Do Hair Growth Oils Work? What Expert Dermatologists Think
- 7 Min Read
There's been an influx of interest in hair growth oils in recent years, especially with social media reviews and TikTok videos. But if you're just starting out your hair growth journey, all this information can get confusing and leave you questioning where to start and what hair growth oils work for your hair. To help you get clearer on what oils may be worth trying out and the best approach in your healthy hair journey, this blog explores the question of do hair growth oils work, with guidance from a hair expert, dermatologist and COIL founder, Malcolm Pyles
Types of Hair Growth Oils
Girl using hair growth oil
Recommended Hair Growth Oils
Hair growth oils are often marked by the significant amount of natural ingredients they contain. These can range from essential oils, vitamins, and plant oils etc. Ultimately, hair growth oils aim to create a healthy environment for your hair to grow and strengthen through nourishing ingredients
Looking for hair oils that prioritise natural and gentle ingredients is your best bet when you are embarking
on a healthy hair journey. At COIL, we use many natural oils in our product formulations. And once you take
our hair test, we will curate a prescription tailored to your specific hair needs.
Here is a list of hair oils we use when making our hair growth products and their respective benefits:
1. Tea Tree Oil - Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, also better known as tea tree oil, has antifungal benefits that can help address scalp issues like dandruff or scaly scalp. Addressing these foundational issues can play a part in aiding hair growth. Scalp issues left untreated can significantly affect your hair growth.
2. Rosemary Oil - An essential oil, rosemary oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties which can help with blood circulation, and in turn stimulate hair growth. Research also suggests that rosemary could support nerve growth, which aids in the hair growth process.
3. Olive Oil - The moisturising nature of olive oil means your hair strands are moisturised when using the oil. This is essential for textured hair in particular. It also has strengthening properties for hair follicles, which can combat hair thinning. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which help soothe the scalp.
Olive Oil
4. Rosa Rubiginosa Oil - Sometimes referred to as rosehip oil, this product contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. These are meant to help with scalp conditioning, which can help create an effective environment for healthy hair. This property could help with dry scalp conditions like dandruff, psoriasis, etc. The strengthening properties of this oil could also help strengthen your hair strands.
5. Wood Oil - Cedarwood oil has benefits that increase blood circulation in the scalp to promote hair growth. In addition, it helps balance out oil production in the scalp, therefore fostering a healthy environment for hair growth. It also contains antibacterial and antifungal properties that help with cleansing.
6. Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil - A natural inflammatory property, this oil comes from the Amyris tree, whose roots are used for medicinal and aromatic practices. It can help reduce and soothe inflammation to help with stress-related hair loss or scalp conditions.
7. Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil - Commonly known as Jojoba oil, this provides moisture to the scalp and tresses using a very similar texture of oil that the scalp naturally produces (sebum). This oil helps nourish hair follicles, reducing hair breakage and aiding hair growth.
Alternatives to Hair Growth Oils
Whilst hair growth oils may offer some benefits to assist you in your healthy hair journey, it's important to note that it's not the only path to hair growth. There are other hair products that could provide aid, too. At COIL, we offer or recommend the following alternatives to hair growth oils that can still help your hair to flourish, especially if you have more chronic hair or scalp conditions:
Minoxidil - A prescription-based product, minoxidil helps promote hair growth for hair loss conditions like alopecia or other thinning hair. It works by encouraging the blood vessels in your scalp to widen and therefore increasing blood circulation. As a result, more nutrients that help hair growth can access your hair follicles, helping hair growth.
Derma Rolling - A small, simple tool, the derma roller produces small punctures in your scalp. This prompts a healing response in your body whilst simultaneously helping to absorb medicines. This tool is therefore used in conjunction with an applicable hair growth product, such as minoxidil.
Finasteride - This medicine treats androgenetic alopecia or male pattern hair loss. Its effectiveness lies in that it acts as a Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker, which helps prevent pattern baldness from developing and even has the potential to reverse it.
If you suffer from hair loss and are looking for hair growth products like hair growth oils, take the COIL quiz here for targeted treatment.
