Does lavender prevent hair loss or is it more for maintaining healthy hair?

Lavender has been appreciated for centuries for its soothing scent and relaxing properties, but in recent years it has attracted growing interest in the world of hair care. Many people wonder if lavender essential oil can actually prevent hair loss or if it simply helps maintain healthy hair. The answer, while complex, lies in a broader understanding of what hair loss, prevention, and maintenance really mean. This article aims to offer a clear explanation, based on research and reliable sources, to clarify the possible benefits of lavender for hair.

Before discussing lavender: what do prevention, hair loss, and maintenance really mean?

To understand the potential effects of lavender, it is essential to distinguish between three key concepts related to hair: prevention, hair loss, and maintenance.

Preventing hair loss

This refers to actions or products that help avoid abnormal hair shedding before it becomes evident. It involves strengthening the hair follicle, keeping the scalp healthy, and reducing risk factors such as stress or inflammation.

Suffering from hair loss

This means that there is already a visible condition: areas of the scalp with reduced density, noticeable thinning, or bald spots. The causes may vary: from hormonal imbalances and autoimmune diseases to genetic factors or side effects of medications. In these cases, medical or dermatological intervention is required with clinically supported treatments.

Maintaining healthy hair

This refers to practices or products that don't necessarily cure or prevent hair loss but help the hair look good: shiny, strong, frizz-free, and without split ends. Maintenance includes proper hygiene, avoiding excessive heat styling, and using ingredients that enhance the overall appearance of the hair and scalp.

What is said about lavender in each of these three aspects?

Preventing hair loss

From a marketing perspective, lavender oil is often promoted as a natural product capable of “stimulating follicles” and preventing hair loss. However, when analyzing this promise more carefully, it becomes clear that most claims come from animal studies or extrapolations of its calming and antimicrobial properties.

There is not enough clinical evidence in humans to show that lavender prevents hair loss. The idea that a less irritated scalp helps keep hair is a hypothesis, not a tested effect of lavender.

What does the evidence say about treating hair loss?

Hair loss needs a diagnosis and, often, medical treatment. Treatments studied in clinical trials for different types of alopecia include minoxidil, topical or injected corticosteroids and, in some cases, hormonal therapies. Lavender oil is not part of standard medical treatment for alopecia.

Marketing, however, may suggest otherwise. Many brands include lavender essential oil in shampoos or serums with claims like “stimulates growth” or “restores density.”

Lavender for maintaining healthy hair

Lavender oil has shown antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory studies (Cavanagh & Wilkinson 2002). Whether this helps the scalp in people has not been tested. Additionally, its mild aroma and relaxing effect can offer a pleasant experience when integrated into a self-care routine.

Hair maintenance depends more on consistency and protection than on any single ingredient. Lavender in a routine offers mainly a fragrance and a sensory experience. This should not be confused with prevention or treatment of hair loss.

Lavender oil can cause allergic contact dermatitis (Bingham et al., Contact Dermatitis 2019, PMID 30779160). Case reports describe breast growth in children who were regularly exposed to lavender-containing products; it went away after the products were stopped (Henley et al., NEJM 2007, PMID 17267908; Ramsey et al., JCEM 2019, PMID 31393563). Whether lavender caused these cases is disputed (Braunstein & Braunstein 2023, PMID 38187077), but keep lavender products away from children and stop use if breast tissue develops. Do not swallow essential oils.

What role does relaxation play in these processes?

Chronic stress has been linked to disruptions in the hair growth cycle. When exposed to high levels of anxiety, a condition called telogen effluvium may occur, where a large number of hair follicles enter a resting phase and later shed. Whether lavender can affect this has not been studied.

An oral lavender-oil capsule (Silexan) reduced anxiety scores in a randomized trial (Kasper et al. 2014); that is a standardized medicine taken by mouth, not scalp oil. Lavender aromatherapy may help some people relax. No study shows that it prevents hair loss.

Some people enjoy an essential-oil scalp massage as part of a routine. That is a cosmetic and sensory choice, not a hair-loss treatment. Always dilute essential oils and patch-test first.

References (APA 7):

Cavanagh, H. M. A., & Wilkinson, J. M. (2002). Biological activities of lavender essential oil. Phytotherapy Research, 16(4), 301–308. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12112282/

Kasper, S., Gastpar, M., Müller, W. E., Volz, H. P., Möller, H. J., Schläfke, S., & Dienel, A. (2014). Lavender oil preparation Silexan is effective in generalized anxiety disorder—a randomized, double-blind comparison to placebo and paroxetine. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 17(6), 859–869. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1461145714000017 (PMID 24456909)

Lee, B. H., Lee, J. S., & Kim, Y. C. (2016). Hair growth-promoting effects of lavender oil in C57BL/6 mice. Toxicological Research, 32(2), 103–108. https://doi.org/10.5487/TR.2016.32.2.103 (PMID 27123160)

Bingham, L. J., Tam, M. M., Palmer, A. M., Cahill, J. L., & Nixon, R. L. (2019). Contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis caused by lavender: A retrospective study from an Australian clinic. Contact Dermatitis, 81(1), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.13247 (PMID 30779160)

Henley, D. V., Lipson, N., Korach, K. S., & Bloch, C. A. (2007). Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils. New England Journal of Medicine, 356(5), 479–485. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa064725 (PMID 17267908)

Ramsey, J. T., Li, Y., Arao, Y., Naidu, A., Coons, L. A., Diaz, A., & Korach, K. S. (2019). Lavender products associated with premature thelarche and prepubertal gynecomastia: Case reports and endocrine-disrupting chemical activities. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(11), 5393–5405. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-01880 (PMID 31393563)

Braunstein, E. W., & Braunstein, G. D. (2023). Are prepubertal gynaecomastia and premature thelarche linked to topical lavender and tea tree oil use? touchREVIEWS in Endocrinology, 19(2), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.17925/EE.2023.19.2.9 (PMID 38187077)