Alternative Hair Loss Remedies
The ancient Egyptians applied concoctions directly to the scalp or consumed them to try to combat the balding process.
The famous Greek physician Hippocrates is rumored to have applied pigeon droppings to his scalp in hopes to regrow hair.
And in colonial times, America's balding forefathers donned white wigs to cover shiny scalps.
There has been no lack of creative cover-ups or attempts to save rapidly receding hair lines over the years.
Here, we review some alternative, but not scientifically proven, methods of keeping hair where it belongs, including ancient Chinese and Indian oils and herbs.
Oiling it up: Oiling your hair may seem a little out of date, but over the years, many people have used oils to stimulate hair growth.
For example, the ancient Egyptians were very concerned about maintaining thick hair and believed that castor oil applied to the scalp could stimulate hair growth.
(They sometimes mixed it with sweet almond oil to improve the smell.
) Ancient Indians and Polynesians used coconut oil, and ancient Africans used olive oil, all applied to the hair and scalp in an attempt to stimulate hair growth.
At least one current study shows that oil application can help with some specific types of hair loss.
In 1998, researchers from Scotland published their results of a randomized, double-blind controlled study investigating aromatherapy in patients with alopecia areata, a condition in which the body's immune cells start attacking healthy hair-producing cells.
In this study, 86 patients were placed into two different groups.
One (the active group) massaged their scalps daily with four essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedar wood) in a mixture of jojoba and grape seed oils.
The other group (the control group) massaged only jojoba and grape seed oils into their scalps daily.
Each group massaged the oils into their scalps for a total of seven months.
Interestingly, 19 of 43 patients (44 percent) in the active group showed improvement compared with only 6 of 41 patients (15 percent) in the control group.
The authors concluded that aromatherapy with these essential oils may be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata.
Herbal tea: To treat hair loss, brew an herbal tea with a combination of nettle tea, sage, and rosemary.
No time for a cup of tea? Apply the mixture directly to your scalp! (No, we're not kidding.
) No matter how you use it, herbal tea is thought to cause hair growth by improving blood flow to the scalp.
Procyanidin B-2: This extract from apples has been shown to promote hair growth in a laboratory study.
Perhaps the old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" may soon change to "An apple a day keeps the hair loss away!" Procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs): Extracts from the French maritime pine bark and grape seeds belong to this family of antioxidant substances.
One POC may have the effects of stimulating hair growth, but more studies are needed to confirm this.
Horsetail extract: This herb is a natural source of cysteine,selenium, and silica.
The famous Greek physician Hippocrates is rumored to have applied pigeon droppings to his scalp in hopes to regrow hair.
And in colonial times, America's balding forefathers donned white wigs to cover shiny scalps.
There has been no lack of creative cover-ups or attempts to save rapidly receding hair lines over the years.
Here, we review some alternative, but not scientifically proven, methods of keeping hair where it belongs, including ancient Chinese and Indian oils and herbs.
Oiling it up: Oiling your hair may seem a little out of date, but over the years, many people have used oils to stimulate hair growth.
For example, the ancient Egyptians were very concerned about maintaining thick hair and believed that castor oil applied to the scalp could stimulate hair growth.
(They sometimes mixed it with sweet almond oil to improve the smell.
) Ancient Indians and Polynesians used coconut oil, and ancient Africans used olive oil, all applied to the hair and scalp in an attempt to stimulate hair growth.
At least one current study shows that oil application can help with some specific types of hair loss.
In 1998, researchers from Scotland published their results of a randomized, double-blind controlled study investigating aromatherapy in patients with alopecia areata, a condition in which the body's immune cells start attacking healthy hair-producing cells.
In this study, 86 patients were placed into two different groups.
One (the active group) massaged their scalps daily with four essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedar wood) in a mixture of jojoba and grape seed oils.
The other group (the control group) massaged only jojoba and grape seed oils into their scalps daily.
Each group massaged the oils into their scalps for a total of seven months.
Interestingly, 19 of 43 patients (44 percent) in the active group showed improvement compared with only 6 of 41 patients (15 percent) in the control group.
The authors concluded that aromatherapy with these essential oils may be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata.
Herbal tea: To treat hair loss, brew an herbal tea with a combination of nettle tea, sage, and rosemary.
No time for a cup of tea? Apply the mixture directly to your scalp! (No, we're not kidding.
) No matter how you use it, herbal tea is thought to cause hair growth by improving blood flow to the scalp.
Procyanidin B-2: This extract from apples has been shown to promote hair growth in a laboratory study.
Perhaps the old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" may soon change to "An apple a day keeps the hair loss away!" Procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs): Extracts from the French maritime pine bark and grape seeds belong to this family of antioxidant substances.
One POC may have the effects of stimulating hair growth, but more studies are needed to confirm this.
Horsetail extract: This herb is a natural source of cysteine,selenium, and silica.
Source...