CASTOR OIL - Great for thickening and regrowing hair, eyelashes and eyebrows
By Danna Norek
Castor oil is often overlooked for its benefits for the skin
and hair because of its extremely thick and sticky consisten-
cy. However, if youʼre looking for a cheap, natural remedy
for several common skin and hair complaints, then castor oil
is definitely worth your time.
I first stumbled on castor oil as a remedy for regrowing thin
eyebrows. I had over-plucked my brows back in the nineties
when it was the hip thing to have pencil thin brows, and they
never did quite recover. It became necessary for me to pencil
in the “bald” spots and I missed the natural look of real hair
where these spots were missing.
I read about castor oil as a remedy for thinning brows and
hair, and thought Iʼd try it. I bought a hexane free, organic
and cold pressed castor oil and started applying it to my eye-
brows every night after washing my face. After about three
months, I noticed my brows were noticeably thicker (and
they seemed to be growing in darker as well), and attributed
it to the nightly application of castor oil.
Iʼm not the only one that this has worked for. So, why
would castor oil help you regrow hair – both on your head
and the other two important places, the eyebrows and the
eyelashes.
Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid. This acid is a very ef-
fective natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent. This can
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help keep any fungus or bacteria from inhibiting hair growth.
Since the oil is also very thick, it may help to prevent hair
loss simply by helping to coat the hair and protect it from
falling out.
Castor oil is also high in omega 9 fatty acids, which are
nourishing to both the hair and the follicle, as well as the sur-
rounding skin. Castor oil has a unique ability to be deeply
penetrating, and this helps it to deliver its nourishment deep-
ly into the pores and the follicles that produce hair.
It also has a high gloss, so it lends a lush glossiness and
shine to the hair. A little goes a long way, and it is best to only
add a tiny bit to the very ends of your hair instead of putting
it up near the scalp if youʼre just looking for a natural hair
smoother.
Simply put about two drops on your hands and rub, then
smooth through the ends. If you use too much, there is a fine
line between subtle shine and a heavy greasiness so go very
light until you figure out the amount that works right for your
hair type.
If youʼre looking to regrow the hair on your head, you can
use castor oil as a scalp treatment. However it can be tricky
to get on the scalp without thinning it out with a lighter oil.
You can add some melted coconut oil, apricot kernel oil or
another lighter oil to help get it spreadable enough.
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