Use Olive Oil as a remedy for Hair Loss

There are people who believe that the natural properties in Olive Oil can help those suffering from hair loss.


Olive oil is mostly a kind of fat. Fat is a chemical composition, called an ester, of the alcohol glycerol and fatty acids. A fatty acid has a molecules consisting of a long hydrocarbon chain and a carboxylic group. The most abundant fatty acid in olive oil is oleic acid which is a mono-unsaturated acid, meaning that the hydrocarbon chain has one double bond. 76 % of the fatty acids in olive oil is oleic acid. Oleic acid has 18 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, and the double bond between the 9th and 10th carbon atoms in the hydrogen chaine, counted from the non-carboxylic end in the molecule. It is therefore called an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid. 8 % of the fatty acids in olive oil is linoleic acid, which is a poly-unsaturated acid, meaning that there are more than one double bond in the hydrocarbon chain. Linoleic acid has two double bonds. Linoleic acid has 18 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbone chain, a double bond between the 3th and 4th carbon atoms in the hydrocarbone chain, and a double bond between the 6th and 7th atom, counted from the non-carboxylic end in the molecule. It is therefore called an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid. 15 % of the fatty acid content of olive oil is stearic acid, which is a saturated fatty acid with 16 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. A saturated fatty acid has no double bonds. Olive oil also contains some other fat-like substances. One of these is squalane. This is a saturated hydrocarbon with 30 carbon atoms. Squalane is good for the skin health and is often used in cosmetics and skin care products.


So how does that help fight hair loss?

Olive oil seems to have anti-inflammatory properties. People suffering from inflammatory ailments, for example rheumatism, will generally gain from including oilve oil in their diet. However, olive oil should be combined with fish oil or fat fish to optimize the anti-inflammatory effct. Olive oil contains omega-9-poly-unsaturated acids, while fish oil contains- omega-3-poly-unsaturated acids. Both of these seem to reduce inflammation.

If you read previous posts, you will find out that scalp inflammation is a contributor to hair loss.

Make sure to choose extra virgin olive oil. Massage the oil onto the scalp and leave on for about an hour, unless you plan on making a salad on your head. Do this on a regular basis.

One individual applied olive oil along with a combination of garlic and onion juice. He noticed results within a few weeks.

As always if you have used this remedy or know someone who has, please post your comments.