Emu Oil and Hair Growth: The 34-Person England Report

A small human study commissioned by the Pioneer Trading Company reported encouraging changes after six months of daily emu-oil use. Thirty-four participants applied the oil to their scalps and rated the amount of hair they could see each month.

The company’s original study information sheet describes an average improvement of 48.4% over six months, with an average monthly figure of 8.1%. Participants massaged a few drops into thinning areas before bed.

Those numbers came from participants’ visual ratings, not measured hair counts. The information sheet does not identify the investigators or describe a comparison group, and it is a company report rather than a published clinical paper. It is an interesting preliminary observation, but the 48.4% figure is not a measured increase in hair density or an estimate of what another user can expect.

Separate experiments have examined emu oil as part of a topical minoxidil formulation. Our review of the minoxidil–emu oil foam study covers that work and its results in rats.