Two Week Results of Peppermint Oil for Hair Growth

[Beatrixity]

Hello everyone!

I read somewhere here that a study determined that Peppermint Essential Oil (PEO), when applied consistently, resulted in faster hair growth. The actual study is here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4289931/

I had some peppermint oil (I'm not sure if it's essential oil. This is the one I have: http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/product/peppermint-oil-017-fl-oz/1706/ ) A relative of mine who sells supplements gave this to me a while ago so I figured I'd try. Every night, I dab some on my fingertips and apply to scalp in a circular motion before going to bed. I've been doing this for two weeks consistently. (Forgive my pictures being 17 days apart instead of 14.) My normal growth rate is .45 of an inch in a month.

Results:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/312/20063683005_a57fa9750c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/wyXBX4)PhotoGrid_1438030504728 (https://flic.kr/p/wyXBX4) by beatrixity (https://www.flickr.com/photos/133753473@N03/), on Flickr

Judge for yourselves! Is this good growth for two weeks?

[lapis_lazuli]

It looks good to me! :D Do you have before and after measurements to find the actual amount of growth you had?

[Beatrixity]

It looks good to me! :D Do you have before and after measurements to find the actual amount of growth you had?

Thank you! :)

I didn't record the measurement I took two weeks ago! (Aghhhh. Can you believe it?) At the beginning of the month I measured my hair at 20 inches, and it is now 21.45, so I think my initial measurement was incorrect because 1.5 inches in a month is too much and I don't think it has grown that much. I've been relying on pictures because I don't think I can measure confidently.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

That looks like excellent growth, and such pretty hair! :)

[lapis_lazuli]

Thank you! :)

I didn't record the measurement I took two weeks ago! (Aghhhh. Can you believe it?) At the beginning of the month I measured my hair at 20 inches, and it is now 21.45, so I think my initial measurement was incorrect because 1.5 inches in a month is too much and I don't think it has grown that much. I've been relying on pictures because I don't think I can measure confidently.

Don't worry I struggle with this too ;) I always doubt my measurements are accurate. In either case, growth is definitely noticeable. I'm thinking at the least, an inch! :thumbsup:

[meteor]

Those are great results! :thud: And you have such gorgeous hair! :applause

I'm curious: did you experience more shedding than usual when massaging the oil? Also, did you have to wash your hair more frequently than usual, since you apply it every night? Thank you :)

[Beatrixity]

Thank you all for your kind words! :)

Lapiz_lazuli,
I'm not the only one?! Yay! Thank you. :)


Meteor, I feel like I shed less. I have switched to washing with soapnuts and a vinegar rinse so that may be why, but I experience little to no shedding while I massaging.
The first week I washed every two nights like I usually do. If I apply it to damp hair I can't tell the oil was there by next morning. I wear my hair up a lot (with hair sticks, I've forsaken elastics!) so I don't mind it being a little "shiny" if I don't apply it to wet hair. The second week I went to the beach so I had to wash every night.

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot for sharing, Beatrixity! :flowers:
That's amazing progress! :D Congratulations! :applause

[amino]

Beatrixity, I think I'm going to steal your hair care routine. I really want to try soapnuts. I'm already using vinegar rinses (before that nI wash my hair with a very dilute solution of baking soda and water). The only thing is that I wash once a week, so I'd probably have to also use the peppermint oil less often?

[calmyogi]

I used this oil mixture, coconut, olive, and the like, from jessicurl that has peppermint, lavender, and rosemary (and maybe some other stuff in the menthol family in it?) but, anyways when i used it on my scalp before washing it I noticed my hair grew faster, but after I used the bottle I never replaced it. I was originally using it for dandruff before I washed my hair. I actually liked what it did for my scalp as well lol. So I think it was just laziness why I never replaced it. And I think I figured I could make it at home cheaper because it was such a small bottle.

[flickm]

I've been using peppermint EO for some weeks, as an after shampoo rinse. I never measure, but i have noticed more growth, and lots of new hairs (I posted about this some time go). Yours looks very noticeable though, and beautiful hair BTW :)

[vpatt]

I think it looks like it worked! Your hair is very pretty and also so healthy looking.

Please don't get the peppermint in your eyes or any other delicate spots. I added some to my conditioner at my last wash. Even tho it was diluted quite a bit I had some burning on my scalp.....only in two spots so there may have been something going on in those spots...like psoriasis which I have but not usually on the scalp. I will try it again and see how it goes. I hope I get some extra growth, too.

[vpatt]

I've been using peppermint EO for some weeks, as an after shampoo rinse. I never measure, but i have noticed more growth, and lots of new hairs (I posted about this some time go). Yours looks very noticeable though, and beautiful hair BTW :)

Flickm, how do you make your rinse.....peppermint oil in water? I am using the castor/coconut oil massage for extra growth, I hope, lol.

[PixieP]

I haven't tried peppermint oil, but quite a few years ago, I always added a couple of drops of rosemary EO to my shampoo when I washed it, and I felt like my hair grew faster then. Sadly, I developed an allergic reaction after a while to the oil I was using. Very tempted now to try again with peppermint oil. Only question is; how to I mix EO to a shampoo bar? Hmm. This'll require some thinking.

[flickm]

Flickm, how do you make your rinse.....peppermint oil in water? I am using the castor/coconut oil massage for extra growth, I hope, lol.

I use about five drops to a mug of water, sometimes in a vinegar rinse, and sometimes just water :)


I haven't tried peppermint oil, but quite a few years ago, I always added a couple of drops of rosemary EO to my shampoo when I washed it, and I felt like my hair grew faster then. Sadly, I developed an allergic reaction after a while to the oil I was using. Very tempted now to try again with peppermint oil. Only question is; how to I mix EO to a shampoo bar? Hmm. This'll require some thinking.

I use the shampoo bar, then do the peppermint rinse. I'm currently using this shampoo bar: http://etsy.me/1CEwEZ2 which is wonderful and pepperminty on its own. vpatt (quoted above) makes her own shampoo bars, so she might be the one to ask :)

[vpatt]

PixieP, I use the recipe for shampoo bars from the Mommypotamus website and superfat at 12%. She has directions for the crockpot method of soap making. It is very easy and only requires 3 ingredients, 4 if you add essential oil for fragrance. Soap made this way only requires a few days to a week to cure and is ready for use. I use the soap for bathing and shampooing.

If you are interested you can p.m. me and I will help if I can.

[PixieP]

I use shampoo bars from lush and are too happy about them to switch :) I was more thinking if I'd be able to work the EO into the foam I get from the shampoo bar, and if it would annoy my hands (psoriasis).

[vpatt]

Ew, yes it would probably burn used that way. But added to rinse maybe not. Tho I guess we do squeeze the water out of our hair.....I would rinse the hands well if you try that to try avoiding stress to the psoriasis. I even get breakouts from injuries. I burned my wrist a year ago and still have a tiny patch of psoriasis there that hasn't cleared.

[PixieP]

I feel ya; I removed a couple of moles on my back four years ago, and I still have psoriasis on the scars...! It sucks because it means I can just forget about getting more tattoos until my psoriasis calms down. But that's widly off topic.

Ah well, I'll by a bottle and try. If nothing else I can give it to my husband, he's growing his hair long too (he's collarbone after about a year of growth from very short; his hair grows so extremely fast!)

[Beatrixity]

Beatrixity, I think I'm going to steal your hair care routine. I really want to try soapnuts. I'm already using vinegar rinses (before that nI wash my hair with a very dilute solution of baking soda and water). The only thing is that I wash once a week, so I'd probably have to also use the peppermint oil less often?

Amino, soapnuts are awesome! I found the aritha (soapnut), amla, and shikaka mixture too drying, so I only use aritha. I get them whole and powdered from my local Indian grocery store. They sell them as aritha, reetha, or ritha. If I have time, I'll boil the whole soapnuts and make a liquid I can use for a week's worth of washing. If I don't have time, I'll just mix the powder with water and use that. I love the way aritha leaves my scalp feeling clean, but not dry. I use coconut oil sparingly on my ends and part of the length after I wash, and I deep condition with coconut oil once or up to two times a month. As for using the peppermint oil less often, you might be able to stretch the applications by misting your scalp before applying? I don't know, just a thought. :)

[pailin]

It's great to see your pictures!
I've been using peppermint oil for about a month, but I don't know how good my measurements are, and I don't have any good pictures for comparison. I think I need to give it a few more months to know for sure. But I love the feel of it regardless.

[Madame J]

Ooo, my DBF is a moderate long-hair but is considering chopping because his hair loss is getting more noticeable. I might see if he'll let me try it on him.

[Johannah]

Those are great results, wow. Congrats! Personally I'm a bit scared to put it on my scalp, since I'm allergic to a lot of things on my face... Maybe my scalp isn't that different.

[amino]

Amino, soapnuts are awesome! I found the aritha (soapnut), amla, and shikaka mixture too drying, so I only use aritha. I get them whole and powdered from my local Indian grocery store. They sell them as aritha, reetha, or ritha. If I have time, I'll boil the whole soapnuts and make a liquid I can use for a week's worth of washing. If I don't have time, I'll just mix the powder with water and use that. I love the way aritha leaves my scalp feeling clean, but not dry. I use coconut oil sparingly on my ends and part of the length after I wash, and I deep condition with coconut oil once or up to two times a month. As for using the peppermint oil less often, you might be able to stretch the applications by misting your scalp before applying? I don't know, just a thought. :)

That's a good point! On a related note, while I'm waiting for someone to decide to buy something else from Amazon (we're in a rural area and I'd almost rather have the whole shell), I talked to my mom about the peppermint oil and she gave me this look, and said, "We have mint in the garden."

So! I'll be figuring out how to make a rinse out of the fresh leaves, at least until I convince myself to buy some. XD I talked to lilin, who also uses soapnuts, and she'll leave them out as a tea to steep overnight, then adds a little xanthan gum and shake. And I can totally do that on a Monday night/Tuesday morning. Alternately, I can just make more liquid and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 uses afterward.

[Neelie]

wow that's amazing! its very very clear progress in fairness :)
i shall adopt your tip!