Turmeric And Coconut Oil For Hair
Turmeric isnt very well absorbed, however, you may be able to enhance absorption by using a few methods.
In one study, pre-treatment with terpineol or eugenol increased turmeric absorption . Terpineol is found in essential oils like pine oil. Eugenol is found in clove oil and cinnamon oil. However, the study was an animal study and did not specify the concentration used.
Turmeric is best mixed with a carrier oil like coconut oil. Coconut oil is known to help preserve the protein content of the hair shaft and possesses antimicrobial properties to promote scalp health .
Heres how to make a turmeric coconut oil hair mask:
This topical mixture could help lower inflammation on the scalp through turmerics anti-inflammatory properties and coconut oils antimicrobial properties.
However, no studies have currently examined the effects of topical turmeric formulations on hair loss or hair growth.
Boosts Brain Power And Fights Degenerative Brain Disease
Brain function is determined by the forming of new connections between neurons, via brain growth hormone BDNF. Brain disorders such as Alzheimers and depression are linked to a reduction in levels of BDNF.
The curcumin is now known to increase levels of BDNF in the brain, effectively delaying or even reversing brain disease and malfunction.
Another active ingredient in turmeric is turmerone, with studies showing it contains neuroprotective properties that support cognitive performance.
The Power Of Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice known for its vivid yellow color and aromatic flavor. It often appears in Asian cuisines. But did you know that turmeric has therapeutic powers as well? Its played a large role in traditional Ayurvedic medicine and rituals for skin and hair care for centuries, restoring balance to the body and promoting overall wellness.
Turmerics magic power comes from its core compound, curcumin. Turmeric is the only dietary source of this compound. This natural substance has a wide range of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers. In traditional medicine, turmeric was said to aid digestion, detoxify the body, and even help wounds heal. Recent research has shown that turmeric more specifically, curcumin can stimulate hair growth. In fact, some studies have indicated that it may be an effective treatment for androgenic alopecia. Moreover, this substance supports overall wellness, which, in turn, can stimulate hair growth.
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Did Turmeric And Curcumin Work For Me
I take turmeric and curcumin for osteoarthritis in my back. So painful! But whilst I don’t take them specifically for hair loss*², I still couldn’t resist asking one company whether they recommend taking their turmeric product for hair loss.
You can read the reply I got from the company below. But first, here’s how I started taking turmeric and curcumin on a daily basis:
- Turmeric powder from a food store, sprinkled along with black pepper onto meals containing fats.
- One organic turmeric capsule containing 10mg organic black pepper . It also made sense to take this supplement with meals that contain fats as above.
- One liquid curcumin nano-micelle capsule .
The turmeric powder spice I bought only cost £1 for 48 grams. That’s a lot less than the turmeric supplement. So that also prompted me to email the company from where I purchased the turmeric capsules:
“Dear Sir, Thank you for the organic turmeric supplements. I have just started using them and would like to ask a couple of questions:
What advantage does your product have over turmeric obtained from a food store spice rack which could simply be added to fatty food along with black pepper?
I am using your turmeric supplement for osteoarthritis but am also interested in whether or not it can help with hair loss. Is it possible to use turmeric and curcumin to stop hair loss and stimulate hair regrowth?”
Here’s the reply I got:
I’ve been taking my turmeric and curcumin products for a while now.
And the result?
Curcumin As A Dht Blocker
Curcumin is considered an effective means to treat hair loss and stimulate hair growth by . DHT aka dihydrotestosterone is one of the primary factors in hormonal hair loss. Too-high levels of DHT can lead to male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia or androgenic alopecia. As DHT reduces or restricts the supply of proper circulation to blood vessels, it compromises the health of hair follicles and hair growth.
According to one study, curcumin can combat hair loss because it has the ability to suppress abnormal androgen receptor expression. This important because AR contributes to the control of hair growth and is also overexpressed in follicles of those experiencing androgenetic alopecia.
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Turmeric: A Potent Anti
Inflammation and oxidative stress are interconnected and closely linked to hair loss.
Inflammation is an innate immune response that is stimulated by pro-inflammatory molecules. Oxidative stress is essentially the sum of all the free radical damage in the body.
Inflammatory molecules produce free radicals that contribute to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress activates the transcription factor NF-B that increases the production of inflammatory molecules.
Tumeric Vs Finasteride As A Dht Blocker
Like finasteride, turmeric extracts have also been shown to inhibit the 5-AR enzyme meaning that they could also play a similar role in reducing hair loss.
This property is believed to belong to the curcumin compound found in the turmeric extracts.
Curcumin has been shown to have inhibitory effects on androgens in both 2014 and 2015. These studies were performed in regards to BPH another condition in which DHT sensitivity is believed to play a major part .
These results were supported by a 2018 study performed by researchers from Japan .
As the aforementioned study shows, curcumin supplementation may lead to an increase in the expression of the enzyme AldoKeto reductase 1C2 . This, as a result, supports the decrease of DHT.
Even further, clinical tests have shown that administering daily amounts of curcumin over a period of three months indicate no toxicity, unlike finasteride, which has shown to cause adverse effects including erectile dysfunction and infertility .
In addition to the enzyme-inhibiting properties that curcumin displays on its own, it has also been shown that it can be combined effectively with minoxidil the vasodilatory active ingredient in topical and foam treatments for hair loss such as Rogaine .
These studies involved a relative of turmeric Curcuma aeruginosa and showed a significant enhancement in the performance of the synthetic drug in restoring hair growth in male sufferers of androgenic alopecia .
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It May Reduce The Appearance Of Acne Scars
The only thing worse than battling breakouts is living with the marks they leave behind. Thankfully, you dont have to splurge for expensive products to minimize their appearance. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory capabilities, turmeric can help here too. A remedy for hyperpigmentation and acne scars, turmeric is effective and natural without any side effects, says Punnapuzha. The curcumin it contains is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that reduces excess production of melanin, which helps to even skin tone and lighten scars. She recommends Vicco Turmeric Skin Cream. Theyve been making their ever-popular turmeric cream since the 50sits every Indian womans secret to beautiful skin.
Best Health Benefits Of Turmeric
Turmeric, or curcuma longa if you want to get fancy, is a member of the ginger family.
It contains a plant-based chemical called curcumin, which gives it that lovely yellow colour. Turmeric has plenty of health benefits, but the one you hair lossers might be MOST interested in, is turmeric for hair growth.
Its taken a while for the West to realise the amazing health benefits of turmeric. But were getting there. And whether you enjoy this warming spice in a golden latte, add it to your salad dressings or sprinkle it in a smoothie, you cant go wrong with more turmeric in your diet.
Especially to help hair growth, the natural way.
Coming up below:
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Turmeric Tea For Hair Growth
One of the best refreshing drinks you can enjoy every day for both longevity and reducing inflammations in your body is turmeric tea, you can also use it to increase hair growth since it lowers toxins in your body and has an amazing anti-inflammatory effect.
So, here is how I make my turmeric tea, by the way, this recipe is by doctor Andrew Weil, in my opinion, he uses too much turmeric and doesnt use a sweetener.
I cant drink it without adding some honey, but this is a personal opinion:
Evens And Brightens Your Skin Tone
Turmeric can also brighten and even out your skin tone. The neutralising of the free radicals remove problems in the skins function. Avedas Tulasra Wedding masque contains turmeric extract for this reason and was inspired by the Haldi ceremony from India, a pre-wedding tradition where a homemade turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groom for radiant glowing skin on their wedding day).
The formula combines turmeric extract with plant stem cells and organic apricot seed oil, to support skins natural repair processes. The overnight masque works in harmony with the skins resting healing properties, so you can wake up to skin thats brighter and more vibrant every day
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What Are The Best Turmeric And Curcumin Supplements To Take
Curcumin supplements include standardized curcumin extract and turmeric powder.
Whilst there’s no doubt that turmeric is a “super spice”, there’s a big problem – turmeric is not water soluble. This means that both turmeric spice and basic turmeric supplements are very poorly absorbed by your intestines once you swallow them.
However, turmeric isfat soluble. So, eating fatty*¹ foods sprinkled with turmeric spice, or taking turmeric and curcumin supplements with fatty foods, will increase how much curcumin becomes available for the body to use.
But fatty foods can only help so much. The amount of curcumin contained in turmeric powder is very low . Which means you’re never going to get that much curcumin into your body if you just consume turmeric powder.
However, here are three tips that can help when buying turmeric and curcumin supplement products:
1. Does the supplement contain piperine? Piperine is part of black pepper*¹, and helps increase the bioavailability of other substances.
*¹ Since Indian cooking often involves turmeric, fat and black pepper, it’s easy to see how Indian medicine might have first realized that turmeric was something that had health-promoting benefits.
The thing about piperine though, is that it can interfere with prescription medications .
So, obviously if you’re on prescription medications, you would need to check with your doctor first before you start taking any supplement that contains piperine or black pepper.
Turmeric As A Tool Of Religious Devotion
Turmeric is also used in one other hair care application. Some Hindu women become devotees of the “devi” Yellama. This mystical being is said to be attracted to turmeric, and smearing the hair with turmeric is believe by the followers of Yellama to give them psychic powers.
I don’t know whether turmeric can make women psychic or not. I have never met a devotee of the devi Yellama. However, using turmeric as a pomade can cause permanent hair loss, especially where the hair is parted. For hair removal or hair restoration, use only drops of turmeric, not bowls of turmeric.
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Lessen Effects Of Damaged Skin
Turmeric is also an antioxidant, which means it can fight off free radicals and oxidative damage, brightening your skin and lightening age spots. Since it reduces inflammation, it can also help soothe wrinkles, and turmeric may also help reduce the loss of skin elasticity that comes from UV exposure. These properties could also help heal and reduce stretch marks and scars.
The Verdict: Can You Use Turmeric For Hair Growth
Inflammation and oxidative stress are undeniable contributors to hair loss. Turmeric acts on various systems in the body to effectively downregulate inflammation and neutralize free radicals.
Although turmeric is a considerably medicinal and healing herb, there are currently no trials available on turmeric for hair growth.
So, we cant make any claims about how or if turmeric works to promote hair growth or reverse hair loss.
Nonetheless, turmeric is a health-promoting herb that can be used in various ways to support overall wellness!
Have you used turmeric consistently? Did you notice a difference? Leave a comment with your experience below.
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How Turmeric Can Help
Turmerics curcuminoids are powerful anti-inflammatories. It acts in a pleiotropic manner, meaning it targets various systems in the body that increase the production of inflammatory molecules . These mechanisms may have a beneficial impact on hair loss.
One way turmeric lowers inflammation is through reducing COX-2 enzyme activity. This is the enzyme that interacts with arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, to produce the precursors for prostaglandins like PGD2.
It also downregulates the expression of nitric oxide synthase , the enzyme that produces nitric oxide. This compound contributes to oxidative stress.
Researchers attribute this to turmerics ability to inhibit NF-B activation.
Turmeric might also downregulate protein kinase C , a signaling protein that regulates IL-1 expression . Upregulation of PKC could result in enhanced IL-1 activity and subsequently stunt hair growth.
Curcuminoids in turmeric also activate the opposing transcription factor to NF-B, Nrf2 . Nrf2 enhances the expression of antioxidant enzymes like glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. These enzymes are the natural antioxidant systems of the body that help counterbalance oxidative stress.
Turmeric has even been shown to enhance liver detox pathways . These are enzymes in the liver that interact with chemicals and drugs to prevent damage to the body.
Turmeric For Hair Loss As A Dht Inhibitor
Pharmaceutical hair loss drugs are currently designed to help manage the signs of androgenic alopecia by targeting the DHT pathway. Such treatment mechanisms operate by blocking the 5a-reductase enzyme, which metabolizes testosterone into dihydrotestosterone . Inhibiting this enzyme will lower the DHT levels in the blood.
DHTs detrimental effects are seen in those with the genetics for pattern baldness. Due to their DNA coding, they produce more sensitive DHT receptors on the hair follicle.
A group of researchers was interested in seeing if turmeric might block the 5a-reductase enzyme . They designed a treatment formulation using 5% concentrations of both turmeric and 5% minoxidil in hexane on eighty-seven male subjects suffering from androgenic alopecia who showed hair loss in the vertex. This mixture was compared with a placebo.
Results:
- significant photographic image comparisons
- positive assessments by the participants
After just six months of treatment, the researchers noted significant improvement in these three areas. The photographs and feedback by the subjects supported signs of growth and decreased shedding compared to the placebo.
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