I cover natural topical treatments for hair growth, including pumpkin seed oil, caffeine, green tea, pyrithione zinc, ginger, Chinese knotweed, and rosemary.
Caffeine Shampoo and Rosemary Oil for Hair Growth
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
I’ve done videos on drugs for hair growth, supplements for hair growth, and foods for hair growth. What about natural options that you can apply topically? I ended my food video on this study, suggesting consuming pumpkin seed oil could increase hair growth. What about just rubbing it on your scalp? It works in mice, but what about men? Or in this case, women: pumpkin seed oil (about a quarter teaspoon rubbed onto the scalp once a day) was tested head-to-head against minoxidil foam (5 percent once a day) for three months in women with age-related pattern hair loss. Both treatments worked, but the drug worked better––though at about five times the cost.
A similar experiment, comparing a topical 0.2 percent caffeine solution, which is about five times stronger than coffee, with 5 percent minoxidil, found they worked similarly well for balding men––though like in the pumpkin seed oil trial, there was no third placebo group to ensure they all weren’t just somehow getting better on their own (for example, due to seasonal influence, with typically greater hair shedding in the fall than the spring).
Dripping caffeine on human hair follicles growing in a petri dish enhances hair growth, and indeed, when finally put to the test against placebo, won out for both female and male pattern baldness, with 85 percent satisfied after unknowingly using the caffeine-containing shampoo for six months––compared to only 36 percent in the placebo shampoo group.
EGCG, one of the major constituents of green tea, also can promote human hair growth in vitro, and may help balding mice, but I failed to find any green tea clinical trials.
Pyrithione zinc shampoo, typically used for dandruff, beat out placebo for increasing hair density in balding men after 26 weeks––but not enough for the study subjects to notice any difference, working less than half as well as 5 percent minoxidil.
What about topical herbal treatments used since time immemorial? Ginger offers a good cautionary tale. Ginger has a long history of traditional use in Asia to halt hair loss and heighten hair growth. Do a quick search for “ginger shampoo,” and turn up more than a thousand entries. But when the Natural Science Foundation of China finally put it to the test, researchers were surprised it actually suppressed human hair growth. Given their results, they suggested ginger could instead be used for the removal of unwanted body hair.
Chinese knotweed, known in traditional Chinese medicine circles as He Shou Wu, is a flowering plant in the buckwheat family popularized as a hair tonic. Like green tea, there are promising in vitro and rodent studies, but no human clinical trials.
Rosemary, however, has been put to the test. One hundred balding men were randomized to twice a day minoxidil versus a rosemary lotion. It took six months, but eventually there were significant comparable improvements in hair counts in both groups. The rosemary lotion appeared to work as well as the drug. You can make it at home by mixing 10 drops of rosemary essential oil per fluid ounce to your favorite lotion and then rubbing a quarter teaspoon onto your scalp twice a day. That much rosemary oil would cost about a penny a week.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Cho YH, Lee SY, Jeong DW, et al. Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721.
- Hajhashemi V, Rajabi P, Mardani M. Beneficial effects of pumpkin seed oil as a topical hair growth promoting agent in a mice model. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2019;9(6):499-504.
- Ibrahim IM, Hasan MS, Elsabaa KI, Elsaie ML. Pumpkin seed oil vs. minoxidil 5% topical foam for the treatment of female pattern hair loss: A randomized comparative trial. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021;20(9):2867-2873.
- Dhurat R, Chitallia J, May TW, et al. An open-label randomized multicenter study assessing the noninferiority of a caffeine-based topical liquid 0. 2% versus minoxidil 5% solution in male androgenetic alopecia. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2017;30(6):298-305.
- Daniels G, Akram S, Westgate GE, Tamburic S. Can plant-derived phytochemicals provide symptom relief for hair loss? A critical review. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2019;41(4):332-345.
- Randall VA, Ebling FJ. Seasonal changes in human hair growth. Br J Dermatol. 1991;124(2):146-151.
- Fischer TW, Herczeg-Lisztes E, Funk W, Zillikens D, Bíró T, Paus R. Differential effects of caffeine on hair shaft elongation, matrix and outer root sheath keratinocyte proliferation, and transforming growth factor-β2/insulin-like growth factor-1-mediated regulation of the hair cycle in male and female human hair follicles in vitro. Br J Dermatol. 2014;171(5):1031-1043.
- Bussoletti C, Tolaini MV, Celleno L. Efficacy of a cosmetic phyto-caffeine shampoo in female androgenetic alopecia. G Ital Dermatol Venereol. 2020;155(4):492-499.
- Dressler C, Blumeyer A, Rosumeck S, Arayesh A, Nast A. Efficacy of topical caffeine in male androgenetic alopecia. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2017;15(7):734-741.
- Kwon OS, Han JH, Yoo HG, et al. Human hair growth enhancement in vitro by green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (Egcg). Phytomedicine. 2007;14(7-8):551-555.
- Kim YY, Up No S, Kim MH, et al. Effects of topical application of EGCG on testosterone-induced hair loss in a mouse model. Exp Dermatol. 2011;20(12):1015-1017.
- Berger RS, Fu JL, Smiles KA, et al. The effects of minoxidil, 1% pyrithione zinc and a combination of both on hair density: a randomized controlled trial. Br J Dermatol. 2003;149(2):354-362.
- Miao Y, Sun Y, Wang W, et al. 6-Gingerol inhibits hair shaft growth in cultured human hair follicles and modulates hair growth in mice. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e57226.
- Shin JY, Choi YH, Kim J, et al. Polygonum multiflorum extract support hair growth by elongating anagen phase and abrogating the effect of androgen in cultured human dermal papilla cells. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):144.
- Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Marzony ET, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015;13(1):15-21.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
I’ve done videos on drugs for hair growth, supplements for hair growth, and foods for hair growth. What about natural options that you can apply topically? I ended my food video on this study, suggesting consuming pumpkin seed oil could increase hair growth. What about just rubbing it on your scalp? It works in mice, but what about men? Or in this case, women: pumpkin seed oil (about a quarter teaspoon rubbed onto the scalp once a day) was tested head-to-head against minoxidil foam (5 percent once a day) for three months in women with age-related pattern hair loss. Both treatments worked, but the drug worked better––though at about five times the cost.
A similar experiment, comparing a topical 0.2 percent caffeine solution, which is about five times stronger than coffee, with 5 percent minoxidil, found they worked similarly well for balding men––though like in the pumpkin seed oil trial, there was no third placebo group to ensure they all weren’t just somehow getting better on their own (for example, due to seasonal influence, with typically greater hair shedding in the fall than the spring).
Dripping caffeine on human hair follicles growing in a petri dish enhances hair growth, and indeed, when finally put to the test against placebo, won out for both female and male pattern baldness, with 85 percent satisfied after unknowingly using the caffeine-containing shampoo for six months––compared to only 36 percent in the placebo shampoo group.
EGCG, one of the major constituents of green tea, also can promote human hair growth in vitro, and may help balding mice, but I failed to find any green tea clinical trials.
Pyrithione zinc shampoo, typically used for dandruff, beat out placebo for increasing hair density in balding men after 26 weeks––but not enough for the study subjects to notice any difference, working less than half as well as 5 percent minoxidil.
What about topical herbal treatments used since time immemorial? Ginger offers a good cautionary tale. Ginger has a long history of traditional use in Asia to halt hair loss and heighten hair growth. Do a quick search for “ginger shampoo,” and turn up more than a thousand entries. But when the Natural Science Foundation of China finally put it to the test, researchers were surprised it actually suppressed human hair growth. Given their results, they suggested ginger could instead be used for the removal of unwanted body hair.
Chinese knotweed, known in traditional Chinese medicine circles as He Shou Wu, is a flowering plant in the buckwheat family popularized as a hair tonic. Like green tea, there are promising in vitro and rodent studies, but no human clinical trials.
Rosemary, however, has been put to the test. One hundred balding men were randomized to twice a day minoxidil versus a rosemary lotion. It took six months, but eventually there were significant comparable improvements in hair counts in both groups. The rosemary lotion appeared to work as well as the drug. You can make it at home by mixing 10 drops of rosemary essential oil per fluid ounce to your favorite lotion and then rubbing a quarter teaspoon onto your scalp twice a day. That much rosemary oil would cost about a penny a week.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Cho YH, Lee SY, Jeong DW, et al. Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721.
- Hajhashemi V, Rajabi P, Mardani M. Beneficial effects of pumpkin seed oil as a topical hair growth promoting agent in a mice model. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2019;9(6):499-504.
- Ibrahim IM, Hasan MS, Elsabaa KI, Elsaie ML. Pumpkin seed oil vs. minoxidil 5% topical foam for the treatment of female pattern hair loss: A randomized comparative trial. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021;20(9):2867-2873.
- Dhurat R, Chitallia J, May TW, et al. An open-label randomized multicenter study assessing the noninferiority of a caffeine-based topical liquid 0. 2% versus minoxidil 5% solution in male androgenetic alopecia. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2017;30(6):298-305.
- Daniels G, Akram S, Westgate GE, Tamburic S. Can plant-derived phytochemicals provide symptom relief for hair loss? A critical review. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2019;41(4):332-345.
- Randall VA, Ebling FJ. Seasonal changes in human hair growth. Br J Dermatol. 1991;124(2):146-151.
- Fischer TW, Herczeg-Lisztes E, Funk W, Zillikens D, Bíró T, Paus R. Differential effects of caffeine on hair shaft elongation, matrix and outer root sheath keratinocyte proliferation, and transforming growth factor-β2/insulin-like growth factor-1-mediated regulation of the hair cycle in male and female human hair follicles in vitro. Br J Dermatol. 2014;171(5):1031-1043.
- Bussoletti C, Tolaini MV, Celleno L. Efficacy of a cosmetic phyto-caffeine shampoo in female androgenetic alopecia. G Ital Dermatol Venereol. 2020;155(4):492-499.
- Dressler C, Blumeyer A, Rosumeck S, Arayesh A, Nast A. Efficacy of topical caffeine in male androgenetic alopecia. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2017;15(7):734-741.
- Kwon OS, Han JH, Yoo HG, et al. Human hair growth enhancement in vitro by green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (Egcg). Phytomedicine. 2007;14(7-8):551-555.
- Kim YY, Up No S, Kim MH, et al. Effects of topical application of EGCG on testosterone-induced hair loss in a mouse model. Exp Dermatol. 2011;20(12):1015-1017.
- Berger RS, Fu JL, Smiles KA, et al. The effects of minoxidil, 1% pyrithione zinc and a combination of both on hair density: a randomized controlled trial. Br J Dermatol. 2003;149(2):354-362.
- Miao Y, Sun Y, Wang W, et al. 6-Gingerol inhibits hair shaft growth in cultured human hair follicles and modulates hair growth in mice. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e57226.
- Shin JY, Choi YH, Kim J, et al. Polygonum multiflorum extract support hair growth by elongating anagen phase and abrogating the effect of androgen in cultured human dermal papilla cells. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):144.
- Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Marzony ET, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015;13(1):15-21.
Motion graphics by Avo Media
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Caffeine Shampoo and Rosemary Oil for Hair Growth
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