essential-oil

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Essential Oil

An essential oil is a very concentrated liquid derived from plants. In the beard spectrum of things, essential oils are “known” to be helpful for beard health and growth. While not entirely untrue, it's best to keep in mind that anti-androgens that inhibit the production of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, should be avoided. Quite a few essential oils are anti-androgenic, but many are not.

Unlike the name may imply, essential oils are not essential in the sense of being nutritionally required. Instead, its meaning is that the essence of the plant had been extracted to make the oil (normally through the use of steam distillation). Along that line, essential oils each have their own scents. Beyond the smell, and depending on the plant that the essence was extracted from, the oil may yield additional effects.

Essential oils can be found in a variety of products, ranging from soaps and shampoos, to beard oils.

As a beard requires androgens for its existence, avoiding oils that inhibit the conversion of testosterone into DHT is highly recommended. While avoidance is technically not a necessity, this notion is misunderstood by many beardsman and beard companies that sell oils with DHT-blocking compositions. Topical DHT inhibitors are not as effective as oral inhibitors, but may still pose some harm when it comes to growing the fullest beard genetically possible.

Many men have expressed no hindrance in beard progress due to beard oils with DHT inhibiting ingredients, which comes down to the topical not successfully stopping 5-alpha-reductase from completing its conversion. Even with oral blockers such as finasteride, which is a very potent DHT blocker, men may see no perceived delay in beard progress. Normally, men with heightened androgen sensitivity have little to worry about when it comes to over-the-counter and prescription DHT blockers, but this does not mean that DHT blockers are not, at the same time, thinning other men's facial hair. Knowing this, men should take this precaution as nothing more than that: a precaution.

At the end of the day, remember that dihydrotestosterone is essential for beard production; it may be merely a helpful note for those that already possess a strong beard, but it is even more important for those that struggle with growing a full beard at all — such as those using minoxidil for beard growth. DHT itself is important to every man looking to grow a beard to his fullest potential, but androgen sensitivity is a major factor in whether or not one should worry about the blockers of DHT.

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