Did you know that carrots are one of the most biotin-rich foods—meaning they are great for hair health? Now, you don't only have to eat carrots to reap their benefits.

Carrot oil works wonders to condition hair, prevent split ends, soothe a dry scalp, and accelerate hair growth. You can purchase hair products containing carrot oil or use up the bendy carrots in your fridge to make a multipurpose elixir yourself.

Experts say to use carrot oil weekly—and no more than twice a week—for best results.

Carrot root oil is derived from the flesh of the carrot whereas carrot seed oil is, of course, distilled from the seeds of the plant. The former is what you make when you infuse an oil with grated carrot. The latter is commonly sold as "carrot essential oil." Both are beneficial to hair.

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Making your own carrot oil is incredibly easy and eliminates the possibility of subjecting your hair to harsh chemicals that store-bought hair products contain. Grapeseed and coconut oils pair especially well with carrots, but you can also use olive, sunflower, or sesame oil.

The following recipe makes about 120 milliliters of carrot oil.

Carrot oil can leave hair and the skin around it with a ginger tint and is even used to make natural dye. The coloring can be prominent on light tones—namely blonde and silver—but is not usually noticeable on dark-pigmented hair.

Evidence that carrot oil promotes hair growth is so far purely anecdotal, but the vitamins in carrots are so abundant that this remedy can only help.

Once a week, mix about four drops of carrot oil with two cups of water and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Massage this into your scalp while hair is clean and dry or damp, leave on for five minutes, then rinse. Apple cider vinegar helps skin maintain a healthy pH, which creates a good foundation for hair development.

"Applying oil on a regular basis can enhance lubrication of the shaft and help prevent hair breakage," one study says. Oil, in general, helps seal, bond, and prevent split ends—and carrot oil, specifically, is packed with antioxidants that neutralize the free radicals that cause them. Keep hair protected by rubbing a few drops straight into the ends of your hair (again, only twice weekly max).

Dandruff is caused by fungi and/or bacteria on the scalp. It turns out that carrots (and, therefore, carrot oil) have antimicrobial properties to combat that. Lemons do, too. If you suffer from a flaky scalp, combine four parts carrot oil with one part freshly squeezed lemon juice, massage it into your scalp, leave it for as long as an hour, then wash out with shampoo. Repeat weekly for optimal results.

Hair masks are used to make tresses glossy, strong, and hydrated. Studies have found carrots to have photoprotective properties that could help hair cope with sun damage, in turn allowing it to better retain its moisture.

For this hydrating and conditioning DIY hair mask, mix about 10 drops of carrot oil in with half a ripe, mashed avocado and a teaspoon of honey. Coat your hair in the cream, leave it on for 30 minutes, then rinse clean.

Textured hair is prone to frizz because it prevents scalp oils from coating strands from root to ends. Coconut oil is a boon to the curly community, adding shine and softness to unruly locks. If you're going to use coconut oil as a styling product, you might as well use it with highly nutritious carrot.

For this, just dilute about four drops of carrot oil with four tablespoons of coconut oil and transfer it to a spray bottle for easy application. Reheat to liquify as needed.

Some avoid carrot oil altogether because of its tendency to stain, but others embrace the tint and sometimes even seek it. You can make an all-natural hair tint by first blending three medium-sized carrots in a food processor. Boil a cup of water and add just enough of the hot water to the carrot blend to make a thick paste, then mix that paste with about a cup of carrier oil.

Let the natural hair dye set for five minutes—the longer it marinates, the richer the ginger hue. Apply it evenly to hair, wrap in plastic, and let sit for at least one hour. Rinse hair with apple cider vinegar and finish with a leave-in conditioner for lasting color. Add beets or cranberries to the mix for red or purple tones.

Dias, Maria Fernanda Reis Gavazzoni. "Hair Cosmetics: An Overview." International Journal of Trichology. 2015.

Nimse, Satish Balasaheb, and Dilipkumar Palb. "Free Radicals, Natural Antioxidants, and Their Reaction Mechanisms." RSC Advances. 2015.

Zhijue, Xu, et al. "Dandruff Is Associated With the Conjoined Interactions Between Host and Microorganisms." Scientific Reports. 2016.

Balić, Anamaria, and Mislav Mokos. "Do We Utilize Our Knowledge of the Skin Protective Effects of Carotenoids Enough?" Antioxidants. 2019.

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