Castor Oil for Curly Hair: Should You Use It? – Pros & Cons

Should you as a curly girl use this well praised oil? If so, how should you use castor oil for curly hair? In this in blog I’ll discuss the pros and cons.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

For too long, having curly or coily hair wasn’t considered attractive or even seen as stylish.

As a result, I’ve spent my teenage years until my 30s with damaged and straightened curls, based on what our societies deemed acceptable. 

However, over the past few years the natural hair movement has revolutionized what it means to be afro-textured and what it means to own our beauty no matter what. This also means taking good care of our curly or coily hair. 

A way of taking good care of your hair is by adding oil to your routine. Hence, I discussed how to use coconut oil in your curly hair care routine in my previous blog. 

Ofcourse there are also other oils you can use when it comes to taking care of your natural curls, such as:

• sweet almond oil
• jojoba oil
• olive oil
• or any other vegetable oil

These are frequently used oils within the curly hair community.

Another popular option is castor oil seeds from the castor plant, also known as ricinus communis. It’s been a well praised staple within the natural hair community for years. Not without reason.

So should you use it too? And how exactly should you use it as part of your hair care routine?

Stick around as I’ll discuss if castor oil should be amongst your top natural oils for curlier, healthier, and fuller hair.

Why should you use castor oil?

With the continuous use of this oil, there have been noticeable changes from consistent users.

Although there’s no real scientific evidence that it actually stimulates longer hair, the reported benefits of castor oil are:

1. it’s excellent for healing a dry and itchy scalp, due to its potent antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties.
2. It attracts moisture and prevents water loss.
3. It can also help tame frizz and give hair a healthy shine and luster.
4. Plus, its nutrient and vitamin-rich content helps promote natural hair growth.

Can you use it on every type of curly hair?

Although everyone and their mama love it and claim it can be used for different hair types, I wouldn’t advise you to use castor oil if:

• you experience any type of allergic reaction after use. STOP immediately and seek medical intervention if this happens;
• you have fine wavy hair and a very oily scalp. Since castor seed oil is thick and heavy it’ll sit on top of your hair and just look messy. Trust me, you’re better off using a lighter oil to avoid you hair from weighing down and and looking oily. Rather use argan oil or sesame oil instead.

If you don’t experience any of this you could well use it if your curly hair has a reputation of being dry, weak, and damaged. 

Do you have low porosity hair? Read the next paragraph about the different types of castor oil.

Castor oil is a natural emollient, full of ricinoleic acid. This monounsaturated fatty acid can help to keep your hair and skin hydrated by forming a barrier against water loss.

As a result, it’s commonly used in many beauty and hair products because it can help to form a protective layer on your hair and skin.

Also, it works as a humectant which helps to keep your hair hydrated by attracting moisture from the environment.

In other words, castor oil is most useful on curly or coily hair that’s very needy when it comes moisture. Yet, there are different types of castor oil with different characteristics, thus give different results.

What are the different types of castor seed oil?

Ideally, castor oil can be classified into the following common options:

1. Pure and pale (unrefined).
2. Black and unrefined.
3. Refined oil.

1. Pure castor oil (unrefined)

Pale yellow castor oil is extracted by cold pressing castor beans, which are actually seeds of the castor plant. The oil is pure virgin oil and slightly acidic, which means it will form a protective layer around your hair shaft.

2. Jamaican Black castor oil (unrefined)

Jamaican Black Castor oil is also known as JBCO. It’s a dark brown oil that is extracted by pounding castor beans into a mulch and roasting them.

Adding ash or coal to the mixture is believed to merge the oil’s properties with the coal’s nutrients. The mixture is brought to a boil and the oil is skimmed off.

After it is filtered multiple times to remove impurities and water, the final product is still pure but not as pure as the cold pressed oil. But it does have extra nutritions due to the added ash.

Yet, black oil becomes more alkaline during processing. This could mean you could experience frizzy hair if you want to use it as a sealer.

Alkaline products tend to lift your hair cuticle which can cause frizz. So it might be better to only use JBCO as part of a scalp treatment or deep conditioner.

3. Refined castor oil

Refined castor oil goes through a more chemical process that also includes bleaching and deodorizing. This results in the loss of some minerals and vitamins.

However, one advantage of refined castor oil is that it has no traces of ricin, which is toxic when you ingest it.

Also, pure castor oil may (mildly) irritate your skin. This is less likely to happen when you use refined oil.

Want to avoid skin irritation? Dilute pure castor oil with jojoba oil or any other oil.

Also, be mindful of using hair products with PEG-modified versions, such as PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. It can cause frizziness.

How to use castor in your hair

Here are some tips on how to maximize this oil’s potential in your natural hair:

1. Mix 1 tablespoon with your favorite carrier oil to broaden your oil’s potential.
2. You can do this by adding 2 table spoons of argan oil or black seed oil, and 3 drops essential oils of your choice.
3. This also allows you to “dilute” it to some degree, seeing that it’s heavy.

You can use this mixture as:

• a dry scalp treatment,
• hot oil treatment, 
• pre-poo, 
• or deep conditioner.

Are you using it as a part of your pre-poo or a scalp treatment? Massage it onto your scalp by concentrating mostly on your hairline and your ends. 

This will stimulate blood circulation which can positively influence your hair follicles and increase hair health. Rinse after 30 to 120 minutes.

How to cleanse hair off castor oil

When you need to wash it off, what do you do? Follow these 9 steps during your wash day:

1. Part your hair in four sections to avoid tangles, frizz, and unnecessary snagging.
2. Ensure that your wet hair is fully saturated with warm water.
3. Massage your scalp as the water runs to help break down all the dirt, debris, build-up, and oil off your scalp and hair.
4. Use a dime-sized shampoo and apply it directly to the scalp. 
5. Use the raking method to work through your hair section by section.
6. Rinse your hair.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6. 
8. Prepare for deep conditioning.
9. Should a normal shampoo not be enough for all the build-up, use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of all the oil.

Take-away

Not everyone is a fan of castor oil – some find it greasy and say it makes their hair frizzy. Others love it and claim it helps with hair growth.

If you don’t like the greasy feel, just apply it to your ends or dilute it with another oil, like coconut oil or jojoba oil.

When choosing a castor oil, be sure to select one that is best suited for your hair type.

In addition, use a good shampoo and conditioner to ensure the oil is completely removed from your hair.

Sources: Sciencedirect.com | Naturally Curly | science-yhairblog | Healthline.com

About the author

---

---

Other also read

• 3 Easy Ways to Use Coconut Oil for Curly Hair
• How Long Does It Take For Eyelashes To Grow Back? 5 Different Growth Methods Explained
• The Best Flaxseed Gel for Curly Hair – Very Easy Recipe
• This is The Best Denman Brush for Your Curly Hair [Guide]