Viral Hack Checked: Clove Water Spray for Faster Hair Growth?
Verdict: Waste of time. There’s no good evidence that spraying clove water on your scalp grows hair faster or thicker, and strong clove preparations can sting and irritate the skin. If your hair is falling, the useful move is finding out why.
Before you start
- Verdict: Waste of time for hair growth.
- What clove water is: cloves boiled or steeped in water, sprayed on the scalp.
- What it might do: leave a nice smell, and a mild sting if it’s strong.
- What it can’t do: wake up follicles, reverse thinning or fix a deficiency.
- What helps more: a few simple blood tests and a doctor’s look at your scalp.
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A pot of water, a fistful of laung, a spray bottle and a promise of “double hair growth in 30 days”. Clove water is the newest cousin of rosemary water, and it spreads because cloves are in every kitchen and the smell feels medicinal. But hair is slow, stubborn biology. Does clove water grow hair? No, not in any way that’s been shown. This check covers why the claim sounds convincing, what clove really does on skin, and the real reasons behind hair fall. It’s in our Viral Hacks Checked series.
Where the clove water claim comes from
Cloves contain eugenol, an oily chemical with a strong smell and a numbing, warming feel. That’s why clove oil has been used for toothache for centuries. Videos stretch this into “it boosts blood flow to the scalp” and “it’s antifungal, so it stops hair fall”.
Both sound plausible. Neither adds up to growth. A warm tingle isn’t the same as more blood reaching the root in a lasting way, and even if it were, blood flow isn’t what’s holding most people’s hair back. Lab tests on eugenol killing fungus in a dish tell you nothing about hair on a human head.
The trend also borrows credibility from rosemary. One small trial compared rosemary oil with minoxidil, and our look at rosemary water versus minoxidil explains how thin even that evidence is. Clove doesn’t have a trial like that at all.
Why people swear it worked
Three things make almost any hair spray look like it’s working.
First, shedding comes in waves. Hair fall after a fever, stress, a crash diet or childbirth often settles by itself within six months. If you started spraying during the bad patch, the spray gets the credit.
Second, attention changes habits. People who start a hair routine also tend to eat better, sleep more and stop tight hairstyles.
Third, hair grows about a centimetre a month whatever you do. Baby hairs appear at the hairline after any shedding phase, and they look like proof.
Hair fall that stops on its own makes every remedy look brilliant.
Myth: stronger clove water works better
This is where the hack can do harm. Some videos use clove oil in the spray, or boil the cloves down to a dark, strong brew. Clove oil is harsh on skin. Undiluted or used often, it can cause redness, burning, itching and allergic rashes. A scalp that’s red and scratched sheds more, not less.
Clove oil must never be swallowed and must be kept well away from children, since even small amounts can be dangerous to them. Our laung uses and cautions guide sets out where cloves are genuinely useful and where they’re not.
Stop any scalp spray that stings, burns, itches or leaves red patches, and rinse with plain water. Never apply clove oil neat on skin, and keep bottles out of children’s reach. See a doctor soon for hair coming out in clumps, round bald patches, a scaly or pus-filled scalp, hair fall with weight loss, tiredness or heavy periods, or thinning that keeps getting worse over three months. Any prescribed hair-loss medicine is something your doctor starts, adjusts or stops, not a spray bottle.
What really causes hair fall, and how to test for it
Most hair fall has a findable reason. ELI5: each hair lives for a few years, rests, then drops out and gets replaced. Hair fall becomes a problem when too many hairs rest at once, or when new ones come in thinner.
| Cause | Common clue | How it’s checked |
|---|---|---|
| Shedding after a shock (telogen effluvium) | Sudden fall two to three months after fever, surgery, childbirth or crash dieting | History and a gentle pull test |
| Low iron stores | Tiredness, heavy periods, pale skin | Ferritin and CBC blood tests |
| Thyroid problems | Weight change, feeling cold or hot, dry skin | TSH blood test |
| Pattern hair loss | Slow thinning at the crown or temples, family history | A doctor’s scalp exam |
| Traction or scalp infection | Thin edges, itching, scaly patches | Scalp exam, sometimes a scraping |
Our guide to 15 hair growth remedies versus hair biology goes through the popular kitchen fixes one by one against what the hair root actually needs.
What to do this month instead of clove water
- Count roughly how much you shed on a wash day for a week. Losing up to about 100 hairs a day is normal; clumps are not.
- Think back three months: a fever, dengue, typhoid, a new baby, sudden weight loss or big stress are the usual triggers.
- Book a doctor visit and ask about a CBC, ferritin, TSH and vitamin D. Bring your list of triggers.
- Eat a proper plate: some protein at each meal (daal, eggs, chicken, dahi) and iron-rich food with a vitamin C source.
- Loosen tight styles and swap thin elastics for soft scrunchies.
- Wash as often as your scalp needs, with a gentle shampoo. Washing doesn’t cause hair fall; it only collects hairs that were already loose.
- Take a photo of your parting in good light today and again in three months. It’s the fairest way to judge any change.
Clove water for hair questions
Does clove water help hair growth?
There’s no good evidence that it does. Cloves smell strong and feel warming, but nothing shows a clove spray makes hair grow faster or thicker on people.
How long does clove water take to work for hair?
It isn’t known to work at all, so there’s no honest timeline. Any hair change you notice in a few months is more likely normal regrowth after a shedding phase.
Is clove water better than rosemary water?
Neither is proven, but rosemary at least has one small trial behind it. Clove has none. Both are weak compared with finding and fixing the cause of hair fall.
Can clove oil damage the scalp?
Yes. Clove oil is strong and can cause burning, redness, itching and allergic rashes, especially neat or used often. Irritated skin can shed more hair.
Does clove water stop dandruff?
It isn’t a reliable dandruff fix. A medicated anti-dandruff shampoo, lathered and left for a few minutes, works much better for the yeast behind most dandruff.
Is clove water safe during pregnancy?
Plain weak clove water on the scalp is unlikely to be harmful, but it’s also unlikely to help. Pregnancy hair changes are normal, and hair fall after delivery usually settles by itself.
Can children use clove water on their hair?
There’s no reason to. Clove oil is dangerous if a child swallows it, and bottles of home sprays are easy for children to get hold of.
Which tests should I do for hair fall?
A doctor usually starts with a complete blood count, ferritin (iron stores), TSH (thyroid) and sometimes vitamin D. The right tests depend on your history.
Why does my hair fall more after washing?
Washing collects hairs that were already loose, so it looks worse on wash days. Washing less just saves them for the next wash.
When should I see a doctor for hair fall?
If you lose hair in clumps, see round bald patches, have a scaly or painful scalp, or thinning keeps worsening over three months. Hair fall with tiredness or heavy periods needs checking too.