Castor oil for hair growth

When it comes to recovering from hair loss and stimulating growth, castor oil may very well be awarded "magic potion" status. Castor oil is known to heal follicle damage that may occur due to improper weave application, tight cornrows, high tension braids etc. It also stimulates healthy follicles resulting in faster growth. Its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties help maintain a healthy scalp which again is necessary for optimal hair growth.

For hair loss:

See below pictures of Loice, a young lady whose hairline was damaged from improper styling. She is now well on the way to reclaiming her hairline using a castor oil based routine. Read her story  here

January 2012 (After taking out her weave)

October 2012 (On the way to recovery)

Here is another young lady who is also seeing results by applying jamaican black castor oil regularly to her edges.

                                       

                                                          Before

After

See her tumblr here

For hair growth:

Some participants of the castor oil challenge held on the hairlista and kinkycoilyme websites showed significant growth over the 3 month duration of the challenge. See pictures below:

Photo credits: Hairlista Inc

Photo credits: www.kinkycoilyme.com

That is a looot of growth for 3 months!

How it works:

- First of all, you need to get your hands on some castor oil. Some people insist on jamaican black castor oil (jbco), but in my opinion, any castor oil will do. You will typically find it at the pharmacy in the laxative section (yep, castor oil is a laxative when taken orally). You can find the cold pressed castor oil in most pharmacies in Lagos and jbco here

Jamaican black castor oil

Cold pressed castor oil

- The second step it to apply it to your scalp 3 times a week. Some people apply it to the hair as well but due to the thickness of the oil, I don't recommend this for people with relaxed hair.  In any case, castor oil works by increasing blood flow to the scalp and supplying the hair follicles with nutrients. So for hair growth, the important thing is to apply it to your scalp.

- The last step is to... wait. Hair growth is 50% effort and 50% patience.

Has anyone tried castor oil for hair growth? What was your experience? What kind of castor oil did you use and how did you use it?

xoxo
B