ONION TOPICAL

[Dashtoronto]

A woman had female pattern baldness and according to her story, these are her results:

She showed me a bunch of new hair that were never there. And what surprised me that all these new hair were very strong and healthy and there were so many of them. And they all were at least an inch and a half long. Now nobody could say that she has any hair problems. I hope you guys are not starting to think that I am exaggarating here. Cause i read what I wrote here and it's sounds like it's just too good to be true. I think it would be a big mistake not to try this.

Her story sounds amazing and almost too good to be a true story. I don't know what to think. Could this really be true? Here's the link:

http://www.hairloss-reversible.com/d...tml?1086106481

[Hoppi]

Absolutely fascinating! Yeah look at this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1212 ... t=Abstract

According to this guy though it's bad for the skin:

bumblebee: "onion juice is very corrosive to the skin - it may damage the scalp. could be useful for getting rid of scaling, maybe, but otherwise i'd be cautious"

oh, EDIT, sorry I just read the posts after that - I think it was mostly just his own skin, perhaps it is sensitive.


Still, it has a very high success rate from what I'm reading. I wonder what on earth is in it!!


EDIT --

"Onion (Allium cepa) recognised with healing qualities include their antibacterial, cleansing, stimulating, and nourishing powers. Onions contain a number of important minerals and vitamins, such as vitamins C and B6, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and germanium. Onion also has a high sulfur content. Sulphur is a mineral present in every cell in our body, with its greatest concentration in hair, skin and nails. It has often been called the “beauty mineral” and the “healing mineral” because of its ability to promote circulation and decrease inflammation. These qualities also lend to the theory that adequate amounts of sulphur can jump-start hair growth in people with deficiencies. High amounts of sulphur in onions make them particularly effective in regenerating hair follicles and stimulating hair regrowth. In addition, naturally-concentrated sulphur compounds have been proven to show additional hair-restoring." - http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-a ... 10354.html

RE-SULT! ^_^

Best guess? It's the sulphur. Backed up by the nutrients! I will be following this thread closely!

"Garlic is not just good for our body, but also for our hair. Garlic extract can remove and destroy harmful toxins and stimulate blood circulation, important in the scalp for proper hair care and growth and prevent hair loss. Addition of garlic extract in shampoo helps to keep hair strong, preventing breakage and hair loss, while adding significant body and shine. For those with dry hair or itchy scalps, the garlic extract shampoos also provide relief from the irritating symptoms." - (same source)

Interesting! Of course if you were to rinse your hair in a ton of garlic and onion the smell would be repugnant, BUT! If we can isolate the active ingredients, suddenly we may be onto something very interesting indeed!

Stimulating blood circulation is essential... I need to find the best thing for doing that

[squeegee]

This is old news here... Probably the sulfuric acid is the answer for the magic ingredient... Garlic also contain sulfuric acid.. You can find various creams, masks with sulfur in them to treat psoriasis, eczema and acne.

Here are examples of sulfur treating acne... http://www.smhomeopathic.com/store/product4.html
http://www.murad.com/clarifying-mask.jsp
http://www.zincsulfur.com/main.html

Sulfur

Sulfur is probably the oldest acne remedy known to medicine and its origins as an anti-acne treatment date to ancient Greek, Roman, and Chinese texts citing its efficacy in balneotherapy. Sulfur formulations are effective both as a micro-exfoliant and as a mild antiseptic. Sulfur is hydrophile and can easily penetrate sebaceous pores where its antiseptic properties can assist local immune response in rapidly eliminating infection resulting from acne proliferation. Because the growth of acne bacteria is limited naturally by the skin's slightly acidic pH, alkaline cleansers (including soaps and detergents) can have a detrimental effect on controlling acne proliferation. Sulphur-based cleansers with a balancing or neutral pH can help eliminate acne and prevent future breakouts by maintaining the hydrolipidic layer's acidity and thereby controlling acne populations on the surface of the skin. Sulfur is abundant in keratin and its use is also helpful in promoting collagen synthesis. An active ingredient in prescription and over-the-counter lotions, creams, gels, washes, and shampoos, sulfur is also very effective in controlling seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, tinea versicolor, scabies, and lice.

Sulphur soap shampoo could be a good idea too : http://sal3.com/

Salicylic Acid and Sulfur soap provides keratolytic, antifungal, and antiseptic action. Salicylic Acid alone is mildly anti-pruritic, bacteriastatic and keratolytic. This effect is due to the lowering of pH at the surface of the skin, improving the hydration of the keratin layer. Salicylic Acid and Sulfur in combination are synergistic, and support normal keratin formation.

[Hoppi]

That's quite fascinating too!

So what does this all suggest is actually CAUSING the follicles to weaken and die after the DHT has attached itself?

I have started a thread about this here.

[squeegee]

Onion is a popular folk remedy for hair loss. It is a tried and tested product, having been used for centuries not only for its potent hair strengthening properties, but also for other medicinal purposes. In fact, physicians in the Middle Ages prescribed onions to counteract snake bites, earaches, headaches, and hair loss.

High Sulfur Content of Onion

Onion is useful against hair loss because of its high sulfur content. Sulfur is known as the "healing mineral" since it has the ability to stimulate blood circulation and reduce skin inflammation. It is also called the "beauty mineral" because it is vital in the development of collagen, which is the major protein in our skin that gives it durability and smoothness. It also keeps our hair and nails in top condition. These properties of sulfur thus mean that the right amount of sulfur levels in our body can aid in reducing hair loss and encouraging hair regrowth.

To spot sulfur deficiency, watch out for dry skin, weak nails, and brittle hair. Other signs may include allergies, unusual fatigue, headaches, diabetes, and sore muscles and joints. If we do not maintain a proper diet, then chances are our body is not getting enough sulfur that it needs. As a matter of fact, scientists believe that chemical pesticides and fertilizers exhaust the soil of sulfur and this affects the sulfur content of plants being grown in that soil. Moreover, processed foods have been found to contain smaller amounts of sulfur because the mineral has been destroyed in the process. Sulfur cannot be manufactured by the human body, so it must be gotten through other ways, such as eating sulfur-rich foods and taking supplements.

Apply Onion Directly on Scalp

For hair loss sufferers, the easiest and cheapest way to benefit from the hair strengthening qualities of sulfur is through the application of onion extract directly on the scalp. A study published in June 2002 in the Journal of Dermatology talks about the efficacy of topical onion extract against alopecia areata, better known as hair loss. As much as 73% of the persons who used onion juice experienced some form of hair regrowth. The variations of treatments that were used in the experiment are the following:

(1) Chop a medium-sized onion into small pieces and add it to one cup of rum. Let it sit for 24 hours. Strain the mixture using a sieve and massage the remaining liquid solution onto your scalp.
(2) Mix half a cup of chopped onions and half a cup of dried stinging nettle. Add enough vodka to cover the onions and nettle. Let the mixture sit for a few days. Strain the mixture using a sieve and apply the liquid to your scalp.
(3) Mix a quarter cup of onion juice with a tablespoon of raw honey. Massage this mixture onto your scalp daily.

Other Onion Treatments

Other onion treatments recommended by alternative medicine experts include rubbing a slice of onion directly against the scalp before applying honey over it. This should be done twice a day. Another example of a remedy is in the form of a hair rinse. Put 2 ½ cups of brown onion skins in a quart of boiled water and let it sit for 50 minutes. Wash and shampoo your hair as usual, then dry it with a towel. Rinse it several times with the onion skin mixture before washing it off with water.

[Hoppi]

Cool, I'm liking the sound of this!

Perhaps sulphur could be the key to stimulating those follicles at my hairline, as a cheaper alternative to apple polyphenols, and a less aggressive alternative to minoxidil. What do you think?

The only other option I can think of are copper peptides. I wonder what works better


EDIT -- hmm, sulphur skin products like soaps seem much cheaper (often under £5) and yet similarly potent from what I've heard about onions. I wonder how much sulphur would need to be in a product before it's effectiveness was comparable to onion juice. This soap claims "precipitated sulfur USP 10%" for example!

I would use onion juice or garlic or whatever but ofc I don't like the smell!! lol

[Brains Expel Hair]

The major phenolic in onion/garlic is quercetin, interestingly enough quercetin is a major phenolic in apples (such as seen in the posts on this board concerning the efficacy of "apple polyphenols" on treating HL).

Quercetin is also found in items such as green tea, black tea, and tea tree all of which have been shown to have at least minimal effects on hair growth. It is a potent antioxidant that also reduces inflammation.

I'd wager that would have a greater effect on anything than the sulfuric acid found in onions and as a benefit your head could alternatively smell like apples instead of onions all day.

[Hoppi]

hmm very interesting. I wonder which one it is.

They seem to BOTH be good for hair, so it's probably a bit of both...


Problem is, apple polyphenols cost a bomb, whereas sulphur soap and onions are cheap.

Oh, apparently lemon juice and some stuff removes the onion smell:

here - http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Onion-Smell-From-Hands


I'm not sure if some would also reduce the onion's effectiveness though.

I only want to use this on very small areas of hair loss, so it would be fine for me to use onion or garlic on them and then remove the smell somehow... hmm.

[Hoppi]

Ok tell you what! I think I'm going to use onion & garlic on one side (with lemon juice to kill the smell), aloe vera on the other and green tea in the middle!!! lol

THEN we'll see what happens! Of course I'm just talking about my hairline where it's receding slightly - I would NEVER put onion all over my whole scalp it would smell awful! rofl


I'll do it for a couple of weeks, and see which part regrows first

[Dashtoronto]

you guys are making it complicated.

This is what the original person stated that she does. in the link that I provided:

"She uses a blender to get juice. Than she puts onion juice on the effected areas with the pipette. She thinks that than it is very important to massage your scalp. She doesn't really know how long. I think we have to figure this out ourselves."

"After that she puts a plastic hat or a bag on her head and leaves it for twenty minutes. Than she washes the hair. She does that twice a week but the doctor who told her to use onion juice said that it would be better to use it three times a week."

For me, I'm going to just use a blender to get juice. Then put the onion juice on the effect areas and massage the scalp. I'm not very big on massaging my scalp, so i'll probably not massage my scalp.