Does Rosemary Oil Help Beard Growth? A Hair Surgeon Weighs In

If you’re looking for ways to boost your beard, there’s a good chance you’ve turned to rosemary oil for beard growth.

Plastered over TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, rosemary oil is being sold as a miracle cure for patchy beards, with an ability to thicken beards and grow hair where there wasn’t any before.

Sounds great, right? The plot thickens a little. 

While some are praising rosemary oil as the cure for bad beards, there are others in the industry saying its impact on DHT could outright kill your beard.

That's two very different opinions - which is it? Will rosemary oil: 

• help beard growth?

• make your beard fall out?

• or not really do anything at all?

We wanted to get to the bottom of this, so we asked hair and beard transplant surgeon Dr Manish (Mani) Mittal, founder and lead surgeon at The Mittal Hair Clinic in London. Our founder, Alex, has tried rosemary oil too, so you’ll get his take as well.

Spoiler alert - rosemary oil comes from… rosemary bushes. It's extracted from the flowering tops of the bush, commonly by steam distillation. The resulting product is the pure essential oil - the plant in its most potent form.

Rosemary has been popular since Greek and Roman times, when it was thought to boost memory. The essential oil is made up of aromatic compounds like 1,8-cineole and camphor, which give it that fresh, herby smell.

Rosemary oil has resurfaced on social media for its ability to promote hair regrowth.

That’s largely down to one 2015 study that compared rosemary oil with 2% minoxidil in men with pattern hair loss on their scalps, and found similar results after six months. There’s also lab research suggesting rosemary may block DHT. That’s seen it get a lot of press, and people naturally wondering if it can do the same for beards. But things aren't quite that simple.

To explain this, we first need to take a look at what DHT is, and the role it plays in male hair growth.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a hormone derived from testosterone that significantly influences male hair loss and male pattern baldness.

“Being a man, you have testosterone coursing through your body, and this testosterone is broken down into a byproduct called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.  If you’re genetically programmed to lose hair, DHT is going to make it happen. ” said Dr Mani Mittal during our interview.

The beard care industry tends to believe that while DHT is deadly for head hair, it's essential for beard growth. This is where the claim that rosemary oil will kill beards comes from - because rosemary oil may block DHT.

However, DHT's role in beard growth isn't actually that clear cut: 

“Everything I’ve learned has shown that DHT is important for beard growth in the puberty phase, but as you get older, it’s testosterone that plays a vital role in how aggressively your beard will grow." says Dr Mani.

"DHT is important for certain things at a certain timeframe, but long-term, it doesn’t have a massive impact on beard growth."

When treating patients for hair loss,  Dr Mani prescribes them finasteride , a medicine that blocks DHT, which is exactly what rosemary oil is claimed to do.

"I have patients who are actively losing hair, and we put them on a medication called Finasteride to stabilise their hair loss. Finasteride acts by inhibiting the enzyme that produces DHT - de facto, your DHT will lower.", said Dr Mani in our interview.

"I’ve got over 1,500 patients actively taking finasteride, and I haven’t once had a patient say ’Mani, my beard is looking weaker.“

The verdict: Rosemary oil's possible effect on DHT won't harm your beard growth. But it probably isn't going to promote beard growth, either.

Before we get to the benefits it does have, let’s deal with the viral minoxidil claim.

That’s the viral claim, and it traces back to one small 2015 study. It compared rosemary oil with 2% minoxidil in men with pattern hair loss on the scalp, over six months.

It’s interesting. But one study doesn’t establish that rosemary oil “works as well as minoxidil” generally, and it tells us nothing about growing a beard. (If you’re weighing up minoxidil itself, read our guide to minoxidil for beards first.)

Alex is open to better research, but he wouldn’t sell rosemary beard oil as a growth treatment.

Alex has tried rosemary oil on both his beard and his shaved head, always diluted.

On his beard, he liked the scent, but didn’t notice any other difference. He didn’t see results on his head either, though he admits he didn’t use it consistently or for long enough to judge whether it might have made a difference.

Rosemary oil may help with that dreaded beard dandruff.

That’s because it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties, at least in lab studies.

A reduced amount of dandruff means less beard itching – which means less beard hair down your drain.

Think about it. When you’re itching your beard, you’ll pull at least one hair out by accident.

And the more beard dandruff you have, the more you feel the need to scratch your beard.

So anything that helps with flaking and itch is worth having when you’re growing a beard.

What if your beard is itchy without dandruff?

Then you might be dealing with dry skin, an ingrown hair, or even a skin condition like dermatitis.

Rosemary oil might help here too.

This  2015 study found that men using rosemary oil on their scalps had less itching than those using minoxidil.

Scratching can pull hairs out, so it’s worth sorting an itch out sooner rather than later.

If you’re dealing with beard itch, diluted rosemary oil is worth a try. Our guide to stopping beard itch has more ideas.

Rosemary isn’t the only essential oil you’ll see recommended for beards. Here are three popular ones, and what they’re actually good for:

• Peppermint oil: A cooling tingle, and a fresh scent.

•  Lavender oil:  A calming scent, with some antimicrobial properties.

•  Tea tree oil:  Antibacterial and antifungal, and popular for itchy, flaky beards.

None of them will make you grow more beard. For the full rundown, see our guide to the best essential oils for beards.

Peppermint oil gets pushed for growth because of a study on mice, not people. What it definitely has is menthol, which feels cool on the skin, and antifungal properties.

If it burns rather than tingles, wash it off.

Lavender oil is a popular choice for its scent. There's some research on hair growth, but it comes from a study done on mice. It’s also one of the essential oils most likely to cause an allergic reaction, so patch test it first.

Tea tree oil is well known for its benefits for the skin under your beard, including:

• Antibacterial properties that keep acne at bay  and a cleaner beard

• Antifungal properties that can help with flaking

• Just keep it tightly sealed: old, oxidised tea tree oil is more likely to irritate

Before applying essential oils to your beard, ensure that they are adequately diluted with carrier oils to guarantee a safe and effective application. Carrier oils, such as jojoba, coconut, and avocado oil, not only dilute essential oils but also provide benefits of their own, like moisturising the skin and beard.

These carrier oils can be applied directly to the beard or mixed with essential oils to create a scented beard oil.

Jojoba oil is a popular choice for diluting rosemary oil and other essential oils. Its structure closely resembles the sebum naturally produced by the skin, making it an excellent moisturiser for both skin and hair. It’s in every one of our beard oils.

It’s also considered unlikely to clog pores. Added bonus.

Coconut oil is another great carrier oil option for essential oils. It not only helps dilute the oils but also offers numerous benefits for beard care. Its moisturising properties soften and condition the beard and help reduce breakage. It can feel heavy, though.

Avocado oil, packed with vitamins, fatty acids, and antioxidants, is a fantastic choice for diluting essential oils. Its high oleic acid and monounsaturated fat content make it even more beneficial for nourishing the hair and skin, helping keep your beard well moisturised.

Still want to give it a go? Fair enough.

So you pick up some rosemary essential oil and get ready to spread it all over your face.

Hold your horses.

Put neat essential oil on your face and you’re asking for irritation.

To avoid any sort of burning or stinging, you’ll need to dilute the rosemary oil.

Thankfully, that’s pretty easy.

To start, you’ll need to use a carrier oil – or another oil that carries the rosemary oil to your skin.

There are a wide amount of carrier oils you can use. We’ve covered the best ones here.

Once you pick your oil, it’s a simple three-step process to dilute the rosemary oil:

Step 1: Alex’s rule of thumb is to start with about four or five drops of essential oil in total per 30ml of carrier oil (roughly 0.5%). Add them to a clean, dark glass bottle.

Step 2: Next, add 30ml (about six teaspoons) of the carrier oil of your choice. If you’re using multiple carrier oils, you can mix these up, for example two teaspoons each of jojoba, argan and sweet almond.

Step 3: Finally, mix the two oils together until well combined.

After the rosemary oil is diluted, you can safely apply it to your facial hair.

But first, you’ll want to know how much beard oil to use… 

If you apply too much oil, your beard and skin underneath won’t be able to absorb it all – leaving you with a greasy shine.

But, if you don’t use enough, you won’t receive the benefits of the oil.

Below you’ll find the recommended amount of oil based on the size of your beard:

Now that you know how much to use, you can safely apply the oil like any other beard oil. Here’s how:

Step 1: You’ll want to apply the oil on a clean beard. Start by washing your beard with beard wash or warm water.

Step 2: Next, towel-dry your beard. For longer beards, use a hairdryer on its lowest heat setting.

Step 3: Drop the recommended amount of oil into the palms of your hands. Massage them together.

Step 4: Apply the oil to your beard (just like you would with other products).  Start at the top and work your way to the ends until the oil is spread evenly.

If you don’t want to use your hands, you can always use a boar bristle brush (like this one).

There’s only one question left… how often should you apply rosemary beard oil?

Well, there isn’t one answer. It really depends on your skin and hair type.

Here’s what we recommend:

When using any product on your skin, you should be aware of the potential consequences.

That remains the same even when using natural products.

With that in mind, here are some of the potential drawbacks of rosemary oil:

If you know you’re allergic to rosemary, don’t try using the essential oil.

However, most people probably won’t know if they’re allergic or not.

For that reason, if you have other allergies or sensitive skin, we recommend to start with patch testing on a visible area of skin. Be sure to look for any signs of allergic reactions like burning, stinging, or cracking skin.

If you notice any of these, stop using the rosemary oil.

Instead, you might be better suited to a moisturising beard balm.

But what’s a beard balm, you ask? Learn the key differences between beard balm and oil right here.

Just like an allergic reaction, you might notice some irritation when using rosemary oil.

Usually, all that means is you’re using it too frequently or without diluting it enough.

If that sounds like you, take a week off and give your skin a reset.

Or, you can try our best-selling beard oil, scented with essential oils and blended within IFRA limits, so the dilution’s done for you.

Rosemary oil won’t kill your beard, and it probably won’t grow one either. According to Dr Mani, blocking DHT doesn’t weaken an adult beard, and the one study behind the hype was about scalp hair, not beards.

Diluted properly, it’s a pleasant-smelling oil that may help with itch and flaking. Just don’t buy it expecting miracles.

Of course, there are plenty of other products (like ours) that you can safely use to keep the beard you’ve got healthy and strong.

Go check them out today to start growing a beard that you’re proud of.