......... Onions?!

[millyaulait]

I saw this 'hair mask' recipe just recently on another website.

1 onion, grated
3 tbs of castor oil
2 egg yolks

Alright, so.. castor oil > growth, egg yolks > protein, onion > ?????

Could it be the sulfur, vitamins, something? Has anyone tried this? Or, um, any volunteers?

I bet even if I wrapped my head several times in plastic wrap I'd still wake up with pieces of onion in my bed. :lol:

[HairFaerie]

Ugh! No, thanks! I couldn't stand the smell! :puke:

I don't know what is in onion that would make it good for hair. Weird!

[kaydana]

Can you imagine trying to wash the smell out of your hair?! I find it bad enough having the smell of onion on my hands, I wouldn't be able to deal with it in my hair. I don't care if it can make my hair grow a foot overnight, I'll definitely be giving this one a miss.

[spidermom]

I've heard of this before, but no way. I'm not putting onions in my hair. I'll eat them in recipes; that's it.

[natt i nord]

Maybe I'll try some day - when I have my next nasty cold and don't smell anything anyway :D

[furnival]

I've seen a few threads on this, sounds fragrant! :uhh: The things people put on their heads... :p
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=61253

[PrincessLocks]

Hahah I think i'll pass on this one !

[littlestarface]

I did a garlic/yolk/coconut oil thing on my hair about 2 weeks ago and I still stink like rotton eggs mixed with garlic :puke: Im telling you its not worth it,nothing good came from that session.

[WaitingSoLong]

I have used eggs with no ill effects. THOROUGH rinsing (like 10 minutes non-stop rinsing) is necessary.

No way I would use onion. It absorbs in skin and stays there for days (with washing hands a million times a day) I cannot imagine how many months later you would still be smelling onions as hair is pretty absorbent! Maybe I am wrong but not worth the risk!

[leslissocool]

Chances are it does better if you EAT the onion...

[WaitingSoLong]

Did we determine what is IN onions that is supposed to be so great for hair?

[neko_kawaii]

This brought back memories of my mother giving me chopped onion and honey on a spoon as a cough remedy. (I asked her about it a few years ago and she claims she made it up on the spot to try to stop me from coughing so much. It didn't work because I liked the combo!) I wonder if you put honey and onion and made a puree, then cooked it a bit. . .

[jeanniet]

I'd guess sulphur is the key ingredient, but there is nothing that would induce me to put onions in my hair. Not even to get a foot of growth overnight, oh no.

Just as an aside, every once in a while we go to a burger place that has a garlic burger on the menu. It has a TON of garlic. My hubby got it once, and the next day I was trying to figure out how to nicely tell him he stunk--I finally realized it was the garlic coming out of his pores. Ugh. The garlic burger is now forbidden. What a stench.

[littlestarface]

I'd guess sulphur is the key ingredient, but there is nothing that would induce me to put onions in my hair. Not even to get a foot of growth overnight, oh no.

Just as an aside, every once in a while we go to a burger place that has a garlic burger on the menu. It has a TON of garlic. My hubby got it once, and the next day I was trying to figure out how to nicely tell him he stunk--I finally realized it was the garlic coming out of his pores. Ugh. The garlic burger is now forbidden. What a stench.

Did he say if it tasted good or not?

[lapushka]

The crazy things people do. No way. No "natural" recipes for me (the drains), let alone this one! Piiiieeew.

[jeanniet]

Did he say if it tasted good or not?

Oh, yeah, he loved it, but he's an onions and garlic kind of guy. He gave a little girl an onion for trick or treat once a long time ago, and when I asked him why, he just shrugged and said, "I like onions!"

[littlestarface]

Oh, yeah, he loved it, but he's an onions and garlic kind of guy. He gave a little girl an onion for trick or treat once a long time ago, and when I asked him why, he just shrugged and said, "I like onions!"

Looool thats hilarious,,I love onions and garlic too:D

[goldloli]

Onions are supposed to be great for thickening hair, better than cassia by reports, but yeah eww

[berr]

That would be a good way to get some good sleep I guess. There is an old remedy, I can't remember if it was chinese folk medicine or just exactly where I read it many years ago, that stated sliced onions under your pillow would help you sleep. Aha... found it. http://www.ehow.com/way_5207161_onion-jar-cure-insomnia.html

[MORE]

lol this is actually the first homemade treatment I won't try!

Haha I've been waiting for this day. :D

[Purdy Bear]

If I remember rightly, medical researchers have tried out onion juice for hair growth on those with Alopecia with some good results. I'd try it but I just wasn't sure how to do it - I mean would you blend the onion, or just skin it and wipe it on etc.

I guess its the sulphur as another postee said.

[renia22]

Another "no way" to onions here. I've tried a lot over the years when it comes to haircare; sometimes out of a sense of adventure, sometimes out of desperation..but at this point in my life I have to say any product or haircare practice that makes me look or smell like I have bad hygiene is where I draw the line :/

[Naiadryade]

I'm going to be the exception here and say that I WOULD try this, IF I was given a really good reason to. Like if (as some others here have suggested) it made your hair grow a foot overnight, I'd totally put up with smelling like onions for a week for that. Or some other benefit that is much better than other natural treatments can achieve. But I'm not really hearing that... and unless I found the first time that it didn't actually make me smell like onions for a week, I don't think I'd ever make it part of my regular routine.

[lapushka]

That would be a good way to get some good sleep I guess. There is an old remedy, I can't remember if it was chinese folk medicine or just exactly where I read it many years ago, that stated sliced onions under your pillow would help you sleep. Aha... found it. http://www.ehow.com/way_5207161_onion-jar-cure-insomnia.html

When I had a head cold, my dad would slice an onion in two and put it on my night stand. Opens up the sinuses like no other, and you get a good night's sleep. The smell compared to what it does is nothing.

[chen bao jun]

People use onion juice, not little bits of onion. You put the onion through a blender (peeled) and the drain the bits out.
I haven't tried it but it is common in hair care recipes from Russia and the Ukraine. Usually along with burdock root oil, which is also supposed to be very good for the hair. (I have been using that for about six months and i like it). I don't know about the smell, people tolerate different things (I personally don't mind onion as a smell, I just don't like that it can make me cry). I actually am planning to try it at some point (just not trying too many things at once) because have you ever noticed what great hair Russians and Ukrainians have? Long thick and shiny hair down to the knees seems to be not uncommon there in the rural sections (where they would still use these folk remedies). It's not just all over youtube (google 'long hair contest' and russians and chinese are what you get instantly), but in many church many people have adopted Ukrainians and I'm telling you, these girls have enviable hair. I'd put up with a bit of smell for hair like that.
I don't know about the sulphur but the way the juice stings is supposed to irritate your scalp a bit.

[jojo]

Did we determine what is IN onions that is supposed to be so great for hair?
Its sulphur thats the main component which apparently helps grow hair. I will stick to them in my cheese toastie not on my head!

[littlestarface]

I eat tons of sulpher things I guess and my hair isnt better at all. It falls out like all the time everytime I touch my hair theres some kind of shed:rolleyes: Thats why I tried to put some on my scalp to see if itll help it move along better that way,,I only tried it a few times but no difference for me.

[melusine963]

Given the only thing that gets onion smells off my fingers is a salt scrub, there's no way I'm putting this on my hair, however beneficial it might be.

[arcane]

No real help as to why it would work, but to get nasty onion/garlic/food smells off your fingers quickly, rub them aganist stainless steel. My partner is a chef in an Italian restaurant, their head chef told them this trick and they all do that now, or their hands would always reek of garlic and onions.

[jacqueline101]

I bet everyone in your town runs away from the onion smell.

[Angelica]

If it stings the scalp it can't be good and you could do damage. The Russian ladies probably have good genetics which makes their hair grow so thick and long, nothing at all to do with onions. Onions eaten though are good for you. So I guess that is the best way to use them :)

[catamonica]

I read online that dehydrated chopped onion & dehydrated minced onion makes your hair thicker. I tried both. I added two capfuls to my conditioner. My hair felt thicker. But that's as far as I would go.

[chen bao jun]

I read online that dehydrated chopped onion & dehydrated minced onion makes your hair thicker. I tried both. I added two capfuls to my conditioner. My hair felt thicker. But that's as far as I would go.
Did you strain it out? Did it smell at all?
Actually, they sell shampoo and hair masks with onion juice in them:

http://www.amazon.com/Shampoo-Types-Husks-Onion-Bread/dp/B004DEKPH2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360273822&sr=8-2&keywords=shampoo+with+onion

http://www.amazon.com/Restorative-Hair-Onion-Burdock-150ml/dp/B003XO0NUM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360273822&sr=8-3&keywords=shampoo+with+onion

I haven't tried them, though.

[leslissocool]

Actually if you google onion for hair it's got A LOT of articles about baldness and onion because it's rich in sulfur. They use onion juice. I might actually try it :lol:

I am obsses with onions to eat. Onion supposedly helps high blood pressure and ever since I had hypertension (when I was pregnant onwards) I CRAVE sauteed onions. We buy a bag of onions a week. I don't have body odor actually, I asked DH and many others. Might be why my hair grows fast now and not before.

http://www.perfectskincareforyou.com/2010/06/onion-for-hair-growth.html

[neko_kawaii]

I just had to add onion juice into my pre wash routine. I have them laying around after all. I had no luck tossing a quartered onion into the blender as I had planned (not enough material for the blender to work with) so I mashed it with a pestle for a minute and then pressed any juices through a fine mesh sieve. I got about a tsp of onion juice. I added the juice to some heated honey, a small amount of castor oil, rosemary and bergamot EOs. The total was less than 1/4 cup. I massaged this into my scalp and let it sit for about an hour. It smelled like sweet onions. Yum. But then I really like onions. Topped everything with condish for another hour and then washed as usual. I don't smell anything. I think I'll do this once a week all month and measure at the end. I doubt I would continue using it after the month even if I have a record growth rate, but I'm curious if it has any effect.

[zift]

I've heard of this before, but no way. I'm not putting onions in my hair. I'll eat them in recipes; that's it.
Eating sounds much better than putting it on:)

[Naiadryade]

Thanks for experimenting on yourself, neko_kawaii! Do let us know how it goes, and if you notice a difference. I like the idea of adding it to a pre-wash or deep treatment. If the smell doesn't stay around afterwards, I wouldn't mind at all. Especially if it made my hair thicker and/or grow faster! I may have to try this soon...

[DarkCurls]

I can just picture myself crying my eyes out. Am I the only one who immediately came up with this mental image?

I am rather doubtful, and don't think I would try, but it's an interesting experience.

[alyaziaaah]

if its the sulphur then why not use MSM for eating and on the scalp?
I mean if thats what makes the onion help grow hair.....

[feb26]

Not sure if anyone noticed this thread or not on LHC but it does exist & deals with v similiar topic. Thread below-
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/archive/index.php/t-53629.html

I just googled "onion" & "hair masks" & apparently this is the trend of the moment for hair loss. Don't see it working, wouldn't want to try it.

[alyaziaaah]

if its the sulphur then why not use MSM for eating and on the scalp?
I mean if thats what makes the onion help grow hair.....

[katiebeans]

Lots of insight and information in this thread. I actually can't stand onions, not even in my food, so I can't imagine putting them in my hair :p

[monika]

OMG, I think I will pass :)

[catamonica]

I just put two capfuls in my conditioner. No smell. It rinsed right out.

[neko_kawaii]

I completed my month long experiment and applied onion juice three times as follows:

I put 1/2 an onion in the blender and then mashed the juices through a fine strainer with a pestle to obtain just the juice, maybe a tablespoon worth. Juice was mixed in with heated honey, castor oil and vitamin e oil, rosemary, peppermint and bergamot EOs and applied to the scalp and massaged in once a week in Feb for a total of three times. Smelled like sweet onion. Left on for half an hour or longer and then topped with condish for another half hour or longer and then washed.

Results:
No lingering onion smell, no extra growth when measured today compared to historic growth patterns.

[millyaulait]

Wow, thanks so much for trying it out! :)

Shame it didn't boost growth though!

[chen bao jun]

Oh, well. At least it didn't smell.

[rowie]

It doesn't sound bad. I mean there are people in here that put vinegar or even urine in their hair, but I don't think I could try this since i'm into herbal fruity scents. :)

[kaydana]

It doesn't sound bad. I mean there are people in here that put vinegar or even urine in their hair, but I don't think I could try this since i'm into herbal fruity scents. :)

People put urine in their hair?! shudder:

[PolarCathy]

I've only ever heard about the kerosene thing (when you have to yodel while you're massaging it in the roots) but not the urine thing!

[neko_kawaii]

Yodeling for hair growth!

[PolarCathy]

It's a synergistic thing. Works best with kerosene AFAIK but you can try with onions too... Sorry I almost forgot: you have to do it while in a headstand position. Headstand + massage + yodel!


Yodeling for hair growth!

[rowie]

People put urine in their hair?! shudder:


I've only ever heard about the kerosene thing (when you have to yodel while you're massaging it in the roots) but not the urine thing!

Yup check out this thread. : http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=80543

If I remember there used to be a urine thread for hair in the old LHC...

[neko_kawaii]

Damn the headstand positioning, I was going to advocate singing in the shower.
First I have to learn to do a one hand headstand. . .