Preparation and evaluation of clove oil in emu oil self-emulsion for hair conditioning and hair loss prevention

Introduction: From a consumer perspective, developing a hair care formulation that offers multi-purpose products to enhance routine hair care such as conditioning, cleaning and grooming hair and stimulating hair follicles is important. Eugenol comprising about 70% of clove essential oil shows an androgenic activity and stimulates hair root to feed and hence could be a good candidate for developing an anti-hair loss formulation. Thus in hair research, hair follicle is of great interest. The aim of this study was to develop a self-emulsifying product containing eugenol in emu oil as a carrier. Methods: Eugenol was identified in clove oil extraction by UV spectrophotometer. Emu oil was characterized according to national oil standards. All formulations were prepared and best one was selected for further pharmaceutical examinations such as pH, particle size, content uniformity and drug release. The optimum formulation was clinically evaluated on rats back compared with minoxidil standard lotion as a positive control and distilled water as a negative control. Results: The selected formulation was demonstrated to condition hair with grooming and enhanced hair growth with longer lag time compared with minoxidil but after one week the hair growth accelerated. Conclusion: The formulation containing clove oil in emu oil self-emulsion shows a conditioning and grooming property with hair shaft repair and hair growth.