Safflower Oil for Hair Growth
As we know, our hair plays an essential part in our appearance, especially for women, and so we need to take good care of it. Normally, due to stress, daily activities or aging, our hair become dull and starts losing its shine. Our hair care regime usually includes styling, dyeing and cutting hair, but we quite conveniently forget that for proper hair care and faster hair growth, we need to oil, wash, condition and brush our hair regularly. Oil works as an excellent conditioner for dry and breaking hair. It nourishes the roots, penetrates deep inside the scalp, and helps to prevent dryness. It strengthens the hair strands which enables a healthier and richer hair growth at a faster pace. As such, for hair growth, safflower oil is an excellent option to be considered.
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a plant belonging to family Compositae, and is native to countries like Iran, northwestern India, North America and the Far East. Safflower oil is an oil extracted from the seeds of the safflower plant, which has been used to treat baldness, cholesterol, essential fatty acid deficiency and hair loss. There are two methods by which the oil is extracted from the plant seeds - the mechanical process and the chemical process. In the mechanical method, the oil is extracted from the seeds by using a natural expeller, which helps in retaining the essential nutrients found in the oil. On the other hand, during the chemical process, certain chemicals are added to refine the oil, which removes most of the nutrients found in the oil and contaminates it with some harmful chemicals that may cause a negative effect on the body.
Safflower Oil Benefits for Hair
Safflower oil is highly rich in polyunsaturated fats, containing 77% linoleic acid (omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)), 10% saturated fats, and 13% oleic acid (omega-9s - monosaturates). It also comprises high levels of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol and phytosterols, and so helps in preventing and treating EFA deficiencies in the body. Safflower oil contains high amounts of oleic acid, which is light in texture and penetrates the skin easily. This protects, nourishes, hydrates and firms the hair. Being extremely rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, it is highly beneficial for dry, color treated or perm hair. When applied to the scalp, it acts as a vasodilator which can dilate the blood vessels, resulting in more nutrients supply to the hair follicles through blood circulation, and a healthy environment for hair regrowth.
Safflower Oil for Dry Hair
Our hair normally contains a moisture content of approximately 10%, which when drops below this level needs to be retained. As the hair grows past the neckline or doesn't have a direct contact with the scalp, the essential natural oils present in the scalp are not utilized throughout the hair shaft. Therefore, to increase the hair's ability to attract and retain moisture in the cortex of the hair, one can use moisturizers rich in essential fatty acids (EFA). Safflower oil is one of the best and cost-effective oil for dry hair containing essential fatty acids. Following are few steps that will help you to replace the lost EFA and moisture from the scalp:
- Put 1 or 2 drops of safflower oil in your palms and rub them together.
- Take your hair and apply the oil at the ends first, and then work towards the scalp.
- Leave this in your hair for an hour or so and then rinse.
- By regularly applying safflower oil in your hair, you will retain the moisture and have healthy, shiny hair.
Therefore, safflower oil can be considered as the best oil around for hair growth, as it is not only easily absorbed by the hair which helps in retaining moisture, but it also prevents protein loss that damages hair and eventually leads to hair loss.
