The Repurposing Life

Want Mermaid Hair? Try This DIY Hair Growth Tonic

I’ve always loved having healthy, thick, super long hair. And that’s why this homemade hair growth tonic is such a favorite of mine. A quick story: When I was little, my mom wouldn’t cut my hair, ever. Partly because she had always had very long hair herself, and partly because my training in classical ballet required me to put all my hair up in a tight chignon.

For school, she would put it up in ponytails, pigtails, and braids. I loved being able to change up my hair into so many different styles. It was so thick and heavy that it would be neatly brushed and styled every morning, but by the time I came home from school, it had invariably come undone, the ribbons, ties and barrettes lost along the way. I’ve always had a head full of wavy thick and long hair. Like down to my waist long.

Then and Now

That is I used to have wavy thick and long hair. After the birth of my twins my hair started to dry out and it started to break (especially around my crown). It stopped growing as fast as it used to and it started to fall out (there were some days where entire handfuls of hair would fall out during normal shampooing in the shower). It was heartbreaking.

Even though I was now a “mommy” I still longed for the thick, long hair of days past. I still wanted to change up my hair styles. I still wanted to wear my hair up and let it down. I still wanted to be able to “flip” it dramatically (it’s a girl thing). I wasn’t ready to give all that up. So I went to a hair salon and put in super long extensions. Expensive ones ($1,500).

The Cost of Beauty

Then one day my infant daughter began to cry. And cry. And cry, nonstop. This was highly unusual for both twins, as they were always so sweetly quit and easy going. So I undressed her, and looked her over to see what was the cause. That’s when I noticed a strand of hair from my super long extensions had somehow wrapped itself tightly around one of her teeny tiny toes. It was cutting off the circulation. The toe was so swollen and red and the hair was so tightly tangled I was unable to remove it. Every time I tried, she would shriek in pain.

So I took her to the ER where a doctor applied a local and surgically removed the hair. All of this drama on Christmas Day, the twins were exactly 3 months old to the day. I was so upset and so angry with myself. My vanity had caused my baby pain and suffering. As soon as we got home from the ER, I went straight to the bathroom with a pair of sharp scissors and off came about 10 pounds of hair, some extensions, some my own.

I ended up with a short, wavy bob, too short to do the same damage to my baby girl again. And that’s what it’s been since. It’s too short to do anything fancy with it, but long enough to put it up with a clip or braid it around my hair line. I’ve grown to like it this length but still miss the heft of the old thickness and volume.

Natural Organic Solutions

So I researched, tried several different hair growth treatments, experimented, and finally found this homemade hair growth treatment. I tweaked the original recipe a bit, adding rosemary essential oil (recommended for dark hair, substitute chamomile essential oil for lighter hair), cedarwood essential oil and Bhringraj Scalp Therapy (optional, contains amla essential oil and is used by women in India for hair growth and shine). I love how it’s worked for me!  My hair is growing thicker and faster than it has in years. I have less breakage. My hair isn’t falling out as quickly (just a few strands and not handfuls). My hair is stronger, shinier and silky soft.

What You’ll Need To Make This Hair Growth Tonic

• Hemp seed oil, or substitute carrot seed oil.
• Lavender essential oil.
• Peppermint essential oil.
• Rosemary essential oil, or chamomile essential oil.
• Cedarwood essential oil.
• Organic Bhringraj Scalp Therapy, but this is optional don’t worry if you can’t find this locally.
• Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel—I use Thayer’s with aloe vera and rose petals, but you can use any that is available to you, so long as it is alcohol-free.
• Certified active whole leaf aloe vera juice, I was able to find this locally at Whole Foods Market.
• Distilled water—filtered tap water. Don’t have a water filtration system at home? No worries, just boil tap water, allow to cool, then use.
• Spray bottle—any trigger sprayer will do. Sometimes regular spray bottles can get clogged with oils. I’ve found the metal kind of sprayers from the Dollar Store work really well—they don’t tend to clog and spray a nice fine mist. Perfect for viscous mixtures like this hair growth tonic.

How to Make This Hair Growth Tonic with Essential Oils 

Step 1

Add 3 tablespoons alcohol–free witch hazel to a 4 oz. spray bottle.

Step 2

In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon aloe vera juice with 1 teaspoon hemp seed oil (or substitute carrot seed oil).

Tip: if you don’t want to use hemp oil, carrot seed oil is a good substitute. Like hemp seed oil, carrot seed oil is great for hair growth. Jojoba, avocado and argan oils are other possible substitutes in a pinch, but they are not quite as effective as hemp or carrot seed.

Step 3

To the aloe vera juice add the following essential oils for hair growth, once well combined, pour into bottle (best if you use a funnel). Mixture will be thick. Shake well to combine.

• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops rosemary (or chamomile) essential oil
• 10 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops organic Bhringraj Scalp Therapy (optional)

Step 4

Fill the rest of the spray bottle with distilled water (or boiled and cooled tap water).

Tip: be sure to stop adding water a half inch or so below the top so that the mixture won’t spill over when you add the sprayer head.

Step 5

Add a printable label to your spray bottle (optional).

Tip: you can print a label on specialty label paper, full sheet label paper, or print a label on regular plain printer paper then attach the label to the bottle with clear packing tape. To do this print label, cut it out, then place label face down on piece of packing tape that’s at least 1 inch longer than the label on both ends. Line the label up on the bottle and press it on starting from the center and smoothing out the label from the center out. Using packing tape like this is cheap, easy to do, and the labels stay on and look great for a long time. Wiping down your bottle with a little rubbing alcohol will clean and remove any oil from the outside of the bottle so that your label will stick really well.

How to Use This Hair Growth Tonic

1. Shake well before and during use as essential oils and hemp seed oil will tend to separate from the water and witch hazel. Shaking helps to temporarily blend the oils and water together.
2. Apply to wet hair (you can also apply it to dry hair, but wetting your hair helps the hair growth tonic to soak in better).
3. Spray tonic on scalp.
4. Massage into scalp.
5. Comb through hair.
6. Use daily for best results.

The Ingredients In This Homemade Hair Growth Tonic

Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel

Like peppermint essential oil, witch hazel also increases blood flow and promotes hair growth. Additionally, witch hazel can reduce irritation to hair follicles that would otherwise inhibit hair growth. It also helps tame frizzy hair and adds volume. Caution: ensure that you use alcohol–free witch hazel because the kind with alcohol will dry and damage your hair.

Does This Tonic Make Your Hair Feel Oily

Nope, it doesn’t make your hair feel oily. There’s actually not much oil in it, only a little over 1 teaspoon of oil in the entire batch. That’s just 1 part oil to 20 parts of water and witch hazel. Do give it a good shake though before you use it to make sure that the oils get mixed with the water and witch hazel. That way, you’ll just get a little tiny bit of oil with the rest of the hair tonic.

Use this mermaid hair spray along with these other homemade hair treatments for maximum hair growth:

1. Hair Detangling Spray—tangles and knots increase hair loss. This easy to make hair detangling with essential oils smooths and conditions as it strengthens hair. The result? Less hair loss, more hair growth. I use this one on my daughter who has extra-long “mermaid hair.” Here is the homemade hair detangling spray recipe.
2. Dry Shampoo—it’s best to only wash your hair once every 2-3 days so that it does not dry out and become brittle. I only wash mine and my daughter’s once a week. Using a dry shampoo can help extend the time in between washings, keeping your hair moisturized, strong, and healthy. That helps hair grow longer faster. Find dry shampoo powder and dry shampoo spray.
3. Hot Oil Treatment—warm 2 tablespoons jojoba oil and 2 tablespoons honey in microwave or on stovetop. Heat just until warm and viscous but not hot. Then add 3 drops peppermint essential oil and 2 drops rosemary essential oil. Stir. Apply to scalp and hair. Leave on hair for 20 minutes before shampooing out.
4. Scalp Exfoliator—healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Using a scalp exfoliator like this one helps remove dead skin cells and open pores so that hair can grow properly. To make, simply combine 2 tablespoons rolled oats, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and 4 drops tea tree essential oil. Mix together then apply to scalp, gently massage on scalp for 1-2 minutes, and then shampoo as usual.
5. Rice Water Hair Rinse—an old family favorite dating back hundreds of years and multiple generations.

Sources:
DIY Hair Growth Tonic {aka Mermaid Hair}
https://oneessentialcommunity.com/diy-hair-growth-tonic/
By Sarah Lewis, August 21, 2018
4 PROVEN Ways To Use Aloe Vera Gel For Hair Growth And Thickness (Love #2)
https://hairburrell.com/how-to-use-aloe-vera-gel-for-hair-growth
April 15, 2021 by Lemarc Gentles BSc
Aloe Vera for Your Hair: What Are the Benefits?
https://www.healthline.com/health/aloe-vera-for-hair
Medically reviewed by Sara Perkins, MD — Written by Kathryn Watson — Updated on October 15, 2020