Included in a mixture with lavender and rosemary, cedarwood extract was also found to reduce hair loss in those with alopecia areata. Mix a few drops of cedarwood essential oil with 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil of your choice. Massage it into your scalp, and leave it on for 10 minutes before washing it out.
Cedarwood, lavender, thyme, and rosemary oils have hair growth–promoting properties. These oils have been anecdotally used to treat alopecia for more than 100 years.
This remarkable study suggested a benefit for essential oils for some individuals with alopecia areata. I advise patients to rub the following essential oil mixture on their scalp: 1 ml lavender, 1 mL thyme, 1 mL rosemary, 1 mL cedarwood oil in 100 mL jojoba. These are rubbed daily on the scalp.
Several clinical studies have shown that rosemary essential oil is particularly effective for treating male or female pattern baldness and may even be effective for alopecia.
Topical minoxidil
Minoxidil, commonly known as Rogaine, is a topical treatment that's easy to apply and can be easily purchased over the counter. Minoxidil works to help the hair grow faster once the follicle is no longer under attack by the immune system and is capable of producing hair.
Rosemary oil
Rosemary oil has been found to stimulate new hair growth and can even be used to treat androgenetic alopecia. Mix a few drops of rosemary oil into a carrier oil, like argan oil or jojoba oil, and massage it into your hair and scalp before rinsing. You can do this a few times per week.
Prescription-strength corticosteroids in liquid form can be applied directly to the scalp. This is often an effective treatment for children affected by alopecia areata. Corticosteroid injections into areas of patchy hair loss on the scalp may help revive hair growth within several weeks in people with alopecia areata.
Massage the oil into your scalp. You may feel a tingling, minty sensation. Leave the treatment on for 15 to 20 minutes and then wash your hair with shampoo. If the menthol sensation gets too intense for you, add other oils to balance the effect or wash your scalp with shampoo immediately.
Use the fingertips of both hands to apply light to medium pressure to your scalp, moving in small circles. Work your way across your scalp to cover all areas. Try to massage your scalp using your fingertips for at least 5 minutes at a time, several times a day.
Mix 2 or 3 drops of the essential oils into a tablespoon of carrier oil. Essential oils are highly concentrated and must be diluted. Massage the mixture into the scalp vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the oil on the fingertips and start at the front of the scalp, rubbing in circles.
Alopecia areata (AA) occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicle. Studies have shown a relationship between AA and low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D should be supplemented if levels are low.
Can Alopecia Be Reversed? Whether your hair loss is caused by hormones or an autoimmune disorder, regrowing your hair by using new medications and modifying your diet can be possible as long as you start treatment early.
Causes of Alopecia Areata
In alopecia areata, the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles, causing inflammation. Researchers do not fully understand what causes the immune attack on hair follicles, but they believe that both genetic and environmental (non-genetic) factors play a role.
Ketoconazole shampoos help treat Alopecia by cleaning the skin area around your hair follicle of sebum, or the skins natural oils that are produced. Getting rid of these oils can allow your hair follicles to receive more nutrition and release for your hair to regrow.
Ways to Stop Alopecia Areata from Spreading or Worsening
Avoiding unnecessary hair or scalp trauma, reducing stress and analyzing your diet are all worthwhile endeavors when attempting to prevent alopecia areata from spreading.
You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With some conditions, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.
Quite often the bald patch or patches regrow hair within a few months. If hair grows back, it may not have its usual colour at first and look grey or white for a while. The usual colour eventually returns after several months. Sometimes one or more bald patches develop a few weeks after the first one.
A 2019 study also found that people with alopecia who got daily scalp massages reported a boost in hair regrowth. More than 300 people did scalp massages for 11 to 20 minutes a day for almost 6 months. Nearly 70% of participants reported less hair loss or more hair regrowth.
On the AIP elimination diet, you will avoid grains, legumes, nightshades (such as potatoes and peppers), dairy, eggs, coffee, alcohol, sugar, oil and food additives. After a few months, you can work the excluded foods back in one at a time to figure out which foods trigger an inflammatory reaction.
The plants with the most evidence-based effect against alopecia are Curcuma aeruginosa (pink and blue ginger), Serenoa repens (palmetto), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin), Trifolium pratense (red clover), and Panax ginseng (Chinese red ginseng).
“It's all to do with the menthol and eucalyptus which can be found in Vicks,” she says. “These ingredients won't cause hair that has been lost to traction alopecia or female pattern hair loss to regrow, but they may help existing hair to grow in length although we wouldn't recommend putting Vicks onto scalps.