Whenever you walk into any store or scroll through social media as well, you will probably notice one ingredient that appears again and again in hair care products, that is onion.
Onion shampoo, onion hair oils as well as other onion based hair masks have become popular among people looking for thicker, stronger as well as healthier hair.
The marketing sounds convincing, onion is often promoted as a natural solution for hair fall, dandruff as well as weak roots along with hair regrowth.
The majority of people who are searching for the best shampoo for hair also came across onion based products. But, how much of this is actually supported by science?
Is onion shampoo truly a miracle product or is it simply another beauty trend?
Therefore, in this blog we will discuss why onion is used in hair care, does it actually help with hair growth and can onion shampoo make hair stronger along with should you actually buy onion shampoo will help in separating the hype from the evidence.
Why is Onion Used in Hair Care?
Onion is actually mixed with several biologically active compounds which includes sulfur-containing compounds, antioxidants along with flavonoids.
Sulfur, especially, is interesting because it is a component of a component of certain amino acids such as cysteine. This is particularly important for building blocks of keratin, the protein that makes up much of the hair shaft.
Onions also come with compounds with antioxidants as well as antimicrobial properties. Due to this, researchers have actively investigated whether onion preparations could have some benefits for scalp as well as hair.
This scientific interest helped create the idea that applying onion derived ingredients to the scalp might improve hair growth or even help with reducing hair loss.
However, there is an important distinction. That is, evidence for onion preparation is not actually the same as evidence for onion shampoo.
Does Onion Actually Help Hair Growth?
This is where the hype really needs some context. One small clinical study investigated the use of crude onion juice in people with a specific type of hair loss called alopecia areata.
The study actually reported greater hair regrowth in the onion juice group compared with water.
But, this study had important limitations which particularly includes its relatively small sample size. More importantly, the study literally used onion juice applied directly to the scalp and not commercially formulated onion shampoo.
Therefore, it would actually be inaccurate to conclude that onion shampoo has actually been scientifically proven to regrow hair. A shampoo is also fundamentally different from a leave on treatment.
Shampoo actually stays on the scalp for a short period of time and after that washes away. Its main purpose is to cleanse the scalp as well as hair, while a leaving-on product actually remains in contact with the skin for much longer.
So, if a product actually claims that simply washing the hair with onion shampoo will dramatically reverse hair loss, the claim should actually be viewed cautiously.
What About Onion and Hair Fall?
Hair fall has many possible causes. Temporary shedding can literally occur because of stress, illness, nutritional deficiencies and hormonal changes along with certain medications.
Moreover, other conditions such as androgenic alopecia as well as alopecia areata, have different underlying reasons which may actually require different approaches.
This means that treating all hair fall with one ingredient is actually unrealistic. An onion shampoo may actually help with keeping the scalp clean as well as the hair conditioned depending entirely on its overall formulations, but there is currently no strong evidence that onion shampoos can actually treat every major cause of hair loss.
In short, less hair breakage is not actually the same thing as new hair growth. However, if you are particularly looking for the best shampoo for hair fall, then it is actually important to understand the underlying reason why the hair falls.
Can Onion Shampoo Make Hair Stronger?
Well, the answer entirely depends more on the complete formula rather than on the word onion printed on the bottle.
Hair can become dry, brittle as well as damaged because of excessive heat styling, chemical treatments and frequent coloring as well as environmental exposure.
A well formulated shampoo can actually help in maintaining scalp cleanliness as well as reduce some forms of hair damage.
If an onion shampoo comes with conditioning agents, mild cleansers along with other useful ingredients then your hair may feel softer or healthier after using it.
But this does not necessarily mean that onion itself is responsible for the improvement.
This is actually a pretty important topic in cosmetic science, a product’s benefits actually comes from its entire formulations and not actually from its most marketable ingredients.
So, Should You Buy Onion Shampoo?
There is nothing wrong with trying an onion shampoo if your scalp actually tolerates it or you like the product. But you should not expect dramatic results which are marketed on the product.
Think of onion shampoo as a cosmetic hair care product, not a guaranteed hair regrowth treatment. But, if your main goal is simply keeping your scalp as well as hair clean, a suitable shampoo can literally be useful.
If your goal is treating significant hair loss then choosing a product solely because it contains onion may not actually address the underlying cause.
You should look beyond the front label. You should consider checking the ingredient list, scalp type as well as avoid assuming that a single ingredient can actually help with everything.
The Bottom Line
The popularity of onion shampoo is actually based partly on genuine scientific interest in onion compounds along with partly on powerful beauty marketing.
There is some research involving onion juice as well as specific forms of hair loss. But, that evidence should not actually be stretched into the claim that commercially available onion shampoo are proven hair regrowth treatments.
So, is onion shampoo completely useless? Not necessarily. The evidence does not actually support that conclusion. The most sensible approach is to actually separate cosmetic benefits from medical claims.
When looking for anti hair fall shampoo, then considering your scalp and hair can literally support scalp as well as hair hygiene.
However, if you notice severe, persistent hair loss then you should seek medical evaluation to determine the underlying cause rather than relying on the trending ingredient.
