Does Rosemary Oil Really Work for Hair Growth? (Rosemary Oil v/s Minoxidil)
Rosemary oil has recently received a lot of attention due to various claims made by beauty influencers especially, showcasing lengthy locks of hair.
So, is rosemary oil an effective hair loss solution or a good option for hair growth?
Let’s first understand the basics of hair loss, in order to understand how an ingredient can effectively help with combating it.
What Causes Hair Loss?
As tempting as it might be to jump to a solution that could probably grow hair back, you need to understand that not all hair loss is equal.
The average person loses about 50-100 hair a day. The hair undergoes a continuous growth cycle of anagen, catagen, and telogen. Different hair will be present at different stages of the hair growth cycle. This means those hair that have reached the end of its growth phase, will fall off to give rise to new hair.
Hence, as scary as it might seem, losing 50-100 hair/day is normal.
But when you do see more than normal hair loss, it could be due to:
- Traction alopecia – this happens when hair is pulled back and styled too tightly.
- Telogen Effluvium aka stress-induced hair loss
- Androgenetic Alopecia (Male/Female Pattern Hair loss)
- Hormonal changes e.g. PCOS
- High levels of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone)
- Post Partum
- Genetics
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Chronic health conditions
- Alopecia areata (an autoimmune condition that causes patchy or total scalp/body hair loss)
Hence, I always recommend getting to the root cause of the issue.
Benefits of Rosemary For Hair
Rosemary can help by blocking the effects of DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a type of testosterone that attacks the hair follicles and leads to its shrinkage over time, thereby leading to hair loss.
It’s also considered a vasodilator, which means it increases blood circulation to the scalp. More blood flow means more nutrients are being delivered to the hair follicle (this is assuming you are having a whole food nourished diet in place)
Rosemary also has compounds that are believed to provide anti-fungal benefits, hence rosemary can potentially help with dandruff buildup and fungal scalp conditions.
I must mention though, that we still do NOT have strong clinical trials and research to conclusively prove these claims.
A paper published in 2015 compared rosemary oil with minoxidil. Minoxidil is considered the gold-standard topical agent for treating androgenetic alopecia.
This article gives an excellent breakdown of the entire study and highlights deficiencies in scientific literature.
Based on the scientific paper published in 2015, rosemary oil was found to perform as well as minoxidil.
I highlight my observations and more details in this video. 👇
My Opinion about the Rosemary oil-Hair Growth Skepticism
Tough we still do not have strong clinical data to back the potential claims made concerning rosemary oil for hair growth, I still believe it has a lot of potential.
I don’t believe all scientific literature that is published and hence don’t rely solely on what studies mention. (More on that here)
I also believe in personal experience and my clinical acumen that has allowed me to successfully reverse various hair loss concerns for the thousands of patients I have been blessed to serve over the last decade.
The Verdict
- Rosemary itself is not your wonder hair loss/growth solution.
- Not all rosemary oil formulations are the same in effectiveness and safety.
- All in all, rosemary is a promising ingredient for hair growth. It is a matter of the right formulation, and the right indication along with good quality research to conclusively prove its effectiveness.
As always, eating whole foods, taking targeted supplements, and supporting whole-body health go a long way toward healthy, natural hair.
Being mindful of what products you choose and what ingredients they contain can help you tremendously in your journey towards clear skin, healthy hair, and achieving your health goals.
Being proactive in our choices today can ensure better overall health for years.
Want me to create a Skincare/ Haircare Routine for you or review your current one?
I’ve been getting an overwhelming amount of people asking me to tell them what to use on their skin or help with preventing hair loss. I wish I could create a video and give everyone the same answer, but I can’t because your skin, hair, and body are UNIQUE to YOU!
If you are serious about getting a phenomenal skincare/ hair care routine that HEALS and PROTECTS your skin/hair. That makes your skin GLOW from health and glory!
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References
- Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial.
- Promotion of hair growth by Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract
- Rosemary and neem: an insight into their combined anti-dandruff and anti-hair loss efficacy
- A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of a novel formulation of 5% minoxidil topical foam versus placebo in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men.
- DOES ROSEMARY OIL WORK FOR HAIR GROWTH?
Comments
Thank you for clearing the misconception regarding rosemary oil. I have seen hair growth with regular use of rosemary oil myself.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad you found it helpful.