Sometimes grandma’s home remedies become very profitable ideas for cosmetic companies. A good example of this is onion for hair care. From the fragrant juices that our grandmothers used to wash their hair, we have moved on to very pleasant-to-use aromatic shampoos that contain concentrated extracts of this vegetable, responsible for its supposed beneficial properties for hair. Is it really effective? onion shampoo?
These products are usually promoted as an ideal option for people who want to strengthen their hair. It is even assumed that help hair grow in men and women who lose a lot, whether due to some form of alopecia or some other reason.
Onion shampoo has been around for many years, but the truth is that it has seen a big boom again recently after some very important hair care brands joined the trend. For this reason it is very common to see cosmetics influencers showcasing these products on their social media and spreading their benefits to the winds. They claim to have been before and after taking care of their hair. And maybe they feel it, but is it a placebo effect or is there scientific evidence of its effectiveness? It is also possible that they do not receive any benefits, but by paying them they claim that they did a great job. We’re going to rely on people’s honesty and assume that’s not an option, so we go back to the previous question.
The Science Behind Onion Shampoo
Although traditional products based on this vegetable are used all over the world, the popularity of onion shampoos came mainly from certain countries. Middle Eastespecially India.
It was in this region, namely Iraq, that one of the few existing studies on this topic was conducted in 2002. In it, the effectiveness of onion juice in the treatment of alopecia areata was proven in a group of patients that included both men and women, children and adults.
Alopecia areata is a form of hair loss that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair. Hair follicles in which hair is born. As a result, bald spots form in the form of spots the size of a small coin, which can become increasingly abundant and extensive.
Study participants were divided into two groups. In the first case, onion juice had to be applied to the scalp, and in the second, only tap water. The procedure was the same for everyone: two applications per day for two months. In just 6 weeks, hair growth has been recorded in 86.9% people who ate onions. On the other hand, in the control group, where tap water was used, more hair grew only on 13% participants. And this was not at week 6, but when a full two months had passed.
This study is commonly used to confirm the effectiveness of onion shampoo. However, it is important to keep in mind that it Only 38 people took part. Therefore, the population is too small to draw appropriate conclusions.
What are the supposed benefits of this vegetable?
Generally, the benefits plant extracts The benefits of onion shampoo are due to many compounds present in this plant. This is primarily due to the presence of sulfur. This is because sulfur is one of the elements most present in keratin, an important protein in the composition of hair. For this reason it is believed to help strengthen and restore hair.
In addition, onions are antimicrobial, helping to fight scalp infections that weaken hair. Finally, onion shampoo is considered very effective due to the content it contains. flavonoids, Antioxidant plant compounds that may help combat hair follicle cell damage caused by oxidative free radicals.
The problem is that none of this has been proven except in a study of fewer than 40 people. Good nutrition is essential for both strong hair and many other purposes. However, the effectiveness of a number of formulations that are applied to the hair and automatically they rinse This is not supported by sufficient scientific evidence.
We certainly have nothing to lose by trying onion shampoo. After all, just like there is insufficient evidence of its effectiveness, there is no reason why this is useless. But it is worth keeping in mind that this cannot be a panacea. And that the health of our hair, like our skin, begins with proper nutrition and proper hydration.
Source: Hiper Textual
