Tuesday 30 August 2011

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 breakagepromotes 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.

9 comments:

  1. hi..am really liking your blog...its been one month i have been following you..i have very dry,thin,fluffy and weak hair.each strand is very weak..am looking for good products for my hair...can you advice any good shampoo or other treatments..am really worried regarding the condition of my hair

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  2. do suggest if you know of something Awesome for hair.

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  3. Hi Nami! Thank you and it's nice to know that you like my blog. Dealing with the condition of your hair is rather difficult but with patience and care, am sure it will be at a healthy state that you want to achieve. Start with treating your hair with a good serum ( ie. camellia oil) is a good choice. Just apply them on slightly dry-damp hair to your hair ends. For shampoo, I am afraid that I won't be able to give you any good recommendation because I have yet to find a good one and currently trying out a new one.:)

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  4. I use Gamat Water for my horrible hairfall and virgin coconut oil for dandruff as well as conditioning the hair.

    For containing flyaways I use a mixture of grapeseed oil + virgin olive oil which seems to be the right "heaviness" for my hair. Walnut oil is quite alright too.

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    1. Am intrigued...what is Gamat Water? I agree that the oils you mentioned above are good for hair:)

      Hmm....virgin oil may be a bit heavy for the hair though. For coconut oil, I am a bit worried if they have any rancid coconut smell..ha...

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  5. what a wonderful idea , to make your own hair serum!!! I love the sound of the camellia sinensis oil! :)

    I always love your DIY posts, I have yet to make my own body oil, though, because I haven't purchased an essential oil. My mother is also very intrigued by the idea of a DIY body oil (she's heard of the Weleda oils too)! :) Love your blog!!! :)

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    1. Thank you Denise! You've just brighten up my day:P

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  6. Hello! I was wondering how this should be used if I want to get rid of the dandruff on my scalp? Do I massage it into my scalp and let it sit a bit before continuing washing my hair with my normal shampoo, or what am I supposed to do?

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