Natural remedies for hair loss: What works, what doesn’t, and how to support healthier hair

Noticed thinning hair, increased shedding or even patches of total hair loss? Before you go down the expensive path of a prescription medication or medical treatment, you might be considering natural remedies for hair loss – like essential oils or dietary supplements.

These alternative solutions often come with promises like stronger or thicker hair, or even hair regrowth, but how strong is the evidence behind them?

Here’s what you should know about the most popular natural hair loss remedies, the ones that are and aren’t effective, and how else you can regrow your hair using evidence-based strategies.

What is hair loss?

Hair loss, or alopecia, is when you lose some or all of your hair. It’s a common concern among women, with up to 40% experiencing visible hair loss by age 50 [1].

A certain amount of hair loss is normal – the average person loses 50-150 strands of hair each day as part of a normal hair growth cycle [2]. But when it becomes excessive or persistent, it may be worth investigating further. At this point, it can range from partial thinning on areas of your scalp to larger patches of total hair loss. 

There are several underlying causes of hair loss in women, with some of the most prevalent including:

• Genetics: A genetic condition known as androgenetic alopecia, or female or male pattern baldness, can cause thinning along the crown and sides of your head. It’s the most common cause of hair loss in women [3]
• Hormonal changes: Life stages like pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can contribute to hair loss, as can conditions including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This may be temporary and resolve once hormone levels stabilise, or permanent
• Medical conditions: Other medical conditions that can trigger hair loss include severe infection (often on the scalp), thyroid disease, lupus and autoimmune diseases like alopecia areata
• Medications: Treatments like chemotherapy, antidepressants and anticoagulants often have hair loss as a potential side effect
• Nutritional deficiencies: Low iron, zinc and vitamin D can contribute to hair loss
• Crash dieting: Rapid weight loss and extreme diets that are low in calories and protein can cause your hair to thin
• Mental health conditions: Extreme stress, depression and anxiety are other known triggers. This kind of hair loss is often temporary and resolves once stress levels improve
• Hairstyling: Tight ponytails, braids and extensions can damage the hair follicles along your scalp and cause hair to fall out. This is known as traction alopecia. Frequent colouring and heat styling can also damage the hair shaft and lead to breakage and thinning

What elements does your hair need to thrive?

Much like every other part of your body, your hair relies on certain things to stay healthy, shiny and strong. 

Key nutrients for hair growth

What you put into your body can directly impact the strength of your hair. Some of the essential nutrients for hair growth include:

• Protein: Hair is mostly made up of a protein called keratin, which is why adequate protein intake is so important to the health of your hair
• Vitamins A, B, C, E and D: Numerous vitamins are essential for hair growth, helping to enhance collagen production (vitamin C), regulate sebum production (vitamin A), promote cell turnover (vitamin D) and provide antioxidant protection (vitamin E). Several B vitamins nourish the hair, but pantothenic acid (B5) and biotin (B7) are two of the most crucial, as they support keratin production and strengthen the hair shaft
• Iron: Iron is instrumental in the production of haemoglobin, the protein that binds and carries oxygen to your hair follicles. A deficiency in iron can actually lead to hair loss
• Magnesium: Magnesium plays several roles in hair health, including promoting protein synthesis and reducing inflammation
• Zinc: Zinc supports protein production to keep hair strong, along with the growth of healthy hair follicles
• Healthy fats: Essential fats like omega-3 and omega-6 promote hair and scalp health, and reduce inflammation
• Selenium: The mineral selenium delivers antioxidant protection to your scalp and hair follicles to combat oxidative stress, plus it assists with hair growth and treating dandruff

Lifestyle factors that support hair health

Beyond your diet, many other lifestyle habits keep your hair healthy, including:

• Stress management: Chronic stress can elevate your cortisol levels to a point where they disrupt your hair health. Managing stress effectively may lower cortisol levels and improve hair health
• Adequate exercise: Exercise boosts circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to your hair and scalp and enabling healthy hair growth
• Hydration: Drinking enough water (that is, around two litres per day) can support a healthy scalp and reduce dryness.
• General haircare: Avoiding tight hairstyles, extreme heatstyling and regular dying can prevent damage
• Smoking and alcohol: Smoking and drinking alcohol excessively are known contributors to poor hair health, so limiting both may improve your hair

Common natural remedies to treat hair loss

Ensuring adequate intake of different vitamins and minerals, and leading a healthy lifestyle, can absolutely nourish your hair. But what about if you’ve already started losing hair?

Some people turn to natural remedies to try and regrow their hair, with some of the most popular including:

Essential oils

Applying a few drops of an essential oil like peppermint, lavender, tea tree or rosemary is said to stimulate circulation, encouraging hair growth.

Topical treatments

Natural oils and extracts such as aloe vera, coconut oil and pumpkin seed oil are applied topically. It’s believed that aloe vera can nourish the scalp and hair to promote hair growth, while coconut oil has antimicrobial and antifungal properties that support scalp health and pumpkin seed oil has a hair growth-promoting effect thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Dietary supplements

For hair loss caused by nutritional deficiencies, zinc, iron, magnesium and vitamin supplements may help to restore nutrient levels and prevent further thinning.

Caffeine

Caffeine is an increasingly popular haircare ingredient, claimed to stimulate hair follicles, prolong the growth phase and reduce hair shedding. That’s why you’ll find it in many hair growth products.

Saw palmetto

Saw palmetto is a plant-based ingredient, often used in haircare products to block DHT production. It’s believed the ingredient has the potential to slow hair thinning, even combating more hormone-related types of hair loss like pattern baldness.

Scalp massage

Massaging the scalp can improve blood flow, with some experts saying it delivers more nutrients to the scalp and hair and supports hair growth.

Microneedling

Microneedling, or dermarolling, works by stimulating the hair follicles and delivering more blood flow and nutrients to the scalp and hair.

Do natural remedies for hair loss actually work?

Now to the big question: are these remedies truly effective?

The answer depends on the root of the hair loss and the remedy in question. For instance, if hair loss were caused by an iron or zinc deficiency, then nutritional supplementation may certainly help. If it were caused by stress or hormonal imbalance, addressing that underlying cause may reduce shedding.

Things get a little hazier when it comes to other alternative treatments.

A few studies have revealed promising results on essential oils – such as a 2016 study on mice, which determined that lavender oil was noticeably effective when it came to hair growth [4], and a small study on rosemary oil, which found similar results to minoxidil in mild cases [5]. Saw palmetto has also been widely researched, with several studies indicating that it may reduce DHT levels and slow hair loss [6][7].

However, despite the early findings, the evidence is still fairly limited. While these natural options may support hair health, there’s not enough rigorous proof that they’re effective hair loss treatments – especially for causes that are difficult to reverse, like genetics. Saw palmetto is a notable exception given its extensive research base, but much of the research has been done on men, with limited data available on women.

So while these remedies may not necessarily harm your hair, they may not be overly effective at regrowing it.

Integrating natural hair loss treatments with professional care

Medical hair loss treatments come in many forms, including topical solutions, medicated shampoos and conditioners, and surgical procedures such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and hair transplants.

In many cases, natural remedies work best when used alongside these kinds of professional treatments. Where a natural remedy might nourish the scalp or contribute to hair health, a medical hair loss treatment can target the underlying cause. 

A recent study, for example, found that taking pumpkin seed supplements alongside minoxidil enhanced the effectiveness of a topical minoxidil treatment [8]. Microneedling is another example of this: the rollers create tiny channels in the scalp, allowing treatments like minoxidil and finasteride to absorb more effectively.

If you’re looking for a hair loss solution that combines the benefits of both medical and natural approaches, Juniper’s brand-new Hair Renewal Treatment may just fit the bill. 

This treatment combines science-backed medication to help slow hair thinning and regrow hair, with different formulation options to combat different stages of hair loss, alongside natural ingredients that support hair and scalp health. Simply take the initial screening quiz to find out which solution could work for your needs.

No matter where you are in your hair journey, Juniper’s Hair Renewal Treatment gives you everything you need to get your hair looking thicker, stronger and healthier.

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