THE ONION OBSESSION

This humble DIY ingredient is set to change your hair care game

- HENA DESAI

In the name of natural beauty and DIYs, I’m always up for trying even the most bizarre ingredients in skincare cocktails – egg yolks, beer, mushrooms, and more. Some stained my skin, some made a mess in the shower, while some left a nasty scent. Case in point: Onions. The thought of cutting up onions and squeezing the juice on your hair sounds gross – I can literally smell it as I type this. But the fact is, it’s not just moms who advocate its use in your care routine – back in 2016, a ‘hack’ of rubbing onions on your brows went viral after the Internet’s most famous beauty gurus, Huda Khattan and Farah Dhukai, admitted to doing that for accelerating hair growth. Even Tweak founder Twinkle Khanna and actor Sara Ali Khan, who have both inherited a luscious crop of hair from their mothers, claim to maintain them with homemade potions of onion juice. But does it really work? Is it safe? How do you get rid of the smell? Don’t dismiss it as just another ghar ka nuskha yet, there’s a science that makes the onion such an unexpected haircare hero.

DECODING THE HYPE