Originally published at www.getcutlass.com.
Jamaican Black Castor Oil, or JBCO for short, is being touted, all across the internet, as one of the best oils for hair growth. A quick Google search will pull up pages of information about JBCO and its benefits.
But what exactly is Jamaican Black Castor Oil? And why is it so great for hair growth?
What is Jamaican Black Castor Oil?
Jamaican Black Castor Oil is a product of the beans of the castor fruit from the castor plant. As you may have guessed this is the same source of oils for standard or yellow castor oil(ricinius oil if you’re scientifically inclined ;) ).
Ricinus communis is a tropical plant native to East Africa, but the beans are predominantly sourced from China, India and the Mozambique.
How is Oil Extracted from Castor Beans?
There are a two main ways of extracting castor oil from castor beans. There is simply pressing the beans to extract the oil as well as extraction via solvents. Castor Oil variations are usually named for their extraction method: cold pressed castor oil or solvent extracted castor oil.
The most commonly used form of castor oil — cold pressed castor oil — is more regularly referred to as yellow castor oil, or just castor oil. The other methods are used to extract castor oil for non-cosmetic uses.
Wait, what about Jamaican Black Castor Oil, how is it Extracted?
JBCO’s method of extraction is identical to that of cold pressed castor oil. The beans are physically grinded up until oil comes out. The difference between cold pressed castor oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil is in their preparation. JBCO castor beans, like coffee beans, are first roasted over fire then grinded. No such preparation is done with cold pressed castor oil — the beans go straight to the grinder!
The video belows give a great example of how Jamaican Black Castor Oil is made:
And that’s it. That’s the huge difference between the two oils.
So why is there more Buzz about Jamaican Black Castor Oil than Yellow Castor Oil?
You see, castor oil, like all vegetable oils, has different physical and chemical properties depending on the method of extraction. Most of JBCO’s benefits over yellow castor oil originate from the process of roasting. Roasting the beans makes the final product “ashier”. This ash increases the alkalinity of Jamaican Black Castor Oil over yellow castor oil which may be one reason Jamaican Black Castor Oil wins out. Increased alkalinity raises the cuticle layer(protective layer of the hair) which allows the hair to receive the moisture and nutrients it needs from the oil.
There have been suggestions that roasting also helps increase the potency of the castor oil — thereby making its properties even more advantageous. However, there is not much scientific research to substantiate the claim. Before we get to why we suggest giving Jamaican Black Castor Oil a try let’s cover why castor oil is so great in the first place.
What are the benefits of using Castor Oil?
Castor oil has been used across the world for thousands of years because of its various beneficial properties. Historical uses include pharmacology, ophthalmology and dermatology. More specifically, it has been used as a hair growth agent across the world. This is castor oil’s biggest claim to fame in the consumer product world and the reason castor oil has had such a resurgence lately. Here is what castor oil does for hair loss:
Hair loss is multifactorial — influenced by hormones, diet, stress, your immune system, and overall genetics. It’s difficult to say whether Castor Oil is directly stimulating new hair growth, or moving hairs from resting (Telogen) to growth (Anagen) phases because no direct studies support such an idea, but it is definitely possible for Castor Oil to boost hair growth indirectly, thanks to the following reasons:
Nutrients: Castor Oil is high in Vitamin E, a natural anti-oxidant. Oxidative stress is a very common cause of hair loss and it’s possible that the tocopherols in Castor Oil help fight against such a cause [v]
Prostaglandin E2: Prostaglandins are lipid compounds with hormonal-like effects. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) has been shown to inhibit hair growth in vivo[vi]. Conversely, PGE2, which Castor Oil has been shown to increase[vii], actually influences hair growth in vivo[viii].
Humectant: Castor Oil has humectant properties, meaning it moisturizes by drawing in water vapor towards the skin. via u/bogdans_eyebrow
Got it! But who do we look to for Actual Experience with Jamaican Black Castor Oil?
That’s easy! Many women of color have realized that present day hair care products with their loads of chemical ingredients may not be ideal for black and brown hair. Famous Youtube channels have been using products like Jamaican Black Castor Oil to improve hair growth and hair quality for quite some time. We asked a few Youtube stars to tell us about their experience with Jamaican Black Castor Oil.
Here’s what they had to say:
Penny from CurlyPenny
“JBCO contains ricinoleic acid, ricinoleic acid exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. It also increases blood flow to where it is applied, so if applied to the scalp, it can help with hair growth. It helped me grow 24 inches of hair in about 3 years. That’s about 1.5 inches a month! And my hair is curly, which takes much longer for the growth to show. I cut of all that for a nice change in Feb. 2016, and have been using JBCO again. Now it’s Dec. 2016 and my hair is already to the middle of my back. I know it works, from science, and from experience.” — Penny from CurlyPenny
Here’s Penny’s video on Jamaican Black Castor Oil:
Follow her on YouTube and Instagram.
Brielle from Brielle Dior
I’ve been using JBCO for a little over a year now because recently I’d been experiencing some thinning at the front of my hairline and just after a week of applying JBCO I noticed a difference in the growth it provided which was unheard of to me! After being able to see a difference in just a week I was sold on the oil and swore by it. The oil honestly made my hair thicker throughout and for all of those reasons I recommend the oil to ANYONE looking to grow their hair! I’m currently on week 2 of a 30 day challenge for eyebrow growth using JBCO.
I also introduced the oil to my fiancé who is really trying to get his facial hair on and poppin’ and even after him using it just a couple times we noticed some new hair growing in on the sides of the face. — Brielle from Brielle Dior
Here’s what Brielle had to say about JBCO:
Follow her on YouTube and Instagram.
Maryam from Maryam Hampton
I absolutely love JBCO it has so many benefits and over the years it has helped thicken up my hair and grow my eyebrow and eyelashes. It is definitely a beauty staple! — Maryam from Maryam Hampton
Here’s Maryam’s video on JBCO:
Follow her on Youtube.
What do you think?
Is this a convincing enough reason for you to add Jamaican Black Castor Oil to your routine? Why or why not? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. And just a quick plug if you’re interested in trying a beard oil with Jamaican Black Castor Oil try out Cutlass by Pesanteur Beard Growth Oil ;).
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