Reasons you should stop Abusing Castor Oil

Every now and again I get requests to join a Castor oil challenge. Participants of these challenges hope to gain LENGTH,  DENSITY and hair HEALTH.  I love challenges firstly because they push me to be better, secondly there is a always a prize and finally I learn something new about myself.  I have to be honest I have never joined or participated in a castor oil challenge because I don't believe in them and these are my reasons why:



Myth Number 1 - Castor Oil Grows your hair 
There isn't a single shred of scientific evidence that suggests that Castor oil can stimulate your follicles so that your hair grows. Claims that Castor oil especially JBCO can regrow hairlines are not backed by any scientific studies.  But how do we attribute some of the growth people see when they are on the Castor Oil challenge? Well that is an easy one, during these challenges, most of us take care of our hair better than we normally would. We wear  more low manipulation hairstyles and/or protective styles, we are constantly massaging our scalps and hairlines which stimulates the scalp, happy healthy scalp equals hair growth.

Myth Number 2 - Castor Oil Makes your hair Thicker 
Our genetic makeup determines a lot of things from the colour of our eyes to the thickness of our hair.  Again there isn't any scientific evidence that proves that Castor oil will thicken your hair.  If you were born with fine hair, your hair will not suddenly become thick because you are now drowning it in Castor oil every evening. Your hair "appears" to be thicker because the oil is thick and as it coats your hair it gives you the illusion that your strands have suddenly become thicker, the minute you wash the oil out your hair is back to it's natural state.

I don't hate Castor Oil 
Don't get me wrong I think Castor oil is an amazing oil with many benefits for the human body, and I use products that contain Castor oil on a regular basis. My issue with the Castor oil challenges is they seem to ignore the fact that quite a few of the natural hair products actually contain sufficient castor oil to benefit your hair.  Participants of the challenges are using their normal products PLUS the additional castor oil on their hair and thus overloading their hair with castor oil.  Too much of a good thing is never the answer, because Castor oil is so thick it seals the hair fiber SHUT meaning no moisture can get in.  Once this happens you hair gets dry and this results in hair breakage, and then the products get blamed for not working, and the JBCO is never called into question.

Always err on the side of caution with challenges that require you to use one product excessively. Check the ingredients of your other products to make sure they do not contain the product you will be using. Do your own research to determine the validity of claims of miracle cures especially for your hairline.

Enjoy your hair and stop stressing so much about growth.



XXX


Isabel