Clorophyll is a plant-derived green pigment that's thought to have health and cosmetic benefits. Many hair product manufacturers that include chlorophyll suggest that this compound can improve hair quality and appearance.
But is chlorophyll actually proven in research studies to improve hair quality? How about hair appearance? Are oral or topical chlorophyll products better for hair? And are there any side effects to its use?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on chlorophyll for hair to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective.
We'll feature three surprising research findings on chlorophyll for hair, and share our thoughts about whether oral or topical use of chlorophyll makes more sense.
Key takeaways:
- Chlorophyll may improve hair health and delay hair loss
- Oral chlorophyll may be superior to topical
- Our top liquid chlorophyll pick contains no unhealthy additives
Three Benefits of Chlorophyll for Hair
While we can't identify any clinical studies directly testing chlorophyll's effect on hair, we located some interesting research studies suggesting that chlorophyll may indirectly benefit hair:
Potential Benefit #1 — Delayed Hair Loss
A 2023 medical review examined the many health benefits of chlorophyll, one of which is its potent antioxidant effects.
Oxidative stress in the body is clinically shown to be a "pivotal mechanism" for hair greying and hair loss.
This suggests that consumption of chlorophyll may delay hair loss and hair greying, because its antioxidant effect can mitigate these oxidative processes.
Potential Benefit #2 — Improved Hair Follicle Health
Chlorophyll is not only rich in phytonutrients, it may improve mineral status.
As documented on an Oregon State University resource page, magnesium is contained in chlorophyll, and some commercial preparations of chlorophyll contain other minerals such as zinc, iron or copper.
A medical review published in the Dermatology and Therapy journal suggests that nutrient deficiencies can cause hair loss, and have a negative impact on hair follicle health.
This means that using chlorophyll may improve hair follicle health, by naturally enhancing nutrient status.
Potential Benefit #3 — Reduced Hair Shedding
Hair shedding is associated with increased inflammation in the body, at least according to a 2022 medical study.
Chlorophyll was shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in a clinical trial published in the Inflammation journal.
This suggests that chlorophyll may reduce hair shedding by reducing inflammation in the body.
Is Oral or Topical Chlorophyll Better?
Chlorophyll can be taken orally (in food or supplement form), or topically (applied to the skin).
We consider oral chlorophyll use to be more likely to be effective for supporting hair quality, because all three of the medical studies cited in the previous section involved systemic effects of chlorophyll.
Nature's Sunshine Liquid Chlorophyll is our top chlorophyll supplement pick, because it has no unhealthy additives.
The vast majority of chlorophyll supplements on Amazon that we analyzed while researching this article contained either flavoring additives or citric acid; both inactive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Nature's Sunshine Liquid Chlorophyll costs well under $1 per serving at the time of updating this article.
It's also worth noting that we haven't come across any clinical evidence of side effects with chlorophyll use.
