“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.“

Hippocrates

Are Onions Effective at Growing Hair?

What if you could lean into mother nature to find life’s answers on your most pressing health ailments and annoyances? When it comes to growing healthy hair, we dug deep into the farmer’s garden to find one solution: onions.

A Trending Hair Hack?

Is this just another trending social media TikTok hair stunt? We are suckers for a good hair hack and we like saving our pennies. Bonus points if the hair hack includes using natural ingredients. And, we MUST see social proof. Well, Cardi B just gave a nod to onion juice and credits it with her amazing hair growth.

Cardi B is revealing her secret to healthy hair.

The “I Like It” singer, 29, shared on Instagram that she uses boiled onion water to make her hair grow alongside a clip of her current long, sleek hairstyle.

“My last 2 washes I been boiling onions and using the water to wash my hair,” she captioned the post. “I used to do this 6 years ago when I started my healthy hair growth journey. I stopped cause I got really lazy.”

https://people.com/beauty/cardi-b-says-she-uses-boiled-onion-water-in-her-haircare-routine-giving-a-shine-to-my-hair/

Can a natural remedy like onions really help my hair?

Using onion juice to stimulate scalp and hair health is a natural way to promote hair growth. We will tell you why it works and be sure to check out our recipe at the end of this article.

• Onions are high in antioxidants. Many hair ailments occur due to oxidative stress which leads to thinning hair strands and can even create premature greying. Bathing your hair in nutrient rich onion juice can help infuse scalp tissue with a boost of antioxidants.
• Onions are high in sulfur. The cosmetic industry knows the beneficial properties of sulfur for the skin. Those benefits extend to hair care as well. Hair is made of a protein called keratin. One of the main building blocks of keratin is sulfur. When hair integrity is comprised it is often due to a deficiency of keratin. Adding sulfur-rich ingredients helps give hair resiliency and restores elasticity in the hair follicle.
• Onions are a natural antiseptic and have antibacterial properties that help reduce dandruff and excess sebum. Dandruff and excess sebum can inhibit hair growth and create an inflammatory environment.

“Onion juice has the potential to help stimulate hair follicles and thereby encourage hair growth,” explains Tiffany Young, a certified trichologist and the CEO and founder of ThinHairThick. “It is also a natural antiseptic. Hair loss that is caused from inflammatory disease, poor blood flow, and poor diet could see a benefit.”

https://www.marthastewart.com/8229644/onion-juice-decrease-hair-loss

What is the best way to incorporate onion juice into your hair care routine?

Fresh is best when trying to capture the powerful compounds of onions. There are several over-the- counter serums and shampoos however, you need only look in your pantry for the best onion potions. Most antioxidant benefits wane over time so purchasing that bottle of onion juice off of Amazon will likely not be as effective as making your own onion juice. Ready to take the plunge and give it a try? Try our recipe below.

ThinHairThick Onion Juice Hair Recipe

The most effective method we have found is using the following recipe on a dry, unwashed scalp:

ThinHairThick Onion Juice Recipe

Boil 2 cups of water

Add 1 chopped medium onion

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat (the heat will not negatively affect the beneficial sulfide compounds and actually enhances it)

Strain and allow onion water to stand for 5 minutes

Add one tablespoon of cayenne pepper (stimulates blood flow and allows for maximum scalp penetration)

Add one tablespoon of honey (natural antibacterial properties and helps thicken the solution)

Add mixture to an applicator bottle.  Can refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.

Allow onion solution to sit on scalp for 2 hours with a shower cap. The heat from the shower cap will help the solution to penetrate. Rinse as normal.

HINT: To remove any lingering onion smells, consider neutralizing odor using an apple cider vinegar rinse 1:3 ratio with water.

Feel free to bookmark and share this recipe.  It is one we come back to often when we are looking for a follicular jumpstart. To read more about hair education and the best tips and tricks visit our hair blog. Follow the link for our visual web stories: https://www.thinhairthick.com/web-stories/