Castor Oil

Haha, sorry, I just can't contain myself! A few months ago, I bought some Qhemet Amla and Olive Heavy Cream (during their sale), and I was shocked at how soft it made my hair feel. I looked at the ingredients and noticed that castor oil was at the top of the list. I'm more than halfway done with the container, and I wanted to know if I needed to bite the bullet and shell out 16.50 plus S+H or if I should try castor oil.

Soooo glad I did! I bought it today and I've already done a hot oil with it, used it in Kimmaytube's leave-in mixture, made a shea mixture with it, and put it on my edges to help stimulate growth (I know this sounds like a lot, I swear I'm not a walking grease-slick right now, haha ). I'm just really excited to find an oil that my hair really loves-- shea and coconut oil don't really do much for me.

I'm thinking I'm going to do a side by side comparison next time I do my hair-- one half sealed with castor oil, the other with the Amla and Olive-- to see if the Qhemet is worth the money. Just wanted to share the love!

Hmm...sounds good. I'll be interested to hear the results of your side by side comparison.

I'm going to have to check out Kimmaytube's leave in mixture...

My hair is LOVING Kimmay's leave in!

I'm the same way. My hair loves Castor oil, rejects coconut oil, and is just okay for shea. The oils I really only use are Amla, Castor, Sesame, Avocado and Vitamin E oils.

I mix my castor oil in everything, lol, and I mean EVERYTHING, lol. It's in my conditioners, in my butters, in my creams, my hair loves it. I don't think it really makes my hair grow (protective styling does) but I have noticed my thickness after getting on board the JBCO and regular castor oil fix.

I LOVE Castor oil too!!! I put it in my shea butter mix and my oil mix..I love that its soooo thick!! and it has helped out alot on my edges

I love both Castor Oil and Qhemet's Amla and Olive Heavy Cream. I use the Amla and Olive heavy cream more in the winter since my hair needs more moisture that time of the year but I use castor oil year round. I seal my hair with it and I've even used it as a deep conditioner mixed with Olive oil.

I'm loving CO!

Since the BC I tried two styling gels that everyone raves about... I found them to be very drying and one made my hair crunchy.

Over the weekend I decided to mix one of the gels with CO, tied hair with satin scarf over night, the next day my twa was SOFT. I couldn't believe it!

Today I didn't use any water on my hair, just a mixture of the gel & CO and I'm still liking the results. My hair feel thicker and has a nice little glow (not Soul Glo) to it. I'm learning what products work best for my hair and so far CO is one of them (and it's cheap! I have the Rite-Aid brand).

I would like to add that I like the way my edges stay soft and slick looking (like baby hair).

Umph wrote:I'm loving CO!

....Over the weekend I decided to mix one of the gels with CO, tied hair with satin scarf over night, the next day my twa was SOFT. I couldn't believe it!....

Glad to hear to you found something that works for you. Which styling gel did you end up mixing with the castor oil. I too like the CO, especially leaving it in overnight. Makes my hair really soft.

@Naturalin2010- I used Fantasia IC Olive Oil Gel... I like this gel a lot. I only got it because the BSS didn't have ECO styling gel. Mixing equal parts gel/CO gives my hair the moisture it needs with a touch of softness.

Okay ladies I have been intending to purchase castor oil for quite some time. I have read alot about the benefits and am sold on them. However, I have spent all this time trying to see if there is any concrete basis for me spending the extra money and shipping to get JBCO. I say to myself, is it that special. I went back on one of the sites of a seller and this excerpt hit me: Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil is the best quality oil on the market. Why you may ask? Over the last ten years it is an established precedent that Jamaican Black Castor Oil is more effective than the clear Pharmacy Castor Oil because of the Ash Content in Jamaican Black Castor Oil due to roasting of the beans. Therefore it stands to reason that the more Ash Content the more effective the Oil. This is not a myth, it is evidence based FACTS. Compared to other brands, it is the darkest Jamaican Black Castor Oil because we roast our beans longer, which produces more Ash Content in Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil than any other oil on the market. More Ash content increases the effectiveness and the color of the oil. Therefore, the Sunny Isle brand will strengthen and increases hair growth faster than any other brands on the market today.

Now, I don't know about you ladies, but that assurance seems like quite a leap to me, without anything to substantiate it. Ash content?

For me, when considering oils, organic and unrefined is what I am interested in. I have researched high and low and can't find anything to support what he alleges. Have you noticed the Qhemet's products say "organic castor oil?" Anita Grant's products say "organic castor oil." I have seen other handmade products with castor oil and NONE that I have seen saw JBCO. So, I am convinced ensuring the purity of the castor oil, that there is no hexane in the processing and that the full benefits of the oil from the castor seed are retained is the key (organic and unrefined). So, as we speak I am ordering organic, unrefined castor oil.

I would love to hear some other comments.

I've never tried JBCO so I can't compare it to what I use (Home Health, which is cold pressed and cold processed), and I'd like to try it someday, but I don't care to pay for shipping or any of that nonsense, and I've never seen it in a store.

My thoughts as to why products don't contain JBCO is probably because of the cost and the fact that it has a strong scent (supposedly).

It would be interesting to hear comparisons between the two, and if one was more beneficial to their hair and it's growth.

@ naturalnolagirl1900

I agree. Here is a link to an old post followed by my comment in italics. As much as I want my hair to grow, I know that the only substance proven to grow hair is rogaine/minoxidil. Techniques and products help create an optimum environment for growth and retention of growth.

http://www.curlynikki.com/2010/02/battle-of-castor-oils.html


I've never heard of De La Cruz Castor Oil so I don't know how it is made. I have used Palma Christi and Home Health brands and both are cold-pressed(the beans are not heated to extract the oil). I have not used JBCO so I cannot comment on the difference in the effect when applied to hair vs. PC and HH. I can say that the darker color could be from the outer layer of the bean and the "Jamaican" process does not filter the oil to remove it. Perhaps the burnt, roasted smell comes from burnt, roasted castor beans??? Krissy includes in the bottom line section of the post that Castor oil (CAS number 8001-79-4) is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste, so how does that JBCO become "Black?"
I have not read anything that was not an anecdotal testimonial from a user or marketing hype written by a vendor to PROVE that JBCO is better than organic cold-pressed castor oil. I'm not saying that it isn't, just that I have not seen any science to back up the claim. Until I see some data, I will not assume that cold pressed is inferior to JBCO .


The Sunny Isle quote "Compared to other brands, it is the darkest Jamaican Black Castor Oil because we roast our beans longer, which produces more Ash Content in Sunny Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil than any other oil on the market."" is revealing.

You can't roast the beans without heating them and you don't get ashes until something burns.

Also, the castor bean also grows in Hawaii. I can only imagine how much the shipping on a bottle of that would cost.

hmm..I'm going to have to try that experiment too, castor oil on half my hair, Qhements AOHC on the other. I love qhements for sealing my ends but if castor oil works just as well that can save me lots of cash

FalconTress wrote:@ naturalnolagirl1900

Also, the castor bean also grows in Hawaii. I can only imagine how much the shipping on a bottle of that would cost.

The shipping cost from Hawaii to the West Coast is not that bad. Moreover, I would like to use "Made in America" products.

The one that they sell in Haiti is aslo "black". I had never seen clear castor oil until i went natural a year ago. I have used both and they "feel" the same. I tend to use the clear one because it does not have the strong smell.
In My opinion, they are the same...and as mentioned earlier by FalconTress, i'm not sure there are a lot of things out there that can "make your hair grow faster"....

Yes Falcon Tress, I saw that passage you pasted on a blog a while back. I absolutely agree and love what you wrote prior to the link because that is TRUTH!! This hair industry is very profitable and the businesses perpetuate information that has yet to be proven scientifically. Many "get hair long quick schemes) out there. Creating the hair growth environment internally and externally is the key. That is my pursuit.

The question I ask myself when considering a product is what benefit do I want to get from it. I am interested in the new growth in my crown to be softened. This area experienced heat damage and is like a rebellious child (although it is much better since I have been doing some things differently). Because castor is the only source documented to provide ricinoleic acid, it locks in moisture, and because of the shine and softness it provides, these are my reasons for getting it.