There are hundreds of research results on peppermint oil and its amazing benefits.
But did you know you can use peppermint oil for hair growth since it contains growth-inducing properties? The latest research conducted by the Korean Society of Toxicology shows the remarkable before and after of new hair growth results using peppermint oil, which we cover in this article.
Towards the end of this review, we will also give you 3 easy-to-try peppermint oil hair growth recipes for extra scalp stimulation!
What are the best oils for hair growth and thickness?
If you are looking for hair growth oil that works and lean towards natural hair loss remedies to cure alopecia, essential oils are no doubt one of the most popular alternative treatments, especially in the year of 2017.
We recently published a number of related articles about the effects of some of these essential oils, including rosemary oil for hair regrowth, as well as its recipe for treating thinning hair (read the main causes of hair loss here).
Our latest addition to the best oils for hair loss list is peppermint essential oil. Why? The research below shows remarkable benefits which are not only for preventing hair loss, but also stimulating hair growth.
The best part? Results can be seen in as early as 2 to 4 weeks according to the study.
Before we get into the details of peppermint oil for hair growth, let’s briefly go over benefits in general.
Benefits and uses for peppermint oil
The below list shows the top 22 peppermint oil uses and generally what it is good for. As you can see, there are various health benefits of peppermint oil to improve your daily lives.
Below, the top three are the main benefits of peppermint oil for hair:
- Stimulate Hair growth
- Eliminate dandruff and itchy dry scalp issues
- Tame frizzy hair
- Prevent acne
- Reduce fungal nails
- Prevent cavity
- Fixes bad breath
- Cure headaches
- Relieve muscle pain
- Relieve sunburn
- Reduce fever
- Reduces Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Provide respiratory benefits
- Relieve upset stomach
- Enhance memory
- Balance hormones
- Minimize stress
- Improve blood circulation
- Boost energy
- Repel mice and insects including fleas
Stimulate the scalp: Peppermint oil for hair growth reviews
There are already a number of well-known benefits of using peppermint oil for hair.
Removing dandruff and itchy / flaky scalp is definitely the most obvious benefit. This explains why many organic shampoos designed for preventing dandruff, itching, and flaking are often formulated with peppermint oil or menthol as one of the active ingredients.
When it comes to using peppermint essential oil for hair growth, the research shows that peppermint oil has a natural property of inducing the extended anagen (hair growth) phase, stimulating new hair growth, increasing hair thickness, and even elongating follicle depth.
The study also shows that using peppermint oil for hair loss may even work better than Minoxidil – the FDA-approved topical treatment (also known as Rogaine).
Now, the research!
The study: Peppermint oil hair growth study and AMAZING results
There was a research study published by Korean Society of Toxicology in 2014 about the effect of using peppermint essential oil for stimulating hair growth in mice.
You have to see the results to believe it! (Before and after pictures below as well as some comparison charts)
Research study format for peppermint oil for hair loss:
Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and the following ingredients were topically applied to each group for 4 weeks.
- Group 1 – Salin
- Group 2 – Jojoba oil
- Group 3 – 3% of Minoxidil
- Group 4 – 3% of pure peppermint oil diluted in jojoba oil
For how long and how often?
For this peppermint oil hair growth study, the topical treatments with the amount of 100 μl (100 microliter) were directly applied once a day, 6 days a week for each group. This weekly regime continued for 4 weeks.
How were the study results measured?
The results for the effect of peppermint oil for baldness were measured by the following criteria:
- Hair growth: They took photographs for each week for the visual analysis of the effect on peppermint oil and hair growth (week 1, 2, 3, and 4 )
- Histological analysis (microscopic anatomy analysis for number and depth of hair follicles)
- Alkaline Phosphatase activity in dermal skin (measuring the amount of the enzyme)
- Gene expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (protein hormone that helps with normal growth of our body, also found in animals. In this experiment, it was used as bio-markers for measuring the hair growth progress)
What was the result of peppermint oil for hair loss?
The researchers observed that the mice from group 4 (topically applied with 3% peppermint oil) had the most noticeable hair growth in terms of
- Hair thickness
- Hair counts (number of follicles)
- Follicle depth
They also note that the group 4 (peppermint oil topical application group) showed a RAPID increase in hair growth starting from week 2 in terms of hair count, depth of the follicles and hair thickness.
Here are the peppermint oil before and after photos:
As you can see the improvement differences among those 4 groups are HUGE!
The results: Number of hair follicles
The results: Dermal thickness and follicle growth
The results: Hair regrowth score
Additionally, here are a couple of highlights from the study:
Peppermint oil vs jojoba oil
If you compare group 2 (Jojoba oil) and group 4 (Peppermint oil + jojoba oil), the result makes it very clear that peppermint oil plays a crucial role for stimulating hair growth, compared to jojoba oil alone.
Peppermint oil vs Minoxidil
If you compare group 3 (Minoxidil, also known as Rogaine) and group 4 (Peppermint oil topical application), it shows that Minoxidil worked fine in some mice, but not for all. It didn’t grow any hair on other mice. On the other hand, ALL of the mice from the Peppermint oil group showed significant hair growth.
What does this study result mean?
The research team concluded that their study proves the positive effect of using peppermint oil on stimulating hair growth. It promotes very long and thick hair only after 4 weeks of topical application.
In addition, the peppermint essential oil promoted deeply rooted follicles (elongation of hair follicles) which make hair growth more stable by inducing the rapid Anagen phase (aka hair growth phase).
There are a couple of things we would like to note here:
- It shows quick results: First, what‘s appealing about this study result is the shorter duration (which only lasted for 4 weeks) while still providing very noticeable improvement. Similar types of alopecia-related hair growth studies using essential oils usually take at least 8+ weeks for visible effects.
- Pure essential oil is the key: Also, if you want to try a similar peppermint essential oil for hair growth experiment (whether it’s female or male pattern baldness), make sure the oil is [easyazon_link identifier=”B00PV15BPW” locale=”US” tag=”mfh-nsp-20″]100% pure and organic[/easyazon_link], since the researchers used a 100% pure version for their tests (we will cover 3 peppermint oil recipes for hair below).
Peppermint oil for hair side effects
For hair and scalp: There are no major side effects reported for using peppermint oil for hair; however, too much peppermint oil on scalp can lead to skin irritation. This is the main reason to use a carrier oil in a recipe for peppermint oil for hair loss to help absorption without the irritation.
General side effects of peppermint oil (for other uses) include the following: Skin rashes, heartburn, mouth sores, allergic reactions, dizziness, and possibly diarrhea.
TOP 3 Peppermint oil hair growth recipes
First, can I also apply peppermint oil directly on scalp?
It’s important to note that you should NOT use peppermint essential oil alone. The research team mixed peppermint oil with jojoba oil which acts as a “carrier oil”.
Using essential oils such as peppermint oil alone can be potent, so they are usually mixed with carrier oils (such as jojoba oil, castor oil, olive oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, and argan oil) to reduce irritation when it contacts the surface of your skin, while still carrying active ingredients.
A tingling scalp sensation is expected since the active ingredient in peppermint is menthol.
How to use peppermint oil for hair growth?
Below shows 3 best peppermint oil hair growth recipes to try. Each recipe is designed to stop hair loss and stimulate new hair growth using popular essential oils.
Recipe 1 Just like the research study
Using peppermint oil and jojoba oil for hair growth
Ingredieints
- 100% pure peppermint oil
- 100% pure jojoba oil
Directions
1. Mix the oil together with the following ratio to make 3% peppermint oil:
- Peppermint oil : Jojoba oil = 6 drops : 2 tsp
In other words, mix 6 drops of peppermint essential oil and 2 teaspoon of jojoba oil together. Use the same ratio if you want to increase the amount. For instance, for 18 drops of peppermint oil, 6 teaspoon of jojoba oil is required.
You can also refer to our essential / carrier oil dilution chart here.
2. Cover the affect area with the oil mixture
3. Wrap your hair with a hair cap and leave it overnight *
4. Wash it in the morning *
Duration
Apply the mixture for 6 days a week for 4 weeks to see results.
Note: The study doesn’t give out any detail on their mixture ratio. The recipe listed here uses a general guideline from the essential oil dilution chart. The study also doesn’t mention how long you should leave the topical treatment applied to the scalp, so we added the steps with the asterisks (*). These steps are taken from another research study which was used for testing the effects of stimulating hair growth using an aromatherapy oil mixture.
Recipe 2 Adding the coconut oil
Peppermint oil and coconut oil mix for hair growth (Different carrier oil – coconut oil – was chosen instead of jojoba oil which was used in the study)
Ingredients
- 6 drops of peppermint oil
- 2 tsp of coconut oil
Directions
- Use the peppermint oil and coconut oil mix using the following ratio (This will make 3% peppermint oil – the effective dosage for hair regrowth and follicle thickness)Feel free to increase the amount as needed, but make sure to use the suggested ratio.
- Apply the oil mixture to the thinning areas on your scalp.
- Wrap your hair with a shower cap and leave it overnight
- Shampoo your hair in the morning
Duration
Apply the mixture for 6 days a week for 4 weeks to see results.
Recipe 3 Fast-track hair growth
Using both peppermint oil and rosemary oil for stimulating hair regrowth via natural agents
Ingredients
- Peppermint oil
- Rosemary oil
- Castor oil
Directions
1. Mix peppermint essential oil, rosemary essential oil, and castor oil with the following ratio:
- Peppermint oil : Rosemary oil : Castor oil = 9 drops : 9 drops : 4 tsp
Feel free to increase or decrease the mixture amount following the same ratio. For instance, if you want to double the peppermint essential oil to 18 drops, increase the rosemary oil to 18 drops and castor oil to be 8 teaspoons.
If you feel castor oil is too thick, feel free to replace it to other carrier oils such as coconut oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil, or jojoba oil (What the researchers from the peppermint hair growth study used as a carrier oil).
2. Apply the oil mixture to the thinning hair spots. If you have diffused thinning all over the scalp, apply it to the entire area.
3. Use a shower cap (or heated cap for 30 minutes) for maximum absorption and leave it overnight
4. Shampoo your hair in the morning
Duration
Apply the mixture for 6 days a week for 4 weeks to see results.
Where to buy peppermint oil and what brand offers the best peppermint oil for hair?
It’s very important that you buy 100% pure peppermint oil for maximum benefit. There are multiple vendors you can buy peppermint oil from including Walgreens, Jet, and of course Amazon (which, as usual has the most options to choose from).
Our recommendation after reviewing company backgrounds and overall customer ratings is Cliganic peppermint oil. It is a solid option to use for your hair growth. Their therapeutic grade oil is 100% pure with no additives, no filtering, or no watering-down, which is exactly what is needed for stimulating hair growth.
Final takeaway
If you are looking for natural hair loss remedies to treat your thinning hair at home, 100% pure peppermint essential oil is a great option backed by solid research.
The above study clearly shows the power of peppermint oil for hair growth and preventing further hair loss. The study result indicates that menthol, the main active ingredients of peppermint oil, is packed with everything you can ask for getting your old hair back – increases in hair thickness and hair count, and deeply rooted follicles for healthy and stable hair growth.
Have you used peppermint oil for hair loss? We would love to hear your experience!
Thanks soooo much for the recipes! I was desperately looking for effective essential oils for hair loss and came across your site.
I am not a big fan of using coconut oil when it comes to applying on hair, because of its sticky gooey texture. Will try out the #3 (with the castor oil) and will report back within a month!
Also, which one works better for thinning hair? Black castor oil or just regular castor oil? I’ve heard a lot about black castor oil working wonders, but confused what the difference is between those two.
Great article ! But I would like to point out that 9 drops of Peppermint oil with 2 Teaspoon of Carrier oil doesn’t make it 3% Peppermint oil. I think it should be around 6 drops. Cheers !