What are the best oils for hair growth? For those of us lucky enough to have hair, there is an implicit desire to keep that hair as thick as possible. Hair growth and thickness almost naturally go hand-in-hand.
Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with having that kind of mane. Aside from people who suffer from premature baldness and thinness of hair, it is not unusual to find products that claim that they can actually help hair growth. Among them are a few choice oils that many believe can thicken hair.
Hair Loss
While it is commonplace to find bald or balding men, women have also been shown to suffer from baldness.
Also known as alopecia, hair loss can affect just your scalp or the entire body and it can be temporary or permanent. Some reasons for hair loss include heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions, or just simply getting older.
Hereditary hair loss is the most common cause of baldness. Many people try to hide it with hairstyles, wigs, makeups, hats, and other methods.
Natural Oils for Hair Growth
Of course, it would be ideal to find a natural option, versus a synthetic, chemical, or surgical means of restoring lost hair.
Zizyphus Jujuba Essential Oil
A study conducted in 2010 using mice as test subjects sought to examine the efficacy of essential oil from seeds of Zizyphus jujuba for its potential role in hair growth. After 21 days, mice treated with 1% and 10% of oil produced a greater effect on the length of hair. The growth measured was between 9.96 and 10.02 mm.
Peppermint Oil
Meanwhile, a 2014 study also involving mice studied the effect of peppermint oil (Mentha pipirita) on hair growth. Peppermint oil has already been widely used as a carminative and gastric simulant on top of being a fragrance component and skin conditioning agent. The results of this study suggest that peppermint oil induces a rapid anagen stage. This shows promiseas a practical agent for hair growth without change in body weight gain and food efficiency.
Who would have thought that peppermint would be a versatile herb and one of the considered oils for hair growth?
Pumpkin Seed Oil
Another study in 2014 was conducted to directly treat the disease that is moderate androgenetic alopecia. People suffering from this disease find themselves losing hair all over their body over the course of several years. The men who were given the pumpkin seed oil supplement for 24 weeks had a positive anabolic effect on hair growth.
Research shows that natural products, such as grape seed and rosemary oil, are possible alternative treatments for moderate androgenetic alopecia due to improved scalp blood flow. Over-the-counter solutions have been hitting the market in the form of minoxidil and finasteride, but a few side effects have been recorded from their use. Thus, the search for an answer found in natural oils continues.
Alopecia or hair loss can be a traumatic experience. This is particularly true for sudden hair loss and for those accustomed to having thick, long hair.
What are the best oils for hair growth? Those that have been studied are pumpkin seed, peppermint, and jujuba oils. But the search for natural oils for hair growth continues! While there are no clear answers to this problem, inroads have been made, especially in terms of natural oils for hair growth. These oils may just hold the key to a viable solution to this long-standing problem.
Learn more about Hair and Scalp Care here.
