Can Pumpkin Seed Oil Help With Hair Loss?

Hair loss, like the common cold, remains one of those troublesome inconveniences modern medicine hasn’t quite figured out how to defeat. Recent research, however, may offer a simple, plant-based, natural remedy– one with old roots.

A study released in 2014 suggested that pumpkin seed oil (notoriously high in healthful fatty acids) may offer a boon to those suffering from hair loss– specifically those with Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a condition where the immune system attacks hair follicles. AGA is the most common form of baldness, according to the American Hair Loss Association, and in cases of AGA, damage to follicle is not permanent.

Subjects (all adult males) took two capsules of 100mg of pumpkin seed oil twice a day before breakfast and dinner over the course of 24 weeks. The results found that pumpkin seed oil significantly increased hair growth compared to the placebo, and also improved hair count percentages (no improvements to hair thickness were reported). The pumpkin seed oil had no side effects, tentatively indicating it can be a safe, botanical remedy for hair loss.

While the study did not look into why pumpkin seed oil is effective, the results are undeniably optimistic, affirming the somewhat instinctual belief that many remedies exist in nature– they just haven’t been discovered yet.

Always consult your doctor before pursuing a new treatment.