While onion is usually known for its strong smell, onions and onion juice might not be the first things that come to mind of consumer of skin & hair care products as most people don’t want their face and body smelling like onions. But the vegetable is actually a surprisingly rich source of skin-friendly acids and compounds. The infamous tearjerker might even help soften the skin if applied judiciously and its characteristic smell is masked using fragrance.
Onions are a member of the Allium plant family. Onions have been used by many cultures as an essential cooking ingredient. This might partially be because onions appear to fight off microbes and parasites in the digestive system.
Onions are also rich in antioxidants, especially in their outer layers. Many people eat onions for their prebiotic properties, which can ease digestion and promote a healthy microbiome in the colon. Onions have a sulphur component as well as nutrients such as selenium and vitamin C.
We at Kumar Organic developed Kopalleum (Coconut Oil Onion Bulb Ferment Filtrate), which is a ferment filtrate of red onions fermented in coconut oil using Bakers’ Yeast.
It is used in cosmetics for skin as well as hair nourishment. It is magical oil for promoting hair regrowth. Using it on regular basis will effectively prevent and treat baldness. It is rich in sulphur which prevents breakage, split ends and thinning of hair. Other nutrient present in it prevents oxidation of hair.
Selenium content of onion bulb activates the enzymes important for regeneration of important antioxidants that further promote hair growth and regrowth by killing harmful free radicals. It also maintains the regular pH of the hair, preventing premature greying. It also nourishes scalp and improves the blood circulation, thus ensuring thicker and stronger hair growth.
It has high antioxidant activity which protects the skin and hair from damages caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can directly damage various cellular structural membranes, lipids, proteins, and DNA. Controlled fermentation can further enhance the antioxidant activity of Kopalleum.
The major active content in onion is the flavonoids which are potent antioxidants & has high selenium & Sulphur content. Selenium plays a key role to prevent oxidative damage and also hair follicle morphogenesis When selenium is compounded with sulfur to form Selenium sulfide it is absorbed by the outermost layer of scalp cells.
-Vinay Kumar Singh. Head-Formulation Kumar Organic Products Research Centre Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru. Email: formulation_krc@kopresearchcentre.net