Hair loss affects both men and women. Studies show that by the time they are 35, about 40% of men will have noticed hair loss. 65% of women, on the other hand, suffer hair loss by the time they are 60. There are many treatments available but most don’t offer much hope. The treatments take more than a year to produce results and discontinuing use leads to a hair loss recurrence. These medications are also very expensive and come with side effects like decreased sex drive, weight gain as well as groin pain. This is what has made emu oil a preferred choice in combating hair loss. But the big question is this; does emu oil grow hair? To better answer this question, you must first understand what causes hair loss.
There are many factors that cause hair loss. They include hormonal changes, genetics, medications and aging. When aging, the chemical is known as DHT (dihydrotestosterone) causes the hair follicles to shorten their active phase. As a result, your hair will move from being thick, and strong to being fragile, and colorless. Despite the appearance, the hairs are still alive and still connected to the blood supply. They are just dormant. As the hair follicle cycle shortens, more hair dies and starts falling out. Over time the follicles become too thin to survive and this leads to complete hair loss.
Back to the question on does emu oil grow hair, the answer is yes. Studies have shown that emu oils help waken 80% of sleeping hair follicles. This is according to a study by Professor Michael Hollick, M.D., Ph.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine. The study concluded that using emu oil to treat the skin led to a 20% increase in the growth of hair. This was in comparison to skin that was treated using placebo oils.
In the same study, Hollick found that hair follicles were more robust and skin thickness increased remarkably. This showed that the use of emu oil helped stimulate the growth of hair and improved the appearance of the skin. The main finding was that the use of emu oils helped awaken more than 80% of the hair follicles that were dormant.
The reason for these remarkable results can be attributed to the ability of emu oil to help plump the skin as well as increase the flow of blood. When a scalp is thinning, it restricts blood flow. This limits the number of nutrients and oxygen that gets to the hair follicles. A thinning scalp further reduces the effectiveness of the lymphatic systems and thus more waste remains in place clogging the follicles.
The high level of oleic acid in emu oil is also believed to be one of the reasons the oil is able to penetrate deep into the skin and carry the active ingredients.