Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD With its distinctive woody green leaves and stimulating fragrance, rosemary oil has many reported health benefits, from increased blood circulation to improving alertness and energy. There is also evidence that anti-inflammatory rosemary essential oil can help with hair growth. Rosemary oil has been used successfully for hair growth.
Rosemary Oil Benefits
Extracts of the rosemary plant have been extensively studied, and rosemary extract has a number of scientifically reported benefits that can be advantageous to your health and your hair.
- Improved hair growth
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antimicrobial
- Antioxidant
- Increased Blood Circulation
- DHT Blockage
Rosemary Oil and Hair Growth
Several studies have reported hair growth with rosemary oil. A 2015 study showed that after 6 months of treatment, people with genetic hair loss treated with rosemary oil had hair growth that rivaled that of people treated with the popular chemical hair growth treatment minoxidil. Hair growth between people using rosemary oil and those using minoxidil was about the same. There was no significant difference in hair growth between the two. This same study, highlighting the benefits of rosemary oil in hair growth, was recently featured in a review of the use of natural ingredients in the treatment of hair loss and CCCA—a devastating type of hair loss that affects many black women.
There is also good evidence that aromatherapy with rosemary oil can help with some types of hair loss. In a 2015 study, participants with alopecia areata hair loss underwent a 3-month course of aromatherapy with a blend of essential oils, including rosemary oil and lavender oil. At the conclusion of the study there was clinically significant hair regrowth in up to 30% of the people studied.
Using Rosemary Oil
The evidence for using rosemary oil is pretty compelling, and if you’d like to try to use rosemary essential oil for hair growth, there are a few more things to know. You should keep rosemary oil away from children, and avoid using it if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, since not enough is known about its use in these situations. Also, avoid getting rosemary oil into your mouth, nose or eyes, where if could be irritating.
Essential oils are amazing when used correctly, but it’s important to respect their strength! Because essential oils are so potent and powerful, they can be irritating if they’re not used correctly. Undiluted essential oils can cause rashes, burns and other forms of irritation.
Always dilute your rosemary oil with a carrier oil. A good carrier oil to try is avocado oil, which itself has a number of hair benefits. However, you can use whatever your favorite hair oil is: Jojoba, castor and olive oils are also popular carrier oils. Consider trying regular scalp massages with your rosemary oil mixture, since scalp massage can have several benefits for your hair and health.
