Best Home Remedies for Hair Growth

Introduction:

A head full of healthy, lustrous hair is what all of us desire as our crowning glory. The silky, cascading hair that we see in advertisements makes us daydream about doing those celebrity-like hair flips. This dream brings along the challenge of constant maintenance. Moreover, hair loss makes this uphill task even more challenging. As a part of the hair growth cycle, it is normal to lose around 100 hair strands per day and in most cases it grows back. However, in some cases we might lose more hair than that and it doesn’t grow back, leading to visible hair loss.¹  

What Causes the Loss of Hair?

• Loss of hair can occur due to a host of reasons such as: 
• Emotionally and physically stressful situations like loss of a loved one or undergoing a surgery¹
• Deficiency of certain nutrients like iron and protein¹ 
• Certain medications like chemotherapy¹ 
• Pregnancy, child birth and menopause, situations in which major hormonal changes are experienced¹ 
• Presence of dandruff, which is a fungal infection called seborrheic dermatitis¹ (can be treated with proper medical assistance)
• Genetic inclination causing hereditary hair loss like alopecia¹ 
• Improper hair care during excessive processing (like perms and bleaches) causing hair damage¹ 
• Excessive pressure on hair caused due to hairstyles such as high ponytail, tight braids, hair extensions, etc.¹ 
• Certain diseases of the thyroid gland like hypothyroidism 

Do inform your doctor of past allergies to medication, if any.

Symptoms of Hair Loss:

Depending on the reason for hair loss and type of hair, there are different patterns of hair loss experienced by people.¹ Some of the symptoms are as follows: 

• Hair loss on the body and scalp¹  
• Small patches of hair from the scalp may be lost¹  
• In males, receding hairline is typical of male pattern baldness¹  
• In females, female pattern baldness can be noticed as thinning of hair¹    

Also Read: Home Remedies For Hair Thinning

Home Remedies for Hair Growth:

People all over the world are obsessed with their hair and hair treatments, leading to the development of various products for hair, ranging from hair oils, tonics, anti-dandruff shampoos, to serums, lotions, etc. With too many claims, it becomes tough to choose the right routine for your hair. Below are a few tried, tested, researched and easy home remedies for you to try, with easily available products. 

1. Bhringraj oil:

It has been used in Ayurveda for centuries. Bhringraj promotes hair growth by enlarging the hair follicle. Thus, if the extracted juice is consumed and applied on the scalp, it leads to the darkening of hair. It checks hair loss and promotes hair growth. Therefore, it is used in various herbal formulations available over-the-counter like hair growth-promoting oils.²   

2. Onion:

Onion is known to contain the mineral zinc which helps avoid dandruff. It reduces scalp oil production, thus checking hair loss. It is beneficial for people suffering from patchy baldness. Onion should be rubbed onto the scalp until red followed by honey.² Onion can also be squeezed and juiced along with some ginger and mixed with oils like (olive, castor, and aloe) before applying to the scalp. ³  

3. Garlic:

Onion and garlic belong to the same family and have similar compounds. The exact mechanism and efficacy of their action is not known and more research is required. However, a few studies conducted on humans showed that garlic is effective for hair regrowth.⁴ We can use it by smashing the garlic and mixing it with yoghurt before applying it to the scalp. We can also use garlic oil for rubbing on the scalp. ³ 

4. Capsicum:

Capsicum contains certain bioactive compounds called capsaicin and isoflavone which increase the production of growth hormones in the hair follicles, thus promoting hair growth.² We can use capsicum by smashing it, mixing it with olive oil and vinegar and applying it to the scalp. This is said to help the growth of hair.³ 

5. Hibiscus:

Hibiscus-containing formulations are being used to promote hair growth. In studies, it was found that both hibiscus leaf and flower possess hair growth-promoting properties. This effect is achieved due to the hair follicle enlarging the property of the hibiscus.² The flower extract can be applied to hair by soaking in warm water.³ 

6. Green tea:

In animal studies, it was found that green tea (Camila sinensis) checks hair loss and promotes hair regrowth. It is already used as a home remedy in some parts of the world for hair growth.² The leaves can be soaked in warm water and applied to the hair and scalp.³ 

7. Amla:

Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, is being used since ages to obtain long and thick hair. Amla promotes the growth of hair by increasing the growth of skin cells in scalp by improving the iron metabolism. Iron metabolism plays an important role in providing oxygen to hair. Thus, amla is frequently used in various herbal formulations, ointments and oils.²    

8. Aloe Vera:

Aloe vera contains complex proteins which are similar to keratin, the protein that forms our hair. It is effective in strengthening the hair follicles, thus preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth. It is effective against dandruff and moisturizes hair too. Therefore, aloe vera juice can be applied and left in the hair, massaged or sprayed to work as a conditioner. Aloe vera oil can also be applied by mixing with other oils.⁵  

9. Banana:

Studies have not yet found the exact mechanism of action of banana, but it is seen that banana has hair growth promoting properties. The unripe fruit of banana showed greater beneficial effects than the ripe fruit. The fruit is smashed, boiled for 10 minutes and then mixed with olive oil before applying it to hair. The banana peel can also be applied to the hair for promoting hair growth.⁶ 

10. Coconut oil:

It is an age-old tradition in India to apply coconut oil to hair. Coconut oil provides a shiny quality to hair. It acts a conditioner and prevents loss of proteins from hair. It also prevents damage to hair and promotes hair re-growth. It can be applied to hair directly and rubbed into the scalp. ⁷ 

One should avoid washing hair with hard water (from borewells etc), Long term use of hard water for washing hair is one of the causes of hair loss which can be prevented by using water low in mineral concentration for washing hair.

Dr. Nikhil Yadav, MBBS MD, CCEBDM

When to Seek Medical Help:

Here are a few signs to look out for. If you notice these, a doctor must be consulted.¹ 

• When you lose large amounts of hair suddenly¹ 
• When you lose hair from both your body and scalp¹ 
• When hair sheds excessively suddenly leaving behind bald patches¹ 
• When you experience burning or itching of scalp¹ 

If you’re facing any side effects from given medicationsor treatments, do let your doctor know. Talk to your doctor about the use of topical hair growth serums depending on the root cause of yourhairfall. Serums with Redensyl and Procapil have shown effective results in many types of hair loss.

Conclusion:

Hair, plays a significant role in being a tool of confidence in many people. Preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth for obtaining healthy hair can be easily done using various home remedies. So give these home remedies a go to re-grow lost hair and get healthy, long, shiny and thick hair.    

Also Read: Natural Home Remedies For Hair Fall

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

References:

1. Patel S, Sharma V, S Chauhan N, Thakur M, Dixit VK. Hair growth: focus on herbal therapeutic agent. Current drug discovery technologies. 2015 Mar 1;12(1):21-42. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26058803/ 

2. Zaid AN, Jaradat NA, Eid AM, Al Zabadi H, Alkaiyat A, Darwish SA. Ethnopharmacological survey of home remedies used for treatment of hair and scalp and their methods of preparation in the West Bank-Palestine. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2017 Dec;17(1):1-5. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5499037/ 

3. Sutherland L, Laschinger M, Syed ZU, Gaspari A. Treatment of alopecia areata with topical sensitizers. Contact Dermatitis. 1992;26(1):26–31. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260656650

4. Vala GS, Kapadiya PK. Medicinal Benefits of Coconut Oil. Int J Life Sci Res. 2015;2(October 2014):124–6. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268805677_Medicinal_benefit_of_coconut_oil 

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