cinnamon for hair growth a myth?

[jezebel17]

My dad was going bald and he bought a bottle of cinnamon extract or oil (Im not sure which one) and applied it with a cotton ball to his scalp. He now has 70% regrowth. He swears by cinnamon now.I bought a bottle of cinnamon extract to try out for myself.Has anyone else tried cinnamon for hair growth?

[Rustella]

My dad was going bald and he bought a bottle of cinnamon extract or oil (Im not sure which one) and applied it with a cotton ball to his scalp. He now has 70% regrowth. He swears by cinnamon now.I bought a bottle of cinnamon extract to try out for myself.Has anyone else tried cinnamon for hair growth?



I haven't heard this, but be carefull as there was a thread a while back about cinnamon lightening someone's hair. I don't recall which kind she was using, and/or if the extract or oil does this or just the ground cinnamon.

[Riot Crrl]

I think it was just ground cinnamon in water that someone accidentally lightened with?

Cinnamon oil should be a stimulant of blood flow, so this does have some logic. After a couple minutes of googling, it looks like there is a big difference between the leaf oil and the bark oil. Leaf oil is good, bark oil is bad.

Assuming leaf oil, it should still be avoided during pregnancy, as with many EOs. And high doses could cause problems.

I would tread lightly and dilute it heavily with a carrier oil.

[jezebel17]

I tried googling it too but didn't come up with anything interesting.

[ktani]

Cinnamon contains peroxide.

It has not been reported to lighten hair much on its own.

In the Honey thread, added to a honey lightening recipe it has been reported to enhance honey lightening quite a bit.

However, cinnamon is a major skin irritant - so is the oil - not because of the peroxide content - because of cinnamic aldehyde - a constituent of the oil.

Caution is advised - cinnamon irritation has been reported frequently - the effects have been temporary so far but they can be painful - red, sore skin.

[jezebel17]

thanks for the warning. I'm going to start using it only twice a week and see how that goes.

[ktani]

Here are links I have posted in Honey

The irritant in cinnamon, is according this this link, cinnamic aldehyde a constituent of the oil. Hydrogen peroxide is not mentioned.
See both "Cinamomum" and "Cinnamomum cassia"
http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFolder/BotDermL/LAUR.html

And in this one, other constituents were named as well but again, no mention of hydrogen peroxide.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mksg/cod/2005/00000052/00000004/art00015

In Honey - I recommend adding cinnamon to room temperature only chamomile tea for honey lightening with honey to preserve the peroxide in it and for the tea to counter cinnamon irritation - chamomile tea has been known for that and has been reported to do that in the thread.

If you do not want lightening at all - try adding the cinnamon to the tea - just after it is brewed - the boiled water should destroy the peroxide in cinnamon or boil the cinnamon on its own before using it to destroy the peroxide in it.

[ktani]

Ok, this is from a site here

"HAIR LOSS
.... people suffering from hair loss or baldness .... following paste .... found to be effective: In warm olive oil, mix one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon cinnamon powder, make a paste .... apply before taking a bath. Leave on the scalp /hair for around 5 ―15 minutes, .... then wash the hair."
http://www.leaflady.org/honey.htm

Even if it does not work for hair growth, and I have no idea if it will or not - leaving the mixture on your hair for that length of time in my opinion (the honey is not diluted, so it will not produce peroxide) - use it on dry hair, uncovered - you will not get lightening from this recipe.

[iris]

I think I know the stuff you're talking about. My man used this stuff called 'sinnamon' (with an s) for awhile to see if it would help with his baldness. It didn't, and he didn't like the smell so he stopped using it.

In any case, the stuff he used is supposed to be a traditional Indonesian remedy for baldness, I think. It had a long ingredient list, and the cinnamon in it was indeed an extract (without further specification).

Iris

[jezebel17]

I applied some of the cinnamon extract on a small area where I have some thinning last night and so far I have no irritation.
these are the ingredients in the formula:cinnamon extract, vitamin e, D-panthenol and natural oils.

[ktani]

I applied some of the cinnamon extract on a small area where I have some thinning last night and so far I have no irritation.
these are the ingredients in the formula:cinnamon extract, vitamin e, D-panthenol and natural oils.

jezebel

Since you have had no irritation, you are not allergic to it and from the ingredient list, the cinnamon is diluted enough not to be a problem.

Good luck!

[Saranne772]

I was just thinking- it may not be a link but its possible. Throughout Jan Feb March and April I was eating approx 1-2 teespoons of ground cinnamon mostly everyday and during that time my growth rate doubled. I cant think of any other changes so maybe the cinnamon caused it? I grew my normal rate during May and I stopped the cinnamon?

[ktani]

Saranne772

There may well be a link.

However - there are some concerns about the amount of cinnamon one ingests and its coumarin content.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=81337&postcount=419

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=81414&postcount=420

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=81433&postcount=421


This thread on caffeine and hair growth looks promising - with cautions, IMO
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=5958

[liz08]

I think it would be interesting to know if taking a cinnamon extract supplement, or eating additional cinnamon would also help or make a difference. Cinnamon extract is very good for you, and really helps with digestion and metabolism. So I would think you'd at least benefit from it in one way or another. The site where I get my supplements sells it, along with the oil. Plus, adding a little cinnamon here and there in coffee or whatever is nice as well.

[GlassEyes]

It'd probably stimulate blood flow, which has been reported to stimulate growth as well, so maybe.

[Lile]

Just to add,panthenol also said to be good for growth.If not the cinnamon,the panthenol in your mixture will help:)

[Carolyn]

I'm taking cinnamon capsules for other health reasons. I wonder if that might boost my growth rate at all.

[jezebel17]

Bringing up a really old thread here lol, but I started thinking about using cinnamon oil for hair loss again.I stopped using it before I got results because the smell lingered too long, but my dad did used it religously and had alot of regrowth in his balding areas.He did use cinnamon spirit though, not cinnamon oil. The ingredients in that were cinnamon oil, alcohol,and propylene glycol. Has anyone else tried this?

[countryhopper]

Bringing up a really old thread here lol, but I started thinking about using cinnamon oil for hair loss again.I stopped using it before I got results because the smell lingered too long, but my dad did used it religously and had alot of regrowth in his balding areas.He did use cinnamon spirit though, not cinnamon oil. The ingredients in that were cinnamon oil, alcohol,and propylene glycol. Has anyone else tried this?


Really old thread, and almost a year after the question was posted :) but...

I would think that a product that contained alcohol and propylene glycol would be very drying to the hair. Maybe not an issue if a short haired person (your dad) was using it, but I don't think a long hair should try it. Just my opinion, though. maybe someone has tried it?

Also, I remember taking cayenne pepper capsules when I was young to help with circulation problems (nosebleeds). I wonder if it would help circulation to the scalp= hair growth??

[Purdy Bear]

I have noted this, I will add it to my expanding list of things to try.

I wonder if having something like cinnamon in baking would also work, or would the active ingredient be reduced by the prolonged heat.

[dropinthebucket]

Interesting thread, glad it came back! My herbal medecine textbooks list cinnamon as a stimulant and antiviral. So, yes, I think the cinnamon does stimulate circulation and blood flow to the small capillaries in the area to which it is applied, if used externally, and general circulation if taken internally. It is also slightly emmenagogic (stimulates/increases menstrual flow) - something good for us women to know! And I would definitely second what Ktani has said about caution re: the coumarin content. Powdered cinnamon in usual amounts should be fine, but the oils can be more concentrated - dilution is a good idea. I've been trying it in a tea with other herbs for circulation, but it's too soon to tell the results hair-wise! :) Hoping I'll get results like saranne!

[shaluwm_agape]

So I didn't want to start a new thread. I miss my natural color I dyed it in july2017 after not dying for like 3 yrs and was wondering those who have used this to lighten did you put it on the entire length of hair & scalp or just roots?
Also did it really help with hair growth