Have you heard about using castor oil in your hair? Oh yes it can be used in your hair. It is known to offer a lot of benefits to hair and having used castor oil in my hair for over a year and a half, I can certainly say this is true.
For hair castor oil has been proven to moisturize the hair and scalp, help reduce damaged split ends, tame frizz, create full healthy hair by thickening the hair shaft, add shine and improve the overall health of one’s hair with regular use (more than once a week).
The use of castor oil dates back to 4000BC. A simple google search will overwhelm you with people of different ethnicities and hair textures giving their experiences with castor oil and tips on how to achieve the best results. Many hair products contain the oil but also include a host of other chemicals, which are not necessarily healthy or needed by your hair. So when you buy castor oil, make sure that you purchase it in its pure form with no added ingredients.
The reason castor oil helps in these areas is because it has germicidal, insecticidal and antifungal properties of Ricin and Ricinoleic acid which protects the scalp from microbial and fungal infections helping to maintain a healthy scalp which encourages healthy hair growth. The fatty acids in Castor oil also nourish the hair shaft and the scalp.
How I use castor oil.
- In deep conditioner: Besides adding olive oil, I also add a teaspoon of castor oil to my regular conditioner when I deep condition my hair. I love how my hair feels after the deep condition. Full of lustre and shine and tends to retain moisture more. My scalp is also well oiled, feels clean and has less flacking.
- As a daily moisture sealer: I put about a teaspoon full of castor oil in my palm and apply it on the ends of my hair every morning after spritzing my hair with water as a moisture sealer
- In spritz mixture: I have also added this to my spritz mixture and the benefits castor oil is known to offer are surely pampering my hair.
When used directly on the scalp, castor oil needs a carrier oil like olive oil because it tends to irritate the skin. It is also quite thick so diluting it helps. You can also add rosemary oil to curb the smell which is rather strong and not so pleasant.
Cheers to castor oil!