The use of emu oil to treat hair loss and encourage hair regrowth is becoming widely popular.

At Boston University, Dr Michael Holick, Professor of Dermatology, has carried out studies (in both mice and humans) to see if emu oil helps to regrow hair.

His results are very positive and in one test on mice he found over 80% of hair follicles which had become dormant were re-activated with new growth.

In another test on balding people he divided volunteers into one group that applied corn oil into their scalps and to the other he gave emu oil. The group that used emu oil showed clearly evident signs of hair regrowth but the group that used the corn oil showed none.

In his own words: "A hair follicle goes through a cycle. It goes from a resting stage into an active growth period, and then it goes back to sleep again. We woke up all the hair follicles by stimulating them, and then we wanted to see if we could further stimulate these hair follicles by topically applying emu oil. We found that there was an enhancement in the growth activity of the hair follicles." [1]

Many hair regrowth treatments actually only slow the process of going bald and offer no long-lasting solution.

People who suffer from hair loss have enough to concern them without trying to find the final solution.

Pure Emu oil is gently massaged directly onto the affected areas of the scalp up to three times a day. Only the smallest quantity of oil is required. It is non-greasy and rapidly soaks into the skin after applied.

(The oil has the remarkable feature of being non-comedogenic, which means it does not clog skin pores. So, using it on the scalp or skin at any time will not cause acne of inflammation. In fact many people even use the oil to treat their acne!)

Many users apply more oil to the scalp at night than they do during the day and some even climb into bed every night wearing a shower cap. Nevertheless, the amount used before bed is still only a few drops.

Within weeks, the hair that can first regrow is known as Vellus Hair which is short, fine, light colored and barely noticeable.

Over further time, and with careful continued use of emu oil, hair regrowth can become more pronounced.

It is critical that the oil used to stimulate hair growth is properly refined.

Some oils that have only been roughly refined may contain sodium hydroxide, trans-fatty acids, and other products that are not found in more refined oils.

The best grade of emu oil commercially available is called Ultra Clear which is 100% natural, pure and safe to use.

[1] Drug and Cosmetic Industry (Magazine), January 1996