How exactly does Castor oil thicken hair?

[Britt]

For those of you who experience hair thickening from castor oil usage, where exactly are you seeing thicker hair? I do understand it thickening your edges by regrowing hair in sparse areas, or even promoting hair growing... but castor oil can leave a very gummy/tacky type feel to the hair is this what people are calling 'thicker hair' ? I use to use it in the past and oil my scalp with it, and it was great for smoothing my edges and softening my new growth, but I can't say it made my hair any thicker? Are you guys experiencing thickness along the hair strands? Are those of you who are experiencing thickness using it in your deep conditioners? I would love to thicken up my hair strands, but I don't know if that's exactly possible ? Is it thickening your new growth?


Your thoughts ?

 

[ceebee3]

There are no products that thicken the hair. There are products that help you maintain what you grow and can make the hair appear to be thicker.

I use henna and it leaves a coating on my hair to make it feel thicker but it does not actually thicken the hair.

 

[DigitalRain]

For those of you who experience hair thickening from castor oil usage, where exactly are you seeing thicker hair? I do understand it thickening your edges by regrowing hair in sparse areas, or even promoting hair growing... but castor oil can leave a very gummy/tacky type feel to the hair is this what people are calling 'thicker hair' ? I use to use it in the past and oil my scalp with it, and it was great for smoothing my edges and softening my new growth, but I can't say it made my hair any thicker? Are you guys experiencing thickness along the hair strands? Are those of you who are experiencing thickness using it in your deep conditioners? I would love to thicken up my hair strands, but I don't know if that's exactly possible ? Is it thickening your new growth?


Your thoughts ?

Good Question!! I've often wondered this too, people say it grows their edges and use it on sparse lashes. But whats in it that makes it effective as some people say.

 

[oooop2]

Great question...I'm not sure either. I do know that religiously using castor oil on my thinning areas has filled them in...

 

[ChocoKitty]

"Hair Care: The germicidal, insecticidal and fungicidal properties of Ricin and Ricinoleic acid present in castor oil protect the scalp and hair from microbial and fungal infections, the two prime causes for hair loss. In addition, the fatty acids in it nourish hair and prevent the scalp from drying by retaining moisture."

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-castor-seed-oil.html

 

[Dacia38]

I'd like to know the answer to this also. I don't need thicker hair per se, but my edges on my opposing wrap side are thin. I've been using JBCO for 4 weeks and I can honestly say I haven't noticed any changes. I'll continue to use it because 1) I paid for it and 2) It does lay down and soften my edges. Even though it's only been 4 weeks I thought I'd see some thickness or filling-in along this side. But nothing thus far.

 

[Maracujá]

I wanna know the answer to this too.

 

[Britt]

There are no products that thicken the hair. There are products that help you maintain what you grow and can make the hair appear to be thicker.

I use henna and it leaves a coating on my hair to make it feel thicker but it does not actually thicken the hair.

This is exactly what I think is happening... castor oil makes the hair feel heavy and sticky and maybe this is what people are calling thickness? I just can't see how an oil could make your exisiting hair any thicker?

 

[halee_J]

There are no products that thicken the hair. There are products that help you maintain what you grow and can make the hair appear to be thicker.

I use henna and it leaves a coating on my hair to make it feel thicker but it does not actually thicken the hair.

Agreed. I think it works in a way similar to henna. I use castor oil almost daily, and i've noticed it makes my hair appear thicker. Its a temporary effect, when I havent used it for a couple of washes, my hair goes back to what it was before.

 

[Stiletto_Diva]

Well for me it has made my hair thicker by growing in my crown area. I've always had breakage in my crown, but since using castor oil on my scalp I can see that the pieces that were only about an inch or two are now longer and blend in with my hair. This helps with the overall thickness of my hair, not the individual strands.

 

[LiberianGirl]

I experienced great retention when I used castor oil religously during my transition. It seemed as if my hair was virtually indestructible even though I used heat regularly. Not sure if my strands were thicker but they were definately stronger. My hair appeared thicker but I think it had more to do with my healthy unrelaxed new growth. My transition went downhill after I stopped using CO regularly.

 

[Neith]

I've noticed healthy growth and a healthy scalp from using castor oil, but no thickening.

 

[sharifeh]

Interesting thread....when does the sticky feeling go away? do you guys mix it with another oil to apply it?

 

[HoneyA]

It thickened my edges up. I started applying it to my scalp 3x a week for like about 4 months. All I know is that my scalp has never been healthier and my new growth was really thick. When I retouched the last time, my hair was really heavy. I don't know why it works that way but I'm happy it does.

 

[SistaSista]

I mixed castor oil with my DC and noticed afterwards that my hair appeared thicker. But there was this residue left on my hair and I'm sure that's what was making my hair appear thicker. Not to mention the smell of castor oil made me gag every time Iobed my head. I will not be using castor oil any longer. It's not for me.

 

[isabella09]

....................................

 

[isabella09]

Interesting thread....when does the sticky feeling go away? do you guys mix it with another oil to apply it?

I thin the consistency of my black Jamaican castor oil with a little avocado oil. Additionally, it doesn’t feel sticky to me after thinning its consistency.

 

[shunemite]

There are no products that thicken the hair. There are products that help you maintain what you grow and can make the hair appear to be thicker.

I use henna and it leaves a coating on my hair to make it feel thicker but it does not actually thicken the hair.

Exactly. My black rinses make my hair look thicker, that's it. It's genetics. Just like how can you change your body shape from Ellen Degeneres to Beyonce? You can't. You can change the appearance of it by dressing it up, end of story.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

stimulates new follicle growth

 

[lesedi]

I dunno, my hair genuinely is thicker since i found castor oil, so it worked for me

 

[NaturalEnigma]

I dunno, my hair genuinely is thicker since i found castor oil, so it worked for me

Same for me when I was relaxed I went on the Castor oil challenge on Hairlista.com and it made my hair much thicker. I usually have fine strands so it was easy for me to notice the difference. I used Castor oil every 3-4 days to seal my hair with. I used it for a while, maybe like 6 months. It takes time to see results.

 

[hothair]

I too got thickness with castor oil, aside from filling in my edges. I have fine strands, I believe it acted as a humectant so attracts water into the strand causing it to thicken-my theory. When you stop using the effect wears off -much like taking vitamins.

I don't get the gummy feeling people are talking about I use only a dab rub between my hands and apply to my ends especially and massage my hairline/scalp, makes my hair so soft. If your hair's gummy you're using way too much

 

[greenandchic]

It works better for me when I mix it with other oils. When I mix it with jojoba oil, its not as sticky/tacky while softening my hair. I use 100% castor oil on my edges before I go to the gym to keep the sweat from drying out my hair FWIW.

Though I don't have an issue with thin edges, it did make my edges thicker and created more "baby hair".

 

[YasashiiSekai]

I already have hair on the thick side, but it made my new growth thicker....I actually didn't even notice until my sister said something. She noticed the extra thickness.

 

[MizzBrown]

OP you need to search for real proof of this. Look for actual clinical trials and scientific proof that it works.

I've learned in the last few months that there's very little, if any substantial proof of results with a lot of the products we use on this board.

And like another poster stated, many products give the appearance of results, but no true results.

 

[lesedi]

OP you need to search for real proof of this. Look for actual clinical trials and scientific proof that it works.

I've learned in the last few months that there's very little, if any substantial proof of results with a lot of the products we use on this board.

And like another poster stated, many products give the appearance of results, but no true results.

MizzBrown
I never get this. Who cares if it is an 'appearance' or otherwise??? If it seems to be helping, then why not just continue to use it so you don't go back to what you had before?
But, in my experience, the thickness and increased growth i got from castor oil is permanent.

 

[hothair]

OP you need to search for real proof of this. Look for actual clinical trials and scientific proof that it works.

I've learned in the last few months that there's very little, if any substantial proof of results with a lot of the products we use on this board.

And like another poster stated, many products give the appearance of results, but no true results.

Generally speaking clinical trials are usually carried out by large corporations to back up claims on their products/get approval to sell a product. It can be hard to find scientific proof on a lot of natural products because they cannot be copyrighted and anyone can get and sell them. Also if there is a cheap natural alternative to a product produce by a major corporation please believe that same corporation would do anything in its power to disregard/disprove any positive evidence of the cheaper natural product.

Basically clinical trials are not always possible with things like castor oil and if they are you need to look into who conducted them and what they stand to benefit from it. So if you see the company that conducted a clinical trial on castor oil for hair is somehow related to the company that sells Rogaine (and its never that obvious) you need to approach with a bag of salt.

 

[Tene]

I've used castor oil, regular and jamaican black on and off for some years. I've never noticed thicker hair at all and I don't believe an oil can make your hair thicker. I know when I was using it on my edges it made my edges appear thicker. But once I stopped using it, my edges were the same. I've never noticed any growth from castor oil either. The only oils my daughter and I seen results from as far as growth is rosemary and mtg sulphur mix. But I love how soft castor oil leaves my hair, it's a great sealer and humectant.