Peppers for hair growth??

[christine1989]

So, I called a taxi today to get home from school and had a very interesting conversation with the unusually friendly taxi driver. I don't remember how the topic came up but I mentioned that I was trying to grow my hair. He mentioned that back where he was from (northern Africa) women boosted hair growth by putting red peppers in their hair. Apparently the peppers increase circulation significantly leading to faster hair growth. It seems to make sense to me and its worth a shot! :) Has anyone else heard of this or tried anything like it??

[tinker bug]

hmmm never heard of it but it does make sense that a pepper would stimulate circulation and eventually bring about faster hair growth...
I'm really tempted to try this, too bad we don't have any red peppers in the fridge...

[princessp]

So do you know if we are supposed to use fresh or dried? And I'm assuming you make some sort of mash right? Is anything else supposed to be added to this mash? Also, did he say bell peppers or hot peppers? I'll try it this weekend with maybe some olive oil or coconut oil, why not.

[little_cherry]

Basically peppers have what is called 'Capsaicin' that produces histamine hormone that aids in hair follicle production.

[christine1989]

He said red bell pepper or hot pepper pastes would work. I assume the hotter peppers would increase circulation more. I have some cayanne pepper flakes in the kitchen but I will probobly start with a less extreme pepper first.

[MissMandyElizab]

Be very careful not to sweat!!!!

[Igor]

Basically peppers have what is called 'Capsaicin' that produces histamine hormone that aids in hair follicle production.

That, also anything hot that you put on the scalp will make it flush blood to the skin which is said to promote growth because you lead more nutrition to the follicles

[Aer]

Heres a recipe i use once a week. Take peppers fresh or fresh ginger, and take plain vodka, soak them together for about two weeks, then strain the vodka in to a glass. Rub vodka on scalp, you can mix it with a scalp friendly oil if you like, I use almond or argan. If you use oil in the mix, rinse the next morning when you apply it at night. Or you can rinse it a little later if you think it might be too moisturizing for your scalp. Do not sweat and be very careful not to get in your eyes. I can't say if it really works, it seems to for me, either way I like how my scalp feels now.

[cardamom]

Oil with whole black pepper boiled in it used to be my grandma's favorite.She had knee length hair.:)

[Renbirde]

It might be worth noting that capsaicin is the chemical that makes peppers hot. It will burn you in high concentrations. In low quantities (mild peppers) it'll tingle a bit. The hotter the pepper, the more it'll burn. :) If you want a comparison of what peppers will give you how much tingling, check out the Scoville Scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale), especially that rating list (third thing on the TOC).

But it will definitely up your circulation. You just need to figure out what amount will work for you.

And be careful not to get it into your eyes. ;)

[Juliannaissance]

Wow!! I never thought that peppers would help, but that does make sense...there are a lot of weird things that can be put into the hair to make it grow. :)

[DragonLady]

I tried it. My eyes are still burning. You can read about it here: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?b=55713#comment287139
I haven't had the guts to try it again.

[hmmm]

A scalp oil mix that I have has long pepper in it. The bottle mentions something about it triggering more hair growth too. I would not use chillis.

[PolarCathy]

Up! Anyone in this thread has experienced faster growth? One year since last post. I am experiencing with some hot stuff too.

[Miss Catrina]

I saw a youtube video for a hair growth recipe using jalapenos, castor oil, and vodka a while back (it was pretty similar to what Aer described). I haven't tried anything like it, but it makes sense to me. However, I wonder if there aren't some oils that would do the same thing - like tea tree or peppermint oil. I know when I've used tea tree shampoo, my scalp felt mighty tingly. :)

[PolarCathy]

Jalapeños are too good, I eat them... ;) I am using something really extreme now, too early to tell if it works or not but I think it does. Will see in a few weeks....

I hoped that people who had posted here a year ago would check back and share their experiences since it's been a year now.

[HintOfMint]

Heres a recipe i use once a week. Take peppers fresh or fresh ginger, and take plain vodka, soak them together for about two weeks, then strain the vodka in to a glass. Rub vodka on scalp, you can mix it with a scalp friendly oil if you like, I use almond or argan. If you use oil in the mix, rinse the next morning when you apply it at night. Or you can rinse it a little later if you think it might be too moisturizing for your scalp. Do not sweat and be very careful not to get in your eyes. I can't say if it really works, it seems to for me, either way I like how my scalp feels now.

How DARE you suggest that I waste vodka?:p

It would be kind of funny to make a pepper vodka and carry it into the bathroom. My roommate would probably think I'm starting to drink in the shower now.

[PolarCathy]

How DARE you suggest that I waste vodka?:p

It would be kind of funny to make a pepper vodka and carry it into the bathroom. My roommate would probably think I'm starting to drink in the shower now.


That's okay I guess.. I plan to install a fridge in the bathroom so that I can reach the beer from the bathtub ;)