Benefits of Sunflower Oil for Hair Growth

Sunflower oil is gotten from the sunflower seed, either by extracting it chemically or by pressing. Sunflower as a crop is native to the Americans and is grown in well-draining, damp soil and requires adequate sunlight.

It is also known as Helianthus annuus and is popular for its distinctive bright yellow color and edible seeds and oils.

Its benefits cut across both man, animal and industrial use. It serves a variety of purposes such as food for human consumption, a supplement for human skin and hair growth, feed for birds and livestock, and raw material for latex production.

This article would be focusing on the beneficial uses of sunflower oil for hair. Scientific researches have shown that sunflower oil protects and hydrates the human hair, and neutralizes all cellular damage created by free radicals on the scalp.

Sunflower Oil | An Overview

Sunflower oil has three strains of oil; the standard oil, the high oil, and the moderate oil. The standard oil has the highest level of linoleic acid. The high oil has a high level of oleic acid. The moderate oil has a moderate level of oleic acid.

Other plant-based oils have an adequate level of oleic acid in them, such as canola and olive oils; it is therefore recommended that when choosing to use sunflower oil for hair, that you use the standard oil. The standard oil is the only strain of sunflower that contains linoleic acid.

Linoleic Acid

Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid of the omega-6 family, thus it could be said to be an omega-6 fatty acid. Omega-6 fatty acids are known to be a great benefit to human health and productivity.

Omega-6 fatty acids are important in stimulating hair growth, regulating metabolism, maintaining bone health and supporting the reproductive system.

In addition to these benefits, omega-6 fatty acids metabolize to form other fatty acids that play important roles in the human body. This is one of the reasons you should always go for the standard strain of sunflower oil.

Now if you’re looking to elongate and strengthen your hair, let’s get started on how sunflower oil can be of great use to you.

Benefits of Sunflower Oil for Hair

Sunflower oil is high in essential oils such as Vitamins E and K, and in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which gives your hair and scalp nutrients that they need for the production of strong healthy hair strands.

Sunflower Oil for Hair Cleansing

Sunflower oil helps remove excess oil and dirt from hair strands. Some shampoos aren’t as safe for your hair as you think, especially those shampoos that are made with a wide variety of inorganic ingredients.

Such shampoos deposit more gunks to your hair, and as such sunflower oil is needed to reverse the effects caused for your hair.

If you are not sure about the best way to go about using sunflower oil for hair cleansing, get a shampoo that has sunflower oil.

Such shampoos contain sunflower oil and other natural ingredients that cleanse both the hair and scalp without stripping them of their natural moisture. It also reveals hair’s natural gloss and reduces frizz.

How to use sunflower oil in hair cleansing

Apply the shampoo to your hair. Thoroughly massage the shampoo into your scalp to unclog the already clogged up scalp. A clogged scalp can lead to hair conditions like stunted hair growth and folliculitis. Rinse off the shampoo and apply a conditioner.

Sunflower Oil for Hair Conditioning

Sunflower oil can be used as a hair conditioner. It traps moisture into the hair shaft and leaves no unpleasant oily residue. Sunflower oil as a conditioner promotes hair gloss and fight off frizz caused by either winter air or summer sun.

Sunflower oil conditioners are usually preferred over other types of conditioners. This is because they are easier to wash off from the hair, and causes no brittle strands no matter how long they are used as conditioners.

Most sunflower oil conditioners are complemented by other natural oils such as tea tree oil, coconut oil, and biotin.

Sunflower Oil for Hair Growth

Sunflower oil contains Arachidonic acid: a metabolite of linoleic acid. Arachidonic Acid is known to induce hair growth when used moderately. As earlier stated, linoleic acid as an omega-6 fatty acid metabolizes into other useful acids. Arachidonic acid is one of the useful metabolites.

Arachidonic acid has been tested and proven to have an effect on the elongation of the hair shaft and the proliferation of dermal papilla cells.

Research shows that arachidonic acid induces hair growth at a moderate level of usage but causes a negative effect when used in too high quantity. A high quantity of arachidonic acid induces scalp inflammation which causes loss of hair follicles.

Care should be taken when using sunflower oil to induce hair growth. Moderation is key at this phase.

Sunflower Oil for Scalp Moisturization

Sunflower oil as a plant-based oil has the ability to trap in moisture in your hair, keeping your scalp smooth and free of dandruff.

As a result of oleic acid content in it, it serves as a carrier oil for other organic ingredients that nourishes the scalp. While moisturizing your scalp with sunflower oil mask, ensure to apply and massage the mask deep into your scalp and along your hairline. Allow the mask to sit for 20 minutes before you rinse it off.

Sunflower oil acts as a good scalp moisturizer when complemented with quinoa. It fights frizz and itchy scalp better when complemented with jojoba oil, and avocado oil.

Sunflower Oil for Protecting Hair against UV Light

Sunflower oil, in addition to its other benefits, is resistant to UV light. Using sunflower oil on your hair helps protect your hair from absorbing UV lights – which causes damage to the hair.

Consequently, sunflower oil protects hair against damage caused by UV light and ensures that your hair is maintained in an optimal condition.

Sunflower Oil for Treating Inflamed Scalp

Sunflower oil contains Vitamin E, which has an anti-inflammatory property. This property of sunflower makes it beneficial in treating scalps with inflammatory conditions such as seborrhea eczema and psoriasis. Chronic scalp inflammation leads to loss of hair.

Sunflower oil treats inflamed scalps by soothing the itch, ultimately preventing infection and promoting recovery. Another great feature of sunflower oil that made it highly useful in treating and healing inflamed scalps, lies in it being non-comedogenic.

That means that it doesn’t clog pores nor encourage the formation of blackheads. It, therefore, blends so well in taking care of your hair, scalp and surrounding skin tissues.

To easily get rid of infections and maintain a balanced scalp pH, make sure that you shampoo your hair regularly and follow it up with an organic conditioner. For best results, use a sunflower conditioner that is complemented by either avocado oil or jojoba oil.

 Sunflower Oil for Treating Scarring Alopecia

Scarring alopecia is a type of male pattern baldness. It is characterized by plaque-like skin lesions that cause damage to the hair follicle, thereby causing hair loss.

The healing abilities of sunflower oil in such conditions are possible as a result of it possessing linoleic acid. Linoleic acid has the ability to cause wound contraction and heal them.

In some cases, following the application of sunflower oil to wounds from scarring alopecia, re-growth of hair follicles in scarred areas occur.

Sunflower Oil for Hair Loss | Extra Tips

Another way you can improve your hair growth with sunflower seed aside from directly applying its oil is by dietary intake. This means that you can take sunflower oil as supplements in your salads, soups, and vegetables. You can as well eat sunflower seeds as a snack.

Another excellent way is to add sunflower oil to your hair care products. Sunflower oil is an excellent carrier for a lot of organic and homemade hair care products.

If you do not have any homemade hair care product and wish to make one. You may consider giving the following recipe a try. This recipe is for Rosemary oil and Zesty lemon conditioner.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 10 drops of Rosemary oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of Lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of Sunflower oil

Instruction

Mix the sunflower oil to the other ingredients until they are well blended.

Wash your hair, and while your hair is still damp, apply the mixture that has now become your conditioner onto your hair and scalp.

Allow the mixture to sit on your hair and scalp for 7 minutes.

You can leave it in for a few more minutes if you wish.

When you feel that your hair and scalp have absorbed all the good nutrients, you rinse your hair in lukewarm water.

Using this conditioner, your hair would benefit from the four ingredients used in the following ways:

Apple cider vinegar is a gentle cleanser. It would remove any shampoo residue and naturally cleanse your hair strands and scalp.

Lemon juice provides antioxidants that work against free radicals. These free radicals are responsible for hair thinning and hair graying. Lemon juice also boosts hair vitamin c.

Rosemary oil provides a soothing effect to the scalp, while it simultaneously dilates the blood vessels to ensure that proper nutrition is being delivered to the hair follicles.

Conclusion

Sunflower oil is an essential oil for hair care. It is, therefore, necessary that you own a bottle or more of it, as it may come handy at any time, either as for hair care or skincare.

Remember, it is a carrier oil, so you can use it also with other organic oils for best hair care and treatment results.

Be sure to check out the top 3 best product for hair growth.