Using castor oil

Curly-Centric Ja, Contributor

In the past, we have mentioned castor oil; this week we go in-depth on the health benefits of castor oil. Jamaicans have used castor oil in hair for decades. Castor oil is extracted from castor beans and can either be boiled or cold pressed. The oil is extremely thick and sticky. It is available islandwide and is very affordable.

Stimulating hair growth

Castor oil works great for hair loss, particularly for thinning edges which results from traction alopecia caused by excessive tugging and pulling at the scalp. Simply rub the castor oil on to areas of the scalp with sparse hair, and depending on the extent of the damage, the hair should return in two to three months.

Hot oil treatment

Castor oil works great as a hot oil treatment on your wash day as it has Omega 6, essential fatty acids, vitamin E, proteins and other nutrients to penetrate dry and damaged hair, smoothing rough cuticles and helping the hair shaft retain moisture.

Thickening properties

For persons with thin hair due to damage, using castor oil will stimulate growth to restore your tresses to their former glory, and for those with hair that isn't naturally dense (commonly known as 'thin hair'), castor oil will aid in giving the look and feel of thickness. This is because the properties of the oil cause the hair strands to clump together to give the appearance of thicker fuller hair.

Sealing

Due to the heavy nature of castor oil, it works well at sealing in moisture. However, it is not normally chosen because of what is believed to be the less-than-pleasant smell. In recent years, more brands of castor oil have hit the market that infuse other scents such as lavender to minimise the harsh smell of castor oil in its natural state. These work just as well as regular castor oil and are much easier on the nose.

Treatment of flaking Scalp

Castor oil is rich in antifungal properties, which eliminates flaking scalp and dandruff. Apply castor oil to your hair prior to wash day continually and you should see a decrease in the embarrassing flakes.

Castor oil is available at The Beauty Concept and Chesterville Pharmacy in Kingston. It is also usually found in pharmacies.

Curly-Centric Jamaica is a natural-hair community hosting meet-ups which explore styling, care and maintenance of natural hair and black hair overall. Like us on Facebook.com/curlycentric. Do you have comments, stories or questions on natural hair? Ask us at lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.