use any carrier oils for hair growth from this article or try the recipes and your hair starts growing like wildfire, we would be thrilled to know!
