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 heralded 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 enlisted the advice of industry-renowned expert Hair & Beard Surgeon and owner of Mittal Hair Clinic, Dr Mani Mittal. Let’s dive in as he shares his expertise and puts this issue to bed for good.
Key Takeaways
- The relationship between rosemary oil and beard growth is complex, due to DHT's nuanced impact on hair and beard growth.
- While rosemary oil won't directly promote hair growth, it won't harm it - and it does have other benefits.
- Other essential oils like Peppermint, Lavender and Tea Tree are great for beards too, while carrier oils like jojoba, coconut & avocado provide nourishing benefits.
- Dilute essential oils correctly & patch test before use to avoid any potential side effects or allergic reactions.
What is Rosemary Oil?
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.
At first, rosemary oil gained popularity in Greek and Roman times, where it was thought to enhance memory and brain function. In more recent times, it's been found to have a high concentration of iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, and C – which are hair-healthy vitamins.
The Complex Story of Rosemary Oil for Beard Growth
Rosemary oil has resurfaced on social media for its ability to promote hair regrowth.
This is because rosemary oil is one of nature's most powerful DHT blockers. In fact, one study showed that rosemary oil was as effective as minoxidil for stimulating hair growth in men. This has seen it get a lot of press, and people naturally wondering if it can stimulate hair growth for beards, too. 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.
What is dihydrotestosterone (DHT)?
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.
What role does DHT play in beard growth?
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 blocks 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."
Okay, so is rosemary oil good or bad for beard growth?
When treating patients for hair loss, Dr Mani prescribes them finasteride, a medicine that, like rosemary oil, blocks DHT.
"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 ability to suppress DHT won't harm your beard growth. But it probably isn't going to promote beard growth, either.
However, there are some other benefits of using rosemary oil on your beard.
3. Benefits of rosemary oil for beard growth
It Helps Reduce Dandruff
If you’re using rosemary oil, you can say goodbye to that dreaded beard dandruff.
That’s because rosemary completely does away with any dandruff thanks to its antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
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.
That’s just another reason why rosemary oil can be so beneficial for anyone in the process of growing their beard.
It Provides Nourishment for Hair
Remember when we said rosemary oil was rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, and C?
Well, that’s not all it has.
Rosemary oil also has a strong mix of niacin – which is a common naturally occurring ingredient in shampoos, conditioners, and some beard balms (subtle plug - check out Underdog).
Niacin helps nourish damaged, dry, or brittle strands of hair.
It can help strengthen, soften, and protect your beard, so you can focus on what’s truly important – growing it out.
It Reduces Itching and Irritation
You already know it helps fight off dandruff, but 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.
Yet again, rosemary oil can step in to lend you a hand.
This 2015 study found that ros