How to Make Rosemary Oil for Hair Growth: Potent DIY Recipe

Rosemary oil for hair growth has taken the internet by storm, and this detailed, step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about how to make and use it! Discover my unique method to make a potent DIY rosemary hair oil at home: with herbal infusion, essential oils, or rosemary extract.

You’ve likely heard of the latest hair growth craze to sweep the internet: rosemary. From herbal infused oil to the ultra-trendy rosemary water, everyone seems to be dousing their hair in the aromatic herb.

But this isn’t just another over-hyped TikTok beauty tip – and it’s not a new discovery, either. Rosemary is a well-known natural hair growth remedy with plenty of evidence to support it, and making your own DIY rosemary oil is one of the best ways to reap the benefits.

It’s wonderful to see natural solutions gain popularity. But while most people mean well, not all methods of making rosemary infused oil are effective or ideal.

That’s why I came up with my own original recipe. Because when it comes to making rosemary oil for hair, using the right kind of rosemary, carrier oil, and infusion method is very important to achieve the best results.

Based on my own personal experience of using this remedy to grow and thicken my hair, I’ll show you how to extract the most hair growth benefits from your infused oil, while also avoiding common mistakes.

In this guide, we’ll dive into:

• How to make rosemary oil, including the best carrier oil and infusion method
• Using it to encourage fast hair growth and improved thickness
• Avoiding common mistakes (+ why you shouldn’t use fresh rosemary!)
• How to dilute rosemary essential oil for your scalp

After a brief introduction, we’ll get straight into the DIY with step-by-step photos of the process. You can also find tips and a FAQ section at the end of this article.

Update April 2025: This info-packed article was recently shortened for simplicity. To learn more, you can read my deep dive into rosemary oil’s hair benefits.

Why I made this rosemary oil recipe

Many people seem to be experiencing hair loss these days, and if you’re on a hair regrowth journey, I’m right there with you.

After a period of stress-induced hair fall, I started ramping up hair growth efforts, using both homemade rosemary oil and water religiously in an effort to regain some length and thickness.

It didn’t take much time to notice a difference – the excess shedding stopped, and I’ve seen steady new growth.

Since I found both remedies to be so helpful, I’ve also written a detailed guide to using rosemary water for hair. I’ve also since incorporated rosemary into other growth-boosting recipes, which you can find below.

Rosemary oil for hair – what is it?

This rosemary oil DIY refers to a carrier oil infused with rosemary leaves. Not to be confused with rosemary essential oil, this aromatic, herbal-infused oil has a variety of benefits for hair and scalp, especially growth and thickening.

The process of making my rosemary oil recipe involves gently heating rosemary leaves in a carrier oil, then allowing the mixture to infuse for a couple weeks. My double infusion method yields a potent, fragrant, vibrant golden oil imbued with rosemary’s antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.

With its beautiful golden color, it’s like liquid gold for hair growth. But you can also expect some natural color variation. The longer you infuse it, the stronger and darker it becomes, sometimes turning a vibrant golden green.

After straining, you can apply the herbal oil to your scalp to help grow hair, improve thickness, and help stop hair fall, among many other proven benefits. You can also incorporate into other beauty recipes (such as a brow growth serum).

With that aside, let’s get into how to make it!

DIY Rosemary Oil Ingredients

You’ll need only a handful of ingredients to make this recipe:

• Dried rosemary: You’ll need dried rosemary to make rosemary oil for hair, which is very affordable in bulk. I buy rosemary leaves by the bag and use them to make a variety of hair growth DIYs, including rosemary water. Plus, if you use culinary rosemary, you can use the leftover in cooking.
  
  Caution: Please do not use fresh rosemary or you will end up with a moldy oil. More on this below.
• Cold-pressed castor oil: This popular carrier oil has hair growth benefits of its own, including prostaglandin-like effects that stimulate hair follicles¹⁸. It’s also abundant in growth-promoting vitamin E along with ricinoleic acid, a unique fatty acid that deeply nourishes the hair shaft¹⁷.
• MCT oil or fractionated coconut oil: Both oils are comprised of mostly saturated fats. This makes them extremely heat-stable and gives them a long shelf life, making them two of the best carrier oils for heat infusing rosemary and other herbs.
• Vitamin E oil: A powerful antioxidant, not only does vitamin E help protect your rosemary oil during infusion, but it also helps accelerate hair growth¹⁹.
• Rosemary essential oil: If you don’t have rosemary leaves, I’ve also included instructions for how to dilute the essential oil for growth below.

You’ll find the DIY instructions immediately below. If you’re interested in learning more about the ingredients, why they help your hair grow, and recipe substitutions, you can read more information after the recipe.

Rosemary Hair Oil Recipe

1/2 cup / 100g cold-pressed castor oil
1/2 cup / 100g fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil (see substitutions)
~3/4 cup dried rosemary leaves
5ml / 1 tsp / 4g mixed tocopherols vitamin E oil

Equipment + Supplies

Small stainless steel pot with lid
Laser thermometer
Mason jar and lid for infusion
Large sieve or cheesecloth to strain herbs
Glass dropper bottle or serum bottle to apply

How to make rosemary oil for hair growth

1. Start by placing dried rosemary leaves in a small stainless steel saucepan or miniature double boiler. Then, pour castor oil and fractionated coconut oil (or another carrier oil such as jojoba oil) over top to cover the herbs.
   
2. Add vitamin E oil to the mixture. Stir to incorporate and to ensure the herbs are completely submerged in oil.
   
3. Place the pot on the stovetop over low heat, and keep your laser thermometer handy. The key is to extract as many benefits from the rosemary leaves as possible without overheating the oil.
   
   Tip: Rosemary is relatively heat stable, so there’s leeway. But to avoid degrading the oil or herbs, it’s best to infuse the rosemary oil between 50°C-71°C (120-160°F).
   
4. Once the rosemary oil begins to heat up, shut off the stove, give the oil a stir, and place a lid over the pot to retain the heat. This allows the oil to infuse at a low temperature without requiring you to check it obsessively. At this point, you can leave and come back to the pot in about an hour once it cools.
   
   Tip: If you don’t have a thermometer, just use your best judgment and do not exceed low heat.
5. Every hour or so, come back and repeat this process: once the oil cools, warm it up again on low heat. Then turn off the heat, stir, and replace the lid to allow it to infuse once again.
6. Repeat this process 4-6 times. During infusion, the rosemary oil will turn bright golden yellow and become beautifully fragrant. After heating the oil for the final time, don’t replace the lid, and leave the mixture to cool down to room temperature.
   
7. Once the oil cools, transfer it to a mason jar or another glass container with a lid. Seal it tightly, and place it in a dark, cool cupboard to infuse for at least 2 weeks. The longer you infuse, the more potent it will be.
   
   During infusion, your rosemary hair oil may deepen from a bright yellow to a golden or green hue, depending on how long you leave it. Give the jar a light shake every few days or so to extract the most from your rosemary leaves.
   
8. After 2 weeks, it’s time to strain. Using a sieve, cheesecloth, or both, strain the rosemary leaves out of the infused oil. Whichever method you choose for straining, be sure to squeeze the herbs to release every last drop of infused oil.
   
9. Once you’ve strained and removed every last particle of debris, transfer your rosemary hair growth oil into a glass dropper bottle. It’s ready to use directly on the scalp to promote growth and thickening.
   

Recipe Notes

• Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup (200g) rosemary hair oil. This is a lot, but when infusing, it’s easier to work with larger batches. It will last you many oil treatments, and you’ll have extra to gift if desired.
• Shelf life: For best potency, use your infused oil within 2 years. Luckily, rosemary contains many antioxidants that slow oxidation, and vitamin E lengthens this recipe’s shelf life even more.
• Storage: Store homemade rosemary oil in a cool, dark place. The best packaging is a dark glass dropper bottle, as this will further protect it from light. You can use clear glass bottles if you’d like (like the bamboo dropper bottles pictured), but be sure to store the oil in the dark between uses.

How to use rosemary oil for hair

Apply the rosemary oil to your scalp, massaging it with your fingertips as you go. You can use your bottle’s dropper to squirt the oil directly onto your head. Or, you can dispense the oil into your hands and use your fingertips to gently press it into your scalp.

You’ll feel your scalp pulsating with a refreshing tingle – that’s rosemary oil’s circulation-promoting effects at work, bringing vital nutrients to your scalp and helping your hair grow!

Work your way around your entire head. Be sure to apply the oil to your temples and hairline as well, however, be careful not to get it on your face, as it may irritate your skin. Don’t forget to apply it to the back of your head which often gets missed, too.

If desired, you can also pull some oil through the length of your hair to nourish your strands with rosemary’s potent antioxidants and moisturizing lipids (learn more here).

For best results, leave the oil treatment on for as long as you can to allow it to work its hair growth magic. Then, wash your hair as normal, and follow it with a rosemary hair rinse for even more growth benefits.

How often should you apply?

If your goal is fast growth, you can use rosemary oil on your hair every day, but this works best for people who wash their hair daily. Just apply it according to your usual washing schedule, as often as your lifestyle allows. If that’s only twice a week, that’s fine – just be consistent!

As with anything, it’s the small things done on a regular basis that make the most difference. You won’t see crazy overnight hair growth with rosemary, but consistency is key.

When should you apply?

You can apply rosemary oil in the morning on the day you plan to wash your hair, then wash it out at night. If you plan to work out, even better, as the gentle heat of your scalp will help the oil permeate even more.

You can also leave it in your hair overnight, applying before bed and washing it out in the morning. Just be mindful that the brightly colored oil may stain clothing and bedding, so sleep on a pillowcase you don’t mind staining.

Don’t have a lot of time? No problem – there’s no need to have a greasy scalp all day to see results. Just try to find at least a couple hours to leave the rosemary oil on your scalp before washing it out (or do a quick rosemary hair mask).

Tips + Tricks

• After applying, you can also turn your head upside down for a scalp massage. Inverting your head diverts blood to the scalp and hair follicles, further stimulating growth. (However, please only do this if this if inversions are safe for you.)
• You can also use a massaging gua sha comb, but please be gentle, as aggressive massage can worsen hair loss.
• Don’t like the feeling of an oily scalp? Instead of dousing your head, do a light oil treatment. Simply use your fingertips to press a small amount of oil into your scalp. This method is useful before going to bed so you don’t turn you pillow into an oil slick. Or, you may prefer my non-greasy rosemary hair serum.

Alternative Recipes

As mentioned, if you don’t have rosemary leaves, you can also DIY rosemary hair oil with essential oil or extract.

How to dilute rosemary essential oil for hair growth

According to Tisserand and Young’s Essential Oil Safety, rosemary essential oil’s maximum dermal usage is between 6.5%-22%, depending on the type of oil used²⁰.

There are several different phenotypes of rosemary EO: 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, camphor CT, and verbenone CT, all of which can aid hair growth. A conservative dilution of 5% ensures you will not exceed the maximum usage level.

To dilute, use a maximum of 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon) rosemary essential oil in 2 tbsp (1oz) carrier oil. Place in a glass dropper bottle with 1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil and shake to combine.

Note: 1/4 teaspoon is approximately 25 drops of essential oils, however, a drop size depends on many factors, including your dropper’s actual size. Measuring in millilitres prevents you from exceeding a safe level of rosemary oil.

For more exact measurements, use a cosmetic scale to combine 1.25g rosemary essential oil with 23.75g carrier oil for a precise 5% dilution.

How to use rosemary extract for hair

Rosemary CO2 extract is commonly used in packaged food as a stabilizer, preservative, and antioxidant²¹. It’s particularly high in carnosic acid, a powerful antioxidant that helps promote hair growth by inhibiting DHT and suppressing inflammation.

To dilute, combine 0.075g rosemary extract with 30g carrier oil and use it on your scalp.

Warning: Rosemary extract is highly concentrated, and too much can irritate the skin. Its maximum usage level is 0.5%, but I’ve gone with a conservative 0.25% to ensure no one accidentally exceeds a safe level. Please use a cosmetic scale for accuracy, as it’s difficult to measure such miniscule amounts with drops.

Note: Make sure you choose an oil-based extract, not a water-soluble rosemary leaf extract. Oil-based rosemary extract is labelled as rosemary oleoresin (ROE) or rosemary CO2.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best carrier oils for infusing rosemary?

It’s important to choose the right carrier oil for infused oils. Popular natural haircare oils such as argan oil, almond oil, and sunflower oil are extremely high in unstable PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), which are easily damaged during heat infusion.

Oxidized oils are not good for our skin or hair – they use up antioxidants, which stresses the scalp and can even inhibit hair growth¹⁰.

That’s why I used castor oil and fractionated coconut oil (or MCT oil) in my rosemary oil recipe, both of which are low in PUFA.

• Castor oil: Castor oil is known to help grow hair (and eyelashes), making it ideal for a hair growth recipe. Many find straight castor oil difficult to use because of its highly viscous texture, but diluting it with another oil solves this issue and makes it much easier to use (and wash out!).

• MCT oil or liquid coconut oil: These saturated oils are very stable and ideal for making infused oils. However, using coconut oil in excess may cause frizz or hair breakage for some hair types (especially protein-sensitive hair). In this case, low-PUFA monounsaturated oils such as jojoba oil, avocado oil, marula oil, and olive oil are good substitutes.
  
  Read more about the best low-PUFA oils here.

Why add vitamin E to rosemary oil?

Adding vitamin E to your rosemary infused oil has a couple key benefits. For one, it acts as insurance to help protect your carrier oil during heat infusion, as vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps stabilize fats and prevent oxidation.

But it also has direct benefits for growing hair – when used topically, vitamin E was found to accelerate hair growth all on its own¹⁹. Much like rosemary, vitamin E stimulates blood flow, and its powerful antioxidants help revitalize and improve hair follicle health.

All of this makes vitamin E is a secret weapon for making herbal infused oils and other homemade hair growth treatments, including lash and brow serum.

For best results, choose a dark or amber colored vitamin E oil, which contains a wider spectrum of antioxidant tocopherols for more benefits.

Why can’t you use fresh rosemary?

If you try to use fresh rosemary to make hair oil, it’ll end up rancid or moldy before you even have a chance to use it up.

That’s because fresh herbs are high in moisture, and when you mix oil and moisture, you create the perfect conditions for mold and bacteria to thrive. This is why it’s vital for oil-based products to be anhydrous (free of water).

If you only have fresh rosemary, please dry it first before making infused oil.

What’s the difference between rosemary oil and essential oil?

While rosemary essential oil contains mostly aromatic compounds, rosemary infused oil contains a wide spectrum of lipid-soluble antioxidants, polyphenols, and fatty acids that aren’t present in the purified essential oil – all of which are very good for your hair.

Another thing to note is that rosemary infused oil smells more like food (think delicious focaccia dipping oil), whereas the essential oil smells more medicinal. But while it smells downright edible, I wouldn’t recommend using this rosemary oil recipe for culinary use.

How long does rosemary oil take to grow hair?

In a study comparing rosemary and minoxidil, it took 6 months for those using rosemary oil to notice a significant increase in hair growth and thickness with daily use. However, it only took 3 months for rosemary oil to decrease hair fall. That said, it depends on your unique hair growth cycle and how often you use it.

Why is the hair oil cloudy?

You may notice the homemade oil is cloudy, but that’s not because it’s spoiled. The double heat infusion method liberates fatty acids, terpenes, and other beneficial compounds from the dry rosemary leaves, creating an opaque color that you won’t get from infusing at room temperature.

Over time, the oil will separate into 2 layers, as the heavier fatty acids will create a sediment at the bottom. Simply shake it up before using it on your hair and scalp.

Why isn’t my oil bright green?

Depending on how long you infuse your oil, there may be some natural color variation between batches. Yours may vary between bright yellow or a deeper greenish-yellow hue.

Often, culinary rosemary oil is infused with fresh rosemary, which creates a vibrant green oil. But there are very good reasons you don’t want to use fresh rosemary to make hair oil, as explained above.

More homemade hair growth recipes

You might also enjoy these other rosemary-infused recipes for hair:

• DIY Rosemary Oil Hair Serum
• Rosemary Hair Mask for Growth
• How to Make Rosemary Water
• Herbal Hair Growth Oil Recipe
• DIY Eyelash Growth Serum
• DIY Eyebrow Growth Serum
• Dry Shampoo Spray Recipe

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