Do Marijuana Benefits Include Hair Growth?

We have really only just begun to scratch the surface of our knowledge about marijuana. For such a long period of time it has been attached to a negative stigma and been illegal, which has frightened scientists away from exploration. But now that 33 states have legalized medical marijuana and over 20 percent of the country has legalized recreational weed, it’s become less and less of a stigma to explore. As a result, new marijuana benefits are being uncovered all the time. One new question being posed by weed consumers relates to a sensitive subject for many: hair. Some users who consume marijuana 3 to 5 times a week have reported noticing that their hair grows a lot faster. Still others wonder if marijuana and hair loss are related. Is this an imagined event or does marijuana really make your hair grow faster?

UPDATE: Don’t Want to Smoke Weed? Try Hemp Oil for Hair Growth

There’s also a theory in the community that you don’t have to smoke cannabis to enjoy the rumored hair growth benefits of marijuana. Hemp oil’s properties may be conducive to speeding up hair growth. That’s because hemp is a great source of omega 3 (not to mention omegas 6 and 9) and keratin, all of which have been linked to hastening hair growth. Can hemp oil help someone who’s totally bald? Probably not. Its rumored effects seem to only apply to speeding up the growth process of what’s already there. But hemp oil is also said to strengthen your hair due to its abundance of fatty acids. One easy way to apply hemp oil to the roots of your hair is with a dab syringe, which also helps you measure how much you’re using!

But if you are going to smoke or vaporize marijuana or hemp to gain these benefits, you’ll definitely need some smoking accessories. The nice thing here is that there are numerous smoking and vaping options for cannabis, including those that are less harsh on your lungs. For instance, a bubbler or bong uses water to filter the smoke, resulting in less throat and lung irritation. Dry herb and concentrate vaporizers provide the same benefit, and many say they’re even smoother. But if you’re looking for a no muss, no fuss way to consume cannabis once or twice a week, a good old fashioned weed pipe is probably the accessory for you.

Balancing Estrogen

As it turns out there are a few hypothesized reasons for the hair growth associated with marijuana consumption. Firstly, marijuana can lower testosterone and increase estrogen levels. High estrogen levels causes hair growth. The problem with this scenario is that high estrogen levels are problematic on a physical level for both men and women. While it may cause problematic periods for women with excess bleeding and cramping, the manifestation of high estrogen in men is baldness. So there is an inherent problem in that the higher estrogen levels both speed up hair growth as well as creating hair loss. So, does weed make your hair grow or does smoking weed cause hair loss? It’s probably healthier on this level not to increase estrogen levels. In order to do this, avoid soy altogether, limit beer intake, and be sure to get enough zinc in your diet.

Maintaining a Healthy Metabolism

Another way that marijuana can be linked to hair growth is through metabolism. Marijuana benefits include a faster metabolic rate, which relates to how your body as a whole metabolizes. This means digestion is faster, the body’s systems work more quickly, and even aging can come on more rapidly. To avoid the negative aspects of a faster metabolism, it is good to consume antioxidants, herbs such as schizandra, eat alkalizing foods such as green vegetables, and drink enough water. Then you have the ability to protect your body while enjoying a healthy metabolism and (hopefully) no marijuana hair loss.

How Marijuana Benefits Stress Relief

A final proposition for how marijuana may increase hair growth is through its effect on stress levels. One big cause of hair loss is stress. Marijuana benefits most definitely include positive effects on mood, depression, insomnia and stress. Marijuana helps many people cope with stress, eradicating it almost instantly after consumption. It is also a powerful antidepressant which helps to stabilize stress levels in general. Stress is the cause of multiple physical ailments in general so weed can become a way of easing the pressures of life on the body. Hair loss can be a manifestation of stress and can possibly be avoided through marijuana use.

So while there’s some evidence to indicate that marijuana can help with hair growth, it is probably not the best direct option. Using it solely for those purposes may not be an effective solution. However, if you’re using marijuana to cope with stress, you may notice hair loss prevention as a welcome side effect.

Have you noticed hair growth with the use of marijuana, or have you noticed a connection between smoking weed and hair loss slowing down? Let us know in the comments!