I bought oils. Do these sound good?

[CCS]

Did I get the right oils? Do the last three sound like they are not fake?

Borage oil 1000mg in 90 gelatin capsules, hexane free, warehouse vitamins, $22.36. 1g contains 220mg gamma-linolenic acid, 380 mg cis-linoleic acid, 160 mg oleic acid.
Saw Palmetto Extract 160 mg, 120 softgels, NOW, $14.00, standardized to contain 85%- 95% fatty acids and biologically activesterol compounds. Contains olive oil.
vitamin B-6, 100mg pyridoxine HCl, 100 capsules, Natures's Way, $5.99, contains some filler.
Flax oil with RosmeMary, 350mL, $7.98, one table spoon supplies 7700mg linolenic acid, 2380mg linoleic acid, 2240mg oleic acid.
Tea tree oil, 118 mL (4 oz), NOW, $15.96, says 100% pure, but shakes like water and does not smell as strong as I remember someone else's smelling 3 years ago.
rosemary oil, 118 mL, $11.99, NOW, says 100% pure, but shakes like water and smells like mentholatum.
Oregano oil, 1oz, $10.39, NOW, says 100%, shakes like water, smells like a mouth watering pizza. this is the only one with a dropper opening.

I spent just under $90, but this should last a long time if it does not go bad. I hope it helps regrow hair. Otherwise at least it will smell good.

I plan to squirt three borage seed oil capsules and 4 saw palmetto capsules and pour 2 mL of flax oil and 2 mL of my safflower oil and one drop of the last two oils an one emptied capsule of B-6 into an empty minoxidil container for mixing and storage, and add 2-3 mL from this into a 60 mL minoxidil solution. I'll add 5 drops of the tea tree oil to my baby shammpoo.

Do i need to keep the "essential oils" refridgerated after opening?

 

[CCS]

There are three ways to find out:

1. Weight them to see if they are less dense than water, which means they are an alcohol or an oil.
2. See if they evaporate as fast as water. If faster, then alcohol. If slower, then at least some oil.
3. Best way; see if a drop dissolves in water. If they are alcohol or water based, they will disolve instantly. If they are legit, the drop will float on the surface and not dissolve or shrink. I did this once with my friends tea tree oil, adding a drop to some tea tree oil mouth wash. The drop stayed on the surface and would not dissolve no matter how much I shook it.

Time to test...

It did not dissolve. I poured it in a soda cap half full of water. The oil was clear, not grean/yellow like my friend's old stuff. I could see the water/oil seperation. I poured in on my hand, and it felt a little slippery, though very thin. Could it be glycerol with fragrance in it? Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Bryan]

What do you expect all that stuff to do for you?

 

[CCS]

I thought rubbing borage seed oil on my scalp might help with hair loss, or that putting a few mL in my minoxidil might help with absorption, since the spironolactone cream had better absorption than the spironolactone liquid.

 

[sublime]

:woot:

 

[CCS]

i was going to do the borag, SP, and Flax topically. Maybe I should keep them separate from my minoxidil and use them to dissolve spironolactone? So far all i've done is add a borage capsule to my minoxidil. i'm still thinking deciding on the others. And i added tea tree oil to my shampoo. it won't fully dissolve and sits on the top and is very strong. too strong.

the tea tree oil did not evaporate noticably even after 3 days. it just made the bathroom smell good. it was only a nickle's size.

 

[CCS]

article on topical oils

From The September 2000 Issue of Nutrition Science News

by Richard N. Podell, M.D.

Essential Oils Can Help Regrow Hair
So much importance is placed on appearance in this society that retaining one's hair borders on obsession. Regardless of the cause—be it genes, hormones, drugs or illness—hair loss can cause anxiety and stress. The number of national television ads for hair-growth drugs speaks volumes about the market for regrowth remedies. Thus, a treatment that offers moderate hair growth and no significant side effects could be a boon. Enter four promising essential oils.

Isabelle C. Hay and colleagues from the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland saw several cases of alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that causes patchy baldness, improve after patients used herbal treatments. Unlike male pattern baldness or hair brittleness, alopecia is a condition that affects men and women of all ages, and is most likely caused by an immune system inflammation that affects areas of the scalp. Stress often precedes an alopecia outbreak. Standard medical therapies, including corticosteroid injections, are only modestly helpful. Most, but not all, patients eventually improve or recover.

External application of various herbal essences is believed to benefit those who suffer hair loss due to alopecia. Among these are cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris), all of which have been used to treat alopecia for more than a century. However, no double-blind studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of these herbs until now.

Hay and researchers recruited 84 people with diagnosed alopecia areata. During the seven-month trial, participants suspended use of topical or oral alopecia medications. Instead, half used a blend of cedarwood (2 drops, 94 mg), lavender (3 drops, 108 mg), rosemary (3 drops, 114 mg) and thyme (2 drops, 88 mg) in a carrier oil mix of jojoba (3 mL) and grapeseed (20 mL). The placebo group used just the carrier oils. Subjects were taught to rub the oil into the bare areas of their scalp for two minutes each evening and then to wrap a warm towel around their head to enhance absorption.

Professional photographs of each patients' scalp were taken at baseline, three and seven months. Changes as seen in the photographs served as the primary outcome measure. Outcomes were also measured by mapping bald patches and measuring severity of alopecia with a four-point scale. Of the 84 patients who entered the trial, only 63 completed it—35 from the active group and 28 from the control group.

Of those receiving active treatment, 44 percent (16 of 35 patients) significantly improved, while 15 percent (6 of 28 patients) using placebo improved. The essential oils had a statistically significant advantage (P = 0.008). The average area of hair regrowth with the essential oils was 104 square cm compared with nearly zero for those using placebo.1

One male patient with alopecia areata as well as severe male pattern hair loss saw improvement in both areas after using the essential oil blend.

These results suggest that one or more of the essential oils are biologically able to promote hair growth. While promising, confirming studies are needed before we can be sure. However, is a 44 percent response rate worth the effort? According to the authors, this is about the same response rate dermatologists expect with standard medical therapies. To the herbs' benefit, however, they are less expensive, require fewer doctor visits and have a low risk of side effects.

Future research must explore which of the four herbs had the most effect or if they work in tandem. Also open for exploration is whether increasing the concentration of the most active constituents would increase response rates. Dose is also worth researching. Perhaps twice daily treatment would be more effective than once daily.

While this type of research on herbal remedies is encouraging, only one of five dermatologists I unofficially surveyed could remember seeing this study, although all five read the American Medical Association-sponsored journal that was open-minded enough to publish it.

Richard N. Podell, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the Podell Medical Center in New Providence, N.J.

Reference

1. Hay I, et al. Randomized trial of aromatherapy—successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol 1998;134:1349-52.

 

[CCS]

like I said in my other post, I doubt any of this is worth the time or money. i will apply my essential oils to my cream since I have them, but I don't recommend anyone else spend $60 on the stuff.

This last trial looks more promissing. If you are doing nothing else and want your head to smell good, go for it. I doubt you will save your hair though. If you hate adding synthetics to your scalp, and are already on propecia, this combo may be for you.