A Quick Chat About Castor Oil
So the last few washes I’ve done I’ve abandoned my jojoba oil and Shea butter mix for castor oil alone. I never thought of using it before because it was so thick, but on a whim I decided to use it and I don’t think I will stop. I’ve seen plenty of hair, health and wellness websites talk about the benefits of castor oil. I’ll be referencing a few here. Castor oil is popular and a great idea to incorporate into your hair routine for a vast amount of reasons, but today I’m gonna talk about it in relationship to the Afro.
What Is Castor Oil?
“Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).”
“Castor oil is not a drying oil, meaning that it has a low reactivity toward air compared to other oils such as linseed oil and tung oil. Dehydration of castor oil gives linoleic acids, which do have drying properties.” (Thomas, 2005)
If you’ve been hanging around the natural hair community for a while chances are you’ve come across Castor Oil numerous times, particularly Black Castor Oil, which I’ve never used so I will not weigh in that in particular. Reference
Thomas, Alfred (2005). "Fats and Fatty Oils". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH.
What does Castor Oil do for hair?
Castor Oil has been touted for being a great oil for hair growth (with primarily anecdotal evidence) and a great sealant for moisture (based on its structure of fatty acids).
There are some mixed responses about the validity of whether Castor Oil actually stimulates hair growth with presence of vitamin E and essential fatty acids being present. Read these links and develop your own conclusions:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/how-to-use-castor-oil-for-natural-hair-growth/
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/09/myth-or-fact-can-castor-oil-really.html
http://www.alopeciafree.com/jamaican-black-castor-oil-for-hair-growth/
http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/07/on-to-the-next-why-im-over-castor-oil/
Okay... So what about my Afro?
So like I mentioned earlier I’ve been using it in place of my jojoba oil and Shea butter mix entirely. Effectively removing the C of my L.O.C. method. What I’ve found is that because of it being such a great sealant for my conditioner:
The need to moisturize between washes has been minimized if not eliminated;
My hair has continual slip from trapped moisture and therefore tangles less and tangles found are easily mended with a little patience;
Breakage has decreased between washes (which leads me to think that the jojoba was simply not fit for the job I needed it to do);
My hair is wonderfully pliable after a night of being tucked under my satin scarf and bonnet;
How Do I, Personally, Use It?
I wash my hair every 3-4 days utilizing the tightly curly method. During my combing session I use a wide tooth comb to get shed hairs and deal with any random knots (rarely) out of my section, I add a tiny amount of castor oil to my section, then use my Denman brush to smooth and evenly distribute the oil.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in using castor oil remember that a little bit goes a long way- it’s quite thick. Admittedly my hair does leave a very light coating of oil on my fingertips, but the reality is that I need to stop touching my doggone hair anyway!If you want to rock your Afro without fear of tangling or over drying definitely give Castor oil a try as a sealant.