When going all-natural with your hair care, don’t forget to include your finishing products, such as hair spray. My DIY hair spray will essential oils smells great, is extremely budget-friendly, and works just as well as the storebought kind. While it contains sugar, it doesn’t leave your hair sticky or attract insects. Protect yourself and the environment by whipping up this easy DIY! I just know you’ll love it.
Table of Contents
Reasons to Avoid Store-Bought Hair Spray
1. Hair Spray Poisoning
Did you know that hair spray can poison you? It’s true! Hair spray poisoning happens when you breathe hair spray down your throat or get it into your eyes. The symptoms (1) of this poisoning are horrendous: Blurred vision, no urine output, difficulty breathing, slurred speech, and you can even go into a coma. Aerosol cans make it easy for hair spray to get into your eyes as they can be hard to control.
As a Mom of girls, non-toxic hair spray brings me so much peace of mind! When you make this DIY hair spray, you don’t have to worry about poisoning yourself. The ingredients in this recipe are so pure you could drink them, though I don’t recommend it.
2. Environmental Concerns
Storebought hair spray isn’t just bad for your body; it harms the environment, too. Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs found in hairspray destroy the earth’s ozone layer. (2) The ozone layer is crucial to protecting our planet from harmful UV rays. On a more personal level, hair spray can also ruin your home’s air quality. Volatile organic compounds found in aerosol hair spray produce smog, which affects your city, street, and home. This problem is so bad that companies are being fined (3) for breaking air-quality laws!
DIY Hair Spray Ingredient Breakdown
You might notice that this ingredient list doesn’t call for vodka. That is because vodka can be extremely drying to the hair. Storebought hair sprays can make hair brittle because of their alcohol levels. I searched high and low for DIY hair spray recipes that didn’t use alcohol, and I gave one a try. It wasn’t quite what I was looking for, so I tweaked it and added some amazing essential oils. Now, I feel like I’ve come up with the perfect natural homemade hair spray! Here’s what this recipe includes.
Distilled Water: I recommend using distilled water in all of my recipes, DIY or not. Tap water often contains toxins that lead to congenital birth disabilities, obesity, teeth problems, and more. In our home, we use a water filtration system. It hooks right up to the tap and produces some of the best water I’ve ever tasted!
Organic Fair Trade Sugar or Coconut Sugar: These options work great in this recipe. Organic Fair Trade sugar or coconut sugar helps hold the hair in place without leaving it sticky or crunchy. I love that this ingredient is budget-friendly and found in most people’s pantries! No more overspending on name-brand toxins.
Essential Oils: Essential oils give this recipe a great scent, and they give your hair a boost. God made us unique, and I recommend customizing your products to reflect that fact! Here are some essential oils I love.
- Rosemary: Improves hair thickness, (4) promotes growth, stimulates the scalp. This EO is fantastic for hair!
- Cedarwood: Reduces hair loss, a great essential oil to use in men’s products. (5)
- Lavender: Can speed up hair growth, relaxes the body. (6)
- Tea Tree: Fights dandruff, clarifies the scalp. (7)
- Bergamot: Clean, uplifting scent. Can soften curls!
A Note About Photosensitization
Many essential oils can interact badly with tanning booth light bulbs and UV rays from the sun. Be cautious when you use these oils! If you plan to spend all day in the sun or go tanning, you shouldn’t use the oils listed below.
Taken from the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (8)
PHOTOSENSITIZERS
- Angelica root (Angelica archangelica)
- Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
- Cumin Cuminum cyminum)
- Distilled or expressed grapefruit – low risk – (Citrus paradisi)
- Expressed lemon Citrus limon)
- Expressed lime (Citrus medica)
- Orange, bitter expressed – (Citrus aurantium)
- Rue (Ruta graveolens)
NON-PHOTOTOXIC CITRUS OILS
- Bergamot: Bergapteneless – FCF: Furanocoumarin Free (Citrus bergamia)
- Distilled lemon (Citrus limon)
- Distilled lime (Citrus medica)
- Mandarin- Tangerine (Citrus reticulata)
- Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)
- Expressed tangerine (Citrus reticulata)
- Yuzu oil expressed or distilled – (Citrus juno)
How to Make DIY Hair Spray with Essential Oils
This recipe is perfect for beginners! In just a few easy steps, you’ll have an excellent smelling hair spray that will keep your hair luscious and toxin-free.
- 1 cup distilled water
- 1 tablespoon organic, Fair Trade granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 25 drops essential oils*
- Supplies:
- Saucepan
- Glass spray bottle for storage
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the water to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat.
- Add the sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to cool, then add essential oils
- Store in a glass spray bottle with a fine mister.
- Shake before each use to distribute the essential oils as they separate.
Water-based DIY preparations have a limited shelf life, usually lasting 3-4 weeks, be aware of this, so you make the right amount for your needs.
Photosensitization – Many essential oils can increase your photosensitivity, so you should use them with caution. If you plan on spending all day in the sun, you shouldn't use the potentially phototoxic oils listed above, as the skin on your scalp can get sunburned, particularly if you are balding or have thinning hair.
Step One: Simmer Water
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the water to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat.
Step Two: Add Sugar
Add the sugar and whisk until completely dissolved. If you use coconut sugar, your mixture will look darker like mine. The color shouldn’t have any effect on your hair! You’ll have a lighter hair spray if you’re using white sugar.
Step Three: Add Essential Oils
After the mixture has cooled, add the essential oils of choice and gently stir to combine.
Step Four: Store and Use
Enjoy your gorgeous hairstyle! Store your hair spray in a glass spray bottle with a fine mister. To use, shake to distribute the oils and lightly mist the hair.
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002705.htm
- https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/ozone_depletion_06
- https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/hair-styling-and-hair-spray-manufacturers-fined-violating-air-quality-rules
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9828867/
- http://www.toxicolres.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.5487/TR.2016.32.2.103
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ics.12232
- https://naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety/
