Is your dermatologist also a world-class chef? It’s an understandable question to ask yourself when a healthcare professional recommends herbs to deal with a problem like hair loss.
Rosemary is a perennial herb. It’s used in cooking, for fragrances and as a decorative plant in homes in gardens as seen on social media. But beyond its role in flavoring a cast iron steak, it’s also a favorite of another side of TikTok — the natural health enthusiasts — with a long history as a key ingredient in healing products and essential oils for hair.
Here’s the thing: rosemary oil isn’t an FDA-approved hair loss treatment, but a small amount of scientific research has shown that it may offer benefits for people who want to stimulate hair growth.
Below, we’ve dug into the research behind rosemary oil as a treatment for hair loss, the benefits it may bring, and noted some other, FDA-approved medications such as minoxidil and finasteride that you may want to prioritize if you want to treat androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) or otherwise promote healthy hair.
Rosemary Oil for Hair Growth: Does It Work?
Rosemary oil is a popular essential oil marketed to treat everything from hair loss to acne, stretch marks, wrinkles and more. While there’s some evidence that rosemary oil may help to treat hair loss, the evidence isn’t very comprehensive — or instructive.
For some context, hair loss can happen for a variety of reasons, including nutritional deficiencies, diseases, scalp infections and the use of certain medications. However, most hair loss — at least in men — happens gradually as you age due to a combination of inherited genes and certain hormones, such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This is referred to as male pattern hair loss.
All treatments for male pattern baldness, whether they’re FDA-approved medications or natural hair treatments, work by either targeting DHT to prevent hair loss or by encouraging growth of your existing hair follicles.
There’s no proven scientific link between DHT and rosemary yet, nor is there conclusive evidence that rosemary can promote hair growth. Studies have shown that it has helped hair growth for some people, but it’s not quite a proven treatment yet.
Benefits of Rosemary Oil for Hair
So what does the current wisdom say about rosemary essential oil for hair?
There are a lot of things people say rosemary oil could do — improve hair health by acting as an antioxidant, nourish healthy hair and reduce breakage, have anti-inflammatory properties, treat conditions like itchy scalp and more.
Unfortunately, the science to back these “could” statements is still mostly anecdotal, but here’s what we’ve found so far:
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Rosemary’s antimicrobial properties promote a healthy scalp by fighting off pathogens and by reducing symptoms of scalp conditions like dandruff.
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An animal study published in Phytotherapy Research found that rosemary leaf extract is effective at promoting hair regrowth in mice, with the researchers noting that rosemary leaf may have an inhibitory effect on the binding of DHT to androgen receptors in the hair. While this study is definitely promising, the fact that it was carried out on mice means that its conclusions aren’t necessarily true for hair loss in humans.
How to Use Rosemary Oil for Hair
Big caveat: there is no FDA-approved guidance for how to use rosemary oil for hair. When a treatment is approved by the FDA, they typically release dosing, application and other guidelines for how to safely and effectively use a treatment.
You don’t get that kind of literature when you head to Home Depot to pick up a rosemary bush, and the statements made on shampoos, supplements, oils and other topicals are not vetted by the FDA.
We say this because, at the end of the day, you’re kind of on your own to navigate the “safe and effective” part of using rosemary oil for hair growth.
If you’d like to add rosemary oil into your hair care routine, there are several ways that you can do this. This isn’t medical advice, but to get the most out of rosemary products, try:
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Buying rosemary oil shampoo or conditioner. One of the easiest ways to get rosemary into your routine is to buy products with it already on the ingredient list. You can buy rosemary oil shampoo, conditioner and other hair care products from most drugstores and online retailers.
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Mixing rosemary into your shampoo or conditioner. If you want to DIY your own formula, it’s fine to add a drop or two of rosemary oil to your shampoo or other hair care products if you like your current brand.
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Applying rosemary oil directly to your scalp. Why not cut out the middle man? When you wake up, before you go to bed or after you get out of the shower are all appropriate times to apply a little oil directly. And you may also get the energizing benefits of inhaling rosemary oil when you apply it to your scalp. After you’ve applied rosemary oil to your scalp, either leave it in or rinse your hair after a few minutes to remove it.
Rosemary Oil vs Minoxidil
Is rosemary oil an alternative to the hair loss treatment minoxidil? That’s a hard question to answer, in part because the sheer volume of research showing the benefits of minoxidil is so substantial.
Comparatively, the data on rosemary oil for hair health is a handful of sand. And yet, at least one study examining exactly the question of “which is better” thinks that rosemary oil might have minoxidil beat — at least in the 2 percent formulation.
A 2015 study compared rosemary oil to minoxidil over a period of six months. The researchers found that both the rosemary oil and the minoxidil produced a significant increase in hair growth, with the rosemary oil less likely to cause problems like itching than the minoxidil.
In other words: it worked about as well, with fewer side effects.
Is that enough for us to crown rosemary king? Hardly. One small study doesn’t undermine decades of dermatology research, and there’s very little large-scale, reliable research into rosemary oil’s effectiveness as an option for treating male pattern baldness. And if you want to learn how minoxidil works as a treatment for male pattern baldness you can check this guide.
So we think you’re better off with some of the proven treatments.
Alternatives to Rosemary Oil for Hair Growth
Although rosemary oil isn’t proven to prevent hair loss, other treatments are — and they’ve got a lot more backing them up.
If you’re beginning to lose your hair and want to do something about it, you may want to consider using one of the treatments listed below:
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Minoxidil. Minoxidil (also known as Rogaine) is a popular non-prescription medication for hair loss that comes in both topical and oral forms. It works by improving blood flow to your scalp. The effectiveness of minoxidil foam and minoxidil solution is backed up by a lot of scientific research.
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Finasteride. Finasteride is an oral and topical medication for hair loss that blocks DHT from damaging your hair follicles.
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Supplements and hair care. If you’d prefer to keep it natural, you may want to try adding supplements or other hair care products to your routine. DHT blocking shampoos like those containing saw palmetto have been shown to promote hair growth, and products like dandruff detox shampoo and biotin gummies can also benefit your hair.
How do you know which Hair Growth Products are the most effective, and how do you know if they’re actually working? Here you can select the best product for your needs.
FYI: there is currently no research on the safety of using rosemary hair oil at the same time as other hair loss treatments, so if you’re prescribed minoxidil, finasteride or other hair loss medications by a professional, talk to them before using rosemary oil to make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk.
Does Rosemary Oil Grow Hair? Final Thoughts
There are too many hair loss treatments to count on the market these days, but the list gets much narrower when we limit it to things the FDA has approved.
Is rosemary oil part of that list? Not yet. So when you’re trying to save your hair, here’s the takeaway:
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Hair loss is extremely common, with up to 50 percent of men affected by some degree of hair loss from male pattern baldness by the time they reach their fifties.
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There’s an increasingly long list of herbal supplements for hair loss, including castor oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, argan oil and plenty of others, most of them have nothing close to the proven benefits of minoxidil and finasteride.
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There’s not a lot of evidence for many of rosemary oil’s supposed benefits, so it isn’t possible to say whether or not rosemary oil works for hair growth. However, there is some scientific research to show that rosemary oil may help to promote hair growth.
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As such, If you’ve lost some of your hair and want to grow it back, you may notice improvements after using rosemary oil, but other options are more reliable and proven.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org
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Is Ketoconazole More Effective Than Minoxidil?
Ketoconazole — is it a trendy diet? Sounds like it, but it’s actually a chemical compound found in many hair loss shampoos. If you’re susceptible to the idea that hard-to-pronounce ingredients with lots of vowels are legit (looking at you, butylated hydroxytoluene), then, of course, you’d take one look at ketoconazole and think your hair loss prayers had been answered.
And while ketoconazole is a safe and useful addition to a hair loss prevention routine, it’s not a miracle cure for hair thinning or balding that’ll make you ditch all other products in your arsenal. Still, ketoconazole has important uses and shows some promise when it comes to hair loss.
Here, we’ll talk about what ketoconazole actually is (fret not, you can still eat carbs), what the science says about ketoconazole and hair growth, plus any side effects of the ingredients and other hair loss treatments you’ll want to know about.
Read on to learn how ketoconazole fits into a male pattern baldness treatment plan.
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Ketoconazole is an antifungal medication FDA-approved to treat several infections affecting the skin (including the scalp), like athlete’s foot or ringworm. Limited research suggests it may help you hold onto your hair (which we’ll break down more in a minute), but it’s not specifically approved for that use.
The ingredient is available in tablet form and as a topical ingredient in creams, foams and hair loss shampoos. If you’ve ever used Nizoral shampoo, you’ve likely used ketoconazole.
At 1% strength, ketoconazole is available over the counter, but 2% ketoconazole requires a prescription.
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We promise we’re going to answer if ketoconazole works for hair loss — but first, some context on why hair loss happens in the first place.
Most commonly, baldness is caused by a sweet, sweet combo of genetics and hormones. Androgenetic alopecia (that’s female pattern hair loss or male pattern hair loss) is genetic, and it affects as much as 50 percent of men and women. But the hormone mainly responsible for hair loss isn’t part of the popular crew (looking at you, testosterone and cortisol). It’s a lesser-known male androgen called DHT.
DHT is short for dihydrotestosterone (you can see why it gets abbreviated), and it’s responsible for creating male reproductive hormones in utero. During puberty, it plays a role in the development of body hair, facial hair and a deepening voice. But don’t get too pumped on DHT just yet.
Post-puberty, DHT can play a role in hair loss by linking to receptors in hair follicles, causing shrinking or follicle miniaturization. Dude.
If all men have DHT, shouldn’t they all lose their hair? Great question. But just as two individuals can react differently to spicy food or a poor night of sleep, some people’s follicles are more sensitive to DHT — this sensitivity is genetically determined.
So, does ketoconazole work for hair loss? There’s not a ton of scientific research that proves there’s a link between ketoconazole and the amount of DHT your body produces — but at least one ketoconazole hair loss study is promising.
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One analysis of androgenic alopecia treatment options found that the use of ketoconazole combined with oral finasteride (a well-studied DHT-blocking medication we’ll touch on later) may cause an additional decrease in scalp DHT levels.
A systematic review of seven ketoconazole studies (two animal studies and five human studies) found that ketoconazole seems to positively affect hair’s appearance. The human studies reported increased hair shaft diameter following ketoconazole use, and marine studies demonstrated a significant increase in hair regrowth in those treated with ketoconazole compared to controls.
Remember, nothing short of a really good hair transplant will completely restore your hairline. So it’s important to have realistic expectations about the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.
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Maybe a little bird (aka your buddy who always comes in hot) told you ketoconazole is more effective than minoxidil (which you may know as Rogaine). Well, that information isn’t wrong per se, but it’s from an outdated study — we hate to say it, but the ‘90s were a long time ago, folks).
In that study, researchers compared the effectiveness of a 2% ketoconazole shampoo with the popular hair loss medication minoxidil. They found that both treatments improved hair size and increased the proportion of hairs in the anagen phase (growth phase) of the hair growth cycle by a similar amount.
While the findings of this study are interesting, the researchers noted that the clinical significance “awaits further controlled study in a larger group of subjects.” There haven’t been many studies since, but an additional 2019 study on women (so it’s hard to know if the findings are true for men) looked at minoxidil and ketoconazole. In the study, one group received 2% topical minoxidil solution, and a separate group was treated with 2% topical ketoconazole.
The study (which was, admittedly, very small, with just 20 people in each group) found that topical ketoconazole had a “trichogenic effect” (a fancy way of saying it produces hair) with few side effects. However, ketoconazole was slower to work than minoxidil at similar concentrations.
If you’re into studies, here’s another one for ya: A small study on male mice looked at ketoconazole, minoxidil and minoxidil paired with tretinoin (that’s prescription retinol for the skincare gurus, and it’s thought to increase absorption of minoxidil into the skin). All three had a “significant stimulatory effect on hair growth” compared to the control group. Minoxidil was the most effective of the three.
So, if you’re looking for proven hair loss treatments, minoxidil (or finasteride, for that matter) is definitely a better bet than ketoconazole. There’s concrete evidence supporting the efficacy of both medications’ ability to slow hair loss or promote new hair growth. But a shampoo containing ketoconazole could still be worth a shot.
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The jury’s out on ketoconazole for hair loss. But research unequivocally supports the idea that topical application of ketoconazole helps treat seborrheic dermatitis (aka dandruff), a condition affecting nearly 12 percent of the adult population (and a whole lot of babies).
Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic condition that typically requires ongoing treatment — so, basically, ketoconazole isn’t a one-and-done treatment. Long-term use is often necessary.
While seborrheic dermatitis doesn’t cause permanent hair loss, some research has found that Malassezia — a fungi contributing to dandruff — is linked to hair shedding. This type of hair loss isn’t caused by genetics or the effects of DHT and is largely unrelated to male pattern baldness. Ketoconazole decreases Malassezia colonization and acts as an anti-inflammatory.
TL;DR? If you’re dealing with dandruff, flaking or other scalp conditions, there’s plenty of solid research backing the efficacy of ketoconazole.
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Every rose has its thorn, right? While ketoconazole is considered safe, there are some potential side effects you’ll want to know about.
Potential side effects of topical ketoconazole include:
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Dry skin
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Itchy skin (sometimes referred to medically as pruritus)
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Skin rash
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Changes in hair texture
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Irritation and/or stinging
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Blistering skin on the scalp
These side effects aren’t very common and only affect a small percentage of people who use ketoconazole. They’re often temporary and go away over time.
Others wonder, Can ketoconazole cause hair loss?Does Nizoral cause hair loss? It seems odd, given that we’re here discussing how the ingredient may cause hair growth, but times are strange. Rest assured, this is a myth.
But like most weird rumors, a teeny kernel of truth got seriously mangled in the re-telling. If you’re using ketoconazole because you have an itchy scalp, chances are, you’ve been scratching. All that scratching can damage the hair follicle, causing new hair growth that’s thinner, shorter and eventually unable to penetrate the outermost layers of your skin.
There are some cosmetic side effects of ketoconazole as well, including making hair dry or oily (could go either way) or stripping colored hair. Oral ketoconazole has side effects too. In 2016, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) limited the use of Nizoral oral tablets due to a potential risk of liver and adrenal damage. In some cases, these pills may be deemed necessary, but they’re no longer a first line of defense.
If you’re experiencing side effects, speak to a dermatologist or another healthcare provider.
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Looking for other ways to increase hair density and promote growth? We’ve got you covered with these scientifically-backed hair loss treatments.
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Two’s better than one when it comes to topical finasteride & minoxidil spray. Why double-down?
Studies have found topical finasteride has an effect on DHT, increasing hair count while slowing hair loss. Minoxidil, on the other hand, dilates blood vessels, which brings blood, nutrients and oxygen to the scalp.
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The choice is yours and yours alone when it comes to how to apply minoxidil. That could be from minoxidil foam or a minoxidil liquid solution.
People with longer hair sometimes prefer the liquid solution because the dropper can penetrate further. And the foam may be better for those with a sensitive scalp.
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Biotin supplements give you an extra boost of the vitamin (B7, that is). This is helpful if you have a true biotin deficiency, which is extremely unlikely if you eat a somewhat varied diet (eggs, meat, fish and certain fruits and vegetables all contain biotin).
Although rare, it’s not entirely impossible to have a deficiency, which could contribute to hair loss. Some biotin gummies contain other essential nutrients for healthy hair, like folic acid, niacin and vitamins D and E.
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Thickening shampoo with saw palmetto works like finasteride (though not as potent). Saw palmetto is a plant extract that can partially block DHT.
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If dandruff is your main concern, dandruff detox shampoo has your name on it. Perfect for anyone who wants to avoid ketoconazole, its active ingredients are pyrithione zinc 1% and salicylic acid.
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Ketoconazole is linked to some improvements in hair health, and it may have certain effects on the hormone DHT at the hair follicle level. However, no high-quality research suggests that ketoconazole is as effective at treating hair loss as minoxidil or finasteride.
Here are a few things to remember about ketoconazole for hair growth:
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Ketoconazole is a powerful antifungal often used to treat skin conditions like athlete’s foot, ringworm and seborrheic dermatitis.
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Ketoconazole products might be a helpful addition to your hair loss treatment regimen. But they’re best used in combination with evidence-based hair loss treatments, like minoxidil or finasteride.
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Wondering how to use ketoconazole for hair? Ketoconazole 2% shampoo should be used three times a week, left on for five minutes, then rinsed off.
Check out this guide to explore other shampoos for thinning hair. And if you found this corner of the internet in the search for dandruff solutions, ketoconazole is an effective treatment.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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