Can essential oils help reverse thinning hair?

Yes, if you ask an aromatherapist.

There’s even some scientific proof that a certain blend of oils is highly effective at stimulating hair growth.

In the last decade or so, essential oils have become very popular.

Prior to the 1900’s, healing oils were widely used. However, as people began turning to pharmaceuticals, natural therapies such as homeopathy and aromatherapy, fell by the wayside.

As people begin to rediscover how these oils can help them, a lot of claims are made.

Sometimes, it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

In the absence of scientific studies, it becomes difficult to know what to believe.

However, there’s not much incentive to study essential oils. Because they are natural substances, they can’t be patented. So there’s little drive to shine light on these aromatics.

Due to limited research, some mainstream medical professionals may be quick to discount essential oils. However, just because a lot of studies haven’t been done doesn’t mean that essential oils can’t lead to better physical and mental health.

Please understand that I’m not a doctor or a professional aromatherapist. (I’m a certified homeopath.) So I can’t give medical advice or claim that any particular product or natural remedy will help restore your hair.

But I can share information on one study showing that a particular aromatherapy recipe may halt hair loss and even lead to regrowth.

Essential Oils for Hair Loss

(This post contains affiliate links, and if you purchase anything I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.)

Encouraging results were seen when a mixture of lavender, thyme, rosemary and cedarwood oils, mixed with a carrier oil, were massaged into the scalp each day. Over the course of a few months, with continual use, nearly 45 percent of patients experienced regrowth.*

These findings appeared in the medical journal JAMA Dermatology.

Essential Oil Recipes for Hair Loss

Making an essential oil hair loss blend is very simple. You will need a good carrier oil, such as organic jojoba oil. It’s possible this carrier, even without essential oils added, has its own hair restoration benefits. Derived from a plant that grows throughout the Southwestern United States, jojoba has a chemical composition that resembles human sebum.

There is also evidence that carrier oils alone can help with hair loss, although the results were not as dramatic as when mixed with essential oils.

If you’re going to massage essential oils into your scalp, they need to be highly diluted. These plant extracts are extremely concentrated, and can irritate the skin. If you use them straight, you also increase the risk of developing a sensitivity to a particular oil.

Also, the addition of a carrier oil may make these aromatic compounds more effective. On their own, they tend to evaporate. Carrier oils enable them to penetrate into our body, and work on a cellular level, as I’ve heard it explained by one aromatherapy expert.

Using Essential Oils for Hair Growth

There may be a number of essential oil recipes that are said to help with thinning hair. But the one below features the same mix of oils used in the study cited above.

One ounce of grapeseed or jojoba oil (available here)

3 drops of lavender oil (available here)

3 drops of rosemary oil (available here)

3 drops of cedarwood oil (available here)

3 drops of thyme oil (available here)

Mix all of these ingredients together and store in a glass jar away from heat or direct light. Once a day, massage them into your scalp.

Many people already own three of the oils listed above. The fourth, thyme, is not as widely used. So, if you need a good brand of thyme essential oil, I can highly recommend Plant Therapy. This is a company I’ve purchased a lot of my own oils from. It has impeccable quality standards, and its products are not sold through multilevel marketing distributors.

Plant Therapy Thyme Essential Oil

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. People with health concerns should discuss them with a doctor. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils, unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.

I’m not a healthcare professional, so all of the above statements are my personal opinion, and are not intended as medical advice.

For Additional Reading

Ayurvedic Remedy for Hair Growth

Natural Remedies for Female Baldness

Natural Shampoo for Hair Regrowth

Essential Oils to Reduce Hair Loss