By Jc of The Natural Haven
The praises of castor oil ring out loud and clear for all to hear. I heard about how beautifully moisturised it kept hair and how many women would exclusively use it alone as no other oil could match castor oil. I finally bowed to the inner product junkie and purchased some.
Sadly I was disappointed, it was super thick, felt sticky and when applied to my hair, it just seem to sit there and do nothing except attract lint.
I finally asked for help on how to use it and was rewarded with a huge number of tips on how to conquer the thickness which you may also find useful if you have a bottle gathering dust in the corner.
The most agreed on method was to use castor oil on wet hair. The water on the hair helps to ease down the thickness of the oil and allow it to spread easily. Most people used it before twisting or braiding hair as opposed to for a wash and go, but that is not to say it cannot be done.
The next agreed method was to use it only in specific areas like the edges of hair to help smooth down the hair and reduce frizz. This is as opposed to using it as a sealing oil all over after washing hair.
Castor oil is very thick and viscous and for many women is the ultimate oil when it comes to retaining moisture. The thickness of the oil means that you can get great results by using less of it. Using a lot of oil makes your hair the sticky lint trap that I previously described. Although it does not spread easily, it forms a thicker layer which makes up for the distribution problems.
As with all natural oils, you can create a better texture by simply mixing them up. One lady describes a whipped castor oil mousse which she made by whipping shea butter, coconut and castor oil. Simpler mixes are also possible, where you simply add some olive or almond oil to the castor oil to make it easier to apply.
If your hair simply is not in love with castor oil in any form then it is recommended for facial cleansing (oil rinsing) and for dealing with hard skin on feet. Recycling the oil for another purpose is always an option instead of letting it occupy space or throwing it out. Have a mini spa day and use up that oil!
Have you tried any of these tips? Is castor oil a part of your regimen? What do you use it for?
76 Responses
How is this different from a normal castor oil? Does it work the same way as the regular castor oil works? I’ just wondering.
I think it depends on how you use castor oil for hair. I mean, the oil does a million of things for your hair. If it’s for hair growth, you can check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5FKBYzE4M0
I’m primarily using castor oil for my hair growth. I have a thin hair and I’ve been using the oil for 2 weeks now. So far, I can see some improvements. I’m just wondering if this “Jamaican Black” castor oil is better.
Oh, I think it works just the same. I’ve tried both of the oil for approximately 1 month and I can’t really pick out the difference when it comes to benefits. I’ve decided to stick with the regular castor oil since it’s less expensive and it seems more “natural”.
Yeah. I agree. I think it works the same way as the regular castor oil. Besides, you can cross check each of the product’s benefits. For starters, here’s a helpful guide how castor oil for hair works: https://www.castoroilreview.com/for-hair/ then you can compare it to the article above.
Thanks a lot. These tips are really helpful.
I mix warm water with a little castor oil in a spray bottle for moisture in the morning and at night. I just spray a light coating on top and betwwen my coils. (Waiting for my hair to loc …thats another story!
I have to agree with one of the ladies , black castor made my hair fall out in spots. I had to cut it all off and start all over again. I spent a great amount of money and I want my long thick hair as promised so I think I’ll use it as a hot oil treatment Before shampooing instead of a regime of moisturizing my hair every three days. I will let you know how it turns out.
I must say this is one and only way to grow hair faster unless you their usage properly you might fall back for longer time to see results.
however, I find it really effective as I seen results in month.
thanks
I use Jamaican black castor oil as a hot oil treatment before I shampoo. Talk about moisture and strength heaven!
The best way to use this oil is to mix 2 tablespoons of it with 2 tablespoons of warm coconut oil. Mix it up with Aussie moist conditioner. Wash your hair with Aussie moist shampoo then put the conditioner in for 3 hours. When you wash it out your hair will be really soft for days. I normally do this and won’t have yo oil my scalp for up to 5 days. It really works Great and my hair looks flawless .
I use castor oil mixed with a shea butter mixture plus hot water. My hair likes thick products, so it has worked well for me.
is castor oil grows new hairs and remove the baldness…. i.am using mixture of castor oil, coccunut oil and olive oil. is this mixture grow new hairs or remove baldness….please tell me
Don’t quite understand your comment, but yes, castor oil mixed with other oils to dilute, is very effective in regrowing broken hair strands
Kimmie why don’t u buy some castor oil and read the instructions
I heard it makes hair fall if you don’t wash it off
who told you that nonsense? please read the bottle
I had it makes hair fall if you don’t wash it off
Do I have to wash castor after 30minutes apply it
Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m
thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but
I’m still new to everything. Do you have any tips and hints for novice blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.
The best castor oil – hands down – is 100% organic from Simply Organic Oils. I’ve been using it for a little over a year exclusively, though I had a bottle here and there before that. I’m not sure that using JBCO vs. plain castor oil will give you any different results. I just know that this one is less vicous, and seems to smooth into my hair and scalp really well. I put about 1/2 tsp on my scalp in the crown of my head where the hair is thinner and dryer for some reason a few nights per week and massage it in. I buy the one with lavender in it most often because I love the smell. Their website is https://www.simplyorganicoils.com if you want to check it out for yourself.
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one?
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Im 38, living in Sweden and have used castor oil mixed with other oils for three years now. I have a black father, white mother and my hair is a mix of tight and loose curls. I find using pure castor oil very difficult, its so thick, but i mix 50% pure castor with 50% of a almost equal mix of following oils that I know are good for hair and scalp: ricebran oil, wheatgerm oil,jojoba oil, hemp oil, argan oil and a little bit of sheabutter oil. I wash my hair once a week and the day before I wash I put some of this mixture in my hair, next day I put more of it in,massaging it properly through my whole head a few hours before washing. It has never been a problem washing the hair clean using natural shampoos and conditioners that are sls, silicone and parabene-free, like Faith in Nature Aloe-line and Burt Bees. After washing and conditioning and drying my hair half dry, gently with a towel i take a dollop of pure aloe vera in my hands and spread evenly through my hair. After that I take a smaller amount of the same castor oil mix as above, rub my hands with it and pull my fingers trough my hair, focusing on the strands and not the scalp.I then let it airdry, only using a machine if its winter and Im in a hurry. This castor oil mix is also wonderful for my knees, elbows and feet.
I use it on my hair and to trap moisture in my skin after shower. It’s better on my hair than on my skin, but it’s good stuff.
I really like castor oil mixed with other oils as an after wash oil hair moisturizer.
Also, another great use for castor oil is as a foot scrub. You can add course salt for a salt or sugar with castor oil and an essential oil or oils for fragrance. It leaves your feet super soft!
i found this oil in Zimbabwe by pure chance at USD 35 ..we do not get any products for natural hair..even coconut oil is a mission…anyway it is an amazing product and ive mixed mine with olve oil my hair loves it!
Hi l’m surprised that there are even women in Zim who actually take care of their natural hair. Yay! Coz this country feels like a sea of weaves.
Linda, when I started to take care of my natural hair, I hardly saw anyone else with natural hair, just weaves… But more and more women are going natural, so it’s awesome…
Really ra? Where did you find this oil in ZIm?
Hi Tafi Indulgence hair in Avondale carries the JBCO for US$ 25 their facebook page is http://www.Facebook.com/IndulgenceHairZim
where can i buy jamaican black cator oil in south africa.
hey julia you can check out ruutos hair on facebook or website ruutoshair.co.za and order yourself some
Hi Julia
U can buy the oil online on Bid Or Buy. Here is the link.
https://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/121343189/Sunny_Isle_Jamaican_Black_Castor_Oil_120ml.html
Hi Julia
Dischem finally sells Jamaican Oil. I have never used it I also wanna try it.
Yeah
Afrokay sells the JBCO in Pretoria and Johannesburg. Their number is 0787446397. They sell a bottle for R200 so they are cheaper than Ruutos.
hi Julia you can call 078 744 6397 to order yours today in south africa.
I use regular castor oil for 30 yrs.and have very great results with my children’s hair.
After reading good things about castor oil on TSR, I decided to buy some and use it today. But I have literally washed my hair 10+ times now and it just will not come out!! Anyone got any suggestions?! My hair looks so greasy urghhh! 🙁
Hi I’m a huge fan of jamaican black castor oil it grew my hair from bottom neck length to mid back length in a matter of months. It was five months that it took my hair to grow to mid back length literally. Here is what you do.
1. Mix water and aloe vera juice (1/2 water 1/2 aloe vera juice) i prefer putting it in a container of some sort where you can put your fingers in to apply on your hands and apply to hair.
2. Section hair and apply this mixture on the section until that section feels soft and moist, don’t drench your sections in the mixture
3. After apply the oil by pouring the product in the cap it comes with. Dab your finger once in it and smooth it through the front surface of the section, dab again and do it underneath then do the ends and twist.
I’ve achieved full length afros! I have type 4 hair as well. Enjoy
I mix Jamaican Black Castor oil in my rinse out and leave-in conditioner. I LOVE it!!!!
I do have wild hair growth and the yellow bottle has castor oil in it. I then purchased a cheap version called African Angel Castor oil I’m surprised how soft my hair is and I really love that. So now I bought Jamacia black castor oil. I have Vitamin E oil and that works wonders. My hair is a 4 so any product that makes this hair soft grow and lay down in my best friend.
I came across Jamaican Black Castor Oil by mistake and became obsessed with trying it out, i live in Zimbabwe which is in the southern part of Africa so there arent many products available to us this end of the world, anyway i managed to import a bottle of the extra dark version (USD$60) later… ive tried it once, i divided my hair into 4 sections then applied directly to my scalp, i have thin hair, by the time i finished its was right trough to my ends, i have nape length hair, then i went to bed, it was itching and it weighed down my hair too much that i had to shampoo it out in the morning… has anyone got any suggestions for me on how to use it as an everyday regiment but not have the weighing down effects?? i usually also wear weaves from halfway in my head as i found this has grown my hair alot over a year, so i thought i could apply it in between the tracks when my hair is weaved but im worried about the itching?? so any suggestions will help 🙂
Hey fellow Zimbo girl!! I tried some Jamaican black castor oil that a friend gave me, I hope to import more in the future. It’s really thick and I also have fine hair that easily gets weighed down, so I used about 1/3 castor oil to two thirds olive oil in a bottle for my scalp. The olive oil makes it easier to spread. I didn’t use too much, I’ve found that using it sparingly on the scalp is better for me. For my strands, I used about one dollop of it, and found that it was enough to seal the moisture in. I only use castor oil alone on my edges, about a drop is enough. Most of the time though, I just use the locally available normal castor oil.
i am absolutely in love with castor oil. i use the palma christi castor oil. i helped my hair so much. my hair was breaking so bad and it was so short. then the magic oil started growing my hair like a wild fire!!! i higly recommend anyone to use it.
I wanted to try this mix of water, castor oil and extra virgin olive oil. What amounts would you say I should use of each? Thanks
I have to admit I jumped on the jamaican black castor oil wagon cuz 1.I’m a product junkie 2.My hair had thin so bad from a rough pregnancy and 3. My hair has been natural for about 8 years and paying more attention now to what it likes. 4. It’s a great product. I mix a concoction of hawaiian silk 14 & 1, leave in with, rosemary drops, tea tree drops, jamaican black castor oil and vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, argan oil, one shot of a liquid vitamin and water. I haven’t been diagnosed with any scalp issues but I do have problems in that area at times. Since using my concoction my scalp has gotten a thousands percent better. Love and learn ur hair and scalp and go from there.
I use castor oil on my edges and ends. After moisturizing and braiding/twisting damp hair, I apply castor oil to my edges and ends. It leaves them super soft and smooth.
I use clear, cold-pressed Heritage Castor Oil.
Great article. I used jaimacan castor oil lavender scent a little goes a long way, Didnt have anything negative to say abt it until I tried the other day on my ends while unraveling my braids, it coated the hair and attracted white particles (as started in the article) I was very disapointed but I blame the colder weather, never had prob with it b4 n dont plan to give up on it. I traditionaly use it on my scalp as a oil treatment the nite b4 my wash day. I use it alot more when my hair is in ps so my new growth can be thick. I believe in this product and it’s benefits my mother is suffering from hair loss I mixed castor oil with small amt of coconut oil n a few drops of jojoba oil. when I see her I warn it up n apply to her scalp n let it do its magic.
And this article reminds me I need to stock up!
After I shampooed and deep conditioned this week, I used a mix of raw shea butter, olive/clove oil and castor oil in my hair… and I love love love the result! My hair turned out softer and is not as dry.
How do u treat your scalp that seems to be damage from using hair dye perm and it literally. Bald in the front. What can u use to treat the. Scalp to re open your follicles back up so the hair can grow back.
Has anybody heard of Wild Growth hair oil? If so what do you think about mixing that with Castor oil? I’m really trying to grow my edges, they are thinning.
Castor oil is great for thinkening your edges, as a child my Mom used it in my hair and I always had very thick long hair. There are different types of castor oil though – the refined one shown in the picture accompanying this article is what I use now and I lighten with jojoba oil and coconut oil so it spreads easier in my wet hair.
The pure jamaican black castor oil is dark in color and has a roasted nutty scent to it. This version is what was used in my hair growing up and now marketed as Jamaican Black Castor oil. (I am jamaican) What a lot of these companies fail to tell you is Jamaican black castor oil can be quite harsh on the scalp it sometimes itches your scalp and if you have sensative skin then expect that your scalp may break out into sores. I still use Jamaican black castor oil despite this, I just dont apply it to my scalp directly, I mix it with other oils and use it on my ends while doing a hot oil treatment. Hope this information helps someone.
JBCO is the preferred brand, smells great (lavender) and multi use.
I loved it when I had loose hair and would use it after a wash or before setting on rollers.
To help with the viscosity you can kind of heat it up so it spreads a bit better by rubbing a small amount in your palm very vigorously.
I love castor oil! I warm it slightly, then add it to my dry hair as a pre poo treatment.
Next, I cover my hair with plastic wrap, place a heat cap on top and let the castor oil do it’s magic for about 30 mins or so. Finally, I add shampoo to my hair without wetting it first and wash my hair with lukewarm water, so my hair is soft and detangled without being weighed down and greasy. I then follow this with my usual conditioner.
I also use castor oil as an oil cleanser for my face; I make a blend of 10% castor and 90% sunflower oil and add a few drops of neroli essential oil. Works just like Origins ‘Clean Energy’ but for a fraction of the price.
Can you explain how you use the castor oil as an oil cleanser? Do you mean for removing makeup or for actually cleansing (as in washing) the face? This is the first I’ve ever heard of this. Thanks.
Hi Egyriba!
The oil cleansing method removes make up and cleans your face, it is amazing. This website gives full details;
https://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/
Thank you so much, Malantha, for that lightning response!
You’re most welcome!
Castor Oil is the first oil that is used on little babies hair in some part of the Caribbean. It has a peculiar smell, but they strongly believe in it for babies. Later in life they use it less frequently and pass on coconut oil and Amla. Now I use it to mix my homemade products. But the castor oil from Suriname (Caribbean) is different than the oil in the western world.
My parents always used it in my hair when I was younger. It’s a tradition in the Caribbean. Since I don’t have anymore shea butter these days, I use it to seal moisture after putting my conditioner. I insist on the ends. I also use a castor oil treatment that I apply after shampoo on damp hair and let it sit under a hot towel for 15 to 30 minutes depending on what my hair needs and it does wonders especially on my scalp which is prone to dandruffs and irritation.It makes my hair extra moisturized and soft. But castor oil is also good for dry skin and some people say that it helps to grow eyebrows back but I never tried!
I use castotr oil in my hair overnight. I simply saturate my hair in the oil and cover with a plastic cap which I tie down with a head wrap. This gives it a slow hot oil treatment overnight and an excellent pre-shampoo. After washing, the hair is moistured and has a new life
That sounds like something I might try! I’ve never pre-pooed w/ castor oil…usually a mix of Amla and Rosemary Olive Oil, but I’m sure castor oil would do the trick too! I might make a Rosemary Castor Oil infusion to try it!
I responded to Jc’s request for castor oil tips. I don’t know what I would do without it in my cabinet. I use it oil cleanse my face (mixed with an equal part jojoba oil), to oil rinse my hair (mixed with an equal part olive oil), and I recently bought some EXPENSIVE argan oil and plan to mix it with castor oil to use and stretch it out. The argan/castor mix leaves the hair very soft. The two consistencies mix well together (castor is thick, argaan is light) and it seems to really penetrate into the hair, adding shine and moisture.
I really like castor oil for shine, to lock in moisture, and it’s thickening properties. I use regular castor oil in my shea butter mix for my hair as well as alone to fluff out my braid-n-curl. I also add JBCO to my Amla pre-poo oil treatment (this way I can get the benefits of JBCO, w/o the lingering smell! Learned that the hard way!). Both work great for me, but once I tried to do a chunky twist out on a friend, who is a fervent wash and go bunn-er…I used castor oil to fluff her twist out…She reported to me that she didn’t like it because it made her hair feel heavy and greasy. It could have been that I was a bit heavy handed w/ the product. Like the article says, a little goes a long way!
I have been using castor oil on my hair for about a year, ever since I discovered it was one of the main ingredients in a hair oil sample I used and loved. I have mixed castor oil and water in a spray bottle and spray it on my hair and scalp every day or so. I have to shake up the castor oil, because it is so thick compared to the water, but my hair seems to love the combo. At some point I am going to try mixing olive oil with it to thin out the castor oil a bit and make it easier to apply.
Another thing I like to do is put a few drops of lavender essential oil into my hands with the castor oil, to give my hair a subtle scent.
RE: At some point I am going to try mixing olive oil with it to thin out the castor oil a bit and make it easier to apply.
That’s a great idea! I made a ‘super’ oil of equal parts olive and castor oils and fresh rosemary. I put a few sprigs of rosemary in a glass jar and poured the oils in the jar as well. Closed the jar tightly and put in a dark cabinet for 4 weeks. At least once a week, I shook the jar.
Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl let me tell you! 🙂 That mix is the business! Moisture retention and growth!
Does anyone else infuse their oils?
i just add the essential oil of my choosing – clove, tangerine, rosemary, etc.
You could do that as well, but it is more cost effective, IMO, to just purchase the plant fresh and infuse it in the oil. I’m also a stickler about using my essential oils since the bottle is so small 🙂 Besides all that, I am a Kitchen Chemist and I love doing things from scratch.
I love the castor oil and extra virgin olive oil mix. I make my hair feel and look healthy. Everyone loves my hair with it. I makes it super soft. I shake it up before I spray and all I can say again is I LOVE IT!
I do the same thing except I use castor, olive and unrefined coconut oil. It’s not sticky at all
I must ask Jc…did you end up revisiting the oil yourself? What were the results? I hoped it worked better for you this time around.
Not yet had a chance to because I’m still in swim mode and so I’m sticking to coconut oil. In about a week or so I will be undoing my hair so we’ll see how it goes! I’m going to try the apply to wet hair tip.
I LOVEEEEE castor oil…I’m actually running out but will most likely restock this wknd now that this post has reminded me. I definitely use it on my edges to keep them strong while I have my sew in #NoNaomi.
Hi! I did hear that castor oil was great for edges especially if they are thinning. Would you/anyone agree? I have never purchased castor oil, but have been considering for a while.
I’d agree! It has great thickening properties! Try JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil) as well!