Hair loss is a common problem among both men and women. When such a loss becomes pathological, a doctor may make a diagnosis of alopecia. Most often, alopecia is diagnosed at an older age, but hair loss in young men and women (at 20-30 years old) is also common. Usually this problem goes unnoticed. Loss is easy to fix when it reaches 50% in visible areas, which means that the moment of starting treatment has already been missed.
There are several reasons for the development of alopecia. Up to 80% of cases are explained genetically. If one of your close or distant relatives suffered from pathological hair loss, this means that you are also at risk. In addition, alopecia can be caused by external factors, such as:
- high stress levels
- consequences of anesthesia and chemotherapy
- infectious and autoimmune diseases
- taking certain drugs (including conventional antibiotics or diuretics)
- bad habits
- deficiency of vitamins.
Due to the large list of reasons for the development of alopecia, its prevention should be comprehensive. In 2020, a review of the available literature on the use of natural ingredients for the prevention and treatment of alopecia was published. [1] The researchers studied one of the subtypes of this disease, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), but emphasized that the results can be extrapolated to other types of alopecia.
A number of natural remedies were selected for systematic review: cedar nut oil, peppermint oil, pumpkin seed oil, black castor oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, horsetail oil, lavender oil, coconut oil, chamomile oil, and a number of others. Cedar nut oil has been found to be highly effective in the treatment of alopecia in several double-blind, randomized controlled trials. Clinically significant hair growth (from moderate to thick) was observed, according to the results of studies, in 75-93% of patients. In another study, 19 (44%) of 43 patients in the active group improved compared to 6 (15%) of 41 patients in the control group, which was also considered clinically relevant. The authors of the systematic review emphasize that the data obtained are promising, but further research is needed to develop a treatment strategy.
The ability of cedar nut oil to prevent and treat alopecia is associated with the following properties:
- Anti-inflammatory effect. Hair loss is often accompanied by micro-inflammation of the hair follicles.
- Detoxifying and antibacterial effects. As mentioned above, hair loss can be associated with past infections, or toxins in the body.
- Calming effect. Stress is one of the reasons for the development of alopecia. Meanwhile, the positive effect of cedar nut oil on the nervous system and psyche is so great that it is even suitable for the prevention of depression and anxiety disorders.
- Cedar nut oil is rich in nutrients that trichologists prescribe to improve hair condition: folic acid, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, cysteine, lysine, methionine, and arginine.
The sooner you start the prevention of alopecia, the more noticeable its effect is. Don't delay until tomorrow, start taking cedar nut oil regularly today! You can also use the oil as a hair treatment by rubbing it into the hair roots or adding it to shampoos or masks.
