Tiger Balm for hair growth?!

[Jammy]

Has this been explored already? If you don't know what it is, tiger balm is an ointment for sore muscles like icy hot. The ingredients are:

methyl salicylate
menthol
camphor


And it works by stimulating blood flow to the sore area to drain away the lactic acid that causes pain after exercise. Hang on? Doesn't this sound familiar? Wasn't the whole monistat thing to bring oxygen to the scalp to increase blood flow? And ditto to scalp massage!

Am I crazy or just really late on the uptake?

Has anyone tried tiger balm on their scalp for hair growth?!:o

[julliams]

I'm wondering how easy it would be to get out and I would think the smell (whilst I actually don't mind it) might get in the way for many people.

If anyone has tried it I would be very interested to hear the results.

[Jammy]

I'm wondering how easy it would be to get out and I would think the smell (whilst I actually don't mind it) might get in the way for many people.

If anyone has tried it I would be very interested to hear the results.

Yeah it would definitely have to be an overnight thing for me because of the smell. It's too strong to bring in public. It comes off my skin as soon as I get wet, even the day after I use it on my back or legs. So I don't think removal would be an issue.



Just results....;)

[Marjolein]

I'm afraid you'd get terrible head aches. I've used tiger balm on my neck once and immediately got watery eyes and an immense head ache. That head ache didn't go away until I washed it all off.

[danacc]

Stimulating blood flow is one of the expected benefits for scalp massage. I had not heard of it as one of the benefits of Monistat--I don't think Monistat increases blood flow apart from any associated massaging to cover the scalp. The benefit of Monistat is the reduction in fungus from the anti-fungal ingredient.

[breezefaerie]

I've used Tiger balm on my neck and face for sinus pain. I love it and feel it works great.
I've gotten it on stray hairs around my hair line but have no idea what it would be like to wash out and entire head full of it.

[Jammy]

I'm afraid you'd get terrible head aches. I've used tiger balm on my neck once and immediately got watery eyes and an immense head ache. That head ache didn't go away until I washed it all off.

I've had some on the back of my head and neck now for a while and there doesn't seem to be a problem. I'm sorry to hear it hurt you! :(

I'll let you know if it starts to feel uncomfortable!

[moominhapa]

I doubt it would make hair grow faster, but it might feel nice and tingly! I once put some on my head because my scalp was driving me crazy and I had run out of weird things to try putting on it. It helped with itchiness a little and made it feel cool, but that's about it.

[Copasetic]

I would worry about watery eyes too. I use Tiger's Balm on my temples when I have a headache sometimes, and while it helps my headaches, its pretty annoying for my eyes.

The other thing would be getting it off. I have always found that getting an area that I have covered in Tiger's Balm wet is pretty uncomfortable. Plus its so thick; I would imagine it would take a few washes.

[tinti]

Is Tiger balm the same as Mentholatum? The green tube you know? I love that stuff, I use it when I have cold soares or runny nose that's getting soare and irritated.

[girlcat36]

Okay, I must admit I have tried mentholated stuff on my scalp.
The thing is that when you wash your hair---and it could be days later---the stuff is still lingering , and you get a nice burning sensation down your face/neck/chest/shoulders which the hot water only heightens.
Might not be so bad with Tiger Balm(I don't recall, exactly), but I well remember my experience with a cream that contained capsaicin(cayenne) and MSM.

I am going to try Tiger Balm again, I think. I am a glutton for punishment.

[Jammy]

I would worry about watery eyes too. I use Tiger's Balm on my temples when I have a headache sometimes, and while it helps my headaches, its pretty annoying for my eyes.

The other thing would be getting it off. I have always found that getting an area that I have covered in Tiger's Balm wet is pretty uncomfortable. Plus its so thick; I would imagine it would take a few washes.


Oh I should mention I'm using a kind of tiger balm that comes in a tube. It's a thin white cream, not the orange putty stuff!

[Jammy]

Okay, I must admit I have tried mentholated stuff on my scalp.
The thing is that when you wash your hair---and it could be days later---the stuff is still lingering , and you get a nice burning sensation down your face/neck/chest/shoulders which the hot water only heightens.
Might not be so bad with Tiger Balm(I don't recall, exactly), but I well remember my experience with a cream that contained capsaicin(cayenne) and MSM.

I am going to try Tiger Balm again, I think. I am a glutton for punishment.
You have my admiration!

[gossamer]

I'm afraid you'd get terrible head aches. I've used tiger balm on my neck once and immediately got watery eyes and an immense head ache. That head ache didn't go away until I washed it all off.

That's really interesting, because I have a friend who puts tiger balm on her temples and forehead to help relieve headaches. Guess she's just really used to the smell!

[lillylonghair]

I'd rather just get peppermint oil and put a few drops in my conditioner or something. Actually I have a conditioner from Avalon Organics that is peppermint and I love the tingly feeling.

I wouldn't put Tiger Balm on my head. Even the tube kind.

[girlcat36]

I have Tiger Balm on my scalp right now, and will be washing my hair in few hours. I will report back! :)

[curlsgalore]

I use this on my shoulder and it burns my eyes but I like the smell. Even my hubby likes the smell. I don't know that I'm brave enough to put it on my scalp though. :hmm:

[835]

It sounded like a really crazy idea at first and I don't know if I could bear the smell, but I'm really looking forward to your report girlcat36!

[girlcat36]

So the hair washing wasn't a big deal. I didn't get any menthol-related discomfort while rinsing, as I did with the capsaicin cream.
My hair is still drying, so I won't know 'til it completely dries if there is any greasy residue left behind.

[ghost]

I'm interested to see the results everyone gets. I've never been brave enough to put anything much stronger than peppermint conditioner on my scalp.

[RachelRain]

I love my tiger balm waaaaay too much to put it on my scalp instead of saving it for when I need it when I'm sore.

That said, the stuff smells *so fricking good* that I wouldn't mind smelling it all day long.

Talk about a quandary.

[chrissy-b]

I haven't tried Tiger's Balm but I have this massage oil I've been using for sore muscles called Dr Bob's Medicated Oil which I've been adding to my castor oil mix. It has peppermint and cinnamon oils along with Chinese herbs. It definitely warms my scalp and feels really good!

[RachelRain]

I think that's basically what Tiger Balm is - it smells cinnamony to me, but it applies slightly warm and then cools.

I may pick up some of what you have. At the very least, the boy might like it. :)

[angelthadiva]

Just the thought of Tiger Balm makes me :wail: I went on a women's retreat in the fall and one of my roommates pretty much used TB as a lotion. She was constantly slathering herself with this junk...Just when my eyes would start to calm down, here she came with the pot of TB. She was mixing it with some liquid that people use on horses to draw the TB into her muscles. The smell of TB mixed with that horse stuff burned the hair off my feet. I can't even imagine putting it on my head...Willingly :wail:

[girlcat36]

Reporting back to say that there was no greasy residue left behind after washing my hair yesterday.

[Jenw777]

It seems as though it would burn?

[RachelRain]

Just the thought of Tiger Balm makes me :wail: I went on a women's retreat in the fall and one of my roommates pretty much used TB as a lotion. She was constantly slathering herself with this junk...Just when my eyes would start to calm down, here she came with the pot of TB. She was mixing it with some liquid that people use on horses to draw the TB into her muscles. The smell of TB mixed with that horse stuff burned the hair off my feet. I can't even imagine putting it on my head...Willingly :wail:

ew. I know exactly what you're referring to, and ew. I completely sympathize. My dad used to come home from the horse farm smelling like that every day. Gross.


It seems as though it would burn?

It's not like icy hot, so it shouldn't burn at all, not even on your non-scalp skin... unless you're allergic to one of the ingredients. It's actually a very very light warming sensation at first - if I put it on and go to do something else, I don't even notice that it warmed up or cooled down. I've thrown the little pots away before (almost full, no less!) because I was convinced that it was expired somehow and didnt work because of that.

[girlcat36]

It did not burn my scalp. But when I touched the skin on my face after putting it on my scalp, I had a slight burning sensation.

[Jorchet]

Curiouser and curiouser!

[jacqueline101]

I've never tried it but I'd like to know if it makes your hair grow.

[sycamoreboutiqu]

Menthol and Camphor are both strong and can be drying to the skin - so I would definitely avoid getting any on the hair length.

PS - You can buy both of these ingredients from B&B suppliers - I buy the Camphor in a big bottle to use for sinus relief products. It is great to just sniff it right from the bottle when your nose is stuffy or your sinuses are plugged up. Menthol comes in crystal form and is great in small quantities in lotions or soaps.

[Debra83]

I have a bottle of liquid Tiger Balm. I don't know what the benefit would be though?

[Aimskylove]

My aunt gave me a massage with it once and it got on the hairs on my neck. It was pretty sticky feeling but came out pretty easy.

[ptricia]

I wouldn't dare to use tigerbalm on my scalp. I'm a person who always has her hands in her face. I would be scared that I would screatch my scalp forget about the tigerbalm and that rub my nose or worse my eyes.