Rosemary oil is an effective essential oil for hair growth. Recognised for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, it’s been shown to rival Minoxidil 2% as an effective scalp hair growth agent [1]. But will using rosemary oil for beard growth produce the same effects?
Although rosemary oil for hair growth has promising research behind it, it doesn’t work the same way for facial hair. While it has many potential benefits for your beard strands, it also contains natural DHT blockers, which may actually hinder your facial hair growth. That is because excess dihydrotestosterone (DHT) can lead to scalp hair loss, but at the same time, it actively promotes beard growth [2].
This article will help you discover more about the implications of using rosemary oil for beard growth, including:
No studies have yet investigated whether rosemary oil works for beard growth. However they have shown that rosemary extract can block the production of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) [3].
DHT is a male sex hormone or androgen which is responsible for male pattern baldness. But unlike the hair on your head, your beard actually needs DHT to grow [4]. That’s why Finasteride and other DHT blockers don’t work for beard growth [5].
Blocking DHT production is bad news for your beard. But rosemary oil does have other benefits that may help your beard grow, especially if your facial hair follicles are less sensitive to DHT.
Yes, rosemary oil can stop your body from converting as much testosterone to DHT. Like other DHT blockers, it reduces the activity of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which converts testosterone to DHT.
Research suggests rosemary leaf extract can reduce 5-alpha reductase activity by up to 95% at a concentration of 500 µg/ml in animal testing, in laboratory settings [3]. So applying it to your face might reduce your DHT levels, limiting beard growth, but further tests performed with low-concentration rosemary oil on human facial hair are needed.
This is promising news for your scalp hair, but not so much for your beard, as DHT is known to stimulate facial hair production [2]. However, it is not currently clear how significant an impact rosemary oil has on lowering your blood DHT when applied topically on your beard area.
It may promote hair growth by dilating your capillary blood vessels to increase blood flow [6] to your hair follicles in the same way as Minoxidil. In that case, it could also prove effective for your beard. However, more research is needed to determine its mechanism of action.
As a DHT blocker, rosemary oil may not be the best beard growth remedy. But it may also have some positive effects on your facial hair growth.
Here are three science-backed benefits of using rosemary oil for beard growth.
Rosemary oil contains strong antioxidants that can fight free radicals [7]. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that can cause destructive reactions in your body that lead to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can damage cells, increasing the risk of alopecia barbae — a type of alopecia areata that affects the beard. Neutralising free radicals can minimise the impact of oxidative stress on your beard.
A healthy blood supply is essential for successful facial hair follicle growth, maturation, and maintenance [8]. Rosemary oil can stimulate blood circulation to the area where it’s applied [9]. Better blood circulation means more nutrients are carried to the follicles, helping promote beard growth.
Inflammation can trigger beard hair loss if you have an autoimmune condition like alopecia barbae. It may also cause pustules, small abscesses, infection, and scarring alopecia in the beard area [10]. Rosemary oil has been shown to contain anti-inflammatory compounds, which may reduce these effects [11].
Rosemary oil is not normally used in its original state – it needs to be diluted with carrier oils so it is easier on your skin. If you are a busy person and would rather have a ready-to-use beard oil, you can try some of the best diluted rosemary oil blends for hair growth. However, if you would rather dilute it yourself with the carrier oils of your choosing, here are some good tips on how to dilute rosemary oil like a pro.
The first thing to do is to carefully choose your carrier oils. While there are few studies regarding the effect of these oils on beards, the research on scalp hair reveals that coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil and rosehip oil for hair growth are some very good choices. That is because they help nourish and strengthen your strands.
Once you have chosen the right carrier, you need to measure the oils and ensure a good concentration. You want to get a 2% dilution, which means you need to mix 2 drops of rosemary oil with 98 drops of carrier oil (approximately a teaspoon). For stronger concentrations, you can try adding 3 drops of rosemary oil to 97 drops of carrier oil (for a 3% dilution), 4 drops of rosemary oil to 96 drops of carrier oil (4% dilution), etc. Just make sure to never exceed a 10% dilution (10 drops of rosemary oil per 90 drops of carrier oil) without a trichologist’s recommendation.
The first thing you need to do is to make sure that your beard is freshly cleaned and brushed. Then, all you have to do is apply a few drops of diluted rosemary oil to your palms and gently massage it into your beard. You can also try applying the oil to your comb or brush, then using it on your beard, for a more even distribution.
It is generally considered safe to leave the rosemary oil in your beard for as long as you feel comfortable to do so. That means you can leave it on anywhere between 30 minutes (to give it time to absorb) to 24 hours. However, make sure you wash your beard regularly, so you don’t develop an essential oil buildup.
As an essential oil, rosemary oil has minimal side effects and isn’t known to cause any significant health problems. However, in some cases rosemary oil may irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction in those who are sensitive to its components.
This can happen especially if you are using a highly concentrated dilution (e.g. 10% rosemary oil or more). If this is the case, you can try diluting it further by adding more carrier oil. Regardless, like with every cosmetic product, it’s always recommended that you perform a patch test before applying the oil to your beard.
Because no studies have conclusively shown whether rosemary oil works for beard growth, the recommended frequency of use isn’t currently known. Rosemary oil isn’t guaranteed to improve your beard growth, so it’s important to talk to a trichologist before you start using it. They will be able to tell you how often you should use rosemary oil on your face, and what concentration is best.
Despite its benefits, rosemary oil limits DHT, so you may not want to risk using it on your facial hair. If so, you can always consider using one of the following proven beard growth solutions.
Minoxidil is one of the most effective treatments for beard hair loss. While the oral form is not yet licensed as a hair growth treatment in the UK, many trichologists recommend topical Minoxidil for improving facial hair density, thanks to the growing body of evidence supporting its use [12].
Steroid creams for hair loss can effectively treat alopecia barbae, especially in the early stages [13]. However, not all steroid creams are appropriate or effective. And more advanced forms of alopecia barbae may require steroid injections. So it is a good idea to get a hair doctor’s recommendation regarding which corticosteroid treatment you should try.
While there is currently insufficient evidence that beard rollers work for beard growth, microneedling has proven itself effective when it comes to scalp hair. Derma rolling for hair growth works by making small punctures in your skin which trigger your body’s healing response. Moreover, studies show that these micropunctures help your skin absorb topical hair growth treatments such as Minoxidil, enhancing its effect.
PRP hair treatments have been proven effective for conditions such as alopecia barbae [14] and may help with other causes of patchy beard growth as well. This procedure involves drawing a bit of your blood, separating the PRP from the remaining blood fractions and injecting it into your beard area. Platelet-rich plasma contains numerous growth factors and it can repair and stimulate your beard follicles.
Before and eight months after a 1,500 graft FUE beard transplant performed at the Wimpole Clinic
If your beard doesn’t respond to non-surgical treatments, a beard transplant may be the most effective way to regrow your facial hair. This is a simple outpatient procedure, performed under local anaesthesia. It involves harvesting some hair follicles from your scalp (or, rarely, other parts of the body, such as your chest) and implanting them in the areas where your facial hair is patchy, to fix your beard bald spots.
This procedure is usually recommended to men who are genetically predisposed to growing a sparse beard or who have bald spots caused by surgical or accidental scars. However, it is rarely performed on those with alopecia barbae, as this is a form of alopecia areata and hair transplants for alopecia areata don’t often work.
The Wimpole Clinic’s beard transplant specialists offer natural-looking beard transplants using the latest hair transplant techniques. And the best part is that just like a scalp hair transplant is permanent, so is facial hair restoration.
It’s important to seek advice from a hair loss specialist before you start using treatments that may actually be detrimental to beard growth, such as rosemary oil.
At the Wimpole Clinic, our patient advisors are available to give you all the advice and guidance as you need to make an informed treatment decision about your beard hair loss. Book a consultation today at your most convenient clinic location to get your beard hair loss professionally diagnosed and receive the best, personalised facial hair growth treatment for you.
If you’d like to know more about using rosemary oil for beard growth, you might find the answers you need among the responses to these frequently asked questions:
Unfortunately, at this time, there are no studies comparing the efficacy of rosemary oil to that of Minoxidil when used on facial hair. While research shows that this hair growth oil can have similar results to topical Minoxidil on scalp hair growth, given that it also plays a role in DHT blocking, it can be tricky to extrapolate from those results.
Unless you have a specific allergy or skin sensitivity to any of the components in your rosemary oil, it should be safe to leave it in your beard overnight. If properly diluted, this oil is generally gentle on your skin and leaving it on for longer gives it time to be absorbed into your skin. Just remember to wash your beard regularly to avoid buildup or a greasy look.
There are currently no specific studies performed on rosemary oil effectiveness for beard growth, so there is little evidence regarding how fast it can produce results.
When used on your scalp hair, you can normally see increased strand density in about 6 months of constant use. However, your beard has a shorter hair growth cycle so it may take less time to produce results.
Yes, you can combine your rosemary oil with other beneficial hair growth oils and use them on your beard together.
Peppermint oil for hair has soothing properties and can help with an irritated beard area or with itchiness from seborrheic dermatitis.
Lavender oil can help relax you and reduce your stress levels while moisturising your beard. However, there is still insufficient research to show essential oil effectiveness in beard growth in particular.
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