Turmeric for Hair Growth

You may be familiar with turmeric as the mildly sweet yellow spice that lingers on the counter and your clothing whenever you have a clumsy moment with it in the kitchen. 

But beyond its super-staining abilities, turmeric has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Like coconut oil, aloe vera, or essential oils, it’s also occasionally recommended as a natural remedy for dandruff or dry hair. Some say turmeric reduces scalp inflammation and even stimulates hair growth.

But is there research to back this up — and is it safe to use turmeric in your hair? How would you even use it for hair health? Read on to learn the answers to these questions and more.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) — or Indian saffron — is a plant in the ginger family that’s native to Southeast Asia. 

It has been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat joint issues and disorders affecting the skin, digestive tract, and upper respiratory tract.

Turmeric has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains antioxidants, which help protect your cells from free radicals that build up in your body and can lead to damage and disease.

These benefits are attributed to turmeric's main bioactive compound, curcumin.  

Today, most commercial turmeric is grown in India. The rhizome, or stalk, of turmeric is typically used as a culinary spice for dishes like curries, rice, soups, stews, and scrambles. 

It’s also an active ingredient in some dietary supplements, including capsules and tinctures, and may be added to beverages like green and black teas.

More recently, turmeric has grown in popularity as a natural ingredient in skin and hair care. You might notice it listed in the ingredients for facial creams, moisturizing hair masks, balms, and therapeutic shampoos — which brings us to our main question.

Despite its growing presence in the personal care product section, there’s limited research on turmeric benefits for hair. Still, a few studies indicate that it may be helpful for hair growth and scalp health.

Hair Growth

Some early-stage studies suggest that curcumin may help to reduce the amount of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in your body. 

This matters because these are two key hormones involved in hair loss, especially androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness). Reducing them may help prevent further hair loss. 

In one study, researchers found that curcumin reduced these hormones in prostate cancer cells. But what does that have to do with hair loss? 

Well, DHT is involved in both prostate growth and the miniaturization of hair follicles — which is what causes androgenetic alopecia. If you’re genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness, DHT can bind to androgen receptors in your scalp and cause your hair follicles to stop growing new hairs. If you want to know more, our guide to DHT and male hair loss explains this process in more detail.

So, reducing DHT is important for stopping male pattern baldness, but this study was performed on a combination of human cells and mouse prostate tissue in a lab setting — not on humans. Just because it found that curcumin reduces DHT in prostate tissues doesn’t necessarily mean it has the same effect on the scalp.

The results are intriguing, but we need more data before we call turmeric a miracle hair growth compound.

Scalp Health

In one randomized controlled trial, 40 people with mild-to-moderate scalp psoriasis (a skin condition that may cause temporary hair loss) were split into two groups — one received turmeric tonic twice a day for nine weeks, and the other received a placebo. 

The authors found that turmeric tonic significantly reduced the redness, scaling, and irritation of scalp psoriasis compared to the placebo and improved reported quality of life.  

Another study of 34 people with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis found similar results for those who applied a topical 0.5% turmeric-containing gel daily for nine weeks.

Overall, these findings from existing studies are promising, but there isn’t yet any definitive, large-scale research showing that turmeric helps with hair growth or what hair types it’s best suited to help.

As such, it's best to consider turmeric a "maybe” rather than a proven option for treating hair loss and stimulating hair growth. 

Turmeric is generally a safe ingredient with a low risk for toxicity, especially when used in the kitchen. 

However, like anything concentrated in supplement form, it’s important to use it as directed to avoid side effects and safety issues.  

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), curcumin and turmeric products are considered “probably safe” when used orally or applied to the skin in the recommended amounts — unless you have an existing allergy to plants of the Curcuma genus.

Generally, a daily dose of 500 to 2,000mg of turmeric is well-tolerated for most people when taken for short-term use, up to two or three months. Higher doses and longer-term use are more likely to cause side effects. 

Some of the potential side effects of turmeric or curcumin include: 

• Headache

• Diarrhea

• Nausea

• Abdominal pain

• Rash (itchy dermatitis or hives)

• Yellow stool 

Turmeric is widely available in its root form, as well as turmeric powder or a supplement sold as capsules and gummies. 

Here are some of the simplest ways to reap the benefits of turmeric: 

• Add turmeric to meals. Turmeric is a tasty spice that’s easy to add to curries, scrambled eggs, rice, stews, smoothies, and warm beverages like golden milk or a turmeric milk latte. If you buy a turmeric rhizome (root), all you have to do is peel and grate it. Alternatively, you can purchase dried powdered turmeric for cooking.

• Use a turmeric supplement. If you don’t use turmeric much when cooking, you can try a turmeric supplement instead. Turmeric capsules and other products are available online and in most health food stores.

• Take turmeric with a high-fat meal. Turmeric is fat-soluble, meaning it dissolves in oils and other fatty substances. Taking a turmeric supplement with a meal with a higher fat content — like one containing eggs, fish, avocados, olive oil, or nut butter — may help enhance its absorption.

• Use a turmeric shampoo. You can find shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products that use turmeric or curcumin as active ingredients. These are ideal if you want to test the potential benefits of turmeric in your hair care routine without adding it to your diet.

• Don’t use turmeric as a replacement for medication. Although turmeric and curcumin may offer health benefits, it’s important not to think of them as replacements for any medications — including hair loss medications like finasteride or minoxidil. It's best to view them as potential complements to existing treatments rather than replacements for them.

• If you experience side effects, stop taking turmeric. Although side effects from turmeric aren’t very common, they can happen. If you experience any issues, it’s best to take a break from using turmeric or talk to your healthcare provider for medical advice. 

While turmeric appears promising as a natural hair loss treatment, the research isn’t quite there yet. 

Luckily, if you’re starting to experience hair loss or thinning hair, there are already proven treatments that you can use to stop further shedding and stimulate growth.

Currently, the most effective options for preventing hair loss and stimulating hair growth are:

• Minoxidil: Minoxidil stimulates hair growth at the scalp level by moving hair follicles to the anagen phase, or growth phase, of the hair growth cycle. It also improves blood flow, which may help provide hair follicles with the nutrients they need to grow efficiently.

• Finasteride: Finasteride prevents your body from converting testosterone into DHT — the hormone that causes male pattern baldness.

We offer minoxidil and finasteride online, with finasteride available following a consultation with a licensed healthcare provider. 

Minoxidil and finasteride are both highly effective at preventing hair loss from getting worse and stimulating hair growth, but they can lead to even better results when used together. 

You can purchase both medications in our Hair Power Pack, which also comes with hair loss vitamins and thickening saw palmetto shampoo. 

Beyond minoxidil and finasteride, lifestyle habits like the below can also support healthy hair growth and maintenance: 

• Using a hair loss prevention shampoo

• Eating a nutrient-dense diet rich in vitamins and minerals to support healthy hair

• Considering supplemental vitamins that can help hair growth

Turmeric has long been prized as a medicinal ingredient for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and potential to protect against certain chronic diseases. For this reason alone, it's a great (and tasty) addition to your diet. 

As for hair loss, there’s some intriguing research studies, but turmeric has a long way to go before we can definitely say it can help stop hair loss or regrow hair. In the meantime, there are other things you can do to get a thicker, fuller mane.

In summary: 

• Hair-related evidence is limited. A handful of studies suggest that curcumin can improve scalp health among people with certain skin conditions, as well as help reduce hormones that promote hair growth. However, strong data is lacking, and we need much more research before calling turmeric an effective hair growth treatment.

• It’s generally considered low risk. Turmeric consumed in moderate amounts, particularly in its food form, is unlikely to cause significant side effects among most healthy people. However, there are always potential risks, especially if you take turmeric in large amounts.

• There are other more effective options. Until there’s more high-quality research on turmeric for hair loss, there are other proven ways to support healthy hair. Two effective medications are minoxidil and finasteride. You can also optimize your diet and try hair-thickening shampoos. 

If you’re worried about losing your hair, check out our guide to the early signs of baldness. Then, you can take the first step to connect with a licensed healthcare professional by taking our free online hair goals quiz.