Essential Oils Can Help Regrow Hair

ReesieCup

New Member
From The September 2000 Issue of Nutrition Science News

by Richard N. Podell, M.D.

Essential Oils Can Help Regrow Hair
So much importance is placed on appearance in this society that retaining one's hair borders on obsession. Regardless of the cause—be it genes, hormones, drugs or illness—hair loss can cause anxiety and stress. The number of national television ads for hair-growth drugs speaks volumes about the market for regrowth remedies. Thus, a treatment that offers moderate hair growth and no significant side effects could be a boon. Enter four promising essential oils.

Isabelle C. Hay and colleagues from the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland saw several cases of alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that causes patchy baldness, improve after patients used herbal treatments. Unlike male pattern baldness or hair brittleness, alopecia is a condition that affects men and women of all ages, and is most likely caused by an immune system inflammation that affects areas of the scalp. Stress often precedes an alopecia outbreak. Standard medical therapies, including corticosteroid injections, are only modestly helpful. Most, but not all, patients eventually improve or recover.

External application of various herbal essences is believed to benefit those who suffer hair loss due to alopecia. Among these are cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris), all of which have been used to treat alopecia for more than a century. However, no double-blind studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of these herbs until now.

Hay and researchers recruited 84 people with diagnosed alopecia areata. During the seven-month trial, participants suspended use of topical or oral alopecia medications. Instead, half used a blend of cedarwood (2 drops, 94 mg), lavender (3 drops, 108 mg), rosemary (3 drops, 114 mg) and thyme (2 drops, 88 mg) in a carrier oil mix of jojoba (3 mL) and grapeseed (20 mL). The placebo group used just the carrier oils. Subjects were taught to rub the oil into the bare areas of their scalp for two minutes each evening and then to wrap a warm towel around their head to enhance absorption.

Professional photographs of each patients' scalp were taken at baseline, three and seven months. Changes as seen in the photographs served as the primary outcome measure. Outcomes were also measured by mapping bald patches and measuring severity of alopecia with a four-point scale. Of the 84 patients who entered the trial, only 63 completed it—35 from the active group and 28 from the control group.

Of those receiving active treatment, 44 percent (16 of 35 patients) significantly improved, while 15 percent (6 of 28 patients) using placebo improved. The essential oils had a statistically significant advantage (P = 0.008). The average area of hair regrowth with the essential oils was 104 square cm compared with nearly zero for those using placebo.1

One male patient with alopecia areata as well as severe male pattern hair loss saw improvement in both areas after using the essential oil blend.

These results suggest that one or more of the essential oils are biologically able to promote hair growth. While promising, confirming studies are needed before we can be sure. However, is a 44 percent response rate worth the effort? According to the authors, this is about the same response rate dermatologists expect with standard medical therapies. To the herbs' benefit, however, they are less expensive, require fewer doctor visits and have a low risk of side effects.

Future research must explore which of the four herbs had the most effect or if they work in tandem. Also open for exploration is whether increasing the concentration of the most active constituents would increase response rates. Dose is also worth researching. Perhaps twice daily treatment would be more effective than once daily.

While this type of research on herbal remedies is encouraging, only one of five dermatologists I unofficially surveyed could remember seeing this study, although all five read the American Medical Association-sponsored journal that was open-minded enough to publish it.

Richard N. Podell, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the Podell Medical Center in New Providence, N.J.

Reference

1. Hay I, et al. Randomized trial of aromatherapy—successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol 1998;134:1349-52.
 

Isis

New Member
This is a great article, ReesieCup! :up: I lreally like that it has proven results and an exact recipe for all to try.:)
 

ReesieCup

New Member
Isis said:
This is a great article, ReesieCup! :up: I lreally like that it has proven results and an exact recipe for all to try.:)

Thanks. I am going to try this recipe for my edges and report my results on the board.
 

prettybyrd

Well-Known Member
a blend of cedarwood (2 drops, 94 mg), lavender (3 drops, 108 mg), rosemary (3 drops, 114 mg) and thyme (2 drops, 88 mg) in a carrier oil mix of jojoba (3 mL) and grapeseed (20 mL).

I know this thread is VERY OLD - but has anyone tried this concoction for hair growth? Looks like I'm headed to Whole Foods after work...
 

hair4romheaven

Well-Known Member
I have been using this for the past month. My hair is growing. Not like super fast 1 inch or anything. i am using it to grow back my crown which is thin.
 

prettybyrd

Well-Known Member
I have been using this for the past month. My hair is growing. Not like super fast 1 inch or anything. i am using it to grow back my crown which is thin.


Thanks! That' what I wanted to hear, I'm looking for thickness more than length right now. My hair is thin at the temple and I'd lke to thicken a damaged section.
 

prettybyrd

Well-Known Member
I just ordered all these oils and will be making up my mix tonight. Maybe we should update monthly.

I did the same!! :) I couldn't wait for Whole Foods. I got everything for like $38 bucks!

Yes, a lot of us on the forum have tried this concoction and raved about it. I, for one, documented my results in this thread: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=39645 (More progress pics later in the thread.)

Thanks for the link, Nonie. I'll go over there. I thought I did a pretty through search :look:...this is my I don't start threads! :)

I guess we can track there too, Yardyspice. :)
 
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jenaccess

New Member
This is really ironic. My mom is into herbs and teas and she was telling me about rosemary and lavender for thining hair. I am going to try this recipe. I am thining in the crown area.
 

gvin89

Active Member
I've been using this EO blend for almost 3 weeks and I see a few seeds sprouting - exciting!
 

Honey Bee

Well-Known Member
Wow, this is awesome confirmation. My mom cut off her dreads and was having a loooot of thinning in the crown and edges (probably tension alopecia), plus, we have hereditary thinning in our family and she's getting older... so it wasn't looking good for her. :nono:

I felt bad, so I made a mix out of stuff I had in the house. (This was around the time I joined, so August 09) I can only remember using neem oil and grapefruit and lavender e.o.'s., but her hair sure grew back. I was trynna figure out if I/ my mix had done it, or if her scalp was just coming back to life. I'm glad to see, it might have been some of both. :yep:
 

LaidBak

New Member
I had a bald patch from where I had a too-tight weave. It stayed bald for 2 months. I started using pure clove oil twice a day. My hair grew back within a week. I need no other convincing. I now use it in my nightly scalp oil mix for my edges.
 

prettybyrd

Well-Known Member
Yardyspice recommended it, but would anyone else be interested in charting our progress together? Maybe there is a edges challenge somewhere...(off to hunt)
 

prettybyrd

Well-Known Member
These realted 2010 challenges already exist:

Knockout Nape and Edges
Thicker Hair
Massage/Scalp Care

Should we join one of these, or are we different? :spinning: Like, since we all will use the same oil blend, build a challenge around that?!??!
 

hair4romheaven

Well-Known Member
I am excited other ladies are using this. I took a starting pic a few weeks ago I will update in about 8 weeks. I am very consistent so lets see what happens. ;-)
 

EMJazzy

Happily retired
The 'mixologist' in me mixed in a small bottle: rosemary eo, peppermint eo, lavendar eo, emu oil and jojoba oil...my scalp feels alive if that makes any sense. Plus when I ws using MTG my bald spot went from being the size of my palm (on the top of my head) to being maybe the size of a 50 cent piece (pics in my fotki)....one of the oils in that bottle is neem oil. I am definitely a believer in eo's working to regrow hair. :yep::up: I have also gained some thickness from my use of eo's.
 

shopgalore

New Member
^^ WOW. I just looked at your pictures, my goodness I had to get my DH to take a look and then show him the after pics!!! Your hair has come such a long way its amazing!!
 

Honey Bee

Well-Known Member
These realted 2010 challenges already exist:

Knockout Nape and Edges
Thicker Hair
Massage/Scalp Care

Should we join one of these, or are we different? :spinning: Like, since we all will use the same oil blend, build a challenge around that?!??!

There's also a challenge about thinning/damaged/scraggly crowns. I'm in it, and I can definitely see how e.o.'s could help speed up the process, in addition to babying the area in general.

what website did you order the oils from?
I just bought a ton of e.o.'s from fromnaturewithlove.com and mountainroseherbs.com. I also got hydrolyzed silk from lotioncrafters.com. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it, but it's on the way. :lachen:
 

LaidBak

New Member
The 'mixologist' in me mixed in a small bottle: rosemary eo, peppermint eo, lavendar eo, emu oil and jojoba oil...my scalp feels alive if that makes any sense. Plus when I ws using MTG my bald spot went from being the size of my palm (on the top of my head) to being maybe the size of a 50 cent piece (pics in my fotki)....one of the oils in that bottle is neem oil. I am definitely a believer in eo's working to regrow hair. :yep::up: I have also gained some thickness from my use of eo's.


EMJazzy I was looking at your siggy pic. Love that the model has some color to her. :) But collarbone length is in the wrong place. Its floating up near her ear. CBL is below SL.
 

EMJazzy

Happily retired
EMJazzy I was looking at your siggy pic. Love that the model has some color to her. :) But collarbone length is in the wrong place. Its floating up near her ear. CBL is below SL.

I have no idea how to change that...someone had it in their siggy a few years ago and I saved a copy to my harddrive for my own personal hairgrowth journey. :look:
 
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