Natural Remedies for Alopecia Areata
In most people with alopecia areata, hair usually grows back within a year without any treatment. The following are some natural remedies that have been explored for alopecia areata.
1) Essential Oils
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the use of a combination of
essential oils or a placebo oil in 86 people with alopecia areata. The combination oil was a mixture of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood essential oils in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed). This oil was massaged into the scalp daily. The control group used only the carrier oils for their massage, also daily.
After 7 months, 19 (44%) of 43 people using the essential oil blend showed an improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41 people in the control group. Although no side effects were associated with the topical application of essential oils, they may cause allergic reactions in some people.
2) Onion Juice
A study published in the
Journal of Dermatology examined the effectiveness of onion juice or placebo in people with alopecia areata. Twenty-three people with alopecia areata applied the onion juice twice daily for two months, and 15 people applied tap water twice daily for two months.
People in the onion group began to experience regrowth of hair after two weeks of treatment. At four weeks, hair regrowth was seen in 17 (73.9%) people and at six weeks, hair regrowth was observed in 20 (86.9%) people. Improvement was significantly higher among males. In the tap water control group, hair regrowth was apparent in only 2 people at 8 weeks.