What’s the deal with onion juice? How it (supposedly) contributes to healthy hair
If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll know by now that we always like to bring you the latest trends, fads and hacks related to all things hair. Some of these trends are slightly strange to say the least, but there are obvious benefits to these strange trends that actually make them worth experimenting with.
The latest bizarre hair home remedy to emerge on the internet is onion juice. Yep, that’s right, actual onion juice. As in, the stuff that comes from a raw onion.
Though onion juice is yet to be a subject of serious scientific research, there are people out there who swear by it for their hair. There are a number of reasons why these people may be right in thinking that onion juice can give them the luscious locks of their dreams – let’s get into them now.
1. Onion juice contains sulphur
To understand how sulphur works for hair, we need to first look briefly at how the hair grows. It has two cycles that it repeats over and over again: the growing phase and the shedding phase. Research has found that sulphur lengthens the growing phase of hair, thereby helping you to grow longer hair at a quicker rate. Sulphur has also been linked to treating and relieving eczema and dandruff.
2. Onion juice may boost circulation
Studies have found that foods that contain anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties can boost circulation. Therefore, applying onion juice – a big anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial source – to your scalp could increase blood supply to your hair follicles, which promotes faster growth and may even prevent premature greyness. Anti-inflammatory agents like onion juice have also been researched into for their benefits in preventing hair-loss conditions like alopecia.
3. Onion juice contains vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for hair growth. This is because it prevents against oxidative stress caused by free radicals, which could cause your hair to age. Vitamin C is also needed by your body to produce a protein called collagen, which makes up the structure of our hair. Not only that, but vitamin C is essential for the absorption of iron, which has been linked to hair loss when we’re deficient in it.
4. Onion juice contains vitamin B6
Though vitamin B6 isn’t as well-known for its hair benefits as biotin, another B vitamin, there is scientific evidence that this vitamin can help with hair health in a number of different ways. One clinical study found that B6 reduced hair loss in women dealing with alopecia. This is thought to be because vitamin B6 helps the body to produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen and other nutrients to the hair follicles, promoting healthy growth.
How to use onion juice for hair growth
There’s no denying the scientific evidence for growth, so much so that there are actually products out there in the (albeit non-mainstream) commercial market that contain onion extract for this very reason.
Of course, it’s much easier to just apply pure, fresh onion juice straight to your hair, as terrifying as that may sound. If you’ve got a lot of time on your hands and you’re happy to experiment with a potentially smelly home remedy, here’s what you need to do:
· Gather your onions
2 large onions will probably give you enough juice to cover a head of long hair, but you can always experiment with more if you happen to have an excess of onions lying around.
· Peel, chop and blend
Peel and chop your onions as if you’re meal prepping, then add them to a food processor and blend until they form a paste.
· Strain your onions
Pour your onion mix onto a muslin cloth and squeeze over a bowl to extract the juices. This will look, smell and feel lovely, as you can imagine.
· Mix with other ingredients
Once you’ve extracted all the juice you can, it’s time to mix it with a couple of soothing ingredients of your choice. Honey and coconut oil are great options, as they smell great (so they’ll mask the onion stench) and they’re two ingredients that are used in hair products time and time again, thanks to their endless benefits to hair health.
· Apply to hair
If the smell is still a little too pungent to you, add a couple of drops of essential oil to your mix, then carefully apply the solution to your hair and scalp. Leave for up to half an hour for the ingredients to work their magic.
· Rinse and repeat
Wash the mixture off with warm water, then shampoo and condition your hair as normal. You can use this remedy once a week if it turns out to work well for you.