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Does Castor Oil Help Hair Grow Thicker?

 
Alice Marini
By Alice Marini. Updated: March 30, 2017
Does Castor Oil Help Hair Grow Thicker?
Image: http://healthforallwomen.com

Castor oil can help hair grow thicker in direct, as well as indirect ways. The ricinoleic acid contained in castor oil, in fact, locks the moisture in the hair, making it thicker.

Castor oil is one of the most widely discussed natural oils for hair. It is used for many hair problems such as dandruff, hair loss and lice. But doe castor oil really help hair growth? Maybe not in the way we might think. A better question would be: does castor oil help hair grow thicker? This is what castor oil can really achieve, and so, it indirectly promotes hair growth too. In this oneHOWTO article we will examine the benefits of castor oil for hair, castor oil for hair loss, we will give you a cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth recipe and especially discuss: does castor oil help hair grow thicker?

You may also be interested in: How to Grow Thicker Hair with Coconut Oil

What is castor oil?

Castor oil is a natural oil sourced from the Ricinus Communis plant. It is pale yellow in color and tastes a bit like nuts and resin. Castor oil is used for cosmetics, manufacturing paints, pharmaceutical products, waxes, and hair products. In its natural, pure form, it is safe to eat and apply on the skin, hair and nails. Castor oil is also sometimes used to induce labour in pregnant women.

Now that we know what is castor oil, we can learn its benefits for hair.

Did you know that castor oil can speed up labour contractions?

Benefits of castor oil for hair

Before we learn if castor oil helps hair grow thicker, here is a list of benefits of castor oil for hair:

  • Castor oil deeply moisturizes hair
  • Castor oil makes the scalp return to an ideal pH level, promoting healthy scalp and hair
  • Castor oil prevents and cures acne of the scalp
  • Castor oil prevents and cures dandruff
  • Castor oil prevents and cures fungal and bacterial attacks
  • Makes hair silky and shiny
  • Relieves itchy scalp
  • Improves blood circulation in the head
  • Decreases split ends
  • Its antioxidant content helps keratin make hair less frizzy
  • Its vitamin E, mineral, protein and Omega 6 and 9 content nourish the hair
  • Castor oil helps hair growth and prevents hair loss
  • Because of its ricinoleic acid content, castor oil helps hair grow thicker
  • Finally, castor oil is cheap and easy to use at home

Before we find out: does castor oil help hair grow thicker? And learn how to use castor hair for hair thickening, we will discuss the issue of castor oil and hair growth.

Does castor oil help hair growth?

The discussion about castor oil for hair loss will lead us to castor oil for hair thickening. In fact, there are many claims that castor oil helps hair growth, but no scientific evidence proving it. What, on the other hand, we can say for sure is that castor oil thickens hair, kills bacteria, increases circulation, decreases hair breakage, hence, it can stimulate hair growth and prevent further hair loss.

What is important to bear in mind is that hair loss can be due to many causes. If the cause of hair loss is medical, alopecia for example, it is very unlikely that castor oil will be able to stimulate the growth of hair in unproductive hair follicles. Nevertheless, if you have alopecia, castor oil is a good natural remedy to accompany your medical treatment because it will reinforce productive follicles and strengthen the hair.

If, on the other hand, your hair is falling because it is damaged by chemicals, aggressive hair products, pollution etc., then castor oil can help hair growth, especially if used in combination with other hair stimulating natural products such as fuller's earth and amla. Castor oil will promote healthy hair growth in hair follicles. Mostly, the way castor oil helps hair growth is by thickening hair, which means making hair stronger. So, if you want to promote hair growth with castor oil, read the nest paragraph about: does castor oil help hair grow thicker?

Does Castor Oil Help Hair Grow Thicker? - Does castor oil help hair growth?

Castor oil for thick hair

What castor oil can really do is thicken hair, similarly to what we said regarding coconut oil for thicker hair. Let's see how does castor oil helps hair grow thicker:

  1. The high concentration (85-89%) of ricinoleic acid in castor oil locks the moisture in the hair, providing deep nourishing. Ricinoleic acid is a fatty acid that, besides thickening hair, makes hair darker, preventing greying.
  2. Castor oil aids blood circulation, which is a key factor in hair thickening and hair growing, moreover the massage to apply the oil will help circulation itself.
  3. Castor oil hair breakage: castor oil prevents hair breakage both through increased scalp blood circulation, and deep nourishing of the mane.
  4. Castor oil, like coconut oil, is especially effective in penetrating inside the hair follicles, so that the Omega 9 fatty acids can go inside, instead of only staying on the hair.
  5. Because castor oil is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, it cleans the follicles infested by bacteria and dandruff. Clearing the scalp will help hair grow thicker.
  6. Ricinoleic acid also balance the scalp pH, which means the scalp will start producing natural oils that make hair thick.
  7. Antioxidants in castor oil support the keratin in the hair, which makes hair thicker.

So, castor oil helps hair grow thicker. Since hair thinning is the first phase of hair loss, we can say that, indirectly, castor oil helps hair growth.

How to use castor oil for hair thickening

It is very easy to use castor oil to thicken hair. The only thing you need to bear in mind is that castor oil is a very thick oil so it is best if you mix it with a carrier oil such as jojoba or coconut oil, which even multiply castor oil's hair thickening properties.

Simply mix 1 tablespoon castor oil with one tablespoon carrier oil and massage on dry scalp for 10 minutes. Then brush you hair so that some of the oil goes on the mane, and apply a few drops of oil to the hair ends.

After 2 hours wash your hair twice with a natural shampoo such as reetha.

Repeat the process no more than 2 times a week as otherwise you risk of clogging the pores and achieving the opposite results!

So you know how to use castor oil to help hair grow thicker. We can now see an unusual recipe: cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth recipe.

Cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth recipe

If there is one ingredient that can really boost blood circulation in the scalp, thus thickening hair and making hair grow faster, is Cayenne pepper. The capsaicin contained in Cayenne pepper, which is what makes it spicy, causes intense blood flow, meaning extra oxygen for the hair follicles, meaning increased hair growth and thicker hair.

Something you should know before applying the cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth mask to your scalp is that Cayenne pepper irritates the eyes and skin, so you should be careful. Cayenne pepper can also cause burning sensation or allergy in the scalp, so try a small patch first.

Do not use on wounds, cracked and dry skin, and dyed hair.

Here is the Cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper powder or 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper paste
  • 1 tablespoon castor oil
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

  • Mix all the ingredients
  • Apply to the scalp only
  • Massage for 5 minutes
  • Wash out after another 5 more minutes
  • Do not leave for longer if you feel your scalp is burning

So, does castor oil help hair grow thicker? Yes it does, and so does Cayenne pepper.

Does Castor Oil Help Hair Grow Thicker? - Cayenne pepper and castor oil hair growth recipe

If you want to read similar articles to Does Castor Oil Help Hair Grow Thicker?, we recommend you visit our Beauty & Personal Care category.

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