Rosemary water is a versatile and beneficial home remedy that can be used for a variety of purposes, including hair growth, scalp health, and even skin care. It is so easy to make at home using fresh or dried rosemary. I personally started using this recently to get rid of frizzy hair, add more shine and grow my hair faster. I’ve only been using it for almost 2 weeks, I already see a difference in my scalp and hair which I’ll share more in the latter part of this post. In this blog post, we’ll be going over what is rosemary water, the benefits, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to make and use rosemary water at home.
What is rosemary water?
Rosemary water is a simple infusion of rosemary leaves in water. It is made by steeping rosemary leaves in hot water for a period of time. The resulting liquid is a fragrant and refreshing water that can be used on your scalp, hair and skin.
Benefits of rosemary water
There is a long list of benefits for rosemary water, so let’s begin:
- Hair Growth: Rosemary water stimulates hair follicles and can promote hair growth.
- Dandruff Control: It helps in controlling dandruff due to its anti-fungal properties.
- Improved Hair Texture: Regular use can lead to softer and smoother hair.
- Reduced Hair Loss: Rosemary water can help reduce hair loss by strengthening hair roots.
- Natural Shine: It adds a natural shine to your hair, making it look healthier.
- Reduced Itchiness: Rosemary water has soothing properties that can relieve an itchy scalp and reduce inflammation.
- Balanced Scalp pH: It helps in maintaining a healthy scalp pH level.
- Cleansing Effect: Acts as a natural scalp cleanser, removing excess oil and debris. It’s great for those who have oily scalps, and hair.
- Improved Blood Circulation: Massaging with rosemary water may enhance blood circulation in the scalp.
- Acne Control: Rosemary water has anti-inflammatory properties that can help control acne.
- Tightening Pores: It can tighten and tone the skin, reducing the appearance of large pores.
- Anti-Aging: Rich in antioxidants, it may help in reducing signs of aging.
- Skin Hydration: Acts as a natural moisturizer, keeping the skin hydrated.
- Brightening Effect: Regular use can give the skin a brighter and more radiant appearance.
- Treat skin conditions: It can potentially help with eczema, and sebhorric dermatitis – according to this reddit user, she was able to use rosemary water to get rid of sebhorric dermatitis. (I also have SD and good nutrition makes a big difference because that is what helped me get rid of mine many years ago.)
How to make rosemary water at home
To make rosemary water at home, you will need:
- Fresh or dried rosemary leaves – I just cut mine from the plant – if you are using your plant be sure to only cut the tops and not the wooden stems, or you can buy them in the rosemary bundles in the grocery stores.
- Water
- Measuring Cup
- A Pot with a lid – I personally like to use stainless steel pots like this one.
- A strainer – Optional: I don’t use one, but some people like it if they use a lot of Rosemary and have little bits.
- Empty spray bottles / empty glass containers
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Rinse the rosemary leaves thoroughly with room temperature water.
- Add the water into the pot. For every 1 sprig of Rosemary, you will use 1 cup of water (8oz of water). For example, if you use 5 sprigs you’ll need 5 cups of water.
- Boil the water.
- Once the water is boiling, Place the rosemary leaves into the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover with the lid, and simmer for 15-30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and leave the pot with the lid on the stove.
- The longer you let it sit, the better. I let mine sit for 2-3 hours until it cooled.
- Once it’s cooled for a few hours – you can pour it into your empty spray bottles / containers.
If you can let it sit for a few hours, it will help infuse the rosemary water better. When you’re starting to boil your rosemary water, it’s completely normal for the water to turn yellow green at first. It will turn brown once you allow it to sit for a while. If you’re using dry rosemary the color might be darker than if you use fresh rosemary.
How to use rosemary water
There are a multitude of ways to use rosemary water. Specifically I use it for my hair, and my scalp health. Here is how I personally use rosemary water in my daily hair beauty routine. I use it everyday, morning and night as a spray. You can add this into your daily or weekly selfcare routines and rituals.
You can massage your scalp with either a scalp massager, or a wooden bamboo paddle brush. Depending on my mood, I’ll switch it up between the two. This helps increase your blood circulation, and will help with absorption for the rosemary water. Massaging the scalp has many health benefits, and can even help improve headaches. Make sure your hair is all brushed out first using a tangle teezer. After massaging you can now spray it all over your hair, and then start sectioning off pieces of your hair, and spray directly onto your scalp. Once that’s done massage it in with your scalp massager (it can be used in the shower too.). Make sure to do this until you get most of your scalp to make it even, or put it on the areas where you may need it most.
When is the best time to use Rosemary water?
You can use the rosemary water anytime in the morning, or in the night. Or even throughout the day if you need something refreshing for your hair. In the morning, I just let it air dry and it looks amazing. During the evenings, I do the same thing, letting it air dry. On my hair wash days, I spray it before I shower, and I let it sit for at least an hour before I go wash my hair. You can also do it after, If I’m feeling extra I’ll do some extra sprays after washing my hair and then I do blow dry most of my hair, mainly my scalp needs to be completely dry.
Other ways to use Rosemary water:
- You can use rosemary water as a hair rinse, simply pour it over your hair after washing and conditioning.
- Rosemary water can also be used as a scalp massage oil, mix a few drops of rosemary oil with a carrier oil, such as jojoba, coconut, or almond oil, and massage it into your scalp.
- For your face you can use rosemary water as a toner simply just spray it on your skin or use a cotton boal to wipe over your face after cleansing. Or you can use it as a refreshing facial spray.
A Few Do’s and Don’ts with Rosemary Water:
- Do: Mark the date you made it.
- Do: Keep it refrigerated.
- Don’t keep it longer than 2 weeks.
- Do: try to add different herbs like mint, or lavender, or even come cloves, or ginger.
- Do: massage your scalp before applying the rosemary water, and after applying it to the scalp. Massaging can help with circulation and absorption.
- Do: spray it on all of your hair and scalp.
- Do: Give it some time. Don’t expect overnight results, give at least 3-6 months. (Many of the women who use rosemary water, have used it for years, and have gotten incredible results over time.)
I’m just starting on my rosemary water hair journey, and I will be making future posts and updates, so be sure to subscribe to my Youtube or Email Newsletter. As promised, I would share how it’s helped me. Within two weeks of first using Rosemary water, I’ve already seen a noticeable difference in my hair and scalp. My hair is a lot less oily, I have an oily scalp which sometimes smells oily as well, so it has been able to reduce the oilyness and oily smell in general. My scalp is quite sensitive, I used to have sebhorric dermatitis, and I’ve noticed it’s also less itchy. The real reason why I wanted to start using rosemary water, was because I noticed my hair was getting dull, and more frizzy. My hair is now less frizzier and much shinier too.
I hope this blog post was helpful I genuinely love sharing natural remedies such as rosemary water, and how it can improve your hair and scalp health over time. Give it a try, and let me in the comments if you have any questions or if you try it out!
