Hair: The Benefits Of Castor Oil In 5 Questions

Castor oil has been used for centuries to nourish, strengthen, and beautify hair. This versatile vegetable oil promotes hair growth, fights hair loss, and improves hair texture. We will explain how to enjoy its multiple benefits in 5 questions.

1- What is castor oil used for?

Castor oil is a natural vegetable oil often touted as a miracle remedy for hair, as well as for skin, nails, and eyelashes. This oil, known as castor oil in the list of cosmetic ingredients, has ricinoleic acid as its main active component.

This unsaturated fatty acid, derived from oleic acid, gives it its viscous consistency. It is also responsible for its benefits for the skin and hair as it stimulates microcirculation and helps treat skin problems such as fungal infections, acne, and itching.

This vegetable oil, extracted from a tropical shrub called castor bean, Christ's palm or Ricinus communis, also contains other beneficial components: antioxidant vitamin E and linoleic acid, an omega-6 that protects the skin and hair from drying out.

2- What are the benefits of castor oil for hair?

Castor oil is particularly known for its multiple benefits for hair:
• it stimulates hair growth.
• it strengthens and coats the hair fiber.
• it deeply nourishes hair damaged by bleaching or perms, for example.

You can enjoy its nourishing and strengthening virtues regardless of your hair type, even when you have hair loss due to stress or seasonal changes.

Thanks to its strengthening action, this vegetable oil is beneficial in case of hair loss regardless of the origin of the problem (seasonal, hormonal, or emotional hair loss). In addition to a targeted treatment, it helps prevent breakage and promotes faster growth of new, stronger hair.

Finally, it should be noted that castor oil is also suitable for men for the care of male hair and beard. Gentlemen, you can use it on your scalp to prevent alopecia, but also on your cheeks to promote beard growth! You can also apply it daily to nourish and make your beard shine...

3- How to apply castor oil to hair?

Applying castor oil to your hair may seem difficult if you are not used to it due to the high viscosity of this vegetable oil.

The easiest method to benefit from the nourishing properties of this product is to do an oil bath once a week. Simply saturate your entire hair with castor oil and leave it on for two hours before shampooing.

However, if you want to use this vegetable oil to make a styling serum or a leave-in hair treatment, note that it is preferable to mix it with other more fluid vegetable oils. You can dilute castor oil with sweet almond oil or jojoba oil, for example, to obtain a less thick and sticky hair care oil.

Finally, if you are an expert in homemade cosmetics, know that you can incorporate this ingredient up to 5% in a hair mask or an after-shampoo by using, for example, a neutral hair mask base or a neutral cleansing cream base from Aroma-Zone.

4- How to rinse castor oil out of hair?

Whatever method you choose, as soon as you apply castor oil to your hair, you must make sure to rinse it well.

Since this oil is naturally very thick and sticky, you should always use a light shampoo to remove it and thoroughly rinse the scalp and lengths with warm water.

5- How often should castor oil be used on hair?

It is entirely possible to use castor oil on a daily basis if you incorporate it in small doses into a lotion to make the ends of your hair or beard shine.

You can also use it two to three times a week when shampooing by adding a small amount of this oil to your conditioner or regular hair mask.

However, if you want to do a pure castor oil treatment, schedule this once a week, preferably during the weekend, to allow enough time for it to sit (minimum 2 hours) and then proceed with a thorough shampooing and careful rinsing of your hair.