I know a lot of people who rave on about the wonderful results obtained from onion juice for the loss of hair. It seems to really be a little gem amongst the natural remedies for hair loss and as it’s such a common household ingredient it’s very easy (and cheap) to do regularly. Here i’ve listed all the benefits of the humble onion and it’s juice that makes it great as a hair loss treatment.
The benefits of Onion Juice
- Onion is a powerful anti-septic that is rich in vitamins A, B and C.
- It is a potent source of folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, iron. The smaller the onions, the more pungent they are.
- A study has shown that applying onion juice on scalp twice a week for 2 months will cause hair re-growth.
- High amounts of sulphur in onions make them particularly effective in regenerating hair follicles and stimulating hair regrowth.
- In addition, naturally-concentrated sulphur compounds have been proven to show additional hair-restoring and even anti-carcinogenic properties.
- The antibacterial action of onions helps clean the scalp from disease-causing bacteria and fungi.
- It is effective in treating dandruff, itchy scalp, and excessive sebum production.
- Since onion juice restores hair follicles and improves scalp circulation, it will help cure alopecia and promote the growth of new, strong hair.
How to use
Onion Juice
Juice or grate the onions. If grating onions then wrap in muslin or similar cloth and wring out juice. Keep juice and discard the pulp.
Tips
To keep the onion juice as fresh and effective as possible, make it in small batches to eliminate storage time and prolonged shelf life.
Do not warm the onion juice on the stove or in a microwave, as heating it can damage the compounds in it that are responsible for hair growth.
Method 1
Apply the undiluted juice to the affected areas of your skin by putting on the gloves and dipping a sterile cotton ball into the onion juice. Apply to the hair loss area. Massage deep into the hair roots but do gently, so as not to cause traction alopecia by pulling on the roots of the hair. Leave on for around 30 mins before shampooing or conditioning hair.
Method 2
Mix onion juice into your conditioner and apply after shampooing hair. Let sit for a minimum of 30 mins with a shower cap on. Rinse hair thoroughly.
Please Note: I am not a licensed doctor, dermatologist or trichologist. All i am attempting to do here is to provide information on possible natural remedies for hair loss. If you are suffering from severe hair loss and thinning please do your own research to determine whether or not this treatment may be of benefit to you and talk to a licensed professional. I will no longer be accepting or responding to comments and questions asking me to verify whether this treatment may work for your particular situation. Thank you!
Nadia's Notes 
Think I might try this out.
Can someone please explain the detailed procedure involved?
How to make onion juice?
I used the processor to grind it, but the extract I get isn’t just liquid. It’s rather semi-solid-liquid substance. Is that the juice itself, or is the juice just the completely liquid substance? Could someone post a photo of ‘onion juice’?
How to apply?
It trickles down the head a bit. What is the right procedure for application?
What happens after application?
I apply on the temple regions, because hair is thinning out. Some time after application, hairs on the regions of application become real hard, like I could break them.
And when I have my shower like an hour later, hairs keep coming off the temple areas. Is it just shedding for a good cause? Or are the hairs actually breaking off because they hardened? I’m scared to continue the treatment.
Can someone who’s in treatment post their experience, and how it feels after application?
Hi Vijay. If you are using a food processor to chop up the onions, you will need to wrap it in a muslin or similar cloth and wring out the juice, as explained above. Keep the juice and discard the pulp.
As for the hair hardening, are you covering your hair after you’ve applied the juice? If not, then your hair may very well become a bit ‘hard’. Keep it covered for the duration of the time and then proceed to wash it out.
If you find your hair is still shedding excessively after use, then you may be having some kind of allergic reaction to it and my advise would be to discontinue your onion juice treatments and maybe try Aloe Vera juice/gel or Cayenne Pepper as alternative hair loss treatments.
Hope this helps.
use a juicer to get the onion juice.
hair becomes like you said, don’t worry about it. continue to apply it for at least 4 months …
Hi, I have just started using onion juice on my scalp before washing. Does anyone have a way of removing the onion smell from your head. I use organic shampoo and conditioner, but can still smell the onions. Please help. Thanks Sue
Unfortunately, i have no suggestions. That’s the one con of using onion juice. When i was using it i added a few drops of essential oil to help with the smell. It didn’t help much to be honest. And every time i scratched my scalp or did something strenuous that caused me to sweat, i could smell the onion on my scalp. But i was willing to put up with it and i was the only one that noticed it it seemed so i continued my course of treatment. It’s up to you to decide whether you can tolerate the smell in trade off for the benefits that onions have to offer!
Apple scented conditioner will definitely help, just like it helps to dissipate the smell of odoriferous foods on ones breath.
hi im saba my hair are getting thin though they r already thin but now they r getting worse. . would this onion juice work for my hair
Hi Saba, It should help. It does depend also on the reasons for your thinning though. Onion Juice treatments can help with the symptoms but you should try to directly deal with the real causes, which usually come from internal issues, hormonal imbalances and/or build-up of toxins. However topical treatments such as onion juice will help slow down shedding and encourage new growth.
Hi myself Aakash. year ago i have beautiful hairs but suddenly i found that m loosing my hairs thn i go to the skin specialist he told me to use minoxidil 2% foam for 1 month. I found my hair lose in control then after 1 month he told me to change 2% to 5%. i try to use it but that 5% foam is very very rough and my hairs get very very hard and growing my hair lose. it happens till now.
my question is……
is white onion juice will reduce my hair lose? and is it a permanent solution for hair lose????
please tell me asap.
(sorry 4 my bad english hope u understand what m trying 2 say.)
Thanks
Aakash
Hi Aakash,
Unfortunately there are no permanent solutions for hair loss as hair loss can be caused by a variety of issues. Onion juice can help with hair loss by encouraging new growth so it’s worth giving it a try. However i would highly recommend that you see a doctor or health physician for a full health check as your hair loss may very well be caused by some unseen internal issue. Onion might help with the symptoms of hair loss but if the source of your hair loss is not addressed, your hair will continue to fall out.
I hope this helps.
Thank you for the information. This was very helpful. I have battled with alopecia for about 15 years off and on. i have two small spots behind my ears and normally i spend hundreds of dollars on injections. im going to give this a try.
i am 21years old female .i have very long hair in 10th class but due to severe loss it became 1/2 and i became thinn…day dy day iam lossing severe hair please suggest some home remedy to control hair loss
Hi Mamu, you can try the onion juice remedy suggested in this post or the Cayenne Treatment. These are great places to start. But i would definitely advise you to get a medical check up as your hair loss is being caused by an underlying health issue.
i’ve been applying the onion juice for about a couple of weeks but i see no improvement:( i grind a red onion n i take out d juice n add a couple drops of almond oil to it, then i use cotton to apply it to my hair. do u think wat im doing is wrong? kindly advice. mercz. looking forward to hear from you.
having sleepless nights due to hairfall.
Hi Stifler,
What you’re doing sounds fine to me. Natural remedies take time. It would need to be used consistently, at least once a week, twice a week for severe cases and used for a duration of at least two months before you can assess whether it’s beginning to have a positive effect. Results will always vary from person to person depending on the root cause of the hair loss. If you’re hair follicles are completely dead however, then nothing will be able to cause the hair to grow back again.
I hope this helps.
This is my second day using onion juice on my scalp. I have a juicer, so I’ve juiced the onion and applied. I noticed breaking and now a bit of a sting on my scalp. I’m wondering if it’s too strong for me, or if this is part of the process.
Thank you.
i have onion on my scalp as speak hhhhh right now ! this onion thing really works if you keep on doing it ! i am male , and i do it ! not only it stops hair loss , it gives it shine , and healthy looking . enjoy it !
im using it from today lets see what would be the result . my question is should i apply these daily for faster results?
Hi Jiya,
I have no idea whether applying it daily will make it work faster. The study mentioned above specified successful results with twice weekly applications only. It may be possible that daily use may make it work faster, but that is just speculation. It’s totally your choice.
Mercz u r doing a fantastic job here. thanks alot =) the thing is that somebody told me to boil an onion to make a juice out of it. the water should be used while the boiled onion must be discarded =/ now since i have boiled it already, can i grind it and apply? i hope it’s compounds have nt got spoiled. actually i have pretty long hair but its getting drier day by day from the tips. when i started to get split ends i quit straightening n using heat. i trim them often but the soft n silky touch i have on the upper side of my hair is no more on the ends. i m very worried now. i will be getting married in September and i need my hair to look dreamy. thanks once again ❤
Hi Sakina,
I would not personally recommend boiling the onion as heating it will destroy the active compounds. It’s better to juice the onion as mentioned above. If you are suffering from dry ends, onion juice may not be what you need. The scalp naturally produces an oily substance called sebum which travels down the hair and acts as a barrier and conditioner. If you have long hair then the sebum is not reaching the ends causing it to become dry. Using straightening appliances can also cause heat damage that makes the ends dry, brittle and prone to breakage and split ends. My recommendation to you is to find a good conditioner for dry or damaged hair and apply it to your ends only, following the instructions on the package. Also a good leave-in conditioner should help reduce the dry feeling. The conditioning agents in these should help your ends become soft & silky like the rest of your hair.
Hope this helps!
thanks alot =) it will surely help. i have been using mayonnaise too to condition my hair, it works like magic =)
Hi Mercz,
Thanks a lot for your tips, I generally grate the onion and use it with the pulp i mean i apply the finely grated onion paste directly on my scalp instead of wring out onion juice. Is that fine ? Or do i need to apply only juice instead of the grated onion paste. Please suggest me. Thank you.
Greetings,
Priya
Finely grated onion is fine. The only reason juiced onions are recommended is because it can be a bit difficult to remove all the little bits of onion from the hair after application. But if it’s not a problem for you then continue doing it.
Hi Mercz,
My 6 yr old daughter has been diagonesd with Alopecia Areta and has 2 tiny bald patches on her scalp. The doctor has prescribed an anti dandruff shampoo along with an ointment for application on the affected area. Afetr reading your posts i’ve decided to give onion juice a shot as well. However, one clarification…since the medicine needs to be applied everyday at night, can i apply the juice on wkends in d morning so that the effectiveness of both remains? Can this onion juice be applied on two consecutive days of the week? Wud await your feedback. Thanks a lot!
M.
Yes, you can try it on the weekends and see how it goes. As for applying it on two consecutive days in a row, yes you can. Just continue to monitor her scalp. If it seems a little irritated on the second day of application then you know one application per weekend is best, otherwise it should be fine.
If you have the energy and the time you can apply onion juice on a daily basis, there is no harm or overdosing it – infact the above mentioned study says the patients were applying onion juice TWICE A DAY FOR TWO MONTHS, the higher the frequency the better the results are.
As to the the smell you can rinse your hair with a 50/50 mixiture of apple cider venegar and water or you can dilute one tea spoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in on litter of water and rinse your hair after shampooing. Apple cider venigar and baking soda have deodorizing effects, and they are good for a healthy hair – just search the internet about it. White venigar or lemon juice can subistitue apple cider venigar for its deodorizing effects.
elo guys, u ol must try the onion juice treatment,it really works. i usd to straighten my hair at home and i had hairloss. bt dn i startd aplying castor oil,almond oil,olive oil,lavender oil and rosemary oil alongwith onion juice on my scalp. boil watr in a pan and then take the mixture in a bowl and put d bowl in d pan containing hot water so that it warms. then aply it on ur scalp and massage it smoothly for 15mins or above. kp it overnight n wash off next morning. use a silk scarf while you sleep so that it prevents ur hair from breakage. try this guyz….i promise this will work.. i got great result and i say everyone to go for this method instead of wasting money on othr treatments.. wish u luck buddies.. byeee. 🙂
Hi, quick Question. Does it matter what type of onion? white? red? small? large?
thanks!
Hi Jamila. The linked study doesn’t suggest what type of onion was used. Any one, i guess, would be good although i would probably go for a small to medium white onion as these seem to be more potent (just my observation) than large or red onions. Hope that helps.
Hello, Thank you for the great info. Would it be ok if I use an off the shelf juice, such as Howard’s Onion Juice?
Is it OK to apply Onion Juice on my relaxed hair that is thinning and balding. Please advise. I would really appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Yes it’s fine to apply onion juice to any hair type. Just watch out for any allergic reactions to it and stop using it if you react negatively to it.
hey Mercz,wonderful article you have posted here,simple and informative.i have been doing this for about two weeks,and so far,it has helped my shedding and made the hair real shiny.i think what i have is traction alopecia,and i’m really desperate to grow some new hair on my sparsely populated scalp.the mix i use is onion+garlic juice+ Cayenne pepper+some herbal anti-alopecia serum.can you please tell me how long it will take to see results?i apply the mixture daily,massage it in and then leave it overnight.i have no clue when to look for new growth,and i read somewhere that it takes about four months for a hair cycle to be completed.if this is true,then will it take the baby hair four months or so to penetrate the scalp and become visible?sorry about the blabbing,i’m really stressed right now….i don’t want to go bald at 22!!!!
and PS-i saw a lot of visitors asking about getting rid of the smell.for this,you make some plain old ordinary tea(you can use green tea too),let it cool down and add about two cap fulls of vinegar.i take white vinegar and use this as the final rinse after shampooing my hair(using a citrus shampoo also helps remove onion smell).make sure the tea is strong and the rinse is not hot when you add the vinegar.i promise that not only will it get rid of all the smell,but it will make your hair shiny and wonderfully smooth.
please reply soon…i’ll be waiting.
and pps-you remind me of our very pretty 10th grade English teacher…!!!:-)she looked so much like you!
it is ok to use the onion juice during bed time then rinse it off in the morning?
I wouldn’t recommend leaving it on that long personally but you’re more than welcome to give it a try and see if it’s beneficial.
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Dear Mercz,
I am going to give this a try. I read an earlier post of yours where I think you mentioned that you had used this remedy on yourself. I was wondering how effective was it, how did it turn out for you?
Also wanted to ask if you know of anyone who has reversed early stages of balding using this treatment?
Thanks
Shah
The crystalline form from this pepper, alcoholate, is even a lot more useful
than the oil type for hair regrowth, primarily because the capsaicin
in alcoholate gets absorbed into the pores and skin quicker and less
difficult. The ideas in this post are a fantastic place to begin.
As long as you condition properly, you can stretch out you trims.
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