Starflower oil/ Omega 3 hallenge

Aviah

Well-Known Member
2011 Starflower oil/ Omega 3 Challenge

CHALLENGE CLOSED

Note: The title is meant to read "challenge" but I can't seem to change it...:ohwell:

So I wanted to increase hair growth, but not topically (though it works, its somewhat of a waste of money). I figured why not nourish my body from the inside out? Sure we all know about Biotin, MSM, and other internal growth aids, but I found something a little different here and wanted to try it out.

THIS IS NOT MY ARTICLE, I FOUND IT ONLINE

Faster Hair Growth

Welcome to faster hair growth. After personally spending, or should I say wasting, countless amounts of time and money on hair care products and treatments, I have decided to tell you my story in the hope that you can benefit from my research and experiences.

For most of my adult life I have been plagued with weak lank hair. I have tried almost every treatment (including the ones that you leave on after your bath) and remedy going, so I decided enough was enough and started to research in depth about what makes hair grow and what would make your hair grow faster, healthier and stronger.

So let me explain a little bit about hair so you can better understand.

Each hair on your body grows from its own individual hair follicle. Inside the follicle, new hair cells form at the root of the hair shaft. As the cells form, they push older cells out of the follicle. As they are pushed out, the cells die and become the hair we see.

A follicle will produce new cells for a certain period of time depending on where it is located on your body. This period is called the growth phase. Then it will stop for a period of time (the rest phase), and then restart the growth phase all over again.

When the hair follicle enters the rest phase, the hair shaft breaks, so the existing hair falls out and a new hair takes its place. Therefore, the length of time that the hair is able to spend growing during the growth phase controls the maximum length of the hair.

I also found that human hair seems to grow at a pretty consistent rate of about half a millimetre or so per day, or about half an inch every month (most authority sites seemed to agree on a specific rate of 0.44 mm per day). It may grow faster or slower depending on your age, your genetics and your hormonal state (pregnancy seems to have an affect on hair), but half a millimetre per day is a good average.

Well all this information was fine but my hair did not seem to be growing at this rate, in fact I bet my hair was not growing anywhere near this fast, I would have settled for normal hair growth !! Hell I would have settled for semi normal hair growth. I found this paragraph below which is allegedly normal hair growth!!

Normal Hair Growth

About 90 percent of the hair on a person's scalp is growing at any one time. The growth phase lasts between two and six years. Ten percent of the hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of its resting stage, the hair is shed. When a hair is shed, a new hair from the same follicle replaces it and the growing cycle starts again. Scalp hair grows about one-half inch a month. As people age, their rate of hair growth slows.

So after all this research I chanced upon a study that was done in Sao Paulo Brazil. The study was about hair growth and it seemed to show that with certain marine extracts and a nutrient called GLA you could not only increase the rate of growth but the number of hairs per square centimetre on your head…
I thought great, now I am getting somewhere.

The next day I happened to be in the gym on the walking machine when one of the instructors came over for a chat. I was telling him about the research that I had been doing about my hair, when I happened to mention the study in Brazil. He laughed and said “of course your hair will grow strong and healthy if you feed it the correct nutrients as that’s how your entire body works!!”

So I asked him what he meant by this and he explained it like this…

“Many of the western world’s health problems can be attributed to poor nutrition. Supplying the body with the correct nutrients is vital to healthy hair. Starved of essential nutrients the body reacts, and as well as other health issues hair health can be compromised. Dull and unhealthy hair can often indicate other problems.

The same principles apply to healthy hair as to a healthy garden; if you want a good lawn you need to maintain the soil underneath. To have a healthy head of hair, therefore, you need to make sure it is being fed the right nutrients from inside. This means improving your diet and ensuring it contains the right balance”.

I thought, well that makes sense, so I asked what he thought I might be lacking. He asked a little bit about my diet, lifestyle and the quality of my skin and nails, to which I replied, were all very poor. He then said that with all the information I have supplied him with and bearing in mind the hair “issues” I had, almost without a doubt I was lacking omega 3 EPA and the omega 6 nutrient GLA.

So very intrigued by my conversation at the gym I set off to do more research armed with what the gym instructor had just told me.

I started researching again and all that I had been told that night at the gym was beginning to look like some very sound advice. All the evidence was pointing to me lacking the vital nutrients for my body to be able to grow properly and it really looked to be as simple as that!

Now I felt close to getting that faster hair growth that I badly wanted, so all I did for three days was look into how I got these nutrients omega 3 EPA and GLA into my diet.

This is where I got a little bit disheartened because all the research was pointing to eating “ rabbit food” (healthy green stuff) beans, pulses, nuts etc., but the biggest off putting moment was when I found out I would have to eat fish as they were the highest in omega 3, and I can’t stand fish. A tuna sandwich yes, mackerel, herring and sardines three times a week NO WAY, just not up for it!!
So that was it, the only thing I could do was to find an omega 3 EPA supplement as there was no way I was living my life on fish and pulses.

So I started looking for omega 3 supplements and very soon it became obvious that fish oil capsules held the most omega 3 EPA content, so I thought yes, fish oil capsules, I can do that, so I continued my search for a high quality fish oil supplement.

I came across one that was allegedly “the strongest oil on the planet” so I bookmarked it and moved on. After searching for another 30 minuets I got bored and couldn’t find anything stronger so went back and started to look at the product I had bookmarked in more detail and noticed that the capsules contained another oil as well as the fish oil, and the oil was called “borage oil” or “starflower oil”, they called it both names on their site.

So I thought why would you mix two oils together? And then I read this paragraph from their site...

Why supplement with GLA?
A body with a healthy biochemistry has the ability to produce GLA from the most essential fat, linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is found most abundantly in the omega 6 family of oils, which include safflower, sunflower and corn oils. It has been estimated that a majority of Americans and Europeans consume far too many omega 6 fatty acids in proportion to the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids (by approximately 10:1) whereas most biochemists agree that an optimal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids should be approximately 1:1. Despite the obvious over consumption of the omega 6 oils rich in linoleic acid, some individuals lack the ability to convert linoleic acid into the much needed GLA.

Wow! I thought that’s me... So without delay I ordered some of this oil. It arrived very promptly and I started to take this very strong fish oil combined with Borage oil.
Now I honestly thought that the first place I would notice any changes (if any were going to take place) would have been the hair on my head, but no... After taking the capsules for about 6 or 7 days the very first thing I noticed was my nails were growing faster (I knew because I bite them) but I thought it was just a coincidence.

Over the next few weeks a series of events started to take place…

The first thing was my nails growing longer quickly. I also noticed that my sleep had become more sound? (Very odd), and I also noticed that a patch of dry skin that I had on my upper arm was starting to go?

Now don’t get me wrong I was by no means depressed but my moods had changed too. I was really happy J but what about my hair? Well …

IT’S GROWING, YES YOU BETTER BELIVE IT, ITS GROWING LIKE MAD!!!
 
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cont'd

I screamed and screamed the house down. It was about 13 days in when I got up in the morning and I looked in the mirror and thought it just looked that smidge longer and thicker so I stood there for ages looking at it from every different angle wondering if it had actually grown or if I just really wanted it to so badly that my eyes were lying…

But no as with each couple of days that went past you could just tell that it was growing and growing and at a good rate as well!

I am now months down the line and am so pleased with what this oil has done for my hair growth! Even my hair dresser (who I only used to see once in a while) commented on how healthy, strong and thick it was, she even said to me that I now have to see her more often than any other of her clients!!

My nails also continued to grow faster my skin is so silky smooth it’s untrue, and my moods are better too, I feel great... I really feel bullet proof!!

So it really was as easy as that, omega 3 fish oil with borage oil. I was not going to mention the product that I used but as it has helped my hair grow faster and it’s such a great product I have changed my mind. It’s called PuraEpa by a company called mind1st. So if you want faster hair growth and great skin and nails, that’s your one!

And remember it’s not what you put on the outside; it’s what you put in the inside that counts!! Healthy nutrition is what allows the body to grow and heal properly!!



I was taking Evening Primrose Oil over Christmas, as well as Omega 3 fish oil and my nails were doing great. Now I want to do it more long term to boost my growth. Anyone with me? Let's start doing it for six months and see if there's a difference.

WARNING: AS STARFLOWER/BORAGE OIL AND OMEGA THREE OILS MAY ALSO CONTAIN VITAMIN E, PLEASE CHECK THE LABELS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT AT RISK FOR VITAMIN E OVERDOSE

I personally will be taking ONE supplement a day in this order: Evening Primrose one day, cod liver oil the next, starflower oil the day after etc. This is due to all of my supplements having over 80% of my RDA of vitamin E (Which can be problematic long term).

To join, just tell us the following:
-What brand and potency of Borage/Starflower oil you are using
-What brand and type of Omega 3 supplement you're taking
-What your average hair growth rate is

Who's with me? The challenge officially starts February 14th (Just because:grin:) and ends July 14th!! (You may continue after if you wish of course)

I'll be taking:
Store brand Starflower/Borage Oil, 1000mg
Store Brand Evening Primrose, 1000mg
Store Brand Cod Liver Oil, 1000mg


Names List:
ADB
Aviah
Cutenss
Ebaby
Evallusion
HijabiFlyGirl
Janda
Lita
Mostamazing
Nimmy
Sensi Sweetie
StephElise
Shenitab
Empressri
 
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what is starflower?

I scanned your posts - glad to see you found good results w/omega 3's congrats!
 
I take an Omega 3 supplement each day- either Nordic Natural or Andrew Lessman. So I'll join. I've never heard of starflower oil however.
 
I'll join :)

I've got a fish allergy, so I'm suuuuper deficient, and don't know which fish, if any at all, I can eat, so I'll be getting my DHA from algae instead, and spirulina. I'm already taking flaxseed for GLA so I'll just continue with that.
Evening primrose oil messed with my menstrual cycle something rotten so I'm staying far away from that
 
Re: Starflower oil/ Omega 3 Challenge

I'll join :)

I've got a fish allergy, so I'm suuuuper deficient, and don't know which fish, if any at all, I can eat, so I'll be getting my DHA from algae instead, and spirulina. I'm already taking flaxseed for GLA so I'll just continue with that.
Evening primrose oil messed with my menstrual cycle something rotten so I'm staying far away from that

Its not about the DHA, but the EPA, I'm sure there are other ways of getting it.
 
I'll join :)

I've got a fish allergy, so I'm suuuuper deficient, and don't know which fish, if any at all, I can eat, so I'll be getting my DHA from algae instead, and spirulina. I'm already taking flaxseed for GLA so I'll just continue with that.
Evening primrose oil messed with my menstrual cycle something rotten so I'm staying far away from that
Flaxseed oil or Hemp Seed oil would be a better option. Hemp Seed balances the omegas and Flaxseed I think is omega 3.
 
I already have half a bottle laying around from my health kick, so what the heck? I'll join.

Fortunately, my pill is a 3-in-1 so I'll knock em all out in one shot.

Live Better's Super Omega 3-6-9 (Fish, Flaxseed & Borage Oils).
--Fish Oil Concentrate 1000mg (EPA 300mg & DHA 200mg)
--Borage Seed Oil 1000mg (GLA 200mg)
--Flaxseed Oil 600mg (ALA 300mg & LA 456mg)

I average about 4-4.5 inches of hair growth per year.
 
I already have half a bottle laying around from my health kick, so what the heck? I'll join.

Fortunately, my pill is a 3-in-1 so I'll knock em all out in one shot.

Live Better's Super Omega 3-6-9 (Fish, Flaxseed & Borage Oils).
--Fish Oil Concentrate 1000mg (EPA 300mg & DHA 200mg)
--Borage Seed Oil 1000mg (GLA 200mg)
--Flaxseed Oil 600mg (ALA 300mg & LA 456mg)

I average about 4-4.5 inches of hair growth per year.

Wow, that's a really neat combo. Did you order this online?
 
I got them from Pathmark (a grocery store here in America).

They sell other varieties of Omega 3-6-9 by many different companies though.

Here is a link to one from Amazon with the same ingredients: Omega 3-6-9

Pathmark Eh... I'm guessing it wouldn't be expensive then, maybe I should stock up when I'm over this summer...
 
Im in. I just started taking Puritan Pride's Omega 369 yesterday anyway :yep:

To join, just tell us the following:
-What brand and potency of Borage/Starflower oil you are using: Puritan Pride Omega 369
-What brand and type of Omega 3 supplement you're taking Same as above
-What your average hair growth rate is 1/2 an inch
 
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This is interesting. A while ago I bought some chewable fish oil gummies for my daughter in hopes that it would help her eczema. Baby girl did not like the taste so I started taking them. :ohwell: After I ran out I noticed that my skin was janky again (eczema flareups). I bought a different kind and I have noticed that my nails are looking better. Once I start taking them consistently, I think my skin will get better too.

I am going to research the other oils mentioned. I think I had saw one at the grocery store that had several oils combined. This is good info. I just wish my daughter could swallow pills. I may try to find a liquid form that has the different oils combined and try to give it to her in a smoothie or juice. :yep:
 
itake 2000 mg flaxseed capsules from Puritans Pride. And now taking 500 mg Evening Primrose. My growth rate is normal.

iwanna join(:
 
funniest thing, im reading through this thread and the gnc thingy popped up next to here and they showed the triple omega fish oil pills that ive been taking ever since it got cold.

this thread made me order some borage oil since i saw it at vitamin shoppe for a good price. but ive been taking cod liver oil and the omega since...heck september maybe.

so i dont know if i can join but ill surely chime in if i notice anything different!

i will say this, my nails have gotten and STAYED long and my skin is clear as heck. SO also told me to take lecithin pills but to stay consistent with it, and they help.
 
funniest thing, im reading through this thread and the gnc thingy popped up next to here and they showed the triple omega fish oil pills that ive been taking ever since it got cold.

this thread made me order some borage oil since i saw it at vitamin shoppe for a good price. but ive been taking cod liver oil and the omega since...heck september maybe.

so i dont know if i can join but ill surely chime in if i notice anything different!

i will say this, my nails have gotten and STAYED long and my skin is clear as heck. SO also told me to take lecithin pills but to stay consistent with it, and they help.

I don't care what you say, you're in :lol:
Joking. I'm already taking them now, and I'm in:grin:
So you're more than welcome to join!
 
I don't care what you say, you're in :lol:
Joking. I'm already taking them now, and I'm in:grin:
So you're more than welcome to join!

yaaaay! good cause i wanted to be :grin:

okay would you believe i got them today? vitamin shoppe is great! id gotten another bottle of cod liver oil pills too.

i REFUSED to get sick this winter! and my millions of vitamins helped with that.
 
Add me to the challenge. :grin:I will say that when I was relaxed and started taking Omega 3's, that for a while there, my hair seemed to not only get thicker, but it grew faster. I was thinking maybe it was something my hair dresser was doing different at the time, but then it dawned on me that I had been taking the supplements for a while. The only reason I stopped taking them was because I ran out and didn't repurchase. This challenge is right on time for me because I was contemplating adding them to diet again. I think I'll do the 3 in 1.
Thanks OP.
 
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