Garlic may not just be a tasty addition to your cooking, some claim that it has some potent benefits when it comes to hair as well.
So, can this kitchen staple actually be used topically to help you reach your hair growth goals? We will help you get some more information on the subject.
Below, we will cover what potential benefits garlic might relay that have to do with hair, review if those benefits could plausibly include faster hair growth, go over any side effects of garlic for hair, and let you know how you can try it out if you are so inclined.
Everyone most likely knows that garlic is great for your body when you eat it. Garlic has solid vitamin and mineral content, can boost your immune system, may reduce your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol levels, and it is packed with antioxidants.
When it comes to effects that may be good news for your hair, it may also boast some pretty potent effects.:
Some small studies have been done trying to determine if topical garlic application can help people dealing with hair loss to help regrow hair.
Specifically, most of these studies have looked into alopecia areata patients. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune type of hair loss that leads to clumps of hair falling out in distinct round patches.
In one study, 40 alopecia areata patients were all advised to apply a common alopecia areata topical steroid cream (betamethasone valerate) twice daily. In addition, half of those patients were randomly assigned to also apply a garlic gel twice a day, and half were randomly assigned to apply a placebo gel instead. At the end of the 3-month study, there was a significantly better hair regrowth response from the garlic gel group as compared to the placebo group.
It is important to note here, though, that most cases of hair loss are not alopecia areata, they are androgenetic alopecia which is a genetic and hormonally driven form of hair loss. But, it is still possible that a topical treatment that works pretty well for one type of hair loss may also be beneficial for other types of hair loss. More studies are needed to confirm any benefits of topical garlic for androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern and female pattern hair loss.
Even though garlic is a natural ingredient, it is packed with a lot of naturally produced chemicals that may feel too intense or irritating when used directly on the skin for some people. This is a type of chemical burn. For this reason, some people may experience redness or irritation after applying a garlic-infused oil or garlic paste.
To help reduce this, you may dilute it further with a gentle carrier oil like coconut or olive oil.
Also, in rare situations, some people may also have a true allergy to garlic. If this is the case for you, you should avoid eating garlic as well as applying it.
For many people, they will not experience any negative side effects from applying a garlic oil or garlic paste to the scalp, and it should be generally well tolerated.
If you are interested in giving garlic oil a try, you may want to do this as a garlic-infused oil, or as a garlic paste.
For a garlic-infused oil, you can measure out 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil per each garlic clove you want to use. Mash the garlic using a garlic masher, a fork, knife, or a food processor. Then, heat the oil over low to just warm the oil and add your mashed garlic into the oil to infuse over a few minutes, without browning or burning. Finally, strain the garlic solids out of the oil and store the oil in a jar to cool before using.
A garlic paste would be similar, but would keep the mashed garlic in with the oil and would not need to be heated. Simply mash together some raw garlic with a carrier oil until you get a paste of desired consistency.
To use these, you could just massage 1-2 tablespoons of the oil or paste into the scalp and leave it on for 10-15 minutes before following with washing your hair and scalp. If your scalp feels irritated with the oil or paste on, wash it off immediately. You may be able to try again with a more diluted mixture, or the garlic mask may not be a good fit for you.
It is possible that there may be some hair benefits to using garlic topically to boost hair and scalp health. For some causes of hair loss, like alopecia areata, some small studies show good results for improved hair growth when using a garlic oil. However, we do not know if these benefits also extend to other forms of hair loss quite yet.
Garlic is generally well-tolerated as a topical application when properly diluted, and you may want to try it out. However, it is unlikely to have the same effects as a hair loss medication like Finasteride or Minoxidil.
Here at Strut, we carry prescription hair loss products like oral Finasteride tablets, topical Finasteride formulations, oral Dutasteride capsules, topical Dutasteride formulas, or a topical hair loss treatment for women.
If you are interested in seeing if one of these treatments may be a good fit for you (with or without the occasional garlic mask), you can have a free online questionnaire and image-based telemedicine consultation with our U.S. licensed doctors today.
If you are a good candidate to use one of these products, your medication can be shipped to your front door with our free shipping.
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