Amazingly Simple Rosemary Hair Butter

Rosemary is known to stimulate hair growth, reduce dandruff, and increase circulation. These benefits are great for those looking to grow their hair and improve scalp health. Rosemary oil has also been shown to improve hair growth and decrease hair loss in a couple of studies; so there is scientific data that supports the use of rosemary for hair growth. What if we could harvest the hair growth properties of rosemary in our own hair care products? We can do just that by making our own rosemary-infused oil and creating a simple rosemary hair butter with it. 

Let’s Get Started

First things first, we need to select an oil in which to infuse the rosemary. I would recommend selecting a lightweight oil that has a low comedogenic level, such as sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, or safflower oil. The oil must be lightweight to ensure an airy texture of the butter.

For the butter portion, I will be using kokum butter and shea butter. Kokum butter is a hard butter, while shea butter is on the lighter side. The combination of these two kinds of butter will provide a firm but smooth textured hair butter, that will provide excellent moisture-sealing abilities. 

Infusion

Grab a heat-safe container. Gather 1-2 sprigs of rosemary, depending on your desired intensity. 

To infuse the rosemary into your selected oil, I suggest reviewing the steps followed in this blog post. To summarize these steps, you will place the liquid oil into a heat-safe container along with the sprigs of rosemary. Cover this heat-safe container with foil or plastic wrap to ensure no water enters the container when we place it into the bain-marie. To prepare the bain-marie, place the heat-safe container inside a pot filled with 2-3 inches of water and heat on low heat to slowly infuse the rosemary into the oil. Heat this mixture for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the desired infusion intensity. If evaporation occurs in the pot, add more water to keep approximately 2 inches of water inside. Keep the heat low and be careful not to burn the mixture! If the mixture burns, the properties of the rosemary and the oil used for the infusion may be destroyed. So it is best to go low and slow with any type of infusion.

Once the rosemary has been infused into the oil, remove the heat-safe container from heat and allow it to cool. Then remove the sprigs of rosemary and set aside the oil.

Butters

Measure out the kokum butter and shea butter and place them into a heat-safe container and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Next, heat this mixture, using the bain-marie method above, on medium to melt the butters. Once melted, pour the melted butters into a medium/large bowl. Now, add the rosemary-infused oil. While the mixture is still liquid, take a mixture with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium until the mixture turns white and fluffy. This may take 20 minutes or so depending on how hot your oils are. To speed up the process you can cool down the mixture but placing the bowl over a larger bowl that has ice inside. Be sure to keep whisking while the mixture cools, otherwise you will not get a nice, fluffy whipped hair butter.

After, the rosemary hair butter is whipped place it into a jar or container of your selection. This Amazingly Simple Rosemary Hair Butter should last approximately 6 months or even longer if you keep it in the fridge.