Peppermint Oil

[Banana Republic]

I'm NOT saying this is the cure, so please don't jump all over me, but has anyone else looked into the effects of peppermint oil for human hair growth? Yes, this is another study on mice. But note the bit in bold about IGF-1. According to this study, peppermint oil beat out minox.

I'm wondering if anyone has added peppermint oil to their existing regimen, and not in the weak amounts found in some shampoos. I started using it on my temples to deal with migraines. I felt my scalp tingling -- in a good way. It made me wonder, so I did a search and found this.

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Toxicol Res. 2014 Dec; 30(4): 297–304.
doi: 10.5487/TR.2014.30.4.297

Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs

Ji Young Oh,corresponding author1 Min Ah Park,2 and Young Chul Kim2
Author information ► Article notes ► Copyright and License information ►

Abstract

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a plant native to Europe and has been widely used as a carminative and gastric stimulant worldwide. This plant also has been used in cosmetic formulations as a fragrance component and skin conditioning agent. This study investigated the effect of peppermint oil on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice. The animals were randomized into 4 groups based on different topical applications: saline (SA), jojoba oil (JO), 3% minoxidil (MXD), and 3% peppermint oil (PEO). The hair growth effects of the 4-week topical applications were evaluated in terms of hair growth, histological analysis, enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gene expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), known bio-markers for the enhanced hair growth. Of the 4 experimental groups, PEO group showed the most prominent hair growth effects; a significant increase in dermal thickness, follicle number, and follicle depth. ALP activity and IGF-1 expression also significantly increased in PEO group. Body weight gain and food efficiency were not significantly different between groups. These results suggest that PEO induces a rapid anagen stage and could be used for a practical agent for hair growth without change of body weight gain and food efficiency.