If you're like me, you've probably interacted with the essential oil community before, and wondered how well their products will actually work. While not all of the claims made can be substantiated (vaccines still work better than jojoba oil, I promise you), the use of Peppermint Oil can actually help to grow your hair.
In the journal of Toxicological Research, a study was done regarding the Peppermint Oil and the way that it can help to promote hair growth without a lot of toxicity. There were four groups created based on the topical applications. One group had 3% Peppermint Oil, one had 3% Minoxidil (which is the active ingredient in Rogaine, a semi-popular, over-the-counter hair regrowth treatment), and the last two were Jojoba Oil and Saline. These four groups were then used on mice to test which type would have the best hair growth ability.
Of course, it's the results that we really want to hear about, and they sure are interesting. Starting in the 2nd week, the Peppermint Oil hair grew faster than the Saline and the Jojoba Oil. Once they got to weeks 3 and 4, however, Peppermint Oil was outshining even the Minoxidil. Peppermint Oil had a hair growth of 92% with Minoxidil only being at 55%.
This just goes to show that maybe we don't always need the highly processed chemical concoction to solve an issue, maybe we just need to reach for some essential oil.
Source:
Oh, Ji Young et al. “Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs.” Toxicological research vol. 30,4 (2014): 297-304. doi:10.5487/TR.2014.30.4.297