Can Nigella sativa oil enhance eyebrow appearance?

The essential point to remember.

Proper eyebrow care helps maintain their suppleness and comfort.
Nigella sativa oil can soften and coat eyebrow hairs thanks to its high concentration of fatty acids.
No study has shown that black seed oil stimulates eyebrow growth, although certain mechanisms observed on the scalp raise a theoretical interest.
The antifungal properties of thymoquinone present in Nigella sativa suggest it could be relevant for eyebrow seborrheic dermatitis, but this still needs experimental confirmation.

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Nigella sativa (black cumin) oil for eyebrow care: is it a good idea?

Like hair or beard, eyebrows require regular maintenance to keep a consistent and well-groomed appearance. Beyond plucking or daily brushing, some people choose to apply a plant oil to coat the hairs and visually enhance the look of their eyebrows. The Nigella sativa oil, extracted from the seeds of Nigella sativa, is sometimes used for this purpose due to its high lipid content and biological properties. In practice, it is applied with a clean brush, usually in the evening, in very small amounts to avoid weighing down the eyebrows, as Nigella sativa oil remains relatively greasy by nature.

Nigella oil can soften and nourish the eyebrows.

Nigella seed oil is primarily valued for its cosmetic benefits because it can soften and sheath eyebrow hairs. Its enveloping texture comes from its high content of fatty acids—mostly unsaturated—which form a lipid film on the hair’s surface. This film helps reduce dryness and protects the eyebrows from daily external aggressors, such as friction, makeup, or the makeup removal repeated.

The nigella oil also contains a fraction of saturated fatty acids, notably palmitic acid, whose structure is similar to that of certain lipids naturally present in the hair cuticle. By analogy with what has been reported for other vegetable oils, these lipids may partially integrate with the hair surface and enhance cuticle cohesion. A more uniform cuticle reduces porosity of the hair and contributes to better protection of the cortex, the central region rich in keratin that provides strength and flexibility to the hair. Although these mechanisms remain to be demonstrated in dedicated scientific studies, they could explain why nigella oil can improve the appearance of coarse or weakened eyebrows.

Can black seed oil promote eyebrow growth?

Nigella oil is sometimes associated with a positive effect on hair growth, which may prompt its extrapolation to eyebrow use. Indeed, its antioxidant properties could help protect the hair follicle from oxidative stress, a recognized factor in the progressive weakening of the bulb and in certain forms of hair loss. Furthermore, thymoquinone, one of Nigella’s main bioactive components, has anti-inflammatory properties that can influence follicular dynamics. Experimental studies suggest it may inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and reduce prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) synthesis, a molecule found at high concentrations in balding regions. PGD2, via its GPR44 receptor, is involved in follicle miniaturization, a process leading to the production of ever-thinner hairs. By modulating this pathway, Nigella oil could theoretically limit certain mechanisms associated with hair loss.

These hypotheses are partially supported by a clinical study conducted in twenty patients with telogen effluvium, a hair loss diffuse condition linked to a premature shift of follicles into the telogen phase. After three months of daily application of a lotion containing 0.5% nigella oil, participants exhibited a significant increase in hair density and thickness compared to the control group, which used the same lotion but without nigella oil.

90%

Participants in the nigella oil group exhibited an increase in hair density.

30%

Participants in the placebo group exhibited an increase in capillary density.

However, these results pertain to the scalp. No study has yet evaluated the effect of pure Nigella sativa oil on eyebrow growth, so caution is warranted.

Black seed (Nigella sativa) oil to prevent eyebrow dandruff?

4.38%

Estimated global prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis (a meta-analysis of 121 studies involving over one million clinically diagnosed individuals).

60%

Patients with seborrheic dermatitis exhibited eyebrow involvement (study conducted with 30 patients).

As with the beard and scalp, the eyebrows can provide a favorable environment for fungal and bacterial overgrowth, ultimately leading to irritation, itching, or the formation of dandruff. This localized flaking is often linked to an imbalance in the skin microbiota and to the proliferation of yeasts of the genus Malassezia, naturally present on the skin. Nigella oil is sometimes cited for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which could theoretically help purify this area.

The antifungal properties of black cumin are primarily attributed to its thymoquinone, a compound capable of disrupting the integrity of cell membranes in certain microorganisms, causing leakage of essential cellular constituents and their eventual elimination. A in vitro study thus compared different oils of Nigella sativa with varying thymoquinone and free fatty acid contents to assess their antimicrobial activity against several agents, including Malassezia furfur. The results demonstrate that growth inhibition ofMalassezia is maximal when the oil contains a high thymoquinone concentration (around 3%) combined with a low free fatty acid content, whereas oils with lower thymoquinone levels show markedly reduced antifungal activity.

Zone d'inhibition de Malassezia furfur pour différentes huiles de nigelle contenant différentes concentrations de thymoquinone (TQ) et d'acides gras libres (FFA). Le pyrithione de zinc est ici utilisé comme contrôle positif. — Inhibition zone of Malassezia furfur for various Nigella sativa oils containing different concentrations of thymoquinone (TQ) and free fatty acids (FFA). Zinc pyrithione is used here as a positive control.
Source: VON OPPEN-BEZALEL L. & al. Antimicrobial activity by a unique composition of cold pressed Nigella sativa seed (black cumin) oil. Food Science and Nutrition Research (2021).

However, vegetable black cumin oils commonly used in cosmetics generally contain less than 1% thymoquinone, which significantly limits the extrapolation of these results. Thus, although thymoquinone has demonstrated antifungal activity, it is uncertain that black cumin oil, as it is typically applied to the eyebrows, can exert a significant effect on Malassezia and effectively prevent dandruff.