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Rosemary is a popular herb for both culinary and medicinal use that is easily grown at home. While rosemary is probably best known for the role it plays in cooking, it also has a long history as a therapeutic herb. Stories abound about its use in the herbal water made for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in the 14th century, which was used both internally for treating gout, and externally for its fragrance and to prevent baldness.

For natural hair care, rosemary is typically used to:

Help prevent dandruff
Promote hair growth
Condition and tone the hair

In particular it is known for its positive effects on the circulation, and it is these properties that can help to promote hair growth and prevent premature baldness. It is often used in combination with nettle, horsetail, and lavender.

Herbal recipe: Rosemary hair oil

A rosemary oil is simple to make and it will provide your hair and scalp with a very nourishing treatment. Massage it gently into the scalp and leave it on for at least 15 minutes. You can wrap some cling film over the top, and then a towel to keep warm. Then wash off very thoroughly ideally with a herbal shampoo.

The oil should keep in a cool dark place for about 2-3 months - you can prolong its life by adding a small amount of Vitamin E oil (which you can buy in capsule form and gently open the capsules).

Ingredients:

1 cup or 250ml olive oil
1/2 cup or 125g dried rosemary (or 1 cup fresh rosemary leaves)

Quick method: Gently warm the rosemary and olive oil in a small saucepan for around 15 minutes (don't boil it!). Allow the oil to cool and strain through a piece of muslin (or a clean pop sock!) straight into a bottle. And it's ready to use! You could add a little essential oil such as rosemary or lavender if you want.

Slower method: If you have more time to spare, place the rosemary and olive oil in a bowl with a lid into a saucepan of simmering water and leave for 2 hours (don't forget to top up the water). You can even repeat the process by straining off the oil and then pouring it over a new batch of the herbs and cooking for another 2 hours. This will give you a very potent oil.

Elizabeth Marsh is the owner of amiyabeauty.co.uk Amiya Natural Beauty making handmade natural hair and skin care products, including a Nettle and Rosemary Shampoo. She is also a prolific writer about herbs and their uses in beauty treatments and simple remedies to make at home.

Sources:

* Apotheblogary - apotheblogary.blogspot.com apotheblogary.blogspot.com

* Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine - Thomas Bartram

* Herbs in skin, hair and health care products - Kolbjorn Borseth 2006