Hair's My Experience

Treating hair growth with onion water or juice may probably be the last thing in your mind. Imagine applying and leaving onion juice on your hair. Some possibly cannot even stand the thought of applying it on their hair, let alone leaving it on for minutes or hours. However, did you know that using an onion mask for hair has proven benefits? You will be surprised to learn that onions have properties that help with overall hair health and growth. Onions have been used for hair growth for ages already! How does an onion mask help treat hair growth or damage? Knowing the different types of hair damage and their causes is beneficial to treat them properly with onion.

Three Main Types of Hair Damage

Hair Cuticle Damage

The hair cuticle is the hair shaft’s outer surface that protects the hair’s inner layers. When the hair cuticle is damaged, it opens up, resulting in a hair shaft that is rough, dull, dry, frizzy, easily tangled, and brittle. This happens when the hair has been exposed to too much heat, UV rays, friction, and high PH hair products.

Hair Cortex Damage

The hair cortex is the middle layer of the hair shaft. It is responsible for hair strength, color, and pattern. When the hair cortex suffers from damage, the hair weakens and becomes brittle. Eventually, it leads to hair breakage and splitting. Moreover, when the cortex is exposed, it also becomes prone to water damage. Usually, this type of hair damage is caused by chemicals from hair color, straighteners, and perms, and heat styling is a contributing factor.

Hair Follicle Damage

Hair follicles are small holes inside our skin. These pocket-like bulbs help with hair growth. Thus, when the hair follicle is impaired, there are episodes of hair thinning and hair loss. Experiencing patchy and slow hair growth may also signify a damaged hair follicle. The main culprit for this hair damage is excessive combing and brushing, product build-up, extensions, and chemical treatments.

You know the three main types of hair damage gives you a deeper understanding of your hair problems and guides you to the proper treatment. Treating your hair dilemma with an unsuitable therapy may worsen your hair issue. Furthermore, being knowledgeable about the types of hair damage enables you to avoid them first and foremost.

6 Signs of Hair Damage

How do you know when you suffer from any of these? First, try to check for the following signs.

Split Ends

Split ends happen when the end of a hair strand splits into two or numerous parts. This is the most common hair problem and is considered a sensitive issue since when the hair strand breaks, the splitting may go all the way up to the root of the hair. It will eventually cause more tangles and breakage.

Dull and Dry Hair

You will notice this hair issue when you try to run your fingers up and down your hair; it feels rough and begins sticking out. You may also see that it’s not shiny, lacking smoothness and moisture. Moreover, your hair still appears dry and dull even after deep conditioning.  

Hair Loss

Losing 50 to 100 hair strands a day is normal. However, experiencing more than this or suffering from patches and baldness shows that there might be a hair loss problem. Find out if this may be caused by how you maintain your hair and treat it or if it might be a more profound underlying health condition. 

Excessive Hair Breakage

Noticing unusual hair breakage when you run your fingers or comb through your hair is another sign. As previously mentioned, it is usual to shred hair daily. Still, if you see varying lengths of strands that look and feel dry and brittle, you are probably experiencing hair breakage.

Lacking Elasticity

The hair usually is flexible. However, suppose you try to stretch it, and it breaks easily. In that case, it lacks the necessary moisture, showing a possible hair problem. In addition, the lack of elasticity in your hair makes it difficult to style and manage since it will result in breakages.

Easily Tangled Hair

Experiencing knots forming when your hair strands wrap around each other is a hair tangling problem. Cuticles that are damaged and open intertwine with each other and form knots or tangles. Healthy hair is not prone to tangles since it is silky or smooth. Therefore, when you are experiencing hair tangles, your hair may be dry and damaged.

Treating Hair Damage with Onion Juice

Using onion juice is a proven remedy to help with hair damage repair. Various studies show that applying onion juice to hair promotes hair growth, renews dry and dull hair, and helps treat dandruff which sometimes causes hair loss.

Preventing Hair Loss

A study conducted in 2018 and published in the “Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics” shows the effectiveness of using onions on hair. The researchers mixed onions with coconut, castor, eucalyptus oils, and cleansers to make a shampoo. Upon testing, they found that the shampoo deeply nourished the hair follicles. This largely promoted hair growth and provided moisture for the hair and scalp.
Onions contain a high amount of sulfur, an element needed for growing strong hair. In addition, this property encourages the formation of keratin, a kind of protein essential in hair growth.

onion strengthens hair

Onions also carry collagen, which is known to promote hair growth and skin health. Moreover, they boost blood circulation in the scalp. This increases blood supply in the hair follicles, ultimately improving hair growth.
Using onion juice on hair strengthens the hair follicles and strands, avoiding further hair breakage and loss and encouraging hair growth. However, it is necessary to note that onion juice is not a cure for severe hair loss cases like alopecia and baldness. In these cases, it may only help prevent further hair loss damage.

Revitalizing Damaged Hair

Harsh chemicals from treatments, heat from styling tools, and improper mechanical handling of hair, like excessive brushing and combing, can damage the hair. These things may cause the hair to lose its moisture, resulting in dry, frizzy, and brittle hair. Sometimes the regular use of shampoo with harsh properties may remove water from the hair, and one easy home remedy is to use onion juice or oil.

The antioxidant properties contained in onions can deeply hydrate and nourish your hair. These properties may also combat the dryness and frizziness and bring back the luster that will make your hair look shiny and healthy again. As a bonus, the antioxidants help prevent the early greying of hair.

Treating Dandruff

Although dandruff is primarily a scalp problem, it may also cause hair problems, especially hair loss. People with severe dandruff conditions tend to scratch their scalp so hard that it causes damage to hair follicles. Damaged hair follicles result in slow hair growth or loss since the hairs take root and grow there.

At times, dandruff is caused by a fungus called Malassezia furfur. This fungus is usually present on the scalp and skin. However, some people have a sensitive scalp and skin that produces this fungus faster than usual, resulting in a case of dandruff. The antibacterial content of onions helps soothe the itchiness and fights the bacteria that cause dandruff. 

Onion Juice Recipes for Your Hair + Applications

Given the attractive benefits of onion juice for the hair, you may now want to try using it on your mane. Therefore, I gathered some tested onion juice recipes for specific uses.

for Hair Growth and Dandruff Treatment

1. Depending on your hair length, chop one or more onions into chunks.
2. Grind them using a blender.
3. Filter out the onions using a muslin cloth.
4. Massage your scalp with the juice using circular movements. Then, apply a plastic processing cap. You may leave it on for at least 30 minutes for better results.
5. Rinse it with cool water and a fragrant shampoo to eliminate the strong smell.
   Do this once a month for two months.

Honey Hair Mask for Dry Dull Hair

1. Prepare two tablespoons of onion juice.
2. Add one tablespoon of honey and mix well.
3. Scoop out a thin mask layer and apply it to your scalp and hair.
4. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes. Afterward, you may use a plastic cap and leave the mask on overnight.
5. Rinse it off with a gentle shampoo, conditioner, and serum.
   Do this once a week or twice a month.

Olive Oil Hair Mask for Hair Strength and Healthy Scalp

1. Prepare 4 to 5 tablespoons of onion juice.
2. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and mix well.
3. Massage the mixture on the scalp and hair in circular motions.
4. Leave it on for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Rinse with shampoo and conditioner.
   Do this once a week. Olive oil is one of the better hair oils. It promotes blood circulation in the scalp, strengthens hair follicles, and promotes hair growth.

Yogurt Hair Mask for Damaged Hair

1. Prepare 2 to 6 tablespoons of onion juice.
2. Add two tablespoons of yogurt and mix well.
3. Apply on the scalp and hair.
4. Leave it on for 30 to 40 minutes. (No plastic processing cap needed)
5. Rinse off with shampoo and conditioner.
   Do this once a week. Yogurt unclogs hair follicles and moisturizes the hair and scalp. It also controls the sebum level, giving a cooling effect to the scalp.

Egg Mask for Hair Growth and Nourishment

1. Prepare one tablespoon of onion juice and one egg.
2. Whisk the onion juice with the egg until you get a smooth mixture.
3. Apply the mixture to your scalp and hair and put a plastic cap on your head.
4. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Rinse your hair with cool water and shampoo.
   Do this once or twice a week. The egg helps nourish the hair and scalp, making it smooth and manageable.

Hair Oil for Hair Growth

1. Grind a few onions until the mixture turns into a paste.
2. Place the onion paste into a saucepan.
3. Pour in some onion juice and coconut oil. Then, stir everything together.
4. Turn the burner to the lowest setting and let the mixture warm up.
5. While warming, watch the heat level and let it simmer while stirring continuously until the oil separates from the mixture.
6. Turn the heat off, and let it cool down.
7. Filter the oil through a muslin cloth.
8. When cool, pour a few drops onto your palm and massage them onto your scalp and hair in circular motions for 20 to 30 minutes.
9. Leave it on for 3 to 4 hours.
10. Rinse with a mild shampoo and cool water.

What kind of onion to use for your hair?

Both red and white onions have their benefits. Red onions are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids. On the other hand, white onions contain more sulfur than red ones. Given this, it will be best to use both if you achieve an overall effect. However, if you want to focus on hair growth, you may use white onions. The red onions are best for treating dandruff and dry hair.

A Few Reminders

If you usually are allergic to onions, then you definitely should not try using onion juice. If you are not, go ahead, but you may also want to test first a bit on your scalp and see how it will react, especially if you have a sensitive one. As a tip, adding oils and other ingredients like honey may help soothe the strong reaction of onion.

Why use Onion Juice?

They say that “the hair is a woman’s crowning glory.” And we all know this to be true. Healthy and shiny hair always makes a woman look beautiful and radiant. However, looking good with our hair nowadays involves lots of hair-damaging, styling, and coloring. These things, including improper personal hair management, may cause a lot of damage to our hair when done wrongly and excessively. Using onion juice is one of the best home remedies to help you repair or combat hair damage. Its natural properties effectively promote hair strength and growth and reinvigorate the scalp and hair, making it strong, shiny, and beautiful.