Avena sativa: An Effective Natural Ingredient in Herbal Shampoos for the Treatment of Hair Greasiness

Aims: Evaluation of anti-greasiness properties of oat extract and oil in shampoos.
Methodology: Seborrhea can cause greasiness in scalp and hair. There are few compounds currently in use to reduce sebaceous gland secretions. Avena sativa or oat is a plant containing saponins as active ingredients with cleansing activity. In a double blinded, randomized, placebo clinical study, we investigated anti-grease and cleansing effects of oat by comparing shampoos formulated from oat extract and oil with control shampoo. Sixty male and female volunteers aged 19 to 30 years old randomly received either oat oil/extract or placebo to the scalp for 5 minutes, twice per week for four weeks. Signs and symptoms such as scaling, greasiness and itching were assessed every week.
Results: In vitro detergency test revealed better detergency power in extract and oil of oat shampoos compared with control shampoo. Clinical studies showed a significant reduction of greasiness scores in extract shampoo compared to the oil and control shampoos.
Conclusion: shampoos containing oat extract could be considered as an appropriate alternative therapy for the management of greasiness in seborrheic patients.