Lemongrass oil supports hair growth primarily by creating a healthier scalp, fighting the fungus that causes dandruff and inflammation around hair follicles. You can make a lemongrass-infused oil at home using fresh stalks and a carrier oil, then apply it as a scalp treatment. Here’s how to do it, what the research says about effectiveness, and what to expect.
Why Lemongrass Oil Helps Your Scalp
Lemongrass doesn’t stimulate hair follicles directly the way some prescription treatments do. Its value lies in clearing the way for healthy growth by tackling scalp problems that slow it down. The main culprit is a fungus called Malassezia that naturally lives on your scalp. When it overgrows, it infects hair follicles, triggers dandruff, and causes the kind of chronic low-grade inflammation that can thin your hair over time.
The active compound in lemongrass, citral, kills this fungus by punching through its cell membranes and disrupting normal cell function. Citral also blocks biofilm formation, which is the protective layer fungi build to resist treatment. Beyond its antifungal effects, lemongrass oil has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help calm irritated skin and reduce the redness and itching that come with a compromised scalp.
In a clinical study testing lemongrass oil hair tonics at concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15%, all three reduced dandruff significantly within one week. The 10% concentration performed best, cutting dandruff by 75% at day 7 and 81% by day 14. That’s a meaningful reduction in a short window, and it confirms that homemade preparations at the right strength can genuinely improve scalp conditions.
How to Make Lemongrass-Infused Oil
True lemongrass essential oil requires steam distillation, which isn’t practical at home. What you can make is a lemongrass-infused carrier oil, which extracts the beneficial compounds from the stalks into an oil base. This won’t be as concentrated as a pure essential oil, but it’s effective for scalp treatments, especially when you use enough lemongrass relative to the oil.
What You Need
- Fresh lemongrass stalks: 6 to 8 stalks for roughly one cup of oil. Fresh stalks contain the highest citral content. Dried lemongrass works but can have up to 8% less citral depending on how it was dried.
- Carrier oil: Coconut oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil all work well. Coconut oil has its own mild antifungal properties. Jojoba closely mimics your scalp’s natural oils and absorbs cleanly.
Warm Infusion Method
This is the faster and more effective approach. Start by smashing the lemongrass stalks with the flat side of a heavy knife, focusing on the thicker bulbous end where the oils are most concentrated. Coarsely chop the smashed stalks. Place them in a saucepan with one cup of your carrier oil and bring it to a gentle boil. Remove from heat immediately, then let the mixture cool and steep for at least 6 hours. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass bottle.
The heat breaks open plant cells and releases citral into the oil much faster than a cold method would. Your finished oil will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks. If you’re using coconut oil, it will solidify when chilled; just warm the bottle briefly in your hands or in warm water before each use.
Cold Infusion Method
If you prefer a gentler process, smash and chop the lemongrass the same way, place it in a clean glass jar, and cover it completely with carrier oil. Seal the jar and store it in a warm, sunny spot for 5 to 7 days, shaking it once daily. Strain and bottle the oil. This method produces a milder infusion, so consider using more stalks (10 to 12) to compensate.
Boosting Your Infusion With Essential Oil
If you can get your hands on store-bought lemongrass essential oil, you can strengthen your homemade infusion to match the concentrations that performed well in research. The clinical study that showed an 81% dandruff reduction used a 10% lemongrass oil preparation. To approximate this, add about 60 drops of pure lemongrass essential oil per ounce of your carrier oil. A 5% concentration (30 drops per ounce) is a reasonable starting point if your skin tends to be sensitive.
This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds: the broad plant compounds from your infusion plus a controlled dose of concentrated citral from the essential oil.
How to Apply It to Your Scalp
The clinical protocol that produced the strongest results used 5 drops applied to the scalp twice daily for 14 days. You can follow a similar routine at home. Part your hair into sections and apply the oil directly to your scalp, not your hair length. Use your fingertips to massage it in for 2 to 3 minutes, working in small circular motions across the entire scalp. This improves absorption and increases blood flow to the follicles.
For a deeper treatment, apply a more generous amount before bed, cover your hair with a silk or satin cap, and wash it out in the morning. If twice-daily application feels like too much, a nightly treatment before washing your hair the next morning still delivers the oil’s antifungal and anti-inflammatory benefits with consistent use.
When to Expect Results
Scalp improvements happen relatively fast. The clinical data showed significant dandruff reduction within the first week, with the best results at two weeks. If your main issue is flaking, itching, or scalp irritation, you should notice a difference within that same timeframe.
Visible hair growth takes much longer. Scalp treatments that work by improving follicle health rather than directly stimulating growth typically show early improvements in hair texture and reduced shedding within 3 to 6 months. More noticeable regrowth can take 6 to 12 months. This timeline applies to most topical hair treatments, not just lemongrass. Consistency matters more than intensity: a moderate application you do every day will outperform an aggressive one you do sporadically.
Patch Test Before Full Application
Citral, the compound that makes lemongrass effective, is also a known contact allergen. In a study of nearly 1,500 dermatitis patients, about 3% reacted to citral on patch testing. That’s a small percentage, but a scalp reaction is particularly uncomfortable. Before your first full application, rub a small amount of your finished oil on the inside of your forearm and wait 24 hours. If you see redness, itching, or raised bumps, dilute the oil further or switch to a different scalp treatment. If you’ve ever reacted to products containing geraniol (common in fragranced skincare and shampoos), you may be more likely to react to lemongrass as well.
Storage and Shelf Life
Homemade lemongrass oil has no preservatives, so it’s more perishable than commercial products. Refrigerate your infusion and plan to use it within two weeks. If you notice any cloudiness, off smell, or color change, discard it and make a fresh batch. Using dried lemongrass instead of fresh reduces the moisture content in your infusion, which can slightly extend shelf life, but the trade-off is a lower citral concentration. For the best balance of potency and stability, stick with fresh stalks, make small batches, and keep them cold.