Can CBD Really Help Prevent Hair Loss?

In the last several years CBD has all but been dubbed a miracle solution to everyone's physical and mental problems. Bad back? Take some CBD. Depression? Take some CBD. Your dog is freaking out during fireworks? Well, there are CBD gummies that are going to chill your dog right out, or so the packaging is likely to say. But CBD, short for cannabidiol, which is a naturally-occurring chemical found in marijuana, can't possibly be the cure for everything — can it?

"My practice has patients walking in every day asking about CBD," Dr. Houman Danesh, director of integrative pain management for the Mount Sinai Hospital, tells Health. He adds that while there's anecdotal evidence of CBD's benefits, the jury is still out on just how effective it really is. "Right now, you just have pharmacies trying to make some sort of sense out of it and say, 'Yes, it works for this,'" says Danesh. "But that's not the way medicine is practiced — it should be based on evidence, and there's not a lot of evidence to really support these claims."

As for its effect on dogs with anxiety and other ailments? That evidence is also anecdotal (via American Kennel Club). Which brings us to hair. Can CBD prevent hair loss or even promote regrowth?

What CBD research has shown is that it aids in reducing inflammation, like that due to arthritis (via National Library of Medicine). According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry, those same anti-inflammatory properties can also affect the scalp. "The actual active [ingredient] ... can help psoriasis and eczema," Henry tells Brydie. She adds that CBD oil is a good option for women seeking an alternative to traditional medicine.

Before you go running out to drop lots of cash on a CBD product that promises you'll have lovely, full locks like Timothée Chalamet by tomorrow morning, hold up. "I have not seen any studies about [CBD oil] directly stimulating hair growth," says Henry. 

Still, she says having a healthy scalp promotes healthier hair overall because "reducing inflammation is encouraging hair growth and protecting the hair." So, while some people may see no changes at all, others might swear they see a difference when using CBD.

While it's often believed to primarily affect people who were assigned male at birth, hair loss is extremely common for many people, and for a variety of reasons: genes, hormones, emotional trauma, adverse reaction to medication, and more (via Healthline). While some people are able to embrace their hair loss, others can't and that's totally normal. If that latter group wants to give CBD a try, it's unlikely going to do them any harm. "CBD strengthens the proteins in your hair, which improves its overall appearance — and protects strands from breakage in the future," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Jeannette Graf tells MarthaStewart.com.

So, if you want to give CBD a try in the hopes that it will prevent future hair loss or promote growth, then go for it. Even if you don't get the results you're dreaming of in regard to thickness, the locks you do have will look shinier and healthier because of it.