Everyone loves full, shiny, and bouncy looking hair. Both men and women strive to maintain thick and full hair. From childhood through adulthood, we are accustomed to caring for it in different fashions. Sometimes, we cut it, and other times we dye it.
Many different products are advertised with the promise of promoting hair growth. Hair loss comes in several ways:
- It could be due to heredity resulting in balding at an early age.
- Other times, it can be the amount of harsh chemicals applied to the hair resulting in hair loss and thinning.
- Ageing and stress can also be another factor for limited hair growth. As a result, it is critical to limit the use of harsh chemicals which stress the scalp and prohibit hair growth.
Many of the available chemical treatments applied to hair end up damaging the hair and root. In some cases, harsh treatment can leave scalp burns and retard hair growth. Dryness, dandruff, itchy scalp and many other discomforting issues plague your hair. You wonder, how can I grow my hair back? What did I do wrong?
There are many products available on the market that promise hair growth. Looking closely at the ingredients, you wonder why it would work this time?
The truth is, the answer was right beneath your nose the entire time. Extensive research has been done on plant based oils to show that they truly work. The effectiveness comes in the ratio of oils used, the repeatability of product use, and also the daily routine that you perform on your hair.
The rising age is here. People are throwing away harsh toxic chemicals and switching to a more natural way to care for their hair. In black communities, for many decades, even within many third world countries, hair relaxing had become a way of life.
This resulted in many cases of severe hair damage in the quest to make the hair more “manageable”. Additionally, treatment of hair with harsh chemicals not only damaged the hair but also resulted in poor scalp health with resultant hair loss and limited growth. These chemicals are toxic on the hair and scalp.
Using essential oils can restore your scalp back to health and achieve wonderful hair growth. Essential oils restore and boost hair growth regardless of hair type. There are many plant based oils that provide such benefits. Some of these oils include; geranium oil, cedarwood oil, neem oil, argan oil, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, babassu oil, pomegranate oil, castor oil, and lemongrass oil which are all excellent essential oils for hair growth.
This is why Midori family has formulated exceptional hair growth essential oil which cover the broadest spectrum of essentials required for hair growth.
What are the key attributes that we look for when searching for essential oils? We seek plant based benefits to boost not only hair but skin.
The properties necessary in the selection of natural hair growth essential oils include the following;
Anti-inflammatory properties: An inflamed scalp is also one of the reasons that hair growth is prohibited and limited. Typically, an inflamed scalp results in some form of itching. Plant based oil such as Neem oil help fight inflammation due to the presence of certain active ingredients within the neem plant.
Amazingly, Neem exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant activities, anti-cancerous activity, wound healing effect, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and other beneficial properties. [6]
This makes Neem a powerful plant for scalp and hair care. Neem oil is not the only plant that provides such benefits. Others include borage oil, baobab oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, cedarwood oil, castor oil and much more. These oils can help fight inflammation due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
Anti-oxidant Properties: Anti-oxidants, just as their name sounds limit the oxidative state. They prevent and can limit cell damage. Therefore, limiting the production of free radicals. Many plants have anti-oxidant properties. One unique oil, rich in anti-oxidants, is the baobab oil. Baobab oil is not only rich in anti-oxidants but contains natural vitamins including vitamin C and minerals which can boost hair growth. [7]
Moisturizing properties: Many oils offer moisturizing properties. Some provide a heavy effect on your hair and others a light effect. Hair “moisturizing” is necessary to prevent and limit hair breakage. Dry hair, brushed without moisturizing, results in a higher degree of hair loss. The wonderful thing is, many essential oils provide multiple properties that support hair growth including moisturizing properties.
Anti-fungal properties: Sometimes, scalp infections may not be quickly identified due to the presence of hair. Typical signals are inflammation, irritation, itching, and flaky skin, or an increase in dandruff. Fungal infection limits hair growth. Essential oils with anti-fungal properties not only help with fungus but help sustain a healthy scalp, making it more conducive for hair growth. Examples of anti-fungal oils include peppermint, geranium oil, lemongrass oil, orange oil, neem oil, and patchouli oil. [1]
Anti-microbial/Anti-bacterial properties: Coconut oil is also another great option for hair. However, it can be excessively heavy when applied directly to the scalp. This is why babassu oil can be a better alternative for hair care when you seek a lighter alternative with identical benefits similar to coconut with some additional pluses. Babassu oil is known to boost hair strength and skin elasticity. Nevertheless, coconut oil is still a wonderful option for hair growth. It contains many natural hair boosting and anti-microbial properties that can aid in hair growth. For more details on coconut oil for hair loss, check out this resource.
The great news is that the scalp also possesses its own anti-microbial defense system which is triggered by some microbial products. [3] However, using essential oils with anti-microbial properties will provide additional support for the promotion of a healthy scalp that supports hair growth. Other oils that have anti-microbial properties include lemon oil, rose oil, palmarosa which contain the citral and geraniol oil known to effectively inhibit the growth of 12 fungi. [4]
Essential oils with anti-microbial or anti-bacterial properties help reduce the potential occurrence of skin infections. It prevents the scalp from being susceptible to scalp infections because of the dynamic nature and active ingredients of the plants. Examples of some essential oils which exhibit anti-bacterial properties includes lemongrass, eucalyptus, orange oil, citronella oil, palmarosa and peppermint oil. [1, 2]
A plant can have essential oils containing anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and anti-fungal properties all within itself [5]
The selection of the type of essential oils is critical when your objective is to enhance hair growth. The amazing thing is that essentials oils from plants have multiple properties making them a wonderful choice for hair growth. Choose your hair care product wisely; hair growth oil, natural conditioners and shampoos to ensure that you are truly using natural products that will help promote your hair growth with essential oils.
References:
- Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Kole C. “Anti-bacterial & Anti-fungal activities of 10 essential oils in vitro”
- Kalemba D, Kunivka A. “ Anti-bacterial & Ant-fungal activities of essential oils”.Curr med chem, 2003 May:10(10):813-29
- Reithmayer K, Meyer KC, Kleditzcsh P, Tiede S, Uppalapati SK, Glaser R, Harder J, Schroder JM, Paus R,” Human hair follicle epithelium has an anti-microbial defence system that includes the inducible anti-microbial peptide psoriasin(S100A7) and RNase 7” .Br J Dermotel 2009 Jul;161(1):78-89. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09154.x. Epub 2009 Apr 20.
- Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Bapaji M, Kole CR. “Antibacterial and antifungal activity of aromatic constituents of essential oils”. Microbios 1197:89(358):39-46. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9218354
- Reichling J, et al. “Essential oils of aromatic plants with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal,anti-viral and cytotoxic properties- an overview”. Forsh Komplement, med 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19420953
- Mohammad A. Alzohairy Mohammad A. Alzohairy. “Therapeutic Role of Azadirachta indica(Neem) and their active constituents in diseases prevention and treatment”. Received 6 October 2015; Revised 7 January 2016; Accepted 11 January 2016
- Chadare FJ1, Linnemann AR, Hounhouigan JD, Nout MJ, Van Boekel MA , “Baobab food products: a review on their composition and nutritional value”. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.2009 Mar:49(3):254-74.doi:10.1080/1040839701856330. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19093269