Question for J from Eliss:
Greetings!! This is Eliss, and I’m sending this email in hopes of attaining some information. I’m starting to use castor oil on my hair, but while doing my mini research, I’ve been noticing people saying there is a difference in castor oil and that some castor oils (the ones used as laxatives) aren’t good for your hair; instead you should use other brands (i.e. Jamaican Black Castor Oil).
So is this true? Is there a difference in the types of castor oils?
Thanks!
-E
Jenteel’s response: well, the castor bean itself is poisonous (12 beans can be fatal to a human!), but the castor oil extracted from the bean is antifungal, anti-inflammatory, has anti-dandruff properties and is useful for skin conditions/ailments including eczema, moles and calluses. castor oil makes a great massage oil for ailing joints, helps in inducing labor/after birth, and has been used for cancer patients to prevent lumps and cysts. you can also make castor oil packs for severe abdominal and back pain (when you rub it between your hands it heats up). this makes it a wonderful oil to use in deep conditioning treatments.
any pure castor oil can be used as a laxative, but should only be used for 10 days at the most. i would suggest you always purchase “cold pressed” castor oil. using heat yields more oil, but degrades the flavor, nutritional value and color of the oil. cold pressed is a more expensive process extracting the oil at a lower temperature. you can get cold pressed castor oil at health food stores, “the vitamin shoppe” or online. i would keep away from the castor oils in pharmacies. some of them are overly refined for human consumption. the “black” castor oil is unrefined, i believe it retains the most nutrients. i get my black castor oil from haiti, but most people order the jamaican one online. but as long as you’re using cold pressed clear you should be ok. :)
~j~
