Scalp Care with Natural Ingredients: What the Evidence Shows

This article reviews natural oils, essential oils, antioxidants and herbal extracts that are commonly used in scalp and hair care, what the evidence says about them, and how to use them safely. It is general information, not medical advice.

Dryness and mild dandruff may improve with gentle scalp care. Hair loss has many causes. For male pattern hair loss, a network meta-analysis of 24 trials confirmed the efficacy of oral dutasteride, topical or oral minoxidil, and oral or topical finasteride.¹ Herbal remedies show promise, but many of the studies are small and short, without long-term follow-up.² If you notice sudden, patchy or rapid hair loss, or hair loss with scalp pain, redness or scarring, see a doctor. In this article, we look at natural oils, essential oils, antioxidants and herbal extracts used in scalp care and what is known about them.

1. Natural Oils for Scalp Health

Hair care is an important part of everyone's daily routine. With so many products and ingredients available, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for you. Natural oils have been used for hair care for centuries and have recently gained popularity as an alternative to commercial hair products. Here are the properties and commonly reported uses of six natural oils used in scalp and hair care: jojoba, argan, sweet almond, castor, coconut, and olive oil. These oils are mainly used to condition hair and moisturize the scalp. For castor, coconut and argan oil, a systematic review found limited or no strong evidence that they improve hair growth.³ Natural does not mean risk-free: any oil or plant ingredient can cause an allergic skin reaction in some people (see "Using Scalp Products Safely, and When to See a Doctor" below).

Jojoba Oil

• Properties: Jojoba oil is often described as similar to the skin’s natural sebum and is used as a moisturizer.
• Benefits:
  • Conditions hair strands.
  • Adds shine.

Argan Oil

• Properties: Rich in vitamin E and fatty acids.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • Hydrates and softens the scalp.
  • No significant evidence that it improves hair growth or hair quality.³
  • Adds shine and reduces frizz.

Sweet Almond Oil

• Properties: Lightweight and easily absorbed.
• Benefits:
  • Nourishes the scalp.
  • Improves hair texture.

Castor Oil

• Properties: Thick and viscous.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • May improve hair luster; evidence is weak.³
  • No strong evidence that it boosts hair growth.³

Coconut Oil

• Properties: High in lauric acid.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • Moisturizes the scalp.
  • Has been shown to help with brittle hair; evidence for hair growth is limited.³
  • Adds shine to hair.

Olive Oil

• Properties: Rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
• Benefits:
  • Conditions and softens hair.

2. Essential Oils for Scalp Stimulation

Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts that are popular in scalp and hair products. Evidence that they promote hair growth in people is limited (details below), and essential oils are a recognized cause of allergic contact dermatitis.⁴ Read "Using Scalp Products Safely, and When to See a Doctor" below before using any of them on your scalp.

Jasmine Oil

• Properties: Floral and uplifting.
• Benefits:
  • Adds a pleasant fragrance.

Peppermint Oil

• Properties: Cooling and invigorating.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • Hair growth was reported in a 4-week study in mice; results in mice do not show the same effect in people.⁵
  • Peppermint oil has been reported to cause allergic contact dermatitis.⁶

Rosemary Oil

• Properties: Herbaceous and stimulating.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • In one 6-month randomized trial of 100 people with androgenetic alopecia, hair count increased with both rosemary oil and 2% minoxidil, with no significant difference between them. There was no placebo group, and scalp itching increased in both groups.⁷

Tea Tree Oil

• Properties: Has antifungal activity against the yeast Pityrosporum ovale, which appears to be related to dandruff.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • A 5% tea tree oil shampoo improved mild to moderate dandruff (41% improvement in a severity score vs 11% with placebo) in a 4-week trial of 126 people.⁸
  • Tea tree oil has caused more published allergic reactions than any other essential oil.⁹

Lavender Oil

• Properties: Calming and soothing.
• Evidence and cautions:
  • Lavender oil is one of the essential oils most often reported to cause allergic contact dermatitis.⁴ Its main component oxidizes in air to form allergens.¹⁰

3. Antioxidants and Vitamins for Scalp Protection

The scalp is often overlooked when it comes to hair care, but it is just as important as the hair itself. Antioxidants and vitamins are common ingredients in scalp and hair products. Evidence from human trials for the individual ingredients listed below is limited. One 24-week placebo-controlled trial tested a shampoo and leave-on regimen containing a combination of piroctone olamine, zinc pyrithione, zinc carbonate, niacinamide, panthenol and caffeine. It found less hair shedding than with placebo, but the authors worked for the manufacturer, and the effect of any single ingredient is not known.¹¹

Phospholipids

• Used in cosmetic products as conditioning and moisturizing ingredients.

Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)

• A form of vitamin A used in cosmetic products.

Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C)

• A fat-soluble form of vitamin C used as an antioxidant ingredient in cosmetic products.

Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)

• A form of vitamin E used as an antioxidant ingredient in cosmetic products.
• It can cause allergic contact dermatitis: 0.9% of 38,699 people patch tested to tocopherol or tocopherol acetate had a positive reaction.¹²

Beta-Carotene

• A plant pigment that the body can convert to vitamin A.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)

• One of the ingredients in the combination regimen that reduced hair shedding compared with placebo in a 24-week trial; the effect of niacinamide alone was not tested.¹¹

Lecithin

• Used in cosmetic products as an emulsifier and conditioning ingredient.

4. Herbal Extracts for Scalp Stimulation

Herbal extracts have been used for centuries in traditional hair care. A 2025 review concluded that herbal remedies show promise for hair loss, but many studies have small samples, short treatment durations and no long-term follow-up.² Plant extracts can also cause skin reactions (see below). The extracts in this section are panax ginseng root, green tea leaf, and calendula flower.

Panax Ginseng Root

• Evidence and cautions:
  • Panax ginseng is among the plants studied for hair loss. These studies are mostly small and short, and their results do not necessarily apply to a ginseng extract in a hair product.^2,13

Green Tea Leaf

• Benefits:
  • Antioxidant-rich.

Calendula Flower Extracts

• Evidence and cautions:
  • Calendula (marigold) belongs to the daisy (Compositae) family and can cause allergic reactions: 2.03% of 443 patch-tested people reacted to marigold.¹⁴

Using Scalp Products Safely, and When to See a Doctor

Allergic reactions

Natural does not mean risk-free. Essential oils, including lavender and tea tree oil, are a recognized cause of allergic contact dermatitis. In a French study of 42 people with allergic contact dermatitis from essential oils, all were sensitized to an oil they used (most often lavender, tea tree and ravintsara), 8 needed hospital care, and 40% had not mentioned using essential oils.⁴ Oxidation increases the allergenic potency of tea tree oil.⁹ Peppermint oil, calendula and vitamin E (tocopherol) have also been reported to cause allergic contact dermatitis.^6,12,14

• Check the ingredient list of any scalp product, including the one below, for essential oils and plant extracts you may be sensitive to.
• As a general precaution, test a new product on a small area of skin, such as the inner forearm, and wait 24 hours before using it on your scalp. Stop using it and see a doctor if you develop redness, itching, swelling or a rash.
• Avoid contact with the eyes.
• Lavender and tea tree oils have been linked to breast enlargement (gynecomastia) in three prepubertal boys; it resolved after products containing them were stopped, and laboratory tests showed estrogen-like and anti-androgen-like activity.¹⁵ Ask a doctor before using products that contain these oils on children.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a skin condition, ask a healthcare provider before using products that contain essential oils.

When to see a doctor

Hair loss can be caused by several conditions, including telogen effluvium (diffuse shedding), alopecia areata (patchy loss) and androgenetic (pattern) hair loss. A clinician can examine the scalp and may order tests such as thyroid-stimulating hormone, a complete blood count and iron studies, and a scalp biopsy is used to confirm scarring hair loss.¹⁶ See a doctor or dermatologist if you have:

• sudden, rapid or patchy hair loss;
• hair loss with scalp pain, burning, redness, sores or scarring;
• hair loss in a child;
• dandruff, itching or a scaly rash that does not improve with a medicated dandruff shampoo used as directed. Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis are related conditions in which fungal colonization of the skin surface is one of several contributing factors.¹⁷

The best-established treatments for male pattern hair loss are medicines, and the right choice depends on the type of hair loss and the person, so ask a doctor.¹

References: (1) Gupta AK, et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(10):e70483. PubMed · DOI (2) Ahmed A, et al. Skin Appendage Disord. 2025;11(4):360-371. PubMed · DOI (3) Phong C, et al. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(7):751-757. PubMed · DOI (4) Barbaud A, et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2023;89(3):190-197. PubMed · DOI (5) Oh JY, et al. Toxicol Res. 2014;30(4):297-304. PubMed · DOI (6) Herro E, et al. Dermatitis. 2010;21(6):327-9. PubMed (7) Panahi Y, et al. Skinmed. 2015;13(1):15-21. PubMed (8) Satchell AC, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002;47(6):852-5. PubMed · DOI (9) de Groot AC, et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2016;75(3):129-43. PubMed · DOI (10) Sköld M, et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2008;58(1):9-14. PubMed · DOI (11) Davis MG, et al. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2021;43 Suppl 1:S14-S25. PubMed · DOI (12) Warshaw EM, et al. Dermatitis. 2021;32(5):308-318. PubMed · DOI (13) Zgonc Škulj A, et al. Arch Dermatol Res. 2020;312(6):395-406. PubMed · DOI (14) Reider N, et al. Contact Dermatitis. 2001;45(5):269-72. PubMed · DOI (15) Henley DV, et al. N Engl J Med. 2007;356(5):479-85. PubMed · DOI (16) Walker CW, et al. JAAPA. 2026;39(9):27-34. PubMed · DOI (17) Borda LJ, et al. J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2015;3(2). PubMed · DOI

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using a new scalp product or supplement, especially if you are pregnant, take prescription medicines, have a skin condition, or are treating a child.