WHAT IS JAMAICAN BLACK CASTOR OIL?

All types of castor oil come naturally from the castor plant and have been used in skin and hair care for thousands of years. The castor plant, which is also often called the miracle plant, originally comes from Africa. From there, the plant ended up in the Caribbean during the slave trade. Here the plant was then grown and harvested in the traditional way and is still used to make black castor oil. In addition to black castor oil, cold-pressed castor oil is also made from the miracle plant.

Jamaican castor oil especially benefits people whose scalp or hair has become flaky and dry. This can be caused by various factors, such as environmental pollutants, the regular use of a hair straightener or hair dryer or even the use of certain shampoos or hair treatments. Castor oil is rich in omega 9 and this provides deep hydration to the scalp, preventing dryness and itching. The moisturizing effect also contributes to the repair of damaged hair ends, allowing the hair to grow as healthy, strong and full as possible.

HOW IS CASTOR OIL MADE?

Jamaican black castor oil is extracted from castor beans. These are roasted, ground and boiled in the traditional way, after which the oil can be pressed from the beans. Roasting the castor beans darkens the color of the oil. This is also the difference with the light, cold-pressed castor oil, where the beans are only pressed and not roasted.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DARK AND LIGHT CASTOR OIL

Both dark and light cold-pressed castor oil contain many vitamins and nutrients. So it really comes down to your personal preference, but it is generally believed that the Jamaican Black Castor Oil has mainly beneficial effects for your hair, due to its ash content. Light, cold-pressed castor oil mainly cares for your skin.

Both types of castor oil also contain ricinoleic acid. This is a fatty acid that helps soothe sensitive skin. Since high ash content means a higher pH, the dark castor oil can help open, purify, and hydrate the pores of your skin (and scalp).

Individuals with curly hair already have a partially open hair follicle, but it can still be difficult to moisturize the entire hair (from root to tip) due to the curved hair strands. The ash content in Jamaican Black Castor Oil can naturally repair and fully hydrate curly hair due to its pH value.

It is often believed that the ash in Jamaican Black Castor Oil has a thickening effect on the hair fibers and a thin layer is formed around the hair, creating more volume.

On the other hand, there are users of cold-pressed castor oil who claim that less nutritional value remains after roasting the seeds. However, this has not been scientifically proven and so the dark castor oil will be equally moisturizing and caring.