'I'm a hair transplant surgeon - this oil matched a major hair loss drug in a 6-month trial'

'I'm a hair transplant surgeon - this oil matched a major hair loss drug in a 6-month trial' Researchers trialled the oil alongside a common hair loss medication with surprising results A transplant surgeon has told how a popular hair loss trend might actually work - unlike many social media fads. Dr Adam Ali says he usually "rolls his eyes" at hair oils warning most of the things promoted on line lack any evidence. However the Hair Transplant Surgeon at UK Hair Transplants, said one current craze has previously been tested with researchers deciding it "provided evidence" that it could help some people. He said: "I’m usually the first to roll my eyes at hair oils, because most of what gets shared online has nothing behind it. Rosemary is different, because someone actually put it up against a proper hair loss treatment for six months and it held its own." The expert shared details of a trial, which he says is "worth knowing about", that put the oil head-to-head with a medicine used to treat hair loss. He explained that rosemary oil did as well as minoxidil 2% over six months in a trial of 100 people with androgenetic alopecia, also known as pattern hair loss. The study, published in the journal SKINmed in 2015, split the patients into two groups of 50. One group used rosemary oil and the other used minoxidil 2%, a hair loss medicine applied to the scalp. Close-up photographs of each patient’s scalp were taken at the start and again at three and six months. At three months, neither group had seen a significant change in hair count. By six months, both groups had a significant increase, and there was no significant difference between the oil and the medicine at either check-up. The researchers wrote that their findings “provided evidence with respect to the efficacy of rosemary oil”. However he warned the results came from a single study. He said: "There are limits to what one study can show. It was a single trial of 100 people, and the minoxidil it was compared with was the 2% strength, while the British Association of Dermatologists’ leaflet on male pattern hair loss describes using 5% minoxidil." Dr Ali added: “I’d be straight with anyone about this. It’s one small trial against a lower-strength drug, so it’s encouraging rather than the final word. If your hair loss is moving quickly, an oil isn’t a substitute for a proper assessment and treatment, and I wouldn’t want anyone losing a year to it.” The most common side effect Scalp itching became more common in both groups as the trial went on, but it was more frequent in the minoxidil group at both the three-month and six-month check-ups. Dry hair, greasy hair and dandruff did not change significantly in either group. How to use it But Dr Ali had advice for people wanting to give it a go. He warned: “If you want to try it, don’t put neat oil straight on your scalp. Mix a few drops into a carrier oil, try it on a small patch of skin first and stop if it gets red or sore. Then give it a proper six months, because in the trial nothing much happened at three.” The NHS says to see a GP if you are worried about your hair loss.