Onions are popular to add flavor to a variety of dishes, but also have other little known applications to promote health and beauty.

The most useful application is to promote hair growth and restore your hair's healthy fullness and shine. Most people don't know about this application, but it's very real, and it works.

A bit of hair thinning is normal as we age. It’s can even be natural to lose some hair, with most people losing between 50-100 individual hairs every day and never knowing the difference.

Hair loss, however, causes a lot of people stress because they might not have too much hair in the first place to lose. However, there are both men and women who suffer from extreme hair loss that leads to pattern baldness.

Various studies have shown that after only 4 weeks of applying onion juice to the hair of volunteers, there was significant evidence of hair re-growth. If you are looking to add shine or to strengthen your hair, this easy DIY method could prove to be extremely beneficial.

Why Is Onion Juice So Effective?

Onion juice promotes growth by boosting circulation to the scalp. It also helps prevent hair from graying prematurely (due to the antioxidant enzyme catalase) and it adds thickness to thinning hair (because it contains high amounts of natural sulfur).

Hair is made up of proteins, out of which keratin gives hair its strength. This is because of the abundance of sulfur present in it. It is the chemical bonds that sulfur forms that determine the texture of your hair, as well as its health.

In fact, hair loss has been linked to the absence of high sulfur proteins. This is significant.

With regular use, onion juice is a safe and natural remedy for hair thinning and loss. Onions have been shown to possess healing antibacterial properties, and have been used to treat other conditions including androgenic alopecia, dandruff and scalp infections, for starters.

Using Onion Juice For Your Hair

To prepare the onions, you can select any variety of onions you choose. We typically recommend a common brown or yellow onion variety, but feel free to pick your favorite.

Finely chop the onions into small pieces, then add them into a food processor or blender to extract the juice. Use fresh juice only, since leaving the juice in the refrigerator or on the counter for a long time will cause it to lose most of its active properties.

Stain the juice from the pulp and add to your favorite DIY recipe for immediate use. If the smell is too strong for you, you can wait one half hour before application to allow the odor to subside. For the best results, repeat treatments daily. In no time at all, you'll notice results.

DIY Onion Juice Recipes

Before applying any home remedy with onion juice, take the time to test it on a small area of skin to ensure that you will not have a negative reaction. These recipes are simple and easy, taking only minutes to put together.

They can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for convenience, however most experts recommend that in order to retain the maximum potency of the onion juice it is best to apply it immediately after preparation.

Hate the smell of onion juice? That's okay, because there are a wide variety of essential oils available that are inexpensive but powerful enough to lessen the onion's natural odor.

Since they are used in a variety of beauty products, essential oils are completely safe to use on your hair and skin. In fact, a lot of research is showing just how essential these oils are.

When applied to your hair, onion juice can give it a nice coppery shade and vibrant shine. However, if you do not want the color of your hair altered (especially those with light-colored or blonde hair), you can mix the onion juice with 1-2 teaspoons of mustard oil to prevent any unwanted lightening of your hair. This is the standard trick to avoid hair color changes.

Here are a few approaches to try out:

Traditional Hair Masque: Take fresh onion juice and apply it all over your hair, allowing it to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing. You can also add  the juice of crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of honey, and natural oils (almond, coconut, olive or essential oils) to the recipe, to add more beneficial properties and improve the overall scent of the mixture.

Concentrated Hair Rinse: Add 5 chopped onions to 1 liter of water and boil it down for about 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and strain the mixture before applying it to your hair in the shower after shampoo for a squeaky clean rinse and amazing shine that you'll love.

Rum and Onion Masque: Try soaking diced onions in a glass of rum overnight. Once you have a marinated mixture, massage the soaked onions directly onto your scalp or use the concentrated liquid as a hair rinse after washing your hair as you normally would.

How Long Should I Use Onion Juice?

Researchers say it takes 4-6 weeks for the effects of the onions to fully take effect, but there is no harm in continuing the treatment (or variety of treatments) for as long as you desire.

Alternatively, you can drink the juice instead of applying it topically, but you may find that option less than pleasant. The proof is in the abundance of word-of-mouth and online buzz.

The good news is that there is ample anecdotal evidence to support onion juice benefits. I have heard from family and friends that onion juice can promote thick hair growth. Most testers who have tried these remedies love them so much that they have added onion juice to their permanently weekly beauty routine. Onion juice clearly helps strengthen your hair.

If you are suffering from hair thinning or loss, onion juice may be just the miracle elixir you need. The safe, natural formula of our DIY recipes are simple to prepare and can be adjusted by adding other beneficial ingredients. With a little creativity, the options are really endless!

With such glowing recommendations from both men and women around the world about the miraculous benefits of onion juice hair treatments, there is no reason not to try this out.

Share this information with friends or loved ones that also suffer from hair thinning or hair loss, and see if this is a viable option for them to try. There's no need to spend money on expensive and unnatural chemical treatments that can cause big allergic reactions and unwanted side effects. Not when we have onion juice for hair loss — nature's miracle.