Home remedies

These remedies are not research programmes and do not belong in the register, but people ask about them more than about any drug in development. Each page says what the studies show and what they don't, and links to any programme in the register that really contains the ingredient.

• Does onion juice regrow hair?One small 2002 study in alopecia areata, with no repeat we could find. Nothing in pattern baldness.
• Does rosemary oil regrow hair?One small 2015 trial against low-strength minoxidil, with no placebo group. It does not show rosemary works as well as minoxidil.
• Does rice water make hair grow?No study has tested rice water on hair growth. The one study of rice water measured how hair strands feel.
• Does pumpkin seed oil regrow hair?One placebo-controlled trial, in 76 men, paid for by the company that supplied the capsules, which may have contained more than pumpkin seed oil.
• Does saw palmetto regrow hair?Small trials, two of them run or backed by companies selling an extract. The one head-to-head comparison found it did less than finasteride.
• Does caffeine shampoo stop hair loss?The best trial had no placebo and was paid for by Alpecin's maker. The UK advertising regulator ruled Alpecin's hair-loss claim misleading.
• Does biotin help hair loss?It helps people who lack biotin, which is uncommon. No good trial shows it helps anyone else, and high doses can distort blood tests.
• Does castor oil regrow hair?We found no study testing castor oil alone on hair growth in people, on the scalp, eyebrows or eyelashes.
• Does peppermint oil regrow hair?One study, in mice. We found no human trial of peppermint oil on hair growth.

A research register, not medical advice: talk to a dermatologist about your own case.