Do you get to hear about castor oil benefits for hair a lot in the recent past?
Then, you are not alone. I have been hearing about this oil since I was a kid. But I started using and respecting it for the last 5-6 years.
After spoiling my hair with perms and heat treatments, castor oil turned out to be my savior. Though I tried a lot many commercial hair spas and serums in the hope of revitalizing my destroyed mane. But nothing worked except this humble and economical oil from the castor beans.
If you are wondering is castor oil good for hair or not, then you can read further.
5 Castor Oil Benefits for Hair You Need to Know
1. It Helps in Arresting Hair Fall
If you suffer from excessive hair loss. Then, get hold of castor oil as soon as you can.
Though the reasons of hair fall can be many. But castor oil can work in most of the cases of hair fall.
That is the reason I use it on my scalp. For the same reason, I use it on my eyelashes and eyebrows as well.
Castor oil is one of the best solutions to stop hair from falling. It is nutrition dense, thus fortifies the hair roots.
So, preventing those fragile hair strands from breaking from the roots is castor oil away. Yes, you can thank me later.
2. It Helps in Growing New Hair Follicles
A low density of hair on the scalp is a common problem. If there is no growth of new hair follicles. Then, with time, you might turn bald.
Though there is not much you can do about hereditary factors. But you can delay the onset of baldness with the use of castor oil.
Castor oil contains ricinoleic acid. To quote from Washington post, this acid triggers the growth of new hair follicles. So, that makes for a solid reason to use castor oil in your hair regime.
3. It Helps in Tackling Scalp Infections
Have you ever noticed the use of castor oil in storing grains, pulses, and legumes?
It is a common practice in Indian households to use this oil as a preservative. The oil has a low tolerance for infection-causing microorganisms. Thus, it creates a protective barrier around the grains and pulses. This increases the shelf life of food because of which they can be bulk stored for long durations.
The same principle applies when you use castor oil on your scalp. The oil forms a protective barrier on scalp and hair. This helps safeguard against catching infections and developing lice infections.
That is the reason I add a few drops of tea tree oil to my castor oil for added safety. Tea tree is a popular disinfectant essential oil. Thus, it adds to the infection preventing benefits of castor oil.
4. It Conditions the Scalp and Unruly Hair
I love how castor oil calms my frizzy hair. No matter how bad your hair strands are. They will tame down with castor oil.
The oil has a high viscosity. Thus, its thickness makes even the worst of tangles and static hair smooth.
Although it is sticky and therefore a little difficult to spread. But it becomes manageable when mixed with a low-density oil like coconut or mustard. Mixing with other oils makes it easy to spread. Thus, that way it is easy to smear it on the scalp and hair.
5. It Protects the Hair Strands from External Wear and Tear
Being thick and sticky, castor oil forms a layer on the scalp and hair strands. Because of that, the hair gets a layer of protection.
The thick oil on the hairs’ exterior protects from common irritants like dust and dirt. The oil acts as a barrier between the hair and external junk. Also, the greasiness of the oil prevents hair from getting static charged or tangled.
As a habit, I pamper my hair with castor oil while traveling. That prevents my hair from wind, pollution, and physical wear and tear.
How to Use Castor Oil for Healthy Hair
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1. Weekly Oil Massages
Scalp massage is one of the best ways to enjoy the castor oil benefits for hair.
As mentioned before, the thickness of the oil makes it difficult to smear on the scalp. That is why it is best used with another low-density carrier oil.
I mix my castor oil with mustard. You can use coconut and sesame too. I also add a few drops of essential oils like rosemary, peppermint and clary sage. Rosemary calms, peppermint helps prevent hair fall, while clary sage restores melanin. Hence, the addition of other oils increases the potency of castor oil.
If you suffer from male pattern baldness, you can also consider adding pumpkin seed oil. That way the resultant oil mix will block DHT (male pattern balding causing hormone).
2. Hair Pack With Aloe Vera
Another useful method to incorporate castor oil in your hair care regime is to make a hair pack with it.
As a thumb rule, you can add it to any clay mask to make a lubricating paste. Thus, you can mix it with rhassoul clay/bentonite clay/fuller’s earth.
Though my favorite no-fuss method of using castor oil is with aloe vera.
Since aloe vera also has a gel-like consistency. Thus, the mask remains thick and does not drip.
After keeping the mask of aloe vera and castor oil for about half an hour. I wash my hair with a no suds shampoo to get squeaky clean bouncy hair.
3. Make Low Poo Handmade Shampoo Bar
This particular method of using castor oil is for advanced users. The process of creating shampoo bars at home sounds overwhelming. But it is simple if you practice it a few times and follow the guidelines to the T.
I experiment with both soaps making starter kits and making soap bars from scratch. You can follow both the methods as per your level of comfort.
If you are a complete newbie, then it is prudent to start with starter kits as they do not involve handling the lye. Then, after a few attempts at it, you can then progress to making shampoo bars from adding lye to castor oil.
Apart from enjoying the process of making pure shampoo bars to wash your hair. You can also improve to make a successful handmade soap making business.
Resources for Getting the Best Castor Oil
There are several brands of castor oil available in the retail market. But not all brands provide the same kind of castor oil.
I prefer the organic cold-processed castor oil. Cold process extractions do not spoil the nutritional value of oil due to the absence of heat.
The brand that I use and trust is Aloe Veda. As of writing this article, this brand retails only in India. For outside India, you can check other popular high-quality brands.
Jamaican black castor oil is a popular version of castor oil. This one is from burnt Jamaica grown castor beans. So, it is the ash that gives it a dark color. I have never used it, but I know people who believe in Jamaican black castor oil benefits for hair. As of now, I am fine with my gold colored one.
Conclusion
Castor oil and hair benefits is a topic that is dear to my heart. I owe the good health of my hair to the regular use of castor oil in my hair care regime.
Though the oil is difficult to use due to its thickness. But once you start noticing its benefits, you will fall in love with it.
Apart from hair care, I use it as a daily face cleansing botox too. The goodness of this oil never ceases to amaze me.
Still wondering is castor oil good for hair? Then, why not give it a try. Do let me know about your experience.
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