Lavender, Ginger and Rosemary tea on scalp for regrowth?

I got an ebook titled "Herbal Hair Solution" buy some dude that claims he used an ancient indian recipe for hair re-growth.. he boiled the following into a tea brew then sprayed that on his hair:

Lavender, Ginger, Rosemary.

Has anyone here already given this a try?
Does this sound like something worth trying?

Bump!

That was the very first thing I tried some years ago ..

But Rosemary is up to 20% camphor, and not something you want to put on your head on a daily basis.

You can use lemon balm instead .. the solution worked pretty well on the crown.

Rosemary can raise blood pressure. So be careful with the dosage
(only a few drops).

Thank you guys, I wont use rosemary. I wont use this tea brew at all.
I'll see if I can get some lemon balm instead.

Over the years, I feel this is mostly a waste of time for AGA. This topical is for alopecia areata.

Arch Dermatol. 1998 Nov;134(11):1349-52.
Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata.
Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD.

Department of Dermatology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Scotland. ad.ormerod@abdn.ac.uk
Comment in:

Arch Dermatol. 1999 May;135(5):602-3.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of aromatherapy in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata.

DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 7 months' duration, with follow-up at 3 and 7 months.

SETTING: Dermatology outpatient department.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six patients diagnosed as having alopecia areata.

INTERVENTION: Eighty-six patients were randomized into 2 groups. The active group massaged essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) into their scalp daily. The control group used only carrier oils for their massage, also daily.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Treatment success was evaluated on sequential photographs by 2 dermatologists (I.C.H. and A.D.O.) independently. Similarly, the degree of improvement was measured by 2 methods: a 6-point scale and computerized analysis of traced areas of alopecia.

RESULTS: Nineteen (44%) of 43 patients in the active group showed improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41 patients in the control group (P = .008). An alopecia scale was applied by blinded observers on sequential photographs and was shown to be reproducible with good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.84). The degree of improvement on photographic assessment was significant (P = .05). Demographic analysis showed that the 2 groups were well matched for prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS: The results show aromatherapy to be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata. Treatment with these essential oils was significantly more effective than treatment with the carrier oil alone (P = .008 for the primary outcome measure). We also successfully applied an evidence-based method to an alternative therapy.

CS, what I see this study telling us:

1- that 6 (15%) of 41 patients improved by using the carrier oil (jojoba and grapeseed) + massage
2- that 19 (44%) of 43 patients improved when using (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) + massage

I can't help but wonder, one repeats the study but omits rosemary from this study (since it causes HBP per the above comments), I wonder how many would have shown improvement.

I also wonder what improvement will be like if only one oil was used per group: one group to use pure thyme, another to use purelavender, another cedarwood, another grapeseed and another to use jojoba. Finally, if massage was only to be used. This would be more useful in finding which are the most effective oils and how effective massage alone is.

Why would this help alopecia areata but not AGA?

Crusher wrote:Rosemary can raise blood pressure. So be careful with the dosage
(only a few drops).

The tea was made using dried rosemary and fresh rosemary - I applied this tea brew about 3 times a day to 1 side (the right) of my thinning hair line. I became hesitant to use this due to the blood pressure issue raised earlier, but I really want to give this a try and see if anything changes on the part of the scalp I put this on.

I am not ingesting this, so the effects on the blood pressure should not be that drastic, correct?

Does anyone know how much of an effect rosemary has on blood pressure, to be exact rosemary + ginger + lavender tea brew applied "topically"?

To add to the info above and the study above, I'm going to post some interesting testimonials on the use of essential oils/and their products for hair growth! A while back I looked online for oil and herb recipes and made a list of testimonials, the list was hibernating in my computer collecting dust. I have not tested any of these.

I'm posting these here to get this info out, and get feedback. If anyone wants to try please do write back here to let us know how things are going.

Here:

I found this recipe:
* 3 drops rosemary oil
* 4 drops geranium oil
* 4 drops lavender oil
* 1 drop frankincense oil
* 4 drops cypress oil
* 2 drops cinnamon oil
* 2 drops juniper oil
from: http://www.essentialoils.co.za/hair-loss.htm#Oil%20treatment%20for%20alopecia%20and%20hair%20loss

I also found these testimonials:

Lavender shampoo and conditioner sounded nice. Didn't change anything. Tried Rosewood. Hair loss stopped IMMEDIATELY! After several months went back to the Lavender. Hair loss began again. Went back to Rosewood. Loss stopped again immediately.

from http://www.oil-testimonials.com/essential-oils/671

Every time I would wash my hair, there was a lot in the drain that would fall out. This has been my experience since menopause. I tried the lavender shampoo from Young Living and have been so impressed with the results.

First the shampoo is so good at cleaning hair that I don't have to wash my hair for 4 days. I have noticed that there is very little hair in the drain now.

from http://www.oil-testimonials.com/essential-oils/3953

When I started with Essential Oils, I did the 5 day cleanse and used the lavender oil from the starter kit that I purchased on my head every night for three weeks. My wife noticed the fuzz on the top of my head and that is what got me hooked on the oils. My second month I bought rosemary and cedarwood and add it to the lavender. Over three fourths of my head is now growing hair.

from http://www.oil-testimonials.com/essential-oils/2847

My husband has used Western Red cedar on his almost bald head (just single hairs here and there) and he has a healthy hair growth on the top of his head. He applies the oil on the top of his head everyday and has now for over a year.

from http://www.oil-testimonials.com/essential-oils/2326

the question is, which of these oils do you suppose has the best effect? which can be combined and used safely for an extended period?

Well, I am thinking that mixing lavender + cedarwood + rosewood (and maybe red cedar) with some carrier oil may work. What are your thoughts guys? CS? is this a safe mixture?

ezmbh,

in my opinion anyone with low blood pressure will have no trouble with raising blood pressure levels applying rosemary.
Anyone with high(er) blood pressure (> 140/90) should be careful with drugs, herbs etc. which
raise blood pressure (topicals are working systemic as well).

BTW: Used the essential oil formula mentioned above, but I wasn't consequently so I can't
speak about results (you have to apply the oil formula for min. 7 months).

Nevertheless I second CS, from my point of view rosemary is a waste of time.

Lavender-oil is shown to be a DHT antagonist [1]. Mainly due to it high concentration of phytosterols/phytoestrogens I'm guessing. I would suggest getting the Dr. Bronners Magic Lavender soap, it contains not only organic lavender-oil but also organic hemp-oil and jojoba-oil and many other natural ingredients.




[1] Prepubertal Gynecomastia Linked to Lavender and Tea Tree Oils.

I have been using lavender oil for almost a year now, and also thyme for over 6 months; and some day ago I started peppermint.
In my case the oils work-- especially thyme significantly reduced my hair loss. And there is some regrowth on my temples. However, this area has been bald for a long long time before I started with those oils, so the hair is growing very slowly-- and my hope is that after one more year passed they will reach cosmetically significance.
I do not use any carrier oil, instead I mix the oils into minoxidil; I had been using minoxidil for years before I started with the oils so that I know what contributes to what results..
Howerver, imo the oils have to be well diluted, otherwise they may do more harm than good. The cited AA-study uses too highly concentrated oils. For example lavender oil at a concentration above 0.25% has cytotoxic properties (and lavender is a rather mild oil). Personally I wouldn't use any such oil above mentioned concentration; in my topical, the oils are in a range of about 0.03%.

To make things even more complicated there are different chemotypes of many (if not all) essential oils, with quite different profile of common substances.

lavendar is quite estrogenic - be very afraid of bitch tits.....

so, lavender + cedarwood + rosewood is out the door?

ppm, that is amazing, essential oils are working for you! maybe I should add thyme to my list of oils. Does thyme have side effects

misterE wrote:Lavender-oil is shown to be a DHT antagonist [1]. Mainly due to it high concentration of phytosterols/phytoestrogens I'm guessing. I would suggest getting the Dr. Bronners Magic Lavender soap, it contains not only organic lavender-oil but also organic hemp-oil and jojoba-oil and many other natural ingredients.


[1] Prepubertal Gynecomastia Linked to Lavender and Tea Tree Oils.

Mr. E. - Thanks
I will actually get this one: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2176141&CAWELAID=293851257 and use it on my scalp ... I've this brand of soap before and remember how strong it smelled, and it also burnt when you applied on sensitive skin... but have not used it on the scalp.

I know a 60yrs old relative who should according to genetics be loosing hair but he is not, and he uses simple plain body soap on his hair , no shampoos or conditioners. He also is low stress and always used supplements (30 yrs ongoing).

why this is mostly a waste of time for AGA and rejuveplex is not?
just asking...dont really know why...

CausticSymmetry wrote:Over the years, I feel this is mostly a waste of time for AGA. This topical is for alopecia areata.

Arch Dermatol. 1998 Nov;134(11):1349-52.
Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata.
Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD.

Department of Dermatology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill, Scotland. ad.ormerod@abdn.ac.uk
Comment in:

Arch Dermatol. 1999 May;135(5):602-3.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of aromatherapy in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata.

DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 7 months' duration, with follow-up at 3 and 7 months.

SETTING: Dermatology outpatient department.

PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six patients diagnosed as having alopecia areata.

INTERVENTION: Eighty-six patients were randomized into 2 groups. The active group massaged essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) into their scalp daily. The control group used only carrier oils for their massage, also daily.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Treatment success was evaluated on sequential photographs by 2 dermatologists (I.C.H. and A.D.O.) independently. Similarly, the degree of improvement was measured by 2 methods: a 6-point scale and computerized analysis of traced areas of alopecia.

RESULTS: Nineteen (44%) of 43 patients in the active group showed improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41 patients in the control group (P = .008). An alopecia scale was applied by blinded observers on sequential photographs and was shown to be reproducible with good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.84). The degree of improvement on photographic assessment was significant (P = .05). Demographic analysis showed that the 2 groups were well matched for prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS: The results show aromatherapy to be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata. Treatment with these essential oils was significantly more effective than treatment with the carrier oil alone (P = .008 for the primary outcome measure). We also successfully applied an evidence-based method to an alternative therapy.