I’m always down to read about celeb beauty secrets to see which ones are accessible for a normal person and whether or not I might want to try them myself. I’m already good with my skincare routine, but I’m typically very interested to see what hair care products Black celebrities are using and recommending. (I also love when celebs show their natural hair texture). But I don’t know that I’ll be adding this one to my routine. Cardi B is saying that the secret to her shiny, healthy hair is washing it with the water from boiled onions.
Cardi B is peeling back the layers behind her beauty secrets.
While the “WAP” rapper may have access to the best treatments and products on the market, she revealed the secret to her healthy hair is a particular tear-inducing pantry staple : onions.
“My last 2 washes I been boiling onions and using the water to wash my hair,” the Grammy winner’s Aug. 12 Instagram message read. “I used to do this 6 years ago when I started my healthy hair growth journey. I stopped cause I got really lazy.”
Although one would expect for the onions to smell, Cardi pointed out that her homemade treatment is odorless, adding, “I notice [sic] that it’s been giving a shine to my hair.”
The 29-year-old posted close-up shots of her hip-length hair to showcase the progress she’s made. In one video selfie, the star’s hair gleamed in the sunlight and looked silky smooth.
Cardi didn’t dive any deeper into her regimen, but Healthline previously reported that there are benefits to incorporating onion juice into one’s routine.
“Onion juice may be effective for hair loss in some instances,” the outlet claimed. “It may also restore luster and shine. Onion juice could also prevent premature graying of hair and treat dandruff.”
Considering the “Press” rapper is planning to launch her own cosmetics line after filing a trademark for Bardi Beauty in April 2021, it’s no surprise she’s whipping up effective potions.
I think it’s the onion thing that’s tripping me up. I like onions, and therefore the scent of cooked onions is mouth-watering to an extent. However, I don’t like them enough to want to smell even faintly of onions. Cardi does say it’s odorless, but I’m skeptical since it takes multiple tooth brushes after eating something oniony to get rid of the smell. Maybe the boiling removes most of the scent, but my (many) hair products already have a rather prominent scent, so I’m not sure I want to add to that. All Cardi says is that the onion water wash is part of her healthy hair journey and it added shine. Shine isn’t really one of my hair goals, but the Healthline article cited in the story mentions onions might be helpful for hair loss, which I find intriguing. My hair hasn’t been the same since 2020 so anything that encourages growth is interesting to me. Also, Cardi is planning to launch her own beauty line and is always honest about her plastic surgery, so this onion trick is probably legit.
The reason why her hair grew is because she was washing and conditioning it regularly and wearing it in protective styles (which wearing a wig is). Nothing can change the rate of your hair growth – it’s genetic. Women who are pregnant experience extra hair growth due to hormones. Natural hair stylists BEG people to stop putting FOOD in their hair. It does literally nothing.
She said that was 6 years ago so it would be before she had kids.
Not to mention many women after pregnancy have hair loss and in some case losses teeth.
This is 100% true, but the majority of people concerned about hair growth/health do not want to listen to facts like this. This is evidenced by the tens of billions of dollars spent on hair care products per year. Its honestly amazing.
Apparently this is legit because of the high sulphuric content of onions, however there are certainly other commercial options to get the benefit without the smell. Even if your hair doesn’t smell after the treatment, boiling the onions and soaking your hair will definitely smell up your house.
Do you cook?
most everyone has cooked onions.
As soon as she posted it, people were yelling at her that it was all genetics and that her “trick” was nonsense. Thing is, she’s had the same genetics all her life, she’s had her hair in protective styles when she was younger as well and her hair has never been this long and healthy.
Now, do onions work magic? Probably not. It’s more likely that she has a more regular, thourough hair care routine now that she’s rich and getting her hair styled and looked after by professionals, but I wouldn’t discount the onion water magic either.
Is she saying that the boiled onion water coats the strands prevents split ends thereby reducing breakage? That’s the only way I can see it promoting hair length.
When did she get another face?
Is it another face or just less makeup? She’s very pretty in that last photo with more natural makeup.
I think that’s an extremely flattening/flattering filter.
Food does nothing for your hair. I take that back, lime juice will give you mild highlights if you live in a sunny area, and honey is an excellent conditioner if you work in a windy environment. Your hair WILL NOT MOVE. Washes out softer too. Thank me later.
Growing up in the 70s people used beer on their hair and even mayo as a conditioner.
child of the ’70s… we used lemon juice for streaks.
unless we could get mom to buy Sun-In!
So, I don’t think I’m down to try onion water. However, please keep posting things like this. I’m biracial so hair care is a continuous journey for me. I have circle of friends and my sister whose hair really doesn’t fit into either Black or white and we’re constantly trying and swapping products. I’m always down to hear new stuff as long as it isn’t damaging.
same here, will do!
Me three! Would love some articles on biracial hair care.
Cardi is a real one cause she could be using her fame to peddle bullshit to us, but instead she is giving out all the tips and tricks that she uses from her kitchen. She has shared her hair masks before using avocados and eggs etc. I don’t know if they work but I appreciate that she is sharing what she honestly believes that works, rather than making bank on our insecurities.
And that’s why I love her. She talks like a real person who actually cares about people.
The stuff she talks about comes from generations of women. My grandmother and mom made hair masks in the 1970s of things like avocado and olive oil. The onion water is interesting. If someone gets results, it will be worth it for them. I haven’t tried her recipes, but my Mexican mom and her family did stuff like this all the time. If they didn’t get some kind of results, they wouldn’t do it.
And I understand what chemists and hair stylists mean about the molecular structure of hair and how food doesn’t absorb into hair follicles, but the coating of oil left after these treatments does makes hair feel better to the touch and more manageable immediately after the treatment. If done regularly and if the hair is not over heated, it prevents some damage. When I use coconut oil on my hair for every conditioning, it grows longer with almost no split ends. If I stop doing that, the structure seems to break down and the ends become dry, so I have to trim my hair more.
I am 53 and have curly hair. It’s drier now that I am older, but I think that diet and care, like coconut oil, have helped. I’ve been lazy lately, though.
Me four. Black and white and hair without a home. 🥰 still trying to figure it out. But since I tangle easily I’m deciding to embrace the locs and do medium sized locs that I’ll maintain myself. I’ll keep y’all posted. 💗🤞
I hear that rice water does the same thing. I will stick with my castor oil
I actually kind of buy this. Have you ever had pan that food sticks to, even when you heat the oil first? Sauté some onion in it and it magically becomes non stick. It’s the reason why Korean bbqs always do the onion first.
So I’d imagine it would work as a lubricant that could protect and help make your hair shiny.
Doubt I’ll try it though.
“cardi b credits her hair to having latina genes”
– there, fixed it.
Excusez-moi but that is not Cardi B> or she’s had a face transplant. Without identification by the article I would have never known.
I’ve always liked her. I do hope she stops with the plastic surgery, though. I bet it’s a big temptation with her high income and the industry she works in.
I had sudden hair loss, and it turned out that I needed a thyroid med…small but daily dosage.
Meanwhile, I heard the tip about onion juice regrowing hair, and yes, it did for me…remarkably well! It was straight up onion juice (which is just as smelly as it sounds) applied to the roots, left for 20 mins or so and washed out. The shampoo doesn’t get rid of the smell, so I did a vinegar rinse at the end. When the vinegar dries it removes about 80-90% of the smell. However, if it’s winter and you wear hats, this is terrible, because the onion smell will build up and when you remove your hat, and you will naturally get several seats to yourself on the bus! I was living in the tropics at the time, so this was not a problem for me.
You can see the baby hairs growing back (my hairline had suddenly thinned and receded!) and my hairline and normal thickness returned. They’ve been stable since. I do get my thyroid checked and continue the meds. So you do have to get other things checked too. My cousin did this as well for her hair and she said it worked too.
Did someone just get a fresh keratin treatment or what? 🤔
Looks gorgeous!
I discovered keratin treatments a couple of years ago and they’re such a game changer.
A few years back I was travelling in Spain and saw an onion shampoo in the supermarket. I did a double take (and checked my basic spanish) but there it was, picture of an onion on the bottle and everything. So is this a thing in Spain?
It works. Onion and rice water. Even onion oil. Black African( Kenyan) testifying . Should be careful though if you make the stuff in batches and store. IT WILL BURN.
I’ve heard of using onion juice for hair loss. I’ve just started using onion oil mixed with some powders and other oils as a hair mask then shampoo and condition in that order because of the smell. This video convinced me to give onion oil a try https://youtu.be/B4T-Pwfnt38