Guide · 3 min read

Hair Growth Remedies

Zoltan Vargyai · perming since 1991
Updated 22 October 2026

The short answer

Less snapping can help you retain length. It is different from treating shedding or regrowing hair from a follicle. A shiny oil coating proves neither.

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If less hair snaps, you can keep more length. That is different from stopping hair loss or growing new hair. A shiny coat of oil does not prove either.

Egg and conditioner-tub object illustration

After a texture treatment

If short pieces keep breaking, tell me what treatments, colour and heat you use, and when it started. If the hair is thinning, a bald patch has appeared or your scalp is inflamed, get medical advice too. You can have breakage and hair loss at the same time.

My verdict: find out what is happening before you buy a promise of growth.

Remedy The useful limit
Rosemary oil A small comparison with 2% minoxidil in pattern loss does not establish equivalence for every preparation
Castor oil Not an established human regrowth treatment; coating is a separate cosmetic effect
Onion juice A small trial concerned patchy alopecia areata, not every kind of hair loss or onion-infused oil
Pumpkin seed Some human research exists, including a small topical comparison; this does not validate every bottle
Peppermint Animal findings are not a human treatment recommendation
Biotin Not a routine answer for everyone; supplements can also interfere with laboratory tests

The onion trial and topical pumpkin trial looked at particular questions. You cannot change the condition being treated, the product, the amount and how it is used, then claim the study proves your bottle works.

Why before-and-after pictures are not enough

Lighting, the parting, styling, a haircut and time all change a photograph. A study needs a fair comparison and useful measurements. Even then, one small study does not give us a cure for everyone.

Tingling does not mean a hair root is waking up. If a product irritates your scalp, reconsider it rather than use more. I would not use neat essential oils, a guessed dilution or a supplement instead of finding out what is wrong.

Get help before the experiment gets longer

The NHS hair-loss guidance is a useful place to start. Get sudden, patchy or persistent loss checked, along with scalp symptoms or a change you cannot explain. Tell the clinician about supplements as well as hair products. Biotin can interfere with some tests. Ask about it; do not guess when to stop taking it before a test.

Keep ordinary care useful

You can still wash comfortably, condition and pull less while the cause is being checked. That does not make home care a treatment for pattern loss, alopecia areata or another medical condition. I can help you manage treated hair and explain its chemical history. Prescribing hair-loss medicine is a different job.

Questions

Is length retention the same as faster growth?

No. Less breakage can leave you with more length without making hair grow faster at the root.

Does onion oil inherit the onion-juice trial?

No. Onion juice and onion oil are different, and the study was about alopecia areata. It does not prove a general hair-growth oil claim.

Is there any topical pumpkin research?

Yes. A small 2021 study compared topical treatment for female pattern hair loss. It gives us something to investigate, not proof for every pumpkin preparation.

Should I take biotin before getting help?

I would get the problem checked rather than use a supplement as the answer. Tell your clinician what you take; biotin can affect some tests.

What I look for

Before I choose anything, I look at:

  • Your natural pattern.
  • Your condition.
  • Your previous chemical history.
  • Your colour history.
  • What you want the hair to do.
  • How far the hair needs to move.

I use the Zoltan tecSture Scale™ as part of that assessment.

→ How I assess your hair

When I say no

If the hair cannot safely do what you are asking, I say so.

Sometimes it is: No.

Sometimes it is: Not yet.

Sometimes it is: We need to do less.

Sometimes the hair needs repair first.

I would rather lose an appointment than lose your hair.

The treatment

Hair correction in London (Correction)

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You tell me the result. I choose the chemistry.

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Send the questionnaire and six photos. I call you back within 72 hours, usually the same day.

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“Zoltan Vargyai is on a one-man mission to eradicate dryness and damage from London’s hairdos.”

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