Home » Peppermint Oil For Beard Growth: Does It Really Help? [Science Facts]

Peppermint Oil For Beard Growth: Does It Really Help? [Science Facts]

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If you are a fan of our blog, you probably already know that beard oils do not help with beard growth. As we said, many times, brands that claim you can grow your beard faster with their beard oils are lying to you. The only thing beard oils do is moisturize the skin beneath the beard, making it softer and less itchy.

But if you are the type of guy who’s always on top of your grooming game, then you’ve probably heard about peppermint oil for beard growth. It might seem like a fad, but it actually has science behind it! Research has shown that peppermint essential oil may help stimulate facial hair growth. 

Join us as we explore how to use this essential oil in your daily routine, and get ready for some handsome benefits! 

This blog post will cover: what peppermint oil is, why using peppermint oil is good for your beard, how to use peppermint oil in your daily routine, and finally, our favorite uses for this powerful plant-based essential oil! Let’s dive right in…

What is Peppermint Oil?

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a plant that is a hybrid of watermint and spearmint. It has been used for hundreds of years both as a culinary herb and a medicinal plant. It has numerous health benefits, including alleviating symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome, colds, respiratory problems, nausea, stress relief, muscle aches, menstrual cramps, and insomnia.

In addition to its medicinal properties, peppermint oil is a popular essential oil with a fresh, sweet aroma that is uplifting and revitalizing. This pungent essential oil is also used in beard oils and can be found in various skincare and grooming products.

Its extraction process is quite simple. The leaves and flowering tops of the peppermint plant are steam distilled, producing a colorless to pale yellow liquid that has a crisp, pure scent with a slightly cool sensation.

However, it is very volatile, making it susceptible to oxidation. This can make the oil go rancid over time, so store your peppermint essential oil in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

As we mentioned in the intro paragraph, there are studies that have shown that peppermint oil can help with beard growth. So let’s examine this claim a bit more in-depth.

Related article: Does beard oil expire?

Peppermint

Peppermint oil for beard growth

The claim that peppermint oil helps beard growth is based on a recent study that has found that peppermint oil can stimulate the growth of hair in mice. The research was done by applying different solutions to their skin and then observing which solution caused hair follicles in those areas to produce thicker hair.

During the test, 4 different solutions were applied daily for 4 weeks.

These solutions were:

  • Peppermint essential oil PEO
  • Minoxidil MXD
  • Jojoba oil JO
  • Saline control SA
peppermit essential oil study diagram
The diagram with the results of the study

And the results were surprising! While saline control and jojoba oil didn’t help much, both minoxidil and peppermint essential oil showed significant results in just 4 weeks.

The surprising fact is that peppermint oil performed even better than minoxidil (which is great for hair loss) in this study across all areas like growth rate, hair follicle numbers, and increase in IGF-1 and ALP*.

* IGF-1 is a hormone located in the hair follicle that promotes growth. ALP is the enzyme that is responsible for collagen production, which in turn helps with beard growth.

So why did peppermint oil perform better than minoxidil? We believe that it has something to do with one of its main components – menthol. Menthol increases circulation around hair follicles, which in turn increases IGF-1 and collagen production.

But does it mean it will work on your beard too?

Well, the answer is probably. It’s not that easy to extrapolate a study from mice and apply it to humans, even though we have similar skin structures and skin type.

But on the other hand, a lot of mice studies actually work on humans.

The hair follicles of mice and humans are quite similar, and the hormones and enzymes that influence beard hair development and growth are also very similar. So we can assume that peppermint essential oil will also help with beard growth, but we’ll never know for sure unless someone does a study on humans.

Now that you know why peppermint essential oil can stimulate beard hair growth let’s talk about how you can use it to your advantage.

How to use peppermint oil for beard growth?

Ok, let’s talk about how to use it for your beard. The first thing you should avoid doing is applying peppermint essential oil directly to your face. Your face skin is very sensitive, and you can easily irritate it. In fact, this kind of irritation could even bring unwelcome side effects.

Like in the study, the ideal way to use it is to dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil or other skincare product. The ratio used in the study was a 3% solution of peppermint essential oil in a carrier oil.

That means that you should add 3 ml of peppermint essential oil for every 100ml of carrier oil. There are many carrier oils you can choose from, including coconut oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil.

All you have to do to make your 3% beard oil solution is add 3 ml of peppermint essential oil to every 100 ml of carrier oil in a dropper bottle. Shake it a few times, and you’re done your DIY beard oil is ready.

You can then spread this beard oil to your beard, making sure to reach the skin beneath.

You should repeat this process daily for 4 to 12 weeks, depending on how fast your facial hair follicles grow, and after that time, you should start seeing results.

Keep in mind that your beard needs around 4 to 6 months to grow, so don’t be too quick to judge the effectiveness of this method after just one week or even a month. You need patience for this one.

Peppermint oil beard

Peppermint oil Side Effects and Precautions

While peppermint essential oil helps with beard growth, it can cause undesirable side effects.

The most obvious is skin irritation. This is especially true if you’re not used to peppermint essential oil because it’s quite strong and can cause an itchy, burning sensation that’s not entirely pleasant.

As mentioned, it should always be used diluted.

But even when diluted, you should always do a patch test before applying it to your face. Apply a small amount of the beard oil solution to the inside of your elbow and check for any signs of redness, irritation, or even burning after 24 hours.

If everything is okay after 24 hours, you can apply the beard oil solution to areas where you need new facial hair growth.

Another potential side effect is that it can interact with liver and gall bladder medication.

If you’re taking any prescription medicine for those organs, make sure you check with your doctor before adding peppermint oil to your beard care routine.

Finally, if you have pets, make sure that they can’t get into your peppermint beard oil solution because it’s toxic to both cats and dogs.

Peppermint and Testosterone Levels

Before using peppermint oil on your beard, it’s very important to understand how it can affect your testosterone levels.

A common treatment for women battling Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a syndrome caused by high androgens levels, is to drink peppermint tea.

This is because peppermint oil reduces testosterone levels in women and helps fight the symptoms of PCOS when ingested.

Further mice studies suggest that drinking peppermint tea reduces androgens levels in mice as well.

We are mentioning all that because, as you probably know, testosterone and androgen levels are crucial for beard growth. So if you’re aiming at having a majestic beard, you should keep your testosterone levels in check.

So what should you do? Should you use peppermint for your beard or not?

Well, the answer is pretty simple.

You can use a beard oil with peppermint oil in your beard care routine to increase blood flow and IGF-1. However, you should avoid peppermint tea, as it reduces testosterone levels.

There is no correlation between applying peppermint essential oil and low testosterone levels, so applying it topically to your skin and facial hair follicles is safe. You just need to avoid ingesting it.

How fast will my beard grow when using peppermint oil?

You need to be patient to grow a nice beard, even when using peppermint oil. You will need around 30-40 days of daily usage to see the first results.

Peppermint oil is not a miracle worker and requires patience to see hair growth results.

The key is patience and the daily routine of applying the peppermint beard oil solution.

Everyone has his own pace when it comes to growing a nice beard, so you need to be patient if you want to see good results with this method.

doterra Peppermint oil

Is peppermint oil better than minoxidil?

We don’t like to compare different beard-growing products and essential oils; there’s no perfect solution to growing a nice, thick, big beard fast.

Every product has its unique set of pros and cons, so we recommend you try them out and see the results you get from them.

Conclusion

We really enjoyed writing this article as there were a lot of contradictory studies, so we had to do a lot of research.

So when we gathered all the evidence, it became clear that there is concrete evidence that proves peppermint oil can help with beard growth if you know how to use it.

We hope you enjoyed this article… If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comments section below!… We reply pretty fast…

And don’t forget to share the article if you find it useful!

Peace!

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