Hair growth is a challenge for many people, but some people really do struggle more with hair loss or slow-growing hair.
Hair grows faster than you may think, though, Healthline has stated, “Your hair grows about a half-inch per month, no matter how often you cut it.”
That’s a whopping six inches per year! But can you promote even faster growth?
The answer is – YES! You definitely can, and Rosemary oil is one of the latest trends gaining popularity for naturally stimulating hair growth, while also conditioning your hair into a healthier state (think longer and stronger hair!).
Researchers have even discovered that Rosemary oil is just as effective as the prescription drug Rogaine® (from here).
While it seems like everyone is jumping on the Rosemary oil bandwagon – many aren’t even aware this is an option yet.
Rest assured though, if slow-growing hair is your pain point, you’re not the only one struggling with this!
What is Rosemary oil?
Rosemary oil, also known as – Rosmarinus officinalis – is a pure form of the oil extracted from the leaves and towering tops of the rosemary plant itself.
The active chemical compounds found in Rosemary oil are what make the difference in promoting hair growth for both women and men.
It’s a great option for if you want to thicken, strengthen, and grow your hair out.
Benefits of Using Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil has powerful chemical compounds like ɑ-Pinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, rosmarinic acid, borneol, and carnosic acid, it’s beneficial properties cause it to be-
- Antibacterial
- Antifungal
- Antioxidant
- Anti-inflammatory
- Analgesic (pain relief)
- Vasodilator (increases blood flow where applied)
Because of its many antimicrobial properties, Rosemary oil helps clear the hair and scalp of bacteria and anything your hair is exposed to throughout the day.
The Many Ways Rosemary Oil Helps Your Hair
Scalp Health
Rosemary oil prevents dandruff build up and other scalp issues like Psoraisis and Scalp Folliculitis caused by bacteria overgrowth, or exposure to bacteria throughout the day.
Thickens Fine Hair
Because Rosemary oil helps stimulate blood flow to the hair, it helps produce growth of thicker, stronger strands, and reduces hair loss due to the breakage when you struggle with fine, thin hair.
Repairs Damaged Nerves and Tissue
The compound Carnosic acid found in Rosemary oil has anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant properties that help both rejuvenate and repair damaged nerves and tissues that are in the scalp.
Wakes Up Hibernating or Dormant hair
When hair is dormant, it is in a cellular stage called Telogen Effluvian (TE) where the hair stops growing temporarily, and eventually starts to fall out. While little well known, TE is an extremely common cause of slow hair growth. Many compounds found in Rosemary oil have the power to wake up the hair out of hibernation and start re-growing again.
Anti-Aging – Fights Prematurely Greying Hair
We all know that free radicals and oxidative stress cause premature aging, and we are exposed to these toxins all the time in our environment. But have you thought about this in relation to your hair?
Medical News Today has stated, “Antioxidants play an important role in neutralizing harmful particles called free radicals and preventing oxidative stress.” The antioxidants found in Rosemary oil help your hair to remain biologically youthful for longer, due to the fighting off free radicals and oxidative stress.
Corrects Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease that affects the scalp and causes the hair to fall out in patches. The anti-inflammatory properties of Rosemary oil help combat the autoimmune disease from attacking the hair follicles, helping the hair to grow freely.
Corrects Androgenetic Alopecia
Androgenetic Alopecia is a common, genetically determined condition found in men and women commonly called, “male pattern baldness,” that causes progressive hair loss due to hormone DHT.
Multiple studies have found that Rosemary oil not only helps potentially regrow the hair lost, it can also block the hormone DHT causing the Alopecia.
A common treatment of androgenetic alopecia is minoxidil (popular drug Rogain), but it is only known to slow down the process of losing the hair – whereas when compared with Rosemary oil, the results were just as effective with less negative side effects.
Super Easy and Quick Rosemary Oil Hair Recipe
Rosemary oil is commonly used for scalp treatments to get rid of excess build up, and great for adding into your weekly hair care routine. This recipe can be used before or after taking a bath or shower.
From Healthline –
- 4-5 drops of Rosemary oil
- 1 teaspoon of carrier oil in with the (like jojoba or coconut oil).
Mix the drops of Rosemary oil into the teaspoon of a carrier oil of your choice, then massage the mixture into your scalp. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to really allow the chemical compounds to have time to work.
The act of massaging stimulates the blood circulation in your hair follicles from the outside, that helps the blood flow into dry, or hibernating (dormant) hair in your scalp, hydrating the hair. While the chemical compounds in the Rosemary oil act as a Vasodilator, helping stimulate blood flow from the inside – making this a double approach.
There are other ways you can use Rosemary oil:
- Straight onto the scalp (some people use it in hair oiling bottles)
- Adding it to your shampoo (Add about 20-30 drops of the oil into your shampoo bottle, and shake it to incorporate thoroughly)
- As a hair spray (in a bottle blended with water, use about 20-30 drops in a 6-8 oz bottle)
- Rosemary containing products (where Rosemary is already infused into the product itself)
Most people use Rosemary oil in their routine 1 to 2 times a week.
Be careful because a small amount goes a long way in your hair. Using just a teaspoon or less at a time is recommended to avoid causing irritation.
Always Use a Carrier Oil When Making Your Own Rosemary Products
Applying straight rosemary oil is never recommended for the hair and should always be diluted by another carrier oil before.
A carrier oil is a plant based oil used to dilute essential oils and pure extracts before applying them in order to not make them too strong, harsh, and irritating on the skin or scalp.
Many products may already have these carrier oils in the rosemary oil itself.
Some of the best carrier oils to combine with Rosemary oil are:
- Argan oil
- Coconut oil
- Jojoba oil
- Olive oil
- Rosehip oil
- Almond oil
- Grapeseed oil
While most are unscented, when choosing a carrier oil it’s important to know some like the Rosehip have a strong scent capable of powering the rosemary scent – so choose what you’d like to combine with it.
Why Choose a Natural Remedy vs. Rogain (Minoxidil)?
We’ve talked a lot about Rosemary oil, but what about using Minoxidil? Minoxidil has been approved by the FDA for male-pattern baldness, and is the most commonly used effective drug being prescribed today for hair loss.
But there are very real downsides to using Minoxidil – it has side effects like dizziness, weight gain, rapid heart beat, headaches, and rashes. And Minoxidil can only be found behind the counter at a pharmacy and has to be prescribed by your doctor.
Overall, you have to have a prescription for it, and the side effects may not be worth it to you if you value more natural-based remedies.
Rosemary oil is a great alternative, and while many may believe it’s not yet clinically proven to help, there are several scientific studies now, dating back to 2010, that show it works to increase hair growth and even one study in 2015 revealed it worked as effectively as the Minoxidil 2% ( and with less side effects) click here.
Allergic to Rosemary?
What happens if you’re allergic? While Rosemary is not a common allergen, it’s possible that someone could have an allergic reaction to using it (or to another compound in the product it’s in).
It’s always recommended to perform a patch test to ensure that you don’t have any allergic reactions to anything new you try on you skin or scalp.
You can perform a patch test by only applying a small amount to a small section of the scalp and waiting for 24 hours to ensure no skin irritation occurs at the site. If allergic to rosemary oil your skin will feel more sensitive during this waiting period.
An allergic reaction would cause:
- Itchy scalp
- Redness
- A rash or hives on the area it was applied
- Potential swelling or bruising
- Burning sensation on applied area
It’s very important to do a patch test if you can to avoid having these allergic reactions on the entire scalp and avoid going through that completely. These allergic reactions can turn serious if not monitored carefully.
Why Not Try It?
Overall, Rosemary oil is a great natural alternative when looking to make your hair longer, stronger, and thicker. I myself have used rosemary shampoo and conditioner and use it to this day!
If you’re currently suffering from hair breakage or hair loss, remember you’re not the only one struggling and trying a new or different way to grow and strengthen your hair can be a fun adventure. Give Rosemary oil a try, and leave us a comment with the results you see in the coming months!
How to use the rosemary oil – Healthline
Researches find Rosemary oil is as effective as drug Rogaine® (Read More)
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