Onion lends great taste and flavour to everyday dishes, but did you know that when applied topically, it can lead to hair growth and prevent hair loss? One study from the Journal of Dermatology found that after 4 weeks of using onion juice, 74% of individuals with ‘alopecia areata’ experienced significant hair re-growth, and within 6 weeks of using onion juice, 84% of the individuals were reported to have hair re-growth.
You can try some of these onion hair packs to regain strength and shine in your hair. If you’re suffering from excessive hair loss or baldness, applying these packs will noticeably improve hair growth in a few months. Onion juice applied topically is said to give your hair a nice coppery shade.
Benefits Of Onion For Hair Growth
- Stimulates blood circulation and fastens hair growth.
- Helps prevent premature graying of hair
- Onion contains sulphur which is an excellent tonic for hair thinning.
- Regular application of onion helps thicken hair by improving its volume.
- Onion is a natural cure to treat hereditary hair loss.
- Several research-studies conducted on hair fall have established that onions contain great healing properties, effective in treating conditions such as androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness.
- Onions are helpful in controlling hair problems like dandruff.
- The antibacterial properties of onion aid in treating, several scalp and hair infections caused by fungi and yeast.
You can read more about the “amazing benefits of onion on your hair” here.
Preparing Onion Juice
1. Food processor or Blender: Peel onions and cut them into four sections. Blend them evenly in the blender. Remove and strain through a fine sieve.
2. Grater: Cut onion into two halves. Grate both these halves over a plate. When done, strain out the juice from the grated onion, using the back of a spoon.
3. Cloth method: Collect the outer peels of the onions (try using the one’s discarded while cutting vegetables) and blend them. Put them in a muslin cloth or a thin cotton cloth and squeeze it directly on the hair or in to a bowl if you’re mixing it with some other ingredient for your mask.
DIY Onion Hair Masks
You will need to keep the onion masks on your scalp for at least 30 minutes or longer to achieve desired results. Some people may find the smell offensive, so you can rinse the hair off using a mild shampoo with rose water. Repeat the remedies at least thrice a week for best results.
Note: Before applying onion juice, test it on a small area to ensure that you are not allergic. Onion juice applied topically is said to give your hair a nice coppery shade. But, if you want to maintain the natural colour of your hair, mix onion juice with 1-2 tsp of mustard oil. The oil will prevent the color lightening caused by onions.
Hair Masks
1. Onion-Honey Mixture: Mix ¼ cup of onion juice with 1 tbsp. of honey and apply the mix on the scalp. Massage it for 15 minutes every day. Alternatively, you can also consume it orally, every day.
2. Onion-Rum Mask: Finely chop one medium sized onion and soak this in a glass of rum overnight. Strain the mixture, the next day to remove the onion pieces. Use the concoction to massage the scalp or use it as a hair rinse after washing the hair.
3. Onion Juice Hair Rinse: Add 4-5 chopped onion to 1 litre of water and boil it for about 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and strain the mixture.
4. Regular Mask: Try applying onion juice every day on your hair directly for at least 30 minutes before rinsing it off.
5. Onion-Garlic Mask: Crush garlic and extract juice. Add this to the onion juice and massage it in your scalp. Leave it on for 30 min before rinsing it off.
6. Onion-Gooseberry Mask: Gooseberry or ‘amla’ is a very powerful remedy for hair loss and hair re-growth. You can powder dried amla or soak dry amlas in any oil of your choice and mash them to form a paste. You can add amla powder or paste with onion juice to your hair once a week for 30 minutes-1 hour to see amazing results.
Conclusion
Since this is a natural remedy, you will have to stick with it diligently for at least 2 months to see definitive results. To boost hair growth, you can also massage your hair and scalp with a mixture of olive oil, coconut oil and almond oil once a week, ideally leaving it overnight. Also, don’t forget to include onions and other fruits and vegetables as a part of a healthy hair diet.
