My hair can’t catch a break. Between a brutal winter, regular heat styling, and one-too-many peroxide applications, my once lustrous mane now has an inferiority complex. And while I’ve slowly come to terms with losing my virgin hair, I’ll never give up on post-damage control. So, in addition to deep conditioning treatments, I’ve added one lesser known elixir to my arsenal to boost shine, length and thickness – castor oil.
I first started using castor oil last year during the craze over Cara Delevingne’s awesomely thick eyebrows. As someone who has always had thin eyebrows, I decided to give castor oil a try. Though I wasn’t consistent, I noticed a dramatic difference in the thickness of my brows within 6 months. Perhaps that’s too long of a wait for some people but as I said, I wasn’t consistent and continued plucking stray hairs (someone please take away my tweezer). Now, a year later, my brows are the fullest they’ve ever been, and – dare I say – almost Delevingne-level.
Back to the hair. Not too long ago, my mom recommended I try Schwarzkopf hair growth shampoo for thinning hair. As usual, I perused the ingredients, which included the magical castor oil. Sure enough, the shampoo fulfilled its promise of preserving of my locks and after 3-4 washes I noticed my hair looking fuller again. Unfortunately, like many other shampoos, it contains harsh sulfates, which dries out hair (especially bad for anyone with curly hair). That’s why I’ve come up with a couple alternatives for how to use pure castor oil to rejuvenate your locks.
How to use:
Pre-shampoo: use castor oil as a hot oil treatment (mix with argan oil for extra shine) and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and shampoo as usual.
Shampoo: Mix 1 tbsp (more depending on the length of your hair) castor oil with a sulfate-free gentle shampoo, such as L’Oreal EverPure.
FYI: Like coconut oil, too much castor oil will weigh down your hair, so start small. Work a couple pumps from roots to ends; rinse thoroughly and condition.
Now Foods Castor Oil, $6.79, available at Amazon.
[Image via Pinterest.com]
