Onions for Hair Loss, Odd yet Effective

In an age where scientists have discovered and manufactured vaccines that prevent diseases that claimed the lives of thousands of people centuries ago and developed treatments that can eliminate certain types of cancer, there is not yet a foolproof treatment for hair loss. Many people have admirably taken it upon themselves to experiment with their own formulas and homemade recipes to prevent hair loss. Onions, surprisingly, have been a main ingredient in some commercially manufactured hair loss treatments. While this sounds odd, you might be curious about the potential onions have for treating alopecia, or male pattern baldness.

Clinical Evidence

Many commercial non-FDA-approved hair loss treatments and formulas contain ingredients that have little to no scientific basis or have not undergone any legitimate clinical studies. Onions, however, have been used in a small study that suggests they could be useful in the treatment of a type of hair loss called alopecia areata. The study, conducted by Iraqi researchers and published in the June 2002 Journal of Dermatology, found that the group of hair loss patients that topically applied crude onion juice to their scalp experienced a significantly higher rate of hair regrowth than did the group of patients that received the placebo.

Alopecia Areata vs. Androgenic Alopecia

Alopecia areata is different from the traditional genetic baldness, which follows a distinct pattern. Alopecia areata involves random patches of hair falling out and not regrowing. Alopecia areata is significantly less common than androgenic alopecia, which is the primary type of hair loss for both men and women, according to the American Hair Loss Association. While androgenic alopecia is genetic and caused by the predominately male hormone, dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, the causes of alopecia areata are less certain. Doctors believe it is an autoimmune disease in which the body inappropriately attacks hair follicles. Unfortunately, there are no treatments that are particularly effective in treating alopecia areata.

Onion Juice Probably Not Effective for Common Hair Loss

Androgenic alopecia, which is due to genetics, is the type of hair loss in 95 percent of all hair loss cases in men. Genetic susceptibility to DHT is thought to be the main cause of hair loss in women but the percentage is likely not as high. Androgenic alopecia occurs when DHT attacks hair follicles that are genetically susceptible to hair loss, mainly hairs along the hairline and crown, and progressively shrinks them over time. The most effective treatment for combating androgenic alopecia is finasteride, which lowers the level of DHT in your body. Onion juice is not likely to be effective for most cases of hair loss because it does not address DHT. Hair restoration surgeon, Dr. William Rassman, senior member of the American Hair Loss Association, confirms this and believes there is no potential in onion juice as a hair loss treatment.

FDA-Approved Treatments

Although onion juice is unlikely to be an effective treatment for hair loss, there are two treatments that have been approved by the FDA and clinically proven to help prevent or slow hair loss. The first treatment is finasteride, which is for men only. It works by reducing the hormone DHT, the main cause of hair loss. The American Hair Loss Association considers finasteride to be the “first line of attack” to stop hair loss. The second treatment is topical minoxidil, which can be used by both men and women. Minoxidil is thought to work by increasing blood flow to your scalp. Minoxidil, unlike finasteride, is available over-the-counter. You should consult your doctor before you use either of these treatments or if you are noticing an abnormal rate of hair loss, well beyond 100 hairs a day.