How to Make Rosemary Water for Hair

Rosemary water and its effects on hair growth have taken the world by storm. But, how exactly do you make rosemary water for hair?

It’s quite simple. Boil fresh rosemary leaves and branches on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, then steep for an hour before bottling and using.

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Ingredients for rosemary water

To DIY your own rosemary water, you will need:

• fresh rosemary leaves and branches: I grow my own rosemary, which I used for this recipe. Rosemary is pretty easy to grow by cuttings – simply break off a woody branch and stick it in the ground. Water often and within a couple weeks, roots should form and you have your own plant. Alternatively, you can buy rosemary at any supermarket or on Amazon, but be sure it is organic. You don’t want any pesticide residue on your rosemary!
• water

Equipment for this recipe

The only equipment needed here is a strainer to remove the leaves and any rosemary bits from the water. A spray bottle is also great so you can spritz the water directly onto your scalp. I like the small glass ones from Amazon.

How to make rosemary water

Step 1: Add a small pot to the stove on low heat. Pour in the water and leave to heat up.

Step 2: Give your rosemary leaves and branches a good wash to remove any excess dirt.

Step 3: Add the washed rosemary to the pot of water.

Step 4: Leave to boil for about 20 to 30 minutes. The water should become yellow green in color at this point.

Step 5: Turn off the heat and allow the rosemary to steep for about 1 hour or so. The water will cool and turn a light brown.

Step 6: Strain the water to remove the rosemary leaves and branches. Double strain if necessary to remove any fine debris as well.

Step 7: Bottle and store in the fridge. It’ll last for a month if kept refrigerated. I like adding my rosemary water to a spray bottle so I can spritz it onto my scalp everyday. If you don’t refrigerate, it will become rancid within a couple days.

Why use rosemary for hair

Using rosemary for hair growth originated from this 2015 Iranian study published in the Skinmed journal (full study here). It compared the effects of rosemary oil to 2% minoxidil. Minoxidil (sold as Rogaine) is a popular product used for reducing and reversing hair loss. And having a safe, natural product like rosemary showing similar results was exciting.

In the study, men were given 1 mL of lotion containing rosemary oil to apply to their scalps twice daily for 6 months. After 3 months of twice daily application, little effects were seen between the rosemary and minoxidil groups. But, after 6 months, both groups saw similar improvements with new hair growth.

Since then, rosemary oil and rosemary water have been applied directly to hair to reduce hair loss and improve hair growth. But, consistent and continuous application is needed to see any meaningful change. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence on Youtube and Tiktok that show many people having great results.

Now, the main compounds in rosemary oil are eucalyptol (also called 1,8-cineole), camphor, alpha-pinene, limonene, camphene and linalool. These are all powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents and it is likely these compounds are present in rosemary water – though the exact amounts are not clear.

How to use rosemary water for hair

To use rosemary water for hair, simply spray the roots of your hair and massage the water into your scalp. If it is a little too cold straight out of the fridge, leave it out on the counter for about 15 minutes to warm up a bit or add it to your finger tips before massaging it into your scalp.

Rosemary water works as a leave-in hair spray that doesn’t dry out your hair or scalp and leaves no odor.

You should spray your scalp one to two times per day for at least 6 months to see real progress. And you should not discontinue after that either.

While you can use rosemary oil in your hair, like the study, I prefer the rosemary water. It’s much lighter, easier to manage and leaves no odor or residue.

Rosemary water recipe