Does Onion Juice Work For Hair Loss?

Male and female pattern baldness affects approximately 320 million people in the United States alone and there have been countless research studies just to find remedies to help prevent hair loss. After all, hair is our crowning glory and we will do anything to keep it healthy and beautiful as long as we can. Might it be gradual thinning of hair, patchy baldness, or complete baldness, this is commonly a result of hormonal changes, side effects of medications taken such as chemotherapy, or it could even be a hereditary condition or also known as androgenic alopecia.

One of the best-known hair remedies to have been used by people for decades in-home treatments that can help stop pattern baldness is onion juice.  It is said to help overall hair health that could lead to prevention of hair loss, it could also help to boost hair growth and volume.

Some of the benefits you can get from onion juice apart from hair loss prevention include rejuvenating brittle hair, preventing scalp infection, healing the inflamed and itchy scalp, a great treatment for alopecia, removes dandruff, and delays the occurrence of gray hair.

So how does onion juice work to stop hair loss?

Onions are high in dietary sulfur, which our bodies need to produce more enzymes and proteins. Now, when onion juice is extracted from onion and applied to your hair and scalp, the introduction of extra sulfur will prevent hair loss and will ultimately promote healthier hair because sulfur is a much-needed nutritional element found in proteins, specifically in its component called the amino acids. This protein together with keratin, which is abundant in sulfur, is needed by our hair to grow stronger and healthier. Onions can also give you healthy skin cells, this is achieved through collagen production promoted by the sulfur found in it. This benefit in turn will also help grow healthier and stronger hair.

Just like minoxidil, onion juice application to your scalp can boost blood circulation, increasing the amount of oxygen-rich blood supply to your hair follicles, improving hair growth, and allowing your hair to have a natural hair growth cycle. Apart from containing dietary sulfur, onions also possess anti-bacterial properties that could help fight scalp infections which contribute to hair loss. Onions also contain flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that cancels out free radicals that can be a cause of follicle damage resulting in hair loss.

A study conducted in 2002 revealed that although both men and women benefit from the anti-hair loss properties of an onion juice applied to the hair and scalp, men receive greater results than women. This study also conducted an experiment where the people who washed their hair with onion juice had experienced better hair growth than those who only washed their hair with tap water.  Although this study is almost a decade old and some of its subjects weren’t actually able to finish the tests before the research went to completion, there had been many other studies following that which provided reliable evidence of onion juice being a massive help in stopping hair loss and improving overall hair and scalp health. This, however, does not mean that onion juice is an actual cure to pattern baldness, alopecia, or any other hair loss disorders. Onion juice does not reverse pattern baldness and such, but it can stimulate healthy hair growth.

So, how do you make onion juice?

To make an onion juice, you can peel and roughly chop 4 (will depend on your liking) pieces of onions, this will make it easy for you to extract the juice. Next, you can either use a food processor, a mortar, and pestle, or you can just simply squeeze the pieces to create a paste which you will then have to transfer to a cheesecloth. Now that the onion paste you created is in a cheesecloth, you can gradually squeeze the mass of onion paste in there until the juice is released. You can either squeeze the juice directly on your scalp or into a container. From the container, you can dip a cotton pad in the onion juice and dab it on your scalp.

Although onion juice is safe to use for the hair and scalp, people with an allergy to onions should refrain from using its juice on their hair. Side effects including redness and itching may still persist regardless if you’re allergic or not due to onions’ caustic nature, especially when applied to the scalp. Always perform a patch test to the scalp before you apply onion juice, this will ensure that onion juice won’t cause you any irritation. A patch test can be done by applying a tiny amount of onion juice to the back of your ear and waiting for 5 minutes at least to see if the area develops an irritation. And if it does, it’s best that you avoid onions and onion juice altogether. You also have to make sure that you don’t get onion juice into your eyes for this may cause redness and irritation, or even a burning sensation. Rinse your eyes with cool water if this happens.

To possibly avoid any of the side effects, you can mix onion juice with coconut juice or aloe vera to mollify its strong potency. And due to its strong smell, you can infuse essential oils into your onion juice such as lavender, rosemary, peppermint, and any floral ones to your liking. This will help dilute its smell. There are also fun ways for you to enjoy onion juice for your hair. One example is creating a hair mask with onion juice with honey, not only this will give you all the benefits you can get from onion juice, but using a hair mask with this combination can also leave a luscious shine to your hair. This will also reduce dandruff and will bring down inflammation on your scalp. You can also combine onion juice with castor oil, ginger, lemon, and eggs. These fun combinations will give you healthier hair and scalp, inside and out. You can use these DIY masks 2 to 3 times a week for optimum results.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/onion-juice-for-hair#bottom-line
https://www.healthline.com/health/thinning-hair
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/information/story/how-to-use-onion-juice-for-treating-your-hair-problems-1729587-2020-10-08
https://www.njfue.com/blog/onion-juice-for-hair-does-it-really-cure-baldness/amp
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319515#takeaway

© 2016-2021 by BaldTalk.com, an LiVenture. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of LiVentures.