Castor Oil for Hair

• Benefits of Castor Oil

• How to use castor oil?

• Side effects of castor oil

• Precautions while using castor oil

• Take Away

A lot of experts claim that castor oil has a lot of benefits for skin and hair. In this article, we’ll try to explain how it can be used and if it’s one of those treatments that can be really useful. Castor oil, many times, is recognised as a hair growth solution (natural). A very old cure utilised in traditional medicines, this oil can also help in hair scalp moisturization, reducing dandruff, and having strong, smooth, and shiny hair, basically castor oil benefits in brief. The source of castor oil is castor bean and has ricinoleic acid available in rich quantities. This acid can fight inflammation and a fatty acid type. When castor oil is used on the scalp, it is believed that it can prevent hair loss and can increase the growth of healthy hair.

This article is used to share the castor oil benefits for hair, how one can use it, some side effects one might see, and how to choose a castor oil product.

Benefits of Castor Oil

Experts claim that castor oil has a lot of benefits for hair (castor oil for hair benefits) and some of them are as follows:

• The blood flow to the person’s head and scalp is increased
• Castor oil for hair promotes healthier hair
• If one applies it only once per month, it can boost the growth of hair by five times the normal rate
• It helps in irritated or dry scalp moisturization
• It has antifungal and antibacterial properties due to which it has the ability to reduce dandruff

It is also said that this oil is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory characteristics. Antioxidants stop free radicals from destroying the healthy cells of the body, basically, a process called oxidative stress that results in multiple impacts on health (harmful) and includes loss of hair as well. This oil also has omega-6 fatty acids. This is a kind of essential fatty acid that has the capability of hair growth promotion and can reduce hair follicle inflammation as well. Although there is very little evidence that proves that castor oil can promote hair growth and overall hair health, experts believe in the magical benefits of this product due to its properties.

How to use castor oil?

As mentioned above, castor oil can be used for hair growth and if one is interested in using it for this purpose, take a few drops of castor oil and try to rub it on your scalp. One can also apply some more drops at the midsection and ends of their hair. This might prevent breakage and might also improve one’s hair texture.

Castor oil is a sticky and heavy oil that makes it tough to remove from one’s hair. Hence, it should be diluted with other pure and natural oils such as jojoba or coconut. This can also reduce the castor oil scent which is quite unpleasant and the ratio of mixing is one of castor oil and two of carrier oil (jojoba or coconut or other carrier oils). The exact guidelines are not there for the duration one should have castor oil on their hair, but leaving it for too much time can actually make the hair and scalp dry, hence it’s recommended that one should wash his/ her hair after two hours of castor oil application.

Side effects of castor oil

There are people who could be allergic to this oil, while there are some who can get other side effects after using castor oil. In very few cases, applying castor oil for hair growth can also result in acute hair felting. It occurs when the hair gets interlocked and becomes a hard mass. In these rare cases, there is only one solution, i.e. cut off that entangled hair mass as this condition is not reversible. One must also note that if the person consumes a higher quantity of castor oil can be very very harmful and can result in numerous side or adverse effects. Some of these side effects include:

• Diarrohea
• Fainting
• Abdominal cramps
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Throat tightness
• Skin rashes
• Breath shortness and pain in the chest
• Hallucinations

Castor oil application on one’s hair shouldn’t have all these listed issues (consuming it can have), hence one should ensure that they should not consume it accidentally.

Precautions while using castor oil

When one uses castor oils, they should keep towels and clothes a little far as it can stain them. Make sure one uses a shower cap and covers their head after castor oil application, and keep it covered till the time one washes their head. This will help in not dripping the oil onto their clothes. Always one must note that their hair might need shampoo application twice or thrice to fully remove the oil from their head.

Take Away

As per a few experts (although no proper evidence to support this claim), Castor oil can definitely help promote the growth of hair, improve overall hair health, and can make hair shine. Due to its nutrients, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory properties,  fatty acids, castor oil seems quite effective for reducing hair fall even if applied once per month. But one needs to be aware of all precautions while using it and make sure that all side effects are known to them.