Should You Add Cloves To Your Haircare Routine? We Asked A Hair Loss Expert

For many people, hair can play a central role in confidence and self-esteem. Feeling good about your hair is often key in feeling good about your overall appearance, which explains why there are so many haircare hacks doing the rounds on social media. Incorporating cloves into your haircare regimen is just one of the tricks showing up in a stream of social media videos, with several TikTok influencers claiming that they can have hair growth benefits. And unlike many TikTok trends, it looks like there may be some truth to back this up.

According to Misti Barnes, hair loss expert, certified trichologist, and owner of Cellustrious® Hair Rejuvenation, a hair loss treatment clinic in Sarasota, Florida, cloves may help to regrow hair. In an exclusive conversation with Glam, Barnes explains that cloves are packed full of nutrients that can help to create an optimum environment for scalp health and hair growth. Of course, there are many reasons why you may be seeing excessive hair loss, and different causes may require different kinds of treatment in order to see results. But cloves are effective at promoting growth in general, so it's worth adding them to your regimen. 

If you're looking to handle and treat female hair loss, cloves may be a great addition to your haircare routine thanks to their ability to foster a healthy scalp and boost growth. In an exclusive conversation with Glam, Misti Barnes explains that this is because they contain vitamin K and vitamin E, which help control scalp inflammation and improve circulation, and a healthy scalp is key to hair growth. She adds that they also contain manganese, an anti-microbial, flavonoids, which strengthen hair, and eugenol, which can prevent oxidation of the follicle.‌

Both fresh and ground cloves can be effective at promoting hair growth, though concentration can affect your results, as can the length of time between buying your cloves and using them. When it comes to hair treatments, Barnes prefers fresh cloves, which last five years. She explains that ground cloves will lose potency in two years.

‌A skim through TikTok will show you that there are several ways to introduce cloves to your haircare routine, including making clove water to spray on your locks. Misti Barnes, a physician trainer and author of "How to Stop Hair Loss Now," recommends clove oil diluted with emu, coconut, or olive oil, and says you can place it directly onto the scalp. "Resonance and penetration is key, so it's important to leave the mixture on for 30 minutes for best results," she tells Glam exclusively.

Additionally, Barnes recommends making a spray bottle to create a leave-in rinse by taking a handful of fresh cloves, rosemary, and fenugreek and steeping them with a cup of distilled water. Let simmer for 10 minutes, and cool for two to three hours, she advises. After straining, place the water in a spray bottle, but ensure it's not plastic. Next, Barnes says to spray the water into your scalp before bed and don't rinse [it] out until morning. Allowing it to seep into your hair overnight will ensure that the cloves have a chance to work their benefits on your scalp.