DIY: Homemade Hair Serum using Camellia Oil and using it neat for my skin

( Picture taken from Wikipedia )

Recently, my interest in doing my own skincare has grown and to date, I have mixed my own hydrosol and body oil. In this post, I am introducing my own homemade hair serum, which is using camellia oil and lavender essential oil. Apart from using camellia oil for my hair, I also use the oil as a moisturiser for my skin. 

I am fond to mix my own skincare ( mostly oil based ) because by doing that, I am rest assured that the products that I am mixing gets superior quality ( minus all the additional addictives ). Secondly, it is far more cheaper than products on shelf. Thirdly, I can always get fresh products everytime, hence the efficacy of the product.

What is Camellia Oil?

Camellia oil is also known as tea seed oil, which is derived from the seeds of the plant called camellia oleifera or camellia sinensis ( camellia japonica ). The seeds of this plant are cold pressed to extract the oil, which is in pale greenish yellow in colour and has a slight aroma.

It is said that camillia oil is high in omega fatty acids, polyphenols and vitamin E and is traditionally used for healing wound and preventing infections.

Benefits of Camellia Oil

Camellia oil is highly beneficial for hair and skin conditional properties and are mainly used in hair oils, soaps and skin products. Camellia oil benefits the hair as it prevents breakage, promotes hair growth and soothe dry scalp conditions. It is easily absorbed into the hair, without making it greasy.

In skincare, it is an excellent moisturizer as it is easily absorbed to the skin, without making it oily. Camellia oil is good for preventing damage from the sun and reducing the signs of aging like wrinkles and age spots. Not only that it beneficial for wound healing and soothing skin irritations, it is said to be effective to fade scars with long term use.

It is great for sensitive skin as it is not found to cause allergic reactions and is not prone to cause acne.

My Experience

For hair

Mix .25 oz of Camellia Essential Oil of your choice ( I use Camellia Sinensis for this time round ) with 2 drops of Lavender Oil ( mine is Lavandula Augustifolia from Bulgaria ) into an amber glass bottle with dropper ( recycled from my Garden of Eden serum ).

Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil for hair :

- Scalp treatment for itchiness, dandruff and even lice!

- Controls oil production and reduces itchy/ flaky scalp

I have been using this homemade hair serum for about a month now and what can I say, I love it! My hair is long and length is over my shoulders and 2 drops is just enough for me. I would usually rub the oil with my hands and comb my hair ends with it after blow drying my hair. From there, I would slowly work my way to the top and gently press both my palms to the crown of my head.

At times, I would like to give my scalp a quick massage by using the tips of my fingers. With the additional lavender oil to it, it gives me a cooling and soothing effect to my scalp and it smells wonderful!

I must say that this serum keeps my flyaway hair managable a whole lot and makes my hair ends really soft. I really like the conditioning properties it gives and I would say this is a keeper for me.

Note: Use this only at your hair ends if you are prone to oily scalp.

For skin

I mainly use the oil neat in the morning, together with my Anti-Aging Oil. With the additional boost of moisturizing properties, I can skip my moisturizer all together. I can safely say that not only does it keep my skin hydrated throughout the day, it also gives me the assurance that it is protecting my skin from the sun too.

Note: I have dry/dehydrated skin so for me, I am comfortable to use it for my whole face. If you have oily or combination skin, use this only on your cheek area or areas that are dry.

Where do I get my raw ingredients?

Camellia Sinensis Oil ( from Garden of Eden  )

Price: USD 2.50 ( MYR 7.77 ) for 0.50 oz ( 15 ml )

Lavender Essential Oil- Bulgaria ( from Milagro Trading )

Price: SGD 11.00 ( MYR 27.84 ) for 0.40 oz ( 10 ml )

This item was purchased by me for my personal purposes. This review is based on my honest and personal experience with this product and is not influenced by any parties.