I swear every time you google ‘hair loss’ the suggestion of rosemary oil comes up 😂 That’s why I wanted to talk a little bit about home remedies. Do they work? Or are they totally bogus wives tales? Bear in mind that everyone is different! What works for some people may not work for you and vice versa. Let’s take a deep dive into home remedies for hair loss!

Rosemary Oil

Let’s start with the most popular method; rosemary oil. One component of rosemary oil is carnosic acid, which has been said to have healing properties. So how legit is it? There’s been dozens of studies on the efficacy of using rosemary oil for hair loss, but no studies have conclusively found that rosemary oil works. However, if your hair loss is due to an infection or unhealthy scalp, rosemary oil can help to heal it, and therefore help your hair to grow. If you have a genetic form of alopecia, like androgenic or aerata, rosemary oil probably isn’t going to work for you.

Onion Juice

Although having your hair smell like rosemary might not be the worst thing in the world, onion juice is a different story 😂 Before you start slathering your head in onions, be aware that onion juice is not going to help with genetic forms of alopecia. Onion juice has been known to work in preventing hair loss and maintaining healthy hair, but there’s no scientific evidence to suggest it can reverse hair loss. Due to the sulfur proteins in onions, they’ve been said to encourage keratin production which maintains healthy hair. Key word here- maintains. Onion juice could help keep your hair healthier, but it’s not going to regrow your hair overnight (or even after years of applying!). I definitely fell for this one, and all it ever did for me is make my hair smell like onions for weeks!

Pumpkin Seed Oil

So back in 2014 there was a study conducted about pumpkin oil to treat hair loss that broke the hair loss internet. It said that the test subjects using pumpkin oil experienced a 30% increase in hair growth. Amazing, right? Mmmm, not so much. Most of the participants either a) did not even complete the study, b) were using other hair growth methods as well and, c) were all men. Not quite the airtight study we want it to be. Pumpkin seed oil has something called Phytosterols within it, which is supposed to stop the hormones which cause hair loss. Most of the rumors you hear about this being a ‘miracle cure’ are probably from people who don’t have genetic hair loss. Should you try it? Eh. You can give it a try, but don’t expect long flowing locks overnight.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Apple cider vinegar seems to be everyone’s answer to everything. Pimple? Use apple cider vinegar. Want to lose weight? Apple cider vinegar? Your hair is falling out? APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!! Ok, I’ll be honest here, ACV has actually been proven to be good for your hair. It’s fantastic for getting rid of dandruff and making your hair super shiny. But does it work for hair loss? Eh, not so much. There haven’t been any studies on apple cider vinegar for hair loss at all, and hair care experts say this is mostly just a wives tale. So if you want to give your hair an ACV vince to make it shiny and get rid of dandruff, go for it! But if you want to regrow your hair, it's probably not the best bet.

Okay, so do any home remedies work?!!!

Maybe you came here hoping to find the miracle cure you’ve been searching for. I will say, hair loss is totally different for everyone. Maybe one of these remedies will work for you. But if you have some form of genetic or diagnosable hair loss, home remedies are probably not the answer. If you’re trying to protect your hair from hair loss, or stop loss from continuing, then *maybe* it could help. But the main takeaway of this post is that even if a remedy does work, the results are probably not that significant. I get it. It’s disheartening to hear. I have done all the home remedies, all the expensive solutions, the pills, the potions, the lot! And what was even more disheartening, for me, was that I felt scammed by all these people and all these companies claiming they had the one ‘miracle cure’. If these things work for you- great, I envy you! But if they don’t know that Lusta is always here to help. To talk not just about wearing hair, but helping you on your journey to accept hair loss and become a stronger woman ❤️