Guide

Castor Oil and Hair Care.

A natural hair oil with protective qualities.

Castor beans
Published: 2022-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

Table of Contents

What is castor oil?

Produced mostly in the tropics of the warm, Gujarat region of Western India, China and Brazil, castor oil is extracted from its unique-looking castor bean to create soaps, shampoos and industrial lubricants. You may come across two types of castor oil.

  • Regular castor oil is thinner, odourless, and is rather potent considering its main component is ricinoleic acid which is known for alleviating consipation.
  • Jamaican Black Castor Oil is roasted like a coffee bean before the oil is extracted and is popular in hair use. Many note its earthy, ashy smell and it's heavy sticky consistency, even more than jojoba oil.

Hair Softness

Many report on Castor oil being great for softening very thick hair and hair styles, like dreadlocks. However, for less thick hair it can work as well as a deep conditioner.

Castor oil and curly hair

Jamaican Black Castor Oil is a thicker oil than many other options, so people with curly hair have found it to beneficial, but it may be too heavy for those with thinner, straight hair.

Can Castor oil be used for dreadlocks

Castor oil can be used for dreadlocks. Because of its thickness in comparison to other oils, it seals and locks moisture into the hair. Its heaviness also tames frizz and flyaways better. Some use it to lock in lighter oils or they mix it with coconut oil to make it less sticky.

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