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Really?...Rosemary oil as a treatment for promoting hair growth?
That’s right! The herb that gives you that slightly minty, peppery, and even woody aftertaste, doesn’t just go great with your cooking... Rosemary might also be an effective treatment for androgenic alopecia. We'll also review another study with people who had alopecia areata.
Before we jump into the data I want to call out that just because something is “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean that it is safer than a synthetic or “unnatural” drug.
Natural treatments often come with their own potential side effects. Some may even be serious. And not all natural products are shown to be effective. Be sure to consult with your physician before starting, stopping, or changing any of your treatment regimens.
Do you want to know exactly what I did to regrow my hair? Then check out my e-Book linked in the image above. Here you'll have access to exclusive content that is not included on my blog posts.
But what about the drugs that are actually FDA approved to treat hair loss?
The medications that are used most widely in the treatment of androgenic alopecia are topical minoxidil and 5α-reductase inhibitors (1). These medications are associated with their own side effects and the efficacy is not the same for everyone. (When I say "efficacy" I mean the effectiveness of the drug to produce the intended result. In this case: hair growth).
Therefore the search continues for treatments that have better efficacy and have fewer side effects.
Cue the rosemary essential oil!
How is Rosemary Oil thought to work in treating hair loss?
Let's talk mechanism, baby!
Some hypotheses include:
1. The activity of rosemary on enhancing blood circulation to the hair follicle (1). Does this sound familiar? It should... because this is also similar to the effect of minoxidil.
2. Another mechanism may be rosemary’s antioxidant activity (oxidative stress has been associated with alopecia) (2).
3. Rosemary oil has well-established anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties (1).
4. It also possesses nourishing and conditioning properties that may leave your hair feeling all soft and silky (3).
Talk Data To Me....
The first study we'll take a look at compared (rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2%) in individuals with androgenic alopecia.
It lasted 6-months and was a randomized comparative trial.
You can stalk the study HERE.
There were 50 men in each group (100 total) and they returned to the clinic after their initial visit for safety and efficacy evaluations every 3 months (Remember: total length of study: 6 months).
All of the participants had naturally dark hair.
People weren't allowed to participate in the study if they were simultaneously using hair restorers, systemic drugs such as 5α-reductase
inhibitors during the 6 months before the start of this study, and if they were super sensitive to minoxidil.
Details: (This review of the treatment regimen may seem confusing for the rosemary group... I totally get that so I discuss this in more detail further down).
Rosemary group: applied 1 mL of Rosemary oil lotion, standardized as having at least 3.7 mg 1,8-cineole per mL of the product. This was applied in 12 hr intervals (twice a day application = 2mL daily dose) with gentle massage.
2% minoxidil group: applied 1mL of this solution at 12 hr intervals (twice a day application = 2mL daily dose) with gentle massage.
The way the authors determined if the treatment was working was by essentially taking super magnified images of the scalp. These images were then evaluated by two dermatologists who did not know who was assigned to which treatment group.
The efficacy was also assessed by asking the participants’ satisfaction from
hair loss decrease and hair growth improvement.
The results showed that at the end of the 6-month long study both the minoxidil 2% and the rosemary oil group experienced a significant increase in hair count when compared with the hair count at the initial visit, and at month 3.
But what about when comparing against one another (minoxidil 2% vs rosemary oil)?
There was not a significant difference (> .05) between the two groups at either the 3 months or the 6 month time points.
Sum it up...
Applying the topical rosemary solution was as effective as minoxidil 2% in the treatment of androgenic alopecia.
Some side effects discussed in this study...
This study found that there was no significant difference in how often dry hair, greasy hair, and dandruff was found at 3 or 6 months compared with the initial visit in both rosemary and minoxidil groups.
Both groups experienced a significantly higher amount of scalp itching when comparing 3- and 6-month trial points to that initial visit to the clinic.
Compared to one another (minoxidil 2% vs rosemary oil), scalp itching happened more often in the minoxidil group when they looked at the three month and six month time points.
When thinking about how to interpret these results you may want to consider...
THIS STUDY ONLY INCLUDED MEN
Small sample size
More people were able to follow the exact treatment regimen in the rosemary group compared to the minoxidil group. Remember the treatment application was: twice a day application = 2mL daily dose. (The authors of the study thought the reason for this may have to due with decreased scalp itching and higher patient satisfaction with decreased hair loss which was self reported by the people in the rosemary group).
You may want to consider the amount of 1,8-cineole in the rosemary oil lotion that was applied topically to the scalp.
What is 1,8 cineole? It's a natural monoterpene and potential therapeutic agent obtained in rosemary oil by steam distillation. As a reminder: In this study the rosemary group applied 1 mL of Rosemary oil lotion, standardized as having at least 3.7 mg 1,8-cineole per mL of the product. This was applied in 12 hr intervals (twice a day application = 2mL daily dose).
Important to call out!
Let's say you just read these results and were really jazzed about them...
Please note that many of these essential oils come undiluted and require dilution in things like carrier oils for topical use. So I encourage you to read labels and look for instructions. And always consult with your physician!
Aromatherapy as a treatment for alopecia areata...
Now for the next study...
The goal of this study was to investigate how effective and how safe the application of an aromatherapy cocktail massaged into the scalp would be in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata.
The study was 7 months long.
You can stalk the study HERE.
Cocktail? Tell me more...Hey, it’s gotta be 5 o’clock somewhere. But no. This was NOT for ingestion. This cocktail was an aromatherapy cocktail with the following essential oils: (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) that were massaged into the scalp daily.
The study contained 86 patients total. They were split into two groups.
The aromatherapy treatment group: had 43 people.
The control group: 43 people received only carrier oils for massage into their scalp. So this group only had the following mixture: (jojoba and grapeseed).
Some Findings Included: (44%) of people in the aromatherapy treatment group showed improvement.
(15%) of people in the control group showed improvement.
Sum it all up...
The authors concluded that the aromatherapy cocktail used was a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata.
References: 1) Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Marzony ET, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015 Jan-Feb;13(1):15-21. PMID: 25842469.
2) Naziroglu M, Kokcam I. Antioxidants and lipid peroxidation status in the blood of patients with alopecia. Cell Biochem Function. 2000;18:169–173.
3). Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD. Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol. 1998;134:1349–1352.