Emu Oil For Hair Loss
Hair loss affects both men and women. By the age of thirty-five, 40% of men will have noticeable hair loss. For women, 65% will suffer obvious hair loss by age 60.
Drug treatments include Minoxidil (the ingredient in Rogaine) which is a vasodilator (a group of medicines that dilate blood vessels to increase blood flow); and Finasteride, the generic name for Propecia) a type of steroid that stimulates hair follicles.
Both treatments take at least a year to produce obvious results and any time away from treatment causes a recurrence of hair loss. Therefore, one would need to continue using them forever. Additionally, these drugs are pricey and come with some very unpleasant side effects such as weight gain, decreased sex drive and groin pain.
Getting To the Root of Hair Loss
Many factors contribute to hair loss: aging, hormonal changes, medications, and genetics. But in most cases, the ultimate mechanism that results in hair loss is actually hair degradation. With aging, a substance called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes hair follicles to shorten their active phase. Hairs will transform from thick, strong hairs into fragile, colorless ones. Despite their lifeless appearance, most of these hairs are still alive and connected to a steady supply of blood, just dormant. However, as the cycle shortens, more and more hairs die and fall out. Over time, all the follicles will become too thin to survive, and complete hair loss may result.
The key to reversing hair loss is to waken your sleeping hair follicles before it's too late.
Emu Oil “Wakes Up” 80% of Sleeping Hair Follicles
Professor Michael Hollick, M.D., Ph.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine, led a groundbreaking investigation into emu oil's ability to revive hair follicles. Hollick found that treating skin with emu oil resulted in a 20% increase in hair growth activity, compared to skin treated with placebo oils.
Hollick also noted the hair follicles were “much more robust,” and that “skin thickness was remarkably increased, suggesting that emu oil for hair loss, both stimulated skin growth and hair growth.” Perhaps the most remarkable finding was that emu oil awakened over 80% of hair follicles that had been “asleep” and caused hair to start growing again!
Emu Oil's ability to plump skin and increase blood flow is the key to these results. A thinning scalp restricts the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the follicles and decreases the lymphatic systems ability to take away wastes which can further plug the follicles.
Dr. Margaret C. Craig-Schmidt, Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Auburn University, said, “The high presence of oleic acid in the emu oil may be one of the reasons that [emu oil] is able to penetrate the skin to a large degree and at the same time be able to carry active compounds through the skin where they can have an effect in the body.”
How to Use Emu Oil to Regrow Hair
- According to hair re-growth experts, emu oil should be massaged into the scalp 3 times daily to maximize results.
- Whenever convenient, apply a larger quantity of oil and leave it on for 20-30 minutes or overnight before rinsing.
- When one follows this protocol, signs of re-growth usually become evident within 30-90 days.
- In addition, it is recommended that you avoid hair care products with ingredients that can aggravate hair follicles; harsh detergents like SLS; parabens and other petroleum-based compounds.
Check out Songline’s Hair Care Products for healthy alternatives.
Read More:
Patent Number: 5,958,384 - USE OF EMU OIL FOR STIMULATING SKIN AND HAIR GROWTH
WebMD - Natural Treatments for Hair Loss