Oil Survey - I am convinced that a topical oil combo should help, but which?

I am interested in essential oils and other oils for hair growth. Cedarwood is one of these oils that keeps coming up in my research, anyone here used it?

While we're at it, let's have this mini-survey, if you've used any of the oils listed below, or if you know if information/testimonials you'd like to share on these, please respond below! thanks in advance

** List of essential, plant and animal oils that have been used for hair loss **

rosemary oil
lavender oil
thyme oil
pepermint oil
cedarwood / atlast cedarwood oil
tea tree oil
eucalyptus oil
grapeseed oil
jojoba oil
arnica oil
sandalwood oil
olive oil
coconut oil
lemon / lime oil
Amla hair oil
almond oil
sage oil
broccoli oil
tata oil
cactus oil
emu oil
clove oil
cinnamon oil
chamomile oil
ginger oil/tea

After a year of reading and talking to people about oils, I am "convinced" that "some combination" of these would regrow hair or stop hair loss or thicken hair , but which?

Forgot to mention these 2 oils I've come across people using with results:

Rosewood
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)


Plz note, that even though I think some combo of the oils should help (based on testimonials I came across) I am also a 100% on board with the idea that food is medicine, that to fix the real cause of loss one must look internally and at the diet hormones and the rest of things IH talks about. The oils are to aid in recovery, speed things up or mask the cause until a permanent correction is done internally. IMO.

... and finally, one last one I overlooked:

Aloe Vera

So, why this survey / brain-dump?

I posted here so everyone can report their experiences, then we can research the available scientific info and research on each of these

If we compile the available research and testimonials we can find the best combo, rather than test one oil at a time or a 100 different combination.

borage oil is also talked about a lot same with castor oil and maybe hemp oil to a lesser degree all for stopping loss and regrowth.

Balthier wrote:borage oil is also talked about a lot same with castor oil and maybe hemp oil to a lesser degree all for stopping loss and regrowth.

thanks, have you used any?

teacup,

good idea to start this thread. I'm - nearly - convinced too that a topical
oil combo should be very helpful, may be we can work out a combo here.

From my point of view we have to divide into the section
carrier oils and essential (working) oils.

Carrier oils: emu, jojoba, olive (= pore-clogger)...

Essential oils: rosemary oil (in my opinion wasted time), amla (Ayurveda approach),...

The prob is - you mentioned it - to find the right combination of oils.
Which ratio carrier oil(s) / essential oils? Which essential oils?
Their are a thousand suggestions on the web.

As carrier oil I would prefer emu oil (best skin barrier penetrating oil).
Essential oils => sage, burdock and ??? Any ideas? Eucalyptus or/and peppermint (= scalpture ingredients)?

May be it's helpful to study the following forum (as far
as I remember correctly, the girls dealed with many oil applications):

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/

Concerning this we have to keep in mind that there is a difference
between hair loss in women and hair loss in men. All the oil-recipes in this forum are customised for
women.

Overlooked this:

teacup wrote:

Aloe Vera

In my opinion aloe vera is most overrated and not worth to give it a try.

Crusher wrote:teacup,

good idea to start this thread. I'm - nearly - convinced too that a topical
oil combo should be very helpful, may be we can work out a combo here.

From my point of view we have to divide into the section
carrier oils and essential (working) oils.

Carrier oils: emu, jojoba, olive (= pore-clogger)...

Essential oils: rosemary oil (in my opinion wasted time), amla (Ayurveda approach),...

The prob is - you mentioned it - to find the right combination of oils.
Which ratio carrier oil(s) / essential oils? Which essential oils?
Their are a thousand suggestions on the web.

As carrier oil I would prefer emu oil (best skin barrier penetrating oil).
Essential oils => sage, burdock and ??? Any ideas? Eucalyptus or/and peppermint (= scalpture ingredients)?

May be it's helpful to study the following forum (as far
as I remember correctly, the girls dealed with many oil applications):

http://www.longhaircommunity.com/

Concerning this we have to keep in mind that there is a difference
between hair loss in women and hair loss in men. All the oil-recipes in this forum are customised for
women.

Crusher - Thanks

I agree, we could say we have 2 categories: carrier and essential (working)

Regarding carriers, I wonder if they are even needed, why would we use a pore clogger, are they only carrying or do they have a positive effect. For instance, emu and olive oil penetrate the skin and I know emu is anti inflammatory. If carriers do not have a value on their own, then do we need these carriers if all they do is carry and clog pores. I think a carried should be used to carry/mix, penetrate the skin and also add more positive things, thus I like olive and emu because they both reduce inflammation.

Why do you think rosemary oil is a waste of time?

Do you prefer the Ayurveda approach?

If oils do work differently in women than in men, that may be unfortunate, would limit the benefit of any research to one gender and it'd take longer to find something that works for men and for women.

Crusher wrote:Overlooked this:

In my opinion aloe vera is most overrated and not worth to give it a try.

How about aloe vera juice taken internally?

olive vs. emu

from a different thread:

Look at the chemical composition of emu oil and you will realise that olive oil should be just as good if not better, its also cheaper too!

Emu oil composition:

Oleic acid 40%
Linoleic acid 20%
Alpha linolenic 1-2%

Olive oil composition:

Oleic Acid 55-83%
Linoleic Acid 21%
Palmitic Acid 7.5-20%
Stearic Acid 0.5-5%
Linolenic Acid 0-1.5% of olive oil.

olive oils is non-inflammatory: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050906075427.htm
olive oil is anti fibrosis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18824281

According to the quote below the ability of emu oil to penetrate the scalp was attributed to the presence of oleic acid. Emu oil has 40% oleic acid whilst olive oil has 55-83% oleic acid.

So, we should assume olive oil to be much better.

The most important property of emu oil has already been mentioned. It is highly penetrating. This ability to penetrate the stratum corneum barrier of the skin, brought about by the high levels of oleic acid mentioned earlier, has in it the basis for many new uses in the future. Emu oil could be combined with various medicinals or cosmetic materials to take them beneath this barrier and could do it relatively more cheaply and as effectively as the costly liposomes and iontophorisis now available. At the present time, physicians in Australia specializing in hair growth are using emu oil for this penetrating ability because it gets into the scalp and enhances the potency of topical medications, in addition to making them last lasts longer.

http://www.hairloss-research.org/EmuOilfrontalregrowth.html

no, but thinking about it you can find lots of women talking about castor oil and hair growth some are on youtube. In the past I've tried emu oil with no change might have accelerated hair loss actually made skin smoother and clearer though.

teacup wrote:

Balthier wrote:borage oil is also talked about a lot same with castor oil and maybe hemp oil to a lesser degree all for stopping loss and regrowth.

thanks, have you used any?

from ppm

I do use essential oils, namely lavender, tea tree and thyme in very low concentrations (~0.03%). And I do not use any carrier oils. Instead I mix them with minoxidil, although I keep them seperated until the very moment of application.

I also briefly tried the main constituent of chamomile, a-bisabolol, which is an anti-inflammatory agent, but it gave me an instant shed (well the next day, to be precise); and when I stopped it the shed stopped too, as fast as it started.. So I ditched it.

Also I am not sure about peppermint, but my notion is that it is not beneficial, at least not for me - and I will not use it.

Sage is an ancient remedy for hairloss, so in theory it should be beneficial, although it contains a toxic substance (thujon), therefor should not be overdosed.

I also read about ylang-ylang having beneficial properties.

And clove contains mainly a substance called eugenol, which acts like finasteride, blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT or as an androgen receptor antagonist.

very good contribution to this thread..

I wonder what the best delivery method for these essential ouls is, a carrier oil or mud.

Balthier wrote:no, but thinking about it you can find lots of women talking about castor oil and hair growth some are on youtube. In the past I've tried emu oil with no change might have accelerated hair loss actually made skin smoother and clearer though.

yep, castor seems like a popular one for women on youtube.
tata oil is a popular one for indian women

yeah, but I don't think castor is meant for stopping loss more for thickness and regrowth which should work the same for men and women like minoxidil does although women usually use less. Stopping loss would be different though.

From http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/thinninghairtr_sitv.htm:

Ayurveda and Aromatherapy

Fight hair loss with these two classic means of remedies.

a) Stimulate hair growth by massaging the scalp before entering the shower with Brahmi oil or Bringaraj oil.

b) Make a hair pack with 2 eggs and herbs like amla (fruits), keshuth (leaves) or ashwagandha (leaves and stem). Leave on for 20 minutes. Wash with cold water. This strengthens the roots of hairs and promotes growth.

c) Massage the scalp at bedtime with a mixture of:

2 drops of lavender oil,

2 drops of rosemary oil,

2 drops of thyme oil,

3 drops of jojoba oil

Cover your head with a cloth overnight and shampoo in the morning. These essential oils stimulate hair growth, thicken and improve texture. Also the cooling and calming effect of the essential oils will help you have a good night’s sleep.

It is said that black jamaican castor oil - the darker the better - is the better option than ordinary
castor oil (ordered some but didn't apply it until now). Don't know
if there is any truth to the rumour...

I'm useing Henna for Hair regeneration treatment mixed with bit of olive oil. I do not say it is helping me, but my hair become stronger a bit and shiny as well. On the other hand, they become a bit darker, so look out for this effect of Henna.
And olive oil? Worth a try, IMO... At least you get the shine...
I'm planning to use lavender oil, I will show up with the results (if any occurs...).

nidhogge - Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Brahmi oil or Bringaraj oil.

Never heard of these before. Will research.

2 eggs and herbs like amla (fruits), keshuth (leaves) or ashwagandha (leaves and stem). Leave on for 20 minutes. Wash with cold water. This strengthens the roots of hairs and promotes growth.

I know a lady that uses raw eggs + amla + other stuff topically.
One can easily eat eggs and take the ashwagandha supplement internally as well.

mixture of:
2 drops of lavender oil,
2 drops of rosemary oil,
2 drops of thyme oil,
3 drops of jojoba oil

Interesting one.. It seems many agree that lavender, thyme and jojoba are a good mix. I've heard of rosemary raising blood pressure for those with high blood pressure.

I will be stopping by a new indian grocery store, they have indian hait oils. They have almond oil, coconut oil and a few amla oil products. I am a little wary about the quality and purity of these products since I don't know the processing method, are they cold pressed, refined, etc..

Thanks everyone for adding more to this thread.
Let's keep piling info here on oils (and herbs) for topical use!

Just went to the indian store and came back..

Besides the pure oils (almond, castor, neem) all the hair oil products contained perfume and mineral oils! certainly not Ayurvedic recipes!

The coconut oil they had was also "scientifically refined".

An Update:

I am considering making an oil topical using a recipe containing the folowing:

agrimony + burdock + castor + thyme + cedarwood + sage + sesame + amla + coconut + clove + tea tree (maybe) + borage (maybe) + hemp (maybe) + lavender (maybe) + peppermint (maybe) + a good olive or emu, or jojoba.

These seem to be the most promising oils, just combined at a 1:1 ratio, with the exception of coconut or the carrier maybe 2:1.

This could be rotated with other topicals. So for instance:

Mon: Scalpure (or better, homemade supercharged mud: mud+oils+ACV) to exfoliate
Tues: The above oil recipe
Wed: topical Kefir
Thu: DMSO liquid and crushed Lithium pills

etc..