Castor oil (CO) is an ideal supplement to your daily hair care. When massaged regularly into the hair, it promotes hair growth, cares for the scalp and keeps the hair soft and shiny.
The most important facts in a nutshell:
- It cannot accelerate hair growth.
- Cold pressed castor oil should be used for hair care.
- It can be applied pure or mixed with other oils.
- The scalp also benefits from the vitamin E which castor oil contains.
- The application as hair treatment should be done once per week.
Introduction
Castor oil is comes from the seeds of the miracle tree, which once had its origin in Egypt and is now found in many parts of the world. Because of its healing power, the oil was already mentioned in the ‘Papyrus Ebers’, one of the oldest known medical writings of 1552 BC. It has been used since then as a therapy for various ailments and for the care of hair and skin. In the western countries, however, the versatile use of CO only started in the 16th century.
Healthy hair growth
Castor oil has the special property of being absorbed very intensively into the deeper areas of the skin and at the same time building up healthy skin protection. It is precisely this property that makes it an optimal hair care product. It convinces again and again with its support for hair growth, strengthens the hair and keeps it soft and shiny.
- Supports hair growth and provides natural protection for the scalp.
- It strengthens the hair and gives it a silky shine.
- With regular care the hair becomes softer and more elastic.
Especially for stressed and dry hair, the use of cold-pressed castor oil is worthwhile, because you can use the oil quickly and cheaply to make a rich hair care yourself.
When caring for your hair, you should always use cold-pressed oil. The oil seeds have not been heated before pressing and all vitamins and valuable substances have been preserved.
Hair treatment with castor oil
Castor oil repeatedly proves its excellent properties as a proven household remedy for the care of brittle and dry hair. With a homemade hair conditioner based on CO, you can care for your hair and scalp. For this purpose, the oil can either be applied undiluted or mixed with another conditioning oil in a ratio of 50:50.
The oil mixture should be applied to freshly cleaned hair. To do this, the oil, which has been warmed in a water bath, is massaged into the towel-dried hair in portions. It should be left on for a minimum of two hours. For damaged hair or as an intensive treatment, the oil can also be left on overnight.
For treatment with CO, the hair must be brushed very carefully beforehand so that the oil reaches almost every hair. When applying the oil, an expendable towel should be placed on the shoulders so that clothing is not accidentally soiled by the thick castor oil.
After application, the oil is repeatedly spread in the hair with a wide-toothed comb and the hair is lightly combed through at the same time. If the hair is long enough, it should be combed back tightly, twisted into a plait or a spiral, and possibly pinned with a hairgrip.
For the night-time intensive treatment with CO, cling film is then wrapped tightly around the hair. Finally, a towel is placed over the head.
A frequent problem when applying a castor oil hair treatment is the subsequent washing out. In contrast to other oils, the rich castor oil is relatively tough. In order to thoroughly wash out castor oil, more than one wash with a caring shampoo and a lot of water is usually necessary. In practice, it has proven to be best to comb the hair thoroughly once after the first wash and then wash it out again.
Apply castor oil hair conditioner
- Wash hair with a mild shampoo and then comb
- Warm castor oil slightly in a water bath
- Distribute oil in the palms of the hands
- Massage it into the hair and scalp
- Wash out thoroughly after about one hour (usually three washes)
Tips for the castor oil hair treatment
Since castor oil is relatively tough, its use is sometimes somewhat cumbersome. It is therefore recommended to mix it with other oils which facilitate the application and also have caring properties. It is also possible to mix it in equal parts with burdock root oil which is effective against hair breakage and split ends and also offers a soothing care for the scalp.
In addition, the extract from burdock root (a so-called macerate) contains plant hormones and is considered an insider tip for more hair growth.
For more shine you can add a few drops of essential Ylang-Ylang oil to this mixture.
There is not much to consider when choosing the right oil. It should be a cold-pressed castor oil though – don’t be a cheapo here! The refined oil contains only a fraction of the caring ingredients and is therefore only suitable as a laxative.
Split ends
CO can be used for split ends. For this purpose it can be massaged directly into the tips of the hair several times a week and does not need to be washed out again.
Hair loss
Hair loss is a completely natural process: every person loses up to 100 hairs a day. Stress, malnutrition or hormonal problems are common causes of hair loss.
Castor oil is a proven household remedy for hair growth. It can certainly help with hair loss, as it contains many effective ingredients that are useful in the daily care of the hair.
Especially in combination with other oils, such as rosemary oil, it is said to help with hair loss. However, since hair growth is also genetically determined, castor oil should not be attributed with miraculous effects. However, it is clear that CO cares for the hair and scalp and contributes to healthy hair.
A hair treatment with castor oil can be used for sensitive scalps and hair loss. A slightly less complex application is the use of hair soap, which also contains rosemary oil and CO. Olive oil and coconut oil are often used as carrier oil. Such products are usually free of questionable additives.
An optimal hair care product should be free of chemical additives such as silicones or parabens. Castor oil also helps with itchy scalp. Often the scalp is out of balance due to excessive care with various products. It gives the hair the opportunity to grow healthily, as it contains neither silicones, alcohol nor various other chemical ingredients. According to general experience, especially frizzy hair or extremely long hair can be cared for especially well with natural organic CO without over-care.
Experiences
Experience with castor oil shows that after washing out the success is immediately noticeable and visible: the hair is silky soft and even brittle hair shows a pleasant healthy shine again. If you want your hair to grow healthier without having to spend much more time, it is recommended to add a few drops of castor oil to a simple shampoo or a universal conditioner.
CO is less suitable as a so-called leave-in. Immediately after application, the hair feels very heavy and oily. In case of split ends, however, a small amount of oil can be warmed between the fingertips and applied directly to the hair tips. In this case the oil does not need to be rinsed out.
Castor oil shampoo
If you want to avoid using pure castor oil, you can also buy special hair care products with CO. The most popular are ready-to-use shampoos enriched with CO. In contrast to home-made castor oil hair care products, you cannot be sure that industrially produced shampoos contain cold-pressed CO.
Nevertheless, such products are recommended especially for itchy scalp and dry hair.
CO shampoos are available from Shea Moisture, among others. The Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo contains only natural and environmentally friendly ingredients for optimal care.
Castor oil is therefore the ideal complement to everyday hair care. And Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo contains all these ingredients. So from now on, say goodbye to brittle and dry hair days!
Which castor oil for the hair?
No refined CO from the pharmacy should be used for hair care. It contains fewer ingredients and is mainly used as a laxative. Cold pressed castor oil is better as it has not been heated and has more ingredients such as tocopherol.
How often should it be used?
This depends on the care requirements of the inviduals hair. For split ends, castor oil can be massaged into the ends several times a week. In case of itchy scalp and for the care of the lengths, the application as hair treatment is recommended. However, it should only be applied once a week, as otherwise the hair is quickly over-cared for and feels heavy.
