Carrot Oil & New Growth

Oil from the carrot root stimulates hair and skin tissue growth.

Carrot oil is loaded with healthy vitamins and nutrients. Carrot oil acts as a muscle relaxant and vasodilator, a widener of blood cells, according to lab studies reported by Drugs.com. Because carrot oil relaxes muscles and blood cells, it has the power to produce new skin growth and hair growth. However, as of 2011, studies do not prove the effectiveness of carrot oil extracts. For instance, there is no Food and Drug Administration basis for the claim.

Basics

Carrot oil, from either the seed or root of the plant, is often sold as an oil extract in a small bottle with a dropper. The oil can be mixed with other essential oils, such as lavender or coconut, to produce other effects, like calming properties, along with new hair or skin growth. The oil is also commonly used as fragrance, and a food flavoring, and as a vitamin A and E supplement.

Composition

Carrot oil is the carbon-dioxide extract of a dried carrot root. The root juice is often mixed with jojoba oil, the liquid wax jojoba desert shrub seeds produce. Carrots contain carotenes, vital for photosynthesis, orange coloring and producing vitamin A and E. Pharmacologists have found vitamin A stimulates skin cell regeneration and exfoliation.

Growth

The oil may support skin cell regeneration, acting as an "age-defying" natural formula for people with wrinkling skin. The oil may also balance natural skin oils for people with drier skin types and encourage hair growth. Vitamin E increases oxygen uptake, improving circulation to the scalp, which produces new hair growth, according to a Holistic Online "Hair Remedies" feature.

Warning

If you grow carrots in a summer garden and make your own carrot root oil, beware of oil going rancid, according to horticulturists at the Colorado State University Extension. When storing winter carrot roots, store them in garden soil or in a root cellar to use throughout the year. Some carrot varieties become strong-flavored as the natural oil turns rancid. To avoid rancid oil, leave the carrots undisturbed when growing in the garden. Mulch the garden bed with straw or other organic materials. Also, place harvested or collected carrots in straw to keep them dry and protect the carrot oil from spoiling.

References

• Drugs.com: Carrot Oil
• Ananda Apothecary: Essential Oils
• HolisticOnline.com: Hair Loss, Baldness
• Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Garden Hints; Garden Notes; David Whiting, et al.; June 2010