Cloves aren't just a seasonal addition to spiced recipes, they may be good for your hair health too. Learn how to make a clove water hair rinse here.
Cloves are a commonly used warming spice found often in cuisines from across the globe.
Whether we are talking about a spicy ingredient in an Indian dish, or an addition to an American holiday spiced cake, most people are familiar with and fond of the flavor of cloves.
Aside from a tasty addition to cooking, clove oil or clove water has also been trending as a potential hair beautification agent. (Ahem, TikTok.)
But, can clove oil or clove water actually be beneficial for your hair? And, how do you make your own clove water hair rinse if you want to try it out?
Below, we will cover the claims of cloves for your hair, review the studies that have been done, teach you how to make a clove water rinse, and give you our take on if this spice can actually help out with your hair goals.
There are a lot of claims online when it comes to how a clove water rinse or clove oil can benefit your hair.
The purported hair benefits include growth enhancement, improved scalp health and circulation, more shine, reduced hair loss, avoiding premature greying, and getting rid of dandruff.
This all sounds pretty great, but have there been any studies backing all of these up?
There have not been many studies looking into clove oil, clove water, or clove extracts for hair health, and those that have been done are relatively small or have only been done on animals. So, take the enticing claims online with a grain of salt.
Below are some of the results of clove studies as it relates to hair and the potential benefits listed above.
One study in rabbits found that a clove and ethanol extract lead to increased hair growth after 21 days of a topical application. Another study in rats reported that clove oil in emu oil applied topically demonstrated enhanced growth and improved hair conditioning.
Other research also shows that the main active compound in clove oil, Eugenol, has powerful antioxidant and radical-scavenging activity.
Studies have also shown that clove oil can have strong antifungal activity against dermatophytes in cattle.
If you do want to try out a clove water rinse, there is likely no harm or downside to it – unless you happen to be allergic to cloves.
Start by taking about 2 tablespoons of cloves, then crush and muddle them with a pestle and mortar (or something similar).
Heat up 2 cups of water until boiling, and then carefully pour that water over the crushed cloves in an appropriately sized heat-proof container.
Let this combination “steep” and cool down for a while. The water should change to a brown or amber color and smell fragrant.
Once cooled down, use a sieve to sift out the clove pieces and transfer your clove water to a container to use as a hair rinse. A glass jar or spray bottle may be a good choice.
This water can be stored in the fridge for about a week.
To use clove water as a rinse, simply spray or pour through your hair as the last step of your hair washing and conditioning routine. Focus the application on the scalp, as well. You can either let it sit for a while and then rinse it out, or just leave it in your hair. Some people find the scent to be pleasant.
We don’t yet know conclusively if clove water or clove oil can have an impact on human hair growth or a reduction in hair loss concerns. More studies need to be done in humans with appropriate controls to help prove these claims.
Some studies done in animals seem to show some level of hair growth improvements with topical clove oil or clove extract. So, there may be something at hand here, but it is too soon to say.
We do have proof of antioxidant activity in clove oil. And, since patterned hair loss has some inflammatory aspects to it, this is always a good thing.
Finally, clove oil shows it may help with fungal skin issues. This may be beneficial to people dealing with dandruff or other fungal infections on the scalp. If these infections get out of hand, they can lead to hair loss or slowed growth, so keeping them at bay can be helpful for your hair health.
So, while the jury is still out on clove water or clove oil for hair growth and health, it probably wouldn’t hurt you to give it a try if you want to. However, if you are allergic to cloves or experience irritation, burning, or itching after using clove water or clove oil, you should stop its use.
Here at Strut, we try to point people in the direction of hair loss treatments that have a lot of information backing them up. Treatments like Minoxidil and Finasteride are FDA-approved for hair loss and can help slow the progression of patterned hair loss.
Whether you decide to rinse your hair with clove water a few times a week or not, if you are experiencing genetic hair loss, it may be worth looking into prescription treatments to help slow the process.
If you are ready to get started with a prescription medication for your hair concerns, simply select the medication you are considering, complete a free online questionnaire and image-based telemedicine consultation in under 15 minutes, and checkout. Our U.S. doctors will review your information, make sure the treatment is a good fit for you, and then issue a prescription, if appropriate. Then, a U.S. compounding pharmacy will put your medication together and ship it to your front door with our free shipping.
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