Blueberry Fruit Extract
If you care so much about your hair and its daily maintenance, then you must be familiar with the effect of natural oils, such as coconut and olive oils, on hair growth. But, ever wondered if there are other natural ingredients and nutrients that you can, or better say you should, use them in your hair care routine? Yes, there are plenty of them and blueberry is just one of them. They taste amazing undoubtedly, but aside from that they are really good for your general health. Blueberry fruit extract contains large amounts of antioxidants, as well as some important vitamins such as vitamin A, B, C and E. Also, there are some scientific evidence that shows regular or moderate consumption of blueberries is related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, aging and type 2 diabetes. In addition, it can help with weight loss as well as boosting neuroprotection.
So, research has left no doubt when it comes to benefits of blueberries on general health, as well as hair growth. Due to its various effects on health, some people call them super-berries or super fruit. For example, if you are fed up with your wrinkles or aging effects on your skin, you should know that blueberries can make a miracle happen with their ani-aging effect. The reason you get wrinkles on your skin, is because of the presence of free radicals in the skin. They can cause damages such as dry skin, age spots and wrinkles. But blueberries can prevent that, since they contain large amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants can react with free radicals and stop them from causing damage to your skin. So, why do they say they are good for hair growth? It is because they are rich in a special molecule called procyanidins.
Procyanidins and hair growth
Procyanidins are a group of compounds that are produced by plants. They are largely available in dietary fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and grains. They are the reason that you see many fruits or flowers has red colour. Firstly, they were studied by scientists as pigment for plants and fruits, but it appeared that they can be a very beneficial plant product that can help with preventing cancer and also improving hair growth. Procyanidin are present in a number of fruits such as red and black grapes, and also in a number of berries such as blueberries, strawberries and cranberries. They are also present in red wine. Currently no side effect is reported by scientists, which makes it an attractive target to boost general health and hair growth. Although if you have underlying health condition, then you should seek advice from your doctor before adding extra amount to your diet.
So, is there any scientific evidence that supports the role of procyanidins in hair growth? The answer is a yes. There is a study that investigated the effect of procyanidin on hair growth with the aim of introducing a natural remedy for treating alopecia. It was reported that procyanidin has the ability to increase the growth of hair epithelial cells as well as boosting the growth of keratinocytes in mouse. In addition, they were able to induce the anagen phase, which is the growth state during hair cycle. In that study, it was concluded that procyanidin can be used as an agent to promote hair growth, and therefore, potentially can be a therapy for androgenic alopecia. Also, a toxicology study was performed by the same group in order to validate the safety and effectiveness, which showed that topical application of procyanidin is safe and effective for treating androgenic alopecia.
References
- Kalt, W., Cassidy, A., Howard, L. R., Krikorian, R., Stull, A. J., Tremblay, F., & Zamora-Ros, R. (2020). Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins. Advances in Nutrition
- Prior, R. L., Lazarus, S. A., Cao, G., Muccitelli, H., & Hammerstone, J. F. (2001). Identification of Procyanidins and Anthocyanins in Blueberries and Cranberries (Vaccinium Spp.) Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry211q
- Rue, E. A., Rush, M. D., & van Breemen, R. B. (2018). Procyanidins: a comprehensive review encompassing structure elucidation via mass spectrometry. Phytochemistry reviews : proceedings of the Phytochemical Society of Europe
- Takahashi, T., Kamiya, T., Hasegawa, A., & Yokoo, Y. (1999). Procyanidin oligomers selectively and intensively promote proliferation of mouse hair epithelial cells in vitro and activate hair follicle growth in vivo. J Invest Dermatol
- Takahashi, T., Yokoo, Y., Inoue, T., & Ishii, A. (1999). Toxicological studies on procyanidin B-2 for external application as a hair growing agent. Food Chem Toxicol
