Lemongrass oil for hair: what it is, what it does, how we blend it
Lemongrass oil is lemon sherbet from a grass: citral at 70 to 80%, so strong that a few tenths of a percent are enough and the library caps it low.
| Role | Essential oil, citrus family |
|---|---|
| On the label | Cymbopogon Flexuosus Oil |
| In our blends | Not in a signature blend yet |
| Builder limit | Up to 0.7% of a hair blend (all essential oils together: 1%) |
What it is
Steam-distilled from the leaves of Cymbopogon flexuosus, the oil is mostly citral (geranial and neral together) with a little geraniol and myrcene. Citral is a known skin sensitiser at higher shares, which is why the builder keeps lemongrass small and the total essential oil under 1%. It is yellow, thin and volatile, with a sharp, sweet, lemon-candy scent.
How it feels on hair
At the low end it gives a bright, clean lemon that cuts through black seed, neem or castor; at the cap it is sharp. The blend's weight and finish are unchanged.
Who reaches for it
People building a scalp oil with strong-smelling actives that need a counterweight, and anyone who likes citrus but finds orange too soft. It is not in a signature blend yet.
Where it sits in our blends
No signature blend uses lemongrass yet, which makes it one for the builder: start from a blend that is close and swap it in, or build from scratch. Every blend is weighed to the gram and the recipe is printed on the label.
How to compose with it
Essential oils share at most 1% of a hair blend; the builder allows lemongrass up to 0.7%. Pair it with tea tree, cedarwood or peppermint over jojoba with black seed or pumpkin seed.
Good to know: Strong and a sensitiser at higher shares. Keep it at the low end and patch test first.
Compose with lemongrass Find your formula
Weighed to the gram and blended to order in New Jersey, with the recipe printed on the label. For external use only; patch test before first use. Every oil, with its INCI name, is in the oil library.