Does rosemary oil actually help hair grow? Viral hair hack explained

The latest ‘hack’ taking over social media claims to help hair grow fast by using rosemary oil, but does it actually work? Here’s what we know about the plant’s supposed hair-growing properties.

Sites like TikTok are known for kicking off the next big viral trends and ‘life hacks.’ Although some of these ‘hacks’ don’t actually work, a few have taken the internet by storm for being convenient and easy ways to get a desired outcome. (Ever heard of ‘laundry stripping?’)

More than a few of the internet’s biggest ‘hacks’ have to do with beauty, such as a viral hack that uses socks in damp hair to achieve jaw-dropping curls the next morning. (Bye bye, curing iron!)

Now, another hair hack is taking over social media, and it uses rosemary oil to supposedly achieve eye-popping hair growth.

TikTok’s rosemary oil hair growth hack explained

Rosemary oil is extracted from the rosemary plant, which is an herb most often used to season dishes when cooking food.

However, the herb is also a popular ingredient in skin and hair care. Many claim the plant has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Influencers have been using rosemary oil to supposedly grow their hair, claiming the plant has allowed their locks to grow lightning-fast, among other supposed benefits.

Most folks take sprigs of rosemary and crush them up using a pestle and mortar, then place the sprigs into an oil of their choice and allow it to sit for a period of time to concentrate before placing it on their scalp. Some mix their rosemary oil with other ingredients like tea tree oil, which is also used to fight dandruff.

Others have been going gaga over a very popular product that mixed rosemary oil with other ingredients like biotin, Mielle’s Rosemary Mint Scalp and Hair Strengthening Oil.

But does it actually work? Right now, there is very limited evidence suggesting that rosemary oil helps aid in hair growth, but a study that compared rosemary oil to hair loss drug minoxidil found that both treatments bore similar results after a six-month period.

According to board-certified dermatologist Marnie Nussbaum via Elle, Rosemary oil “contains carnosic acid, which is known to heal nerve damage, tissue damage, and improve cellular turnover.”

YouTuber and dermatologist Dr Dray had similar comments on rosemary oil, saying that although there’s simply not enough studies to completely confirm it 100% works, rosemary is “chock full of a variety of compounds that are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and have antimicrobial effects.”

She also cautioned that rosemary oil might not be the best option for folks with finer hair, noting that the product felt extremely “heavy” on her own fine hair. Hairstylist Matt Newman gave similar advice via Elle, saying that people with fine hair types might want to use the oil sparingly and before they shampoo so their hair isn’t weighted down with oil.

This is just the latest hair trend to take over the internet after TikTok’s ‘hair theory’ fad had people completely obsessed with their hair color.