Essential oils such as cedarwood oil are one of the great go-to beauty items within the Curl Centric community.
With that in mind, let's look at the science and see what cedarwood oil can actually do for your hair and scalp.
Here’s the short answer. Cedarwood essential oil has been tested on hair only as part of a blend with thyme, rosemary, and lavender oil, and that blend helped people with alopecia areata, a condition that causes round bald patches. Day to day, what cedarwood oil mostly gives you is a warm, woody scent. If you use it, mix it into a carrier oil first and patch test the mix.
What Does Cedarwood Oil Do for Your Hair?
Cedarwood oil, mixed with three other essential oils, has helped with one kind of hair loss: alopecia areata. It’s an autoimmune condition, which means your immune system attacks your hair follicles, and it can lead to significant hair loss, most often in round, coin-sized patches.
It affects as many as 7 million people in the United States alone.
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A 1998 study first reported in Archives of Dermatology tested cedarwood oil, as part of a blend, for treating alopecia areata.
It was designed as a randomized double-blind study that was conducted over a period of seven months, with follow-ups at three and seven months during the course of the study.
86 patients who had alopecia areata participated in the study, and they were divided into two groups.
One group was given carrier oils only and served as a control group of sorts, while the second group massaged four essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) mixed into jojoba and grapeseed oil into their scalps every day.
In the end, 19 of the 43 patients given the essential oils displayed improvement, compared with only 6 of the 41 in the control group that was given a carrier oil.
That’s 44% against 15%. But since the four oils were always used together, no one can say how much of that came from the cedarwood oil, or whether it would help without the other three. And because alopecia areata is an immune problem, the result doesn’t tell you anything about thinning from breakage or everyday shedding.
So if you have round bald patches, see a board-certified dermatologist first. Alopecia areata has medical treatments, and you can ask about adding the four-oil blend to them.
Cedarwood oil is one of only a handful of essential oils that have been tested on hair. The other three in that blend were rosemary oil, thyme oil, and lavender oil. Rosemary oil has also been tested on its own for hair loss, and lemongrass oil has been tested for dandruff.
Cedarwood oil is mostly made of the compounds that give it its woody smell, such as cedrol and cedrene. So if your scalp feels dry, the carrier oil in your mix is what softens it, not the cedarwood. And if you have dandruff in your hair, keep oil mixes off your scalp until the flakes clear. We’ll explain why below.
If your hair is healthy and you just want it longer, don’t count on cedarwood oil to stimulate hair growth. Hair grows about ⅓ to ½ inch a month, depending on your hair type, and keeping your ends from breaking does more for the length you see.
In comparing cedarwood and rosemary oil, rosemary has more behind it. In one study of 100 men with pattern hair loss, rosemary oil on its own did about as well as 2% minoxidil, a drugstore hair loss treatment, after 6 months. Cedarwood oil has only been tested inside the four-oil blend.
Original Curl Centric chart
Should you reach for cedarwood oil?
Find the row that matches what you want cedarwood oil to do for you, then start with the last column. Every row comes from a test of cedarwood oil, the 1998 blend study, or a source cited on this page.
| What you want | What cedarwood oil has done | Why it matters | What to do first |
|---|---|---|---|
| A warm, woody scent | It’s used so widely in fragrances that over 100,000 pounds a year are made just for them. | In patch tests, cedarwood oil mixed at 1% or 5% didn’t irritate the skin of 95 people. | Mix 3 to 6 drops into 2 tablespoons of carrier oil, and patch test the mix first.Patch test steps |
| Regrowth in round bald patches | As one of four oils in a blend, it helped 44% of people with alopecia areata, compared with 15% on carrier oil alone. | Round patches are often an immune problem, and the blend was massaged in every day for 7 months. | See a board-certified dermatologist first, then ask about adding the blend to your treatment.Thyme oil guide |
| Longer or thicker hair | It hasn’t been tested on its own for thinning, shedding, or healthy hair. | Hair grows about ⅓ to ½ inch a month, depending on hair type, and broken ends hide that growth. | For length, protect your ends from breaking. For a wider part or heavy shedding, see a dermatologist.Rosemary oil guide |
| Fewer flakes | It hasn’t been tested on dandruff, and it barely slowed germs in lab tests. | The yeast behind dandruff feeds on scalp oil, so an oil mix may give it more to work with. | Use a dandruff shampoo on your scalp only, and keep oil mixes off your scalp until the flakes clear.Dandruff guide |
| Getting rid of head lice | It kept fire ants away in one test, and one of its compounds killed ticks in a lab. | It wasn’t tested on lice, and it didn’t keep mosquitoes off skin. | Use an over-the-counter or prescription lice treatment, and follow its directions.Head lice guide |
If your scalp burns, itches, or turns red after you use cedarwood oil, wash it out with shampoo and stop using it. See a board-certified dermatologist if the rash doesn’t calm down.
The Benefits of Cedarwood Oil for Hair Growth
The one hair growth result involving cedarwood oil came from the four-oil blend above, which was tested for alopecia areata. The rest of what it does is mostly about its scent, insects, and how it behaved in lab tests, so we’ll tell you how far each benefit goes and what to do instead when it falls short.
1. Repelling Insects, Not Treating Head Lice
Cedarwood oil keeps some insects away, but it isn’t a treatment for head lice. Before you can start thinking about enjoying luscious locks, you first need to make sure you don't have any creepy crawlies calling your head home.
That may sound gross, but anyone who's ever had to deal with head lice or worse can tell you about the problems associated with an insect infestation.
Head lice are the insects most likely to move into your hair. They’re about the size of a sesame seed, and they feed on human blood from your scalp. They die within two days if they fall off a person’s head, but once they get comfortable, they can be hard to root out of your hair, especially after they’ve laid their eggs.
Cedarwood oil is sold as an insect repellent, and it’s best known for keeping moths away from clothes. But when it was tested as a mosquito repellent on skin, it didn’t keep mosquitoes away. In a 2014 study published in Environmental Entomology, cedarwood oil kept fire ants away from food, and cedrol, one of its main compounds, killed tick nymphs in a lab test.
None of those tests were done on lice. So if you find lice or their eggs in your hair, use a head lice treatment. Over-the-counter and prescription lice treatments are both available, so follow the directions on the one you choose, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if it doesn’t work.
2. Lessening Anxiety
Cedarwood oil’s woody scent may help you relax, and that matters for your hair because stress can cause or worsen some kinds of hair loss. You probably already know that, which is why you'll want to do whatever you can to lower your stress level.
Unfortunately, "lowering your stress level" is easier said than done, which is why the soothing ability of essential oils such as cedarwood is so important.
Of course, these aromas aren't for everyone, but if you're someone who enjoys the scent of cedar (i.e., a sweet and woody fragrance), a bit of cedarwood oil (or wood oil) may help you relax and thus lessen that potential cause of hair loss.
With one kind, called telogen effluvium, a stressful stretch pushes a large number of hairs into a resting phase. A few months later, those hairs fall out when you comb or wash your hair. That shedding doesn’t have to be permanent. Once your stress is under control, your hair may grow back. If the shedding goes on for months, see a board-certified dermatologist.
3. Gentle on Skin When Diluted
Cedarwood oil isn’t a treatment for an inflamed scalp. Inflammation is just as problematic for your skin and hair as anxiety, so if your scalp stays red, sore, or swollen, see a board-certified dermatologist to find out why.
Cedarwood oil is usually gentle on skin once it’s diluted. In patch tests, cedarwood oil mixed at 1% or 5% didn’t irritate the skin of 95 people. Stronger is a different story: in animal tests, mixes of 12.5% and up left the skin irritated and thickened, with open sores. So never put it on your scalp straight from the bottle, patch test your mix first, and don’t use it at all if you’re allergic to it.
4. Weak Against Germs
Cedarwood oil does little against germs, so it won’t clear up a scalp infection. If you don't want insects crawling around and laying eggs in your hair, you certainly don't want skin-ruining bacteria and microbes making themselves at home there, either.
There are a variety of different bacterial infections such as folliculitis and general scalp infections that can cause both your scalp and hair to degrade and potentially cause your hair to fall out altogether.
In lab tests, cedarwood oil did little against germs. In one, it didn’t stop any of the five kinds of bacteria tested, and it slowed only 1 of 15 kinds of fungus.
So if you have itchy or sore bumps around your hair follicles, don’t reach for an oil. Mild folliculitis often clears up on its own in a few days. If it spreads, keeps coming back, or comes with a fever, see a doctor, since you may need prescription medicine.
5. Cedarwood Oil May Help You Sleep
Cedarwood oil’s scent may help some people sleep longer. If you think sleep and hair loss are unrelated, think again. Sleep deprivation may not cause hair loss per se, but the added stress it can put on your mental state and body can cause hair loss.
In one small study, 19 older adults with dementia who slept poorly each picked one of three scents: lavender, a lavender and orange blend, or a woody blend with cedarwood. Every night, a few drops went on a towel wrapped around their pillow. Over 20 nights, they slept longer and woke up too early less often. Both cedarwood oil and lavender oil are favorites among those looking for aroma-based sleep remedies.
If you’d like to try it, put a few drops on a cloth near your pillow rather than on your skin.
6. Dandruff: Keep Oil Off Your Scalp
Cedarwood oil isn’t a dandruff treatment, and while you’re treating dandruff, it’s best to keep oil mixes off your scalp. A dry scalp and dandruff can both make your scalp itchy and leave flakes in your part, so they’re easy to mix up.
Dandruff starts with a tiny yeast called Malassezia that lives on almost everyone’s scalp and feeds on the oil your scalp makes. On a scalp that’s prone to dandruff, the bits the yeast leaves behind irritate the skin, so it itches and sheds flakes.
Dandruff is one of the most common hair problems, and a dandruff shampoo is what clears it. Look for one with zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, salicylic acid, coal tar, or sulfur. Put it on your scalp only, and let it sit for a few minutes before you rinse if the directions allow. If you have curly or coily hair, the American Academy of Dermatology suggests using it about once a week if your hair tolerates it.
Since the yeast feeds on oil, a scalp oil may give it more to work with. So keep cedarwood oil and other oil mixes on your hair strands and ends until the flakes clear. If you want an essential oil in your dandruff routine, tea tree oil has the best results when it's in a ready-made shampoo. And if your flakes haven’t improved after about four weeks with a dandruff shampoo, see a board-certified dermatologist.
7. Fragrance and Beauty
Cedarwood oil’s biggest everyday benefit is its scent. Hair care is about more than simply making sure your scalp isn't dried out or infested with insects or bacteria.
Hair maintenance can be hard work.
One of the reasons we put up with the arduous hair care regimen that proper hair care demands is because we want a head of hair that's as bold and beautiful as it is full and healthy.
As alluded to above, cedarwood oil, like other essential oils, is quite fragrant. If cedarwood's distinct scent (i.e., cedar tree) appeals to you, cedarwood oil can allow you to imbue your hair with that pine-fresh fragrance.
It’s no wonder it’s such a popular inclusion in beauty-focused hair care and skin products. Over 100,000 pounds of cedarwood oil a year are made just for fragrances. If scent is all you’re after, a light leave-in mix, 3 to 6 drops in 2 tablespoons of carrier oil, is plenty.
How to Use Cedarwood Oil for Hair Care
To use cedarwood oil for hair care, mix a few drops into a carrier oil, such as jojoba or grapeseed oil. Then massage the mix into your scalp, and either wash it out the same day or leave it in until your next wash day.
Depending on where you live, cedarwood oil may be hard to find in a supermarket, though you can find it with ease at specialty stores and countless outlets online.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when using cedarwood (or any other essential oil used for hair care, for that matter) is that a little goes a long way.
These oils are quite potent, so you don’t need to slather them on your scalp. In fact, doing so is a fast way to severely irritate and perhaps even burn your scalp. Instead, a few drops in a carrier oil are enough.
You can apply the oil after you have already washed your hair as you normally would. You can also mix it into your shampoo to save time, but only if the shampoo’s directions say that’s OK.
If you massage it into your scalp, you'll want to make sure you really rub it in to ensure that your scalp is getting the most of it.
However you choose to apply it, you'll first want to make sure you dilute it down to a safe ratio. For a mix you wash out the same day, use 6 to 18 drops of cedarwood oil in 2 tablespoons of carrier oil, which works out to 1% to 3%. For a leave-in that stays on until wash day, use 3 to 12 drops, or 0.5% to 2%. If it’s your first time, start at the low end. Drops aren’t an exact measure, so our essential oil dilution calculator gives you close numbers for other amounts.
So if you are mixing it in with your shampoo, you'll need to make sure that the ratio is correct. Add the drops and shake the mixture to combine the oil with your shampoo.
Before you put a new mix on your scalp, patch test it. Put a little on a quarter-sized spot on the bend of your elbow or the underside of your arm, twice a day for 7 to 10 days. If your skin doesn’t get red, itchy, or swollen, you’re good to go. Our patch test steps walk you through it.
If your scalp burns, stings, itches, or turns red after you use it, wash the mix out with shampoo right away and stop using it. If the rash doesn’t calm down, see a board-certified dermatologist.
Ask your doctor before using cedarwood oil if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. In ancient Rome and early America, people swallowed it to try to end pregnancies, so never take it by mouth. Keep it away from your eyes, and ask your pediatrician before using it on a child’s scalp.
If you’re trying the four-oil blend for alopecia areata, be patient. People in the 1998 study massaged it in every day for 7 months, and the first check was at 3 months. So give it at least that long, alongside your dermatologist’s treatment.
History of Cedarwood Essential Oil
As the name would imply, cedarwood oil comes from the wood of cedar trees, a name that covers true cedars as well as several kinds of juniper and cypress.
This is one of the most intriguing yet potentially confusing aspects of cedarwood since, unlike other essential oil options, it is not directly connected to a single plant or substance.
There are many types of cedar trees, and the oil is steamed out of their wood, often from the sawdust and shavings left over at the mill.
That’s why it helps to check the label for the tree’s Latin name. Virginia cedarwood oil comes from Juniperus virginiana, Texas cedarwood oil comes from Juniperus ashei, and cedarwood Atlas oil comes from Cedrus atlantica, a true cedar. Cedar leaf oil is a different product made from the leaves, so it isn’t a swap for cedarwood oil.
Cedar is referenced throughout the Bible, and cedar and pine trees throughout North America served as an inspiration to a wealth of different Native American religious and cultural traditions.
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When applied properly, cedarwood oil can be a pleasant addition to your hair care routine.
Diluted in a carrier oil, it gives your hair a warm, woody scent, and as part of a four-oil blend, it helped people with alopecia areata. Just patch test your mix first, and see a dermatologist for bald patches, shedding that won’t stop, or a scalp that stays sore.
All of this combined helps make cedarwood oil an enticing all-natural skin and hair care option.
