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Using cedarwood oil for hair loss is something that you may or may not have heard about. However, this oil is one that is becoming increasingly popular to help with hair growth. Cedarwood oil has even had a study or two done on it, but more on that later.
What Is Cedarwood Oil?
Cedarwood oil, often simply referred to as cedar oil, has been around for quite a while as a natural remedy. This oil is taken from various parts of the cedar tree, such as the bark, roots, and needles. These parts go through a very specific distillation process as the oil is extracted from them.
Like the tree it comes from, cedarwood oil has a rich woody scent to it. However, just as there are different types of cedar trees, there are also different types of cedarwood oils. Atlas cedars, Texas cedars, Himalayan cedars, and each of the other types of cedars can be made into their own unique essential oils.
All of these cedar trees are similar in that they are all conifers – trees that have needle leaves and some type of cone. There are four main types of cedars used for oils, each of which has a slightly different aroma and composition.
These four are Atlas cedarwood oil, Himalayan cedarwood oil, Texas cedarwood oil, and Virginia cedarwood oil. There are a few other types that are less commonly used for oils, such as Lebanese Cedar, Cyprian Cedar, and Chinese Cedar.
Sometimes a cedarwood essential oil may not say which cedar tree it is made from. In this case, it is quite possibly a mixture of two or more. A mixture of these oils is not a bad thing to have, as it will give you the benefits of each type.
There are even a few different ways cedar oil can be extracted. Some of these ways include cold pressing, steam distillation, or carbon dioxide distillation. Each method of extracting the oil has its own pros and cons.
The Benefits Of Cedarwood Oil
Cedarwood oil has a lot of benefits to it for all over your body, no matter which type it is. The four most popular types of cedar oil have the most information on them, and are perhaps so popular because of the fact of how useful they are.
This oil’s naturally woody scent makes it great for things like aromatherapy. It balances out more flowery scents in blends, making these not so overpowering. For this reason, cedar oil is particularly efficient at helping to promote relaxation ad stress relief.
Atlas cedarwood oil is the most popular for hair treatments, skincare, and relaxation. Himalayan cedarwood oil is better used for antifungal and insect repellant things, as well as helping to balance your hormones. Texas cedarwood oil assists your immune system and helps with your mental health. Finally, Virginia cedarwood oil is perfect for oily skin, respiratory tract problems, and stress relief.
However, each type of cedarwood oil, even the less popular ones, still has benefits to them. The Chinese cedarwood oil, for example, is really good for inflammation and muscle aches. The most popular type of cedarwood oil is undoubtedly the Atlas cedar oil.
And those are just a few of the beneficial properties of cedar oil. Some others include antiseptic, antifungal, antispasmodic, anti-seborrheic, and more. In short, there are too many beneficial things that this oil does to name.
Because of all these cedar oil benefits, it is no wonder all of the things that cedar oil is used for. Just a few of these are: arthritis, acne, eczema, toning the skin, treating muscle spasms, improving sleep, helping with toothaches, strengthening gums, cough relief, promoting circulation, reducing inflammation, and it can even be used as a natural bug repellent or as a natural deodorant.
For Hair Loss
As mentioned, Atlas cedarwood oil is the most popular type of cedar oil that you can get. It is also the most helpful for your hair. All of the different oils can be helpful in their own way, but this cedar oil is the best.
Firstly, the anti-seborrheic properties in it are perfect for helping with hair growth. What this means is that cedar oil will help reduce any excessive sebum buildup on your scalp. Though sebum is a good thing, as it helps keep your scalp moisturized and prevents it from drying out, too much is not good.
However, the removal of excess sebum helps keep your scalp free from infections, minimizes inflammation, and it helps the flow of blood to your scalp. Blood flow is vital for hair growth, and inflammation and blockage of any sort can be detrimental to the hair you are trying to grow. Cedar oil can even help with dandruff, which can lead to hair loss.
Atlas cedar oil is also good for helping sleep, which is an important part of helping your hair grow. This oil’s antiseptic properties may make it good for putting on cuts and things. But, when combined with its antifungal properties, it is perfect for keeping your scalp healthy.
Fungal infections affect your hair in a negative way and can lead to hair loss all on their own. So, all in all, cedar oil can help your hair in many different ways.
There has even been a study done, though this was done on a mixture of essential oils, only one of which was cedarwood oil. However, the fact that there was a patent filed by Johnson & Johnson for a mixture of cedarwood and poplar bud extract for reducing sebum levels also proves that it works.
Possible Side Effects Of Cedarwood Oil
While cedar oil is safe for most people, there are a couple of cautions to keep in mind when you use it. Firstly, this oil is not supposed to be used while you are pregnant. Though this is not something that will bother men, it can be a concern for women.
Also, cedarwood essential oil should always be used with a carrier oil. This oil can be harsh on the skin, causing redness, itching, and a little bit of pain. The more sensitive you know your skin to be, the more carrier oil you should use.
Cedar trees can also cause an allergic reaction in some people. This type of reaction does not happen often, but you should always test out cedar oil on a section of your skin before you start putting it on your scalp.
Cedarwood oil is also an oil that is known as a furocoumarin, which is a type of oil that has a reaction when it is in direct sunlight. This is more so if you use the oil in excess. You can even develop an allergy to cedar oil by using too much of it, even if you were not allergic before.
Finally, you never want to consume cedarwood oil internally, as it may cause damage to your digestive system. For starters, cedar oil can cause vomiting and nausea, depending on how much you try to intake.
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How To Use Cedarwood Oil For Your Hair
Most people who use cedarwood oil do so in a blend of other essential oils. Cedarwood oil is so easily absorbed through the skin that it can help other essential oils be absorbed as well. This can increase other oil’s efficiency for helping your hair.
In spite of that, you can simply use cedarwood oil with nothing else. You can add some cedar oil to your shampoo or conditioner. Afterwards, you can use them as usual on your hair, enjoying the cedarwood scent for a little longer than usual.
Simply mixing the oil with a carrier oil, such as coconut or jojoba oil, is perhaps the most efficient way. Just mix it, put it on your scalp for about half an hour, and then rinse it out with cold water. Adding a hot towel in the meantime can be even better.
You could even get a little benefit from this oil by taking a bath in it and adding a few drops of the cedar oil to the water. Using a diffuser with cedar oil in it may also be beneficial to some degree, though neither of these will be as effective as applying the oil directly onto your scalp and messaging it in.
Finally, you can put some cedarwood oil on your pillow at night. It will not only help you sleep, but the oil will also get on your hair a little that way. You may need a specific pillowcase for this, however, one that you won’t mind getting slightly stained from the oil.
Conclusion
Perhaps now you can see why cedarwood is becoming so popular among those suffering from hair loss. It was the small study that was done on it that started to increase its popularity. There have also been success stories of people using this oil for help growing their hair.
What’s more, cedar oil is really easy to find, and you can get it on many online places like Amazon. From there, you can have it shipped to you. It is best to stick with cedar oil that is USDA organic certified, though, wherever you get it from.
This certification means that there won’t be any pesticides, GMOs, or additives. You also want to ensure that your cedar oil is just cedar oil, not cedar oil mixed with fillers of some type.
Today cedarwood oil is used for all kinds of things. Some of these purposes include renewing furniture, in sprays, candles, lotions, and creams to repel insects and for its pleasant aroma, and it is sometimes even used as a food preservative.
This is a long way from when it was publicized in the 1960s as a pesticide to keep bugs away. This oil that softens your hair is actually even safe for your pets, so maybe you should try cedarwood oil for your own hair.
