The Truth Behind Using Emu Oil for Hair Loss
There are a number of reasons you may have hair loss or thinning hair.
While there are medically proven ways to prevent or treat hair loss, such as Rogaine or hair implants, you may be wondering if you can use emu oil for hair loss.
People have been using natural oils or extracts to improve their hair’s health and appearance.
Botanical extracts may help strengthen your hair, as well as add more body and shine.
Emu oil has been used for decades as a natural skin balm and moisturizer.
Research on emu oil’s ingredients show it could have anti-inflammatory properties, may accelerate wound healing and is an excellent skin moisturizer.
But can these properties of emu oil be used to help your hair loss problems?
What Causes Hair Loss?
Your hair and scalp requires a healthy environment in order to grow hair and flourish. Scalp health plays an important role in the growth and strength of each individual hair shaft.
Hair loss can be caused by a number of factors and addressing these causes may help reduce the severity and amount of hair loss:
- Illness – Some disease states may cause hair loss; certain people with diabetes and lupus may experience hair loss.
- Drugs/Medications – An unfortunate side effect of some medications is they may promote hair loss in some people. One of the common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment is hair loss.
- Hormones – Changes in your hormone levels may also cause hair loss. Pregnancy, menopause and thyroid imbalances may cause temporary or permanent hair loss.
- Hair Treatments – Some types of hair styles, chemical treatments for hair dying, straightening or perms may damage the hair and scalp leading to hair loss.
- Genetics – Androgenic alopecia is a common hair loss condition that may be caused by the genetic sensitivity of hair follicles to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
A Critical Look at Using Emu Oil for Hair Loss
If you have hair loss due to androgenic alopecia, there’s a possibility you may be able to use emu oil to treat it.
Androgenic alopecia is a common form of hair loss caused when there’s excessive levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in your scalp.
Your body creates DHT when testosterone interacts with an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase. The increased levels of DHT in the scalp can lead to thinner hair and hair loss.
Recent animal studies have shown that linolenic acid suppresses 5 alpha reductase levels; one of the primary fatty acids found in primary fatty acids in emu oil is linolenic acid.
Does this mean that you could use emu oil to reduce the production of 5 alpha reductase which may then suppress the production of DHT?
Well, in theory it could make sense. Some research on emu oil shows that it may promote wound healing and skin growth, reduce inflammation and is also non-comedogenic; all conditions that may help provide a healthy environment to grow hair.
Unfortunately, there are no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies using emu oil for hair loss to confirm this.
How to Use Emu Oil for Hair Loss
If you suffer from hair loss due to androgenic alopecia, you could try massaging a small amount of emu oil into your scalp to reduce DHT levels.
You could also try using emu oil if you have an inflammatory scalp condition that causes hair loss.
After washing your hair, try placing a few drops of oil in the affected areas that have thinning hair. Emu oil takes a few minutes to absorb so remember not to use too much oil as it may make your hair and scalp look and feel greasy.
I don’t think you could use emu oil to cause hair to grow where you care completely bald as there are no more hair follicles left in those areas to treat with the oil.
If you’re looking for a healthy oil that may help moisturize and condition your hair, you can actually use coconut oil as a natural hair conditioner. The natural healthy oils may help soften and moisturize dry thinning hair.
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