This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
But why are you crying? I'm not! I'm just chopping onions!
The onion...This vegetable is one of my favorites. On a chilly day you can find me curling up with a bowl of onion soup. Then there's the caramelized onion which always pairs amazingly with some blue cheese..And don't even get me started on onion rings...
Someone get this girl a breath mint...
But ask me to chop them and you'll find me running away. Whenever they're sliced or juiced I find that the scent quickly attaches to my skin. Not to mention that burning feeling, causing your eyes to water.
No thanks!
In case you're asking yourself...Wait did this just turn into a food blog?
The answer is No. Get ready for how this all ties in with hair...
Recently my boyfriend sent me an article where Cardi B was using boiled onion water as part of her hair growth journey. He thought this would be a good blog post topic and I agreed. I'm always seeing onion juice for hair regrowth posts on pinterest...
Usually I just brush these natural remedies off... Get it? You may even be familiar with some of the products below using onions as part of their ingredient list.
But could they actually work? Is there any validity to the claims that onion juice promotes hair regrowth? I decided to do some research. In this post we'll review some of the clinical data.
Onion Juice For Hair Regrowth.. Let's talk mechanism
I did find some clinical trial data on onion juice being used topically to treat patients with alopecia areata. This is type of hair loss is mechanistically different than androgenic alopecia. Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicles.
In the study we will take a look at below the authors noted that garlic extract has been used topically in the treatment of alopecia areata.
Garlic and onions share many chemical similarities. For example: These plants produce organosulfur compounds, which have antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects (1).
But how would onion juice promote hair regrowth?
The exact mechanism in alopecia areata is unknown but it is thought that sulfur and phenolic compounds cause an irritant contact dermatitis, stimulating hair regrowth through antigenic competition (2).
My interpretation of that is..... perhaps the onion juice is somehow blunting the immune response against the hair follicle in alopecia areata. But the onion juice is also irritating the scalp, causing more blow flow to the scalp, which could potentially mean more oxygen, and nutrients to the hair follicle.
Talk Data To Me...Onion Juice For Hair Regrowth
Let's take a look at the data.
The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of topical crude onion juice in the treatment of patchy alopecia areata in comparison with tap water.
Stalk the study HERE
There were 45 people assigned to the topical crude onion juice treatment versus 17 people who were assigned to tap water (placebo group)
The two groups were instructed to apply the treatment twice daily for two months.
To obtain the onion juice the skin was peeled, chopped, and juiced with an electric blender. Then the juice was stored in closed containers and refrigerated.
Results: At 8 weeks 87% of patients treated with onion juice demonstrated full hair regrowth versus 13% using water.
Some adverse events were mild redness of the scalp... And some patients disliked the unpleasant odor...
Go figure.. lol
The authors concluded that the crude onion juice can be an effective topical treatment for patchy alopecia areata.
Onion Juice for Hair Regrowth: Things to Consider
Before you run to your shower and start dousing your scalp with onion juice here are a few things you may want to consider....
Always talk to your physician prior to making any changes to your current treatment regimen
This is a small study on patchy alopecia areata. So if you do not have this type of hair loss you may not benefit for this treatment.
Also, when looking for hair loss treatments, the above study was the only clinical study I could find about onion juice and hair regrowth.
Some previous reports suggest onions can induce contact dermatitis (2). Remember contact dermatitis presents as an itchy rash. Definitely talk to your doctor prior to treatment and if any irritation develops.
Thank you so much for reading! Be sure to subscribe to make sure you never miss a post!
XOXO
-Riley
References:
1. Arreola R, Quintero-Fabián S, López-Roa RI, Flores-Gutiérrez EO, Reyes-Grajeda JP, Carrera-Quintanar L, et al. Immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of garlic compounds. J Immunol Res. 2015;2015:401630.
2. Sharquie KE, Al-Obaidi HK. Onion juice (Allium cepa L.), a new topical treatment for alopecia areata. J Dermatol. 2002 Jun;29(6):343-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2002.tb00277.x. PMID: 12126069.