Evening Primrose Oil for Hair: What the Research Shows

Evening primrose oil (EPO) is a source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and its research is about skin, not hair. A placebo-controlled trial found that 12 weeks of EPO improved skin moisture and firmness in healthy adults. We found no study of EPO on hair growth, and a Cochrane review found it did not help eczema.

Here's what the research shows and what to know about safety.

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Key Takeaways

• In a 12-week, double-blind trial in healthy adults, evening primrose oil significantly improved skin moisture, firmness, elasticity and roughness compared with placebo.
• A Cochrane review of 27 studies (1,596 people) found oral EPO and borage oil did not significantly improve eczema compared with placebo.
• EPO has been associated with severe adverse events in pregnancy, where it has been used to try to facilitate labor.
• We found no study of evening primrose oil for hair.

What Is Evening Primrose Oil?

EPO is a vegetable oil that contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). It's sold as a supplement.

Does Evening Primrose Oil Help Hair?

The idea comes from its effects on skin. For hair, there is no evidence we could find. Don't expect EPO to change hair loss or growth.

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Using EPO Safely

• Don't use it in pregnancy unless your doctor advises it.
• Tell your doctor if you take blood thinners.
• Expect mild side effects. Trials mainly report mild stomach problems.

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What The Research Shows

A Skin Trial In Healthy Adults

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, healthy adults took Efamol evening primrose oil capsules (3 × 500 mg twice daily) for 12 weeks. At week 12, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss, elasticity, firmness, fatigue resistance and roughness had significantly improved, by 12.9%, 7.7%, 4.7%, 16.7%, 14.2% and 21.7%, respectively, versus placebo (Muggli, 2005). It looked at skin, not hair.

Cochrane Review On Eczema

A Cochrane review of 27 studies (19 of EPO and 8 of borage oil) found that EPO and borage oil failed to significantly improve global eczema symptoms compared with placebo. Adverse effects were fairly common, mild and mainly gastrointestinal, and the short-term studies did not look at long-term use. The review noted a case report warning of potential risks of inflammation, thrombosis and immunosuppression with EPO taken for more than a year, and another study in which EPO may have increased bleeding for people on warfarin (Bamford et al., 2013).

Pregnancy

A review of herbal therapies in pregnancy found very little scientific support for evening primrose oil to facilitate labor, and reported severe adverse events with it (Dante et al., 2014).

Borage seed oil is another oil people compare it with; see borage seed oil and hair.

See also: Flaxseed and Lignans for Hair: What the Research Shows · Vitamin E Oil for Hair: What the Research Shows

Comparing oils? See our guide to rosemary oil for hair growth, the oil with the most research behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does evening primrose oil help hair growth?

We found no study showing that it does. The research is on skin.

Is evening primrose oil safe?

Trials report mostly mild stomach side effects. Talk to your doctor first, especially if you're pregnant or take blood thinners such as warfarin.

Does EPO help eczema?

A Cochrane review found it did not improve eczema more than placebo.

References

1. Muggli R. Systemic evening primrose oil improves the biophysical skin parameters of healthy adults. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2005. PubMed
2. Bamford JT, Ray S, Musekiwa A, et al. Oral evening primrose oil and borage oil for eczema. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013. PubMed
3. Dante G, Bellei G, Neri I, et al. Herbal therapies in pregnancy: what works?. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2014. PubMed