It’s no secret that we want our hair to be fab-u-lous. We invest goodness knows how much money on shampoos, conditioners, styling products, treatments, hair cuts, and colors. But why should our hair get all the attention? A healthy scalp is just as important for making sure our locks stay lustrous. A good ole shampoo and condition is a good start, but there’s more you can do. This Pink Grapefruit Scalp Scrub is an easy way to improve scalp health and soften your hair. The sugar helps gently exfoliate, removing dead skin cells while the blend of Argan and Organic Fractionated Coconut Oil help moisturize your scalp and hair. Plus, Pink Grapefruit and Cedarwood are both fantastic essential oils for their ability to promote shiny, healthy hair. After you’ve thoroughly scrubbed your scalp, rinse, and then follow up with your usual shampoo and conditioner. The result will be a gloriously flake-free scalp and soft, shiny hair!
Pink Grapefruit Scalp Scrub
What you’ll need:
- 1 Tbsp Argan Oil
- 1 Tbsp Organic Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 8 drops Pink Grapefruit
- 4 drops Himalayan Cedarwood
What you’ll do:
Combine carrier oils and essential oils in a small bowl. Stir in white sugar. Massage scrub over your entire scalp and rinse thoroughly. Then shampoo and condition your hair as usual.
And for those days that you don’t even have time to wash and dry your hair, we have dry shampoo! It’s easier to make than you think. All you need is arrowroot powder (baking soda can be too harsh), a little cacao powder if you have dark hair, and your favorite essential oils. We used the blend of Grapefruit and Cedarwood again because of their benefits for hair, and also because of the delightful and fruity aroma. Other combinations you can try are Bergamot and Sandalwood, Lavender and Rosemary, or Orange and Patchouli. Once your dry shampoo is thoroughly mixed, use a kabuki brush or other makeup brush to put a small amount on your hair, then comb it through your hair to absorb any excess oil. Keep in mind, use a light touch with the dry shampoo to avoid overly powdery hair. You can always use more, but it’s not so easy trying to get the extra out.
Pink Grapefruit Dry Shampoo DIY
What you’ll need:
- 4 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
- 7 drops Pink Grapefruit
- 3 drops Himalayan Cedarwood
or for dark hair
- 3 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
- 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder
- 7 drops Pink Grapefruit
- 3 drops Himalayan Cedarwood
What you’ll do:
Combine your Arrowroot Powder and Cacao Powder if needed. Add essential oils and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork. You can also use a blender or food processor to help combine the essential oils and powder. Using a makeup brush, add a small amount of dry shampoo to your hair and comb through.
I will definitely try this blend for my scalp scrub.
Can I substitute the sugar with the pink salt you now offer?? Also wondering if it will work good as a face / beard exfoliate?
It would work great as a beard scrub! And you could use the fine grain Pink Himalayan Salt in the scrub, it probably wouldn’t be best if you have sensitive or irritated skin. Sugar is much gentler on your skin and a natural humectant.
The dry shampoo sounds really good for my gray hair and dry scalp!
I love both of these recipes! I just started making my own shampoo & conditioner and these two are a perfect addition. Thank you!
Definitely going to have to try!! Sounds like it will smell amazing also.
Wondering if it would work for people of color with coily hair types.
Yes! This scalp scrub is good for every hair type, including coily hair.
This sounds amazing! I gotta try this recipe! 🙂
love this idea
This looks like a greaT thing to try. I have been wondering what to do with my pink Grapefruit oil!
I bet this smells amazing!! I can not wait to try!!
Sounds interesting, does it work for dandruff?
Yes, this scrub should help exfoliate the flakes away.
My daughter has dry hair but oily scalp. Maybe she should try this!!!
Oh boy I bet this scrub would feel amazing on your scalp!
Amazing idea
Love the idea for a natural dry shampoo!
Can I substitute jojoba oil for the coconut oil.
Absolutely! Jojoba is a great choice for hair care DIYs.
Love the idea of a DIY dry shampoo!!! Thank you!
It’s amazing
Cant wait to try the scrub, I’ll pin for later since im new to essential oils 🙂
I am definitely going to try this one. I’ve used argon as well as grapefruit for my hair. Could you add tea tree or would that be too overwhelming with the cedar?
Great Idea! Can’t wait to try!
This sounds awesome!
Can this be used on African-American hair (3c/4a)?
Yes, it definitely can!
I am super excited to try the scrub and dry shampoo. Is there another carrier oil that would work instead of the fractionated coconut oil?
You can just use Jojoba or you can swap it out for Almond or Agran.
Looking forward to trying this !!!
Sounds great!
I love most anything grapefruit but several people in my family can’t have it because of medications so we just don’t bring any of into the house. Is there an alternative that would work just as well in these recipes?
Hi Heather, you can find a few alternatives the post like Lavender and Rosemary or Bergamot and Sandalwood. If you’re just looking to replace the Grapefruit, Sweet Orange is another great citrus, and so is Bergamot!
I didn’t even think to do a scalp scrub. Thanks for the information!
Thanks for the tip for thinning hair…definitely going to try it!
This sounds great! I believe I already have all these listed except for the main oil, Pink grapefruit! Why does darker hair require the cacao powder in the dry shampoo? I’ve never used a dry shampoo before.
Arrowroot powder is very stark white. So when putting it on darker hair, it can look more obvious if you overdo it. The cacao powder helps tone it done a little more so that it blends in better with dark hair.
Can you do a little of both arrowroot and cacao powder- I have a darker blond color hair. I would love to try the dry shampoo!
Hi Heather, you can definitely blend the arrowroot with the cacao powder! You can find the exact measurements for a brunette dry shampoo in the recipe. But you want to avoid using too much cacao powder otherwise it’ll be overwhelmingly chocolatey.
Looks awesome
This looks awesome!
The grapefruit scalp scrub sounds delicious! Can’t wait!
The dry shampoo recipe sounds like one I’m going to try!
I will try this for my daughter. She has terrible flaky scalp. We have tried all the prescription shampoos. At least this will smell good. Is this something we should try once a week? Is there anything she can use daily?
Hi Jennifer, we recommend only using a scrub once a week for the scalp. You can always try a hair mask on a more regular basis or use carrier oils on the scalp to help provide extra moisturization. Bergamot, Tea Tree and Cedarwood are all great essential oils for a flaky scalp.
These both sound amazing! I have a question though. I have thinning hair, and have read that rosemary might possibly help with that. You mentioned using lavender and rosemary instead of pink Grapefruit and cedar wood. Do you think that might possibly help hair regrowth? I won’t sue, just want another opinion.
Rosemary is probably the best essential oil you can use to help stimulate hair growth. And it happens to smell great with Lavender (which is also overall good for hair). You can absolutely use those instead, in both DIYs.
The scrub sounds so good, can’t wait to make some!!
I love DIY shampoo. I can’t wait to try this one!
My family has oily hair. Would the dry shampoo be good for that hair type?
Absolutely! It helps absorb the excess oils in between hair washings.
These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them!
This scalp scrub looks amazing! How often do you recommend doing this treatment?
It’s ultimately up to your individual scalp needs, but we don’t recommend doing it more than once.
Thanks for the recipes!
Not quite sure how I feel about “dry shampoo”…I’ll have to think about this one. I am excited to try the scalp scrub though. Thanks for the ideas!
Are there any alternatives to Cedarwood? I have allergies and Cedarwood oil bothers me. Thanks!
Sandalwood is a great option! And even though Petitgrain has a much different aroma, the woodsiness would balance Grapefruit really well. Plus it’s great for oily skin.
i love using arrowroot and sage dry shampoo, it works really well. next time ill try the pink grapefruit and the scrub!
Sounds like a great recipe…my scalp is itchy to try it.
What great ideas! I never would have thought of this
I think I’ll have my 15 year old son try the scrub. It sounds like it would help his scalp issue.
Can’t wait to try the scrub and dry shampoo. Love pink grapefruit!
Excited to try this for my daughter. Sounds amazing! And just what she needs!
I love anything with grapefruit!!
sounds awesome!
Sounds great!
This would be fun to do with a buddy.
Thanks for the recipes!
I love the smell of grapefruit!
I like the dry shampoo option. I don’t use much dry shampoo so I don’t buy it and have it easily available. I have all the ingredients to make it with the recipe above. Thanks
Excited to try this !
Sounds great
I am so excited to make both of these!!! My daughters and I have terribly dry scalps. Changing our products and routine has helped some but maybe this can help more while adding in some good curl moisture! Thanks PT!
Thanks for the recipes!
Wow this sounds like it would be awesome. I might have to make this up. The dry shampoo sounds amazing.
have these ingredients on hand and cant wait to try it….sounds fabulous
I had no idea there was a way to create a dry shampoo! So excited to try!
This sounds amazing! I’ve heard about argan oil, can other oils be substituted, like maybe jojoba? I’d like to try this, I have oily hair but a dry scalp with dandruff
Jojoba would be a great substitute!
Thanks for these 2 recipes for haircare. Can’t wait to try them, especially the dry hair recipe
Love the option to add all to the cart! Pink grapefruit smells amazing
Been here for about 5 years using these oils !
They sound pretty awesome. I might try the dry shampoo.
Sounds great! Thanks for the recipe!
Love it!!
I have all these and can hardly wait to try this scapl scrub. Thank you!
Yeah, I have lots of pink grapefruit and arrowroot. Need to check on the cedarwood, but excited to try both of these!
looks amazing! cant wait to try.
I love making my own dry shampoo- can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you!
I have never thought to use a sugar scrub on my scalp. Great idea! I love the dry shampoo recipe.
Great idea! Will definitely try this!
Can’t wait to try this!!
Great recipe, looking forward to trying it. Can the oils be switched to promote new hair growth?
Absolutely! Rosemary is one of the best essential oils to help promote new hair growth.
This dry shampoo is amazing!
great recipes! I can’t wait to try them.
Can’t wait to try this out. Sound lovely for the summer.
I have done this but never with pink grapefruit – It sounds refreshing!!
This scalp scrub sounds wonderful. I’m hoping this will help my husbands Seborrheic Dermatitis! I’ve tried everything!
I can’t wait to try both of them. Thanks Plant Therapy
Do we rinse this off right away or let it sit on the hair and scalp for a bit?
It’s up to you! Argan is very nourishing and moisturizing, so more time on your scalp would only be good.
The recipes sound great. Will try them.
I would love a natural scalp scrub to help control my flakes.
do you have to use argan, or can you substitute for more coconut oil?
You could use only coconut oil. But Argan is very nourishing, so you’d missing out on some of that extra goodness.
Be careful of too much coconut oil going down the drain…stick with the fractionated type of oil
What great recipes! Thanks
Have all these at home, can’t wait to try it!
I have a ton of arrowroot… now to get pink grapefruit oil.
Gotta try this for my granddaughter, she has really oily scalp. Which one do you recommend?
Hi Salena, I think both DIYs could be very beneficial for someone with an oily scalp.
Can we use it on a daily basis?
The dry shampoo can be used on a daily basis. However, the scrub should only be used about once a week.
Going to try this soon!
Sounds wonderful!
Sounds like it smells delish!!!
Sound good
sounds lovely
It sounds lovely!
Sounds refreshing
Never knew I could make my own dry shampoo!
WOW
So easy!
Definitely will have to try this
How does this work with color treated hair?
Hi Jean, all the ingredients are natural and should be fine for color-treated hair. But since we did not test it on color treated hair, you might consider testing it on a small patch first.
Sounds wonderful!
Looking forward to trying this one.
Any recipes for non-Caucasian hair, hair oils/conditioners or curl enhancers Without coconut oil?
Thanks
Hi Davette, stay tuned! We’re working on something specifically for non-Caucasian hair in the near future. For this scalp scrub, you can use Jojoba or Argan instead of FCO.
I will have to try this.
Can’t wait to try this one !
I have coconut oil at home but not argan – could i just use all coconut oil? Also I LOVE the dry shampoo recipe – i have a spray on one and i’m always holding my breath!
Hi Betsy, we chose Argan for this recipe because it is just so good for the hair. You could still use just the coconut oil, but it doesn’t have the same nourishing benefits. If you have a different lightweight carrier oil like Jojoba or Grapeseed, you could substitute that for the Argan.
So excited to try the DIY dry shampoo
How long can you store the mixture?
If stored in an airtight container, it should be good for up to one year.
These sound interesting to try.
That sounds great, will try it next order!
I love the smell of grapefruit. I’m hoping to try this without the Cedarwood soon. Coconut oil is so healthy for hair!
Going to try this!
Is your pink grapefruit steam distilled
Our Pink Grapefruit is cold pressed.
Does grapefruit have any “cleaning” properties to it like tea tree or lemon? I have been breaking out on my scalp and am wondering if this would help with that problem.
Grapefruit is excellent for helping with oily skin and blemishes! However, if you’re dealing with breakouts, a scrub may aggravate it further, so maybe start with a hair mask using these essential oils and some carrier oils.
Im going to try the scrub today. sounds aweaome.
Sounds Amazing!
I am new to essential oils and trying to have more natural products for my family. I am glad to know about the dry shampoo I use to use store bought and I am super excited to learn a more natural way for my in between shampoo.
The scalp scrub recipe sounds heavenly and invigorating! I will definitely try it out soon- has anyone substituted the sugar with fine Himalayan pink salt in the scalp scrub recipe? Many thanks!
The scalp scrub sounds wonderful. Can I use regular grapefruit or does it need to be the pink? How often would you recommend using it?
Hi Cheryl, you’re totally fine to use any Grapefruit essential you have (it should all be the same even if it doesn’t say pink). And how often you use it is up to you and what your scalp needs. But you wouldn’t want to do it more than once a week.
Sounds amazing!
Will this help with Dandruff and Dry Scalp? And is this kidsafe?
Hi Michelle, this scalp scrub will definitely help with dandruff and a dry scalp. And all the essential oils used are KidSafe!
Hi , can i substitute the himalayan to cedarwood atlas? I dont have himalayan at home..thanks.
Yep, you sure can!
Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you for yet another scalp option! The scrub recipe will really come in handy for skin/hair rejuvenation after being out during these hot summery days 🙂
I have dark hair so I would need to use the cocoa powder. Will it make my hair smell like chocolate?
There will be a hint of chocolate there, but it won’t be overpowering. I also have dark hair and so I used the cacao powder. I didn’t find the chocolate smell to be too much or even that noticeable once the essential oils were mixed in.
My daughter also has dark hair and she uses charcoal powder instead of cocoa or cacao in her dry shampoo. It really helps with the additional oil that hot summer weather causes on her scalp and no additional scent!
How often do you think one could use the scalp scrub? I’m considering making a master blend so I wouldn’t need to mix it up before each use.
You wouldn’t want to use it more than once a week, but how often you use it is really up to you. It depends on what your scalp needs and how often you notice dryness or flaking.
That sounds amazing but is there no concern about washing those oils down the drain and causing damage to the pipes?
Given that it’s such a small amount of oil used on occasion, we’re not concerned about damaging pipes. But ultimately that’s a personal decision based on your own home.
I really like the idea of the scrub. It sounds absolutely wonderful, m7ch better than something you have to leave on for overnight or even 30 min.
Does the arrowroot powder really dilute the essential oils safely for use on the scalp?
Hi Alice, as long as the essential oils are thoroughly combined with the powder and the dilution rate doesn’t go over 0.5% (and this recipe doesn’t), you can safely use it on your scalp.
Is there another carrier oil besides coconut that could be used in the scrub recipe?
Yes, you can swap it out. Just make sure to choose something lightweight.
I have a question, for the dry shampoo how are the oils prevented from irritating the skin? Is it because they absorb into powder then are diluted (similar to diluting in carrier oil)?
Hi Sara, as long as the essential oils are thoroughly combined with the powder and the dilution rate doesn’t go over 0.5% (and this recipe doesn’t), you can safely use it on your scalp without worrying about irritation.
I can’t wait to try the scrub!