The Healthy Hair Diary: Castor oil challenge

Castor Oil Challenge | For Growth & Thickness

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

I decided to do the castor oil challenge over the colder months to see if I could encourage thicker roots and extra length retention. The castor oil challenge consists of incorporating castor oil into your hair regime for a period of time. I have decided to take part in this challenge on the advanced level which is to add two teaspoons of castor oil to my deep conditioner each week, oil my scalp with castor oil every other night and also add castor oil to my sealing oil which I use to deal in moisture.

I started the challenge on 1st October and the challenge will end on 1st January 2018. The castor oi I have chosen to use is the Sunny Isle Lavender Jamaican Black Castor Oil. When I first started the challenge I had the Mango & Lime Extra Dark Jamaican black castor oil in my stash so decided to use this in my challenge. I uploaded a video on my YouTube channel regarding starting the castor oil challenge and one of my subscribers mentioned that the castor oil I was using wasn't a complete black castor oil as this oil is mixed with other oils. When I checked the ingredients, sure enough, this castor oil contained, coconut oil and grapeseed oil which isn't really an issue as this oils are also good for the scalp and promoting hair growth, however, I wanted to solely use the genuine Jamaican black castor oil so picked up the Sunny Isle brand instead.

I am currently using the African Royale Hot Six Oil to seal in my moisture when moisturising and sealing and I have added two capfuls of the JBCO to this oil. This has thickened the oil but has not made it too thick that it weighs down my hair. I am currently moisturising and sealing my ends and edges every night.

To oil my scalp, I am using the Sunny Isle JBCO mixed with a few capfuls of the Mango & Lime JBCO just to dilute the oil a bit and make it less thick. I oil my scalp every other night and try to go as easy as possible so not to weight down my hair. Once I have oiled my scalp, I go on to do a scalp massage for a few minutes to stimulate hair growth.

When deep conditioning, I mix two teaspoons of JBCO before applying the deep conditioner mix to the length of my hair. I deep condition every week without fail.

Castor oil challenge

Castor Oil Challenge - 3 Month Check In & Results

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

So 3 months have passed and the castor oil challenge is officially over.

Quick recap; I joined the challenge which started on September 19th at the extreme level. This consists of oiling my scalp every other night followed by a scalp massage, adding 2 teaspoons of castor oil to my weekly deep conditioner and also use castor oil mixed with avocado oil to seal my ends each night.

This challenge was so easy take part in and I quickly found myself in a routine. As mentioned in my two month check in post, I made sure my oils were pre-mixed and stored them so they were easily accessible.

To oil my scalp, I pre-mixed Lavender Jamaican Black Castor oil with 100% pure castor oil and stored it in an applicator bottle which makes oiling my scalp no task at all.

For deep conditioning, I made up another mix of Lavender JBCO and pure castor oil and this bottle stayed in the bathroom so when washday came around, I could easily add my castor oil mix with my deep conditioner.

Last but not least, to seal my hair, I pre-mixed a 100ml bottle of Avocado oil and Lavender JBCO. I keep this with my moisturiser downstairs so that it is always ready and waiting when I go to moisturise and seal before I go upstairs to bed.

I used castor oil to oil my scalp prior to the castor oil challenge starting during the challenge oiled my scalp very other night and if I am being honest, I wouldn't say I noticed a vast difference in growth which I could definitely attribute to the use of castor oil. What I can say is that I definitely love to use JBCO to oil my scalp and will continue to use it as it helps to soften my new growth which makes it more manageable when stretching my relaxers.

Adding castor oil to my deep conditioners gave my hair that extra moisture boost it needed and after each wash day my hair was always left feeling so moist and manageable. Now the challenge is over I will alternate between my favourite oils to mix with my deep conditioners.

Sealing my hair with avocado oil mixed with lavender JBCO was my favourite part of the challenge. My hair would feel so amazing after moisturising and then using this oil mix to seal my hair. Throughout the challenge my ends were still moist at the end of each day and I relaxed my hair on December 16th which is 3 days before the end of the challenge and I can definitely say that I have managed to retain length. I trimmed my hair yesterday and only needed to take off just over one centimetre rather than the usual 1-2 inches which I am very pleased about. Although the challenge is over I will definitely continue to seal with my avocado oil and JBCO mix over the colder months, once this mix has been used up I will try mixing JBCO with grapeseed oil.

September 2015

December 2015

How does castor oil work for your hair?

11 Weeks Post Relaxer

Relaxer Touch Up – 11 Weeks Post Relaxer

Monday, December 28, 2015

Late post!

I planned to relax my hair on Saturday 19th December but we had quite a few festive events to attend that I decided to do my touch up mid-week on Wednesday 16th December instead.

I started preparing my hair by sectioning into four and applying olive oil to the length of my hair excluding my new growth. Separated each quadrant into 1 inch sections and twisted hair from new growth downwards. I can honestly say I forgot to follow this up by adding petroleum jelly and have just remembered whilst typing this post which is irritating.

Anyway, with my hair ready I went on to add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to half a tub of ORS Professional Olive Oil Lye Relaxer and mixed thoroughly for 3 minutes until all mixed together, set my timer for 18 minutes and then started applying the relaxer to my new growth starting with the two back sections. The timer went off whilst I was still smoothing so I continued for another 4-6 minutes then rinsed until all relaxer was out of my hair.

I towel blotted my hair for a minute or two and then applied Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor to my hair as a mid-protein step and let sit in my hair for a few minutes and then rinsed.

Using the ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo, I neutralized my hair lathering 4-5 times to ensure all relaxer was out of my hair then blotted dry with a towel for a few minutes whilst deciding what to condition with. I grabbed the Creme of Nature Conditioning Treatment and applied it liberally to my hair and then sealed with my castor oil mix. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the hood dryer for 30 minutes then rinsed one cool. Yes I should have used a light protein conditioner to condition with considering it was relaxer day but my mind was somewhere else and by time I realised it was too late to go on to add more conditioner, I had work the next morning.

I t-shirt dried for 25 minutes and then applied my leave-ins; Creme of Nature Straight from Eden detangling leave-in, Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Leave-in and sealed with Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Serum then detangled my hair with a wide tooth comb and air-dried using a satin scarf to lay my edges.

When my hair was 70% dry, I could just about keep my eyes open so admitted defeat and put my hair in a loose bun secured with satin scrunchy and then tied down with satin scarf then took myself to bed knowing I would have to get up that little bit earlier to deal with moisturising and sealing my hair before work.

In the morning, I moisturised and sealed with Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer and my avocado oil and lavender JBCO mix, styled my hair and was out of the door.

I am pleased with my results, I am left with texture so my hair isn't bone straight and it is so manageable, I forgot how good it is to be able to run my fingers through my hair.

10 weeks post relaxer

Wash Day Diary - Relaxer Prep 10 Weeks Post

Saturday, December 26, 2015

9 Weeks Post Relaxer

Wash Day Diary - 9 Weeks Post Relaxer

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Saturday 5th December

There was no plan for this weekend's wash day. I knew I had to wash my hair and had nothing special planned for Saturday evening, yet I waited until the last minute to start my hair.

At about 7.30-8pm I applied my extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil mix to the length of my hair and scalp, covered with a plastic cap and beanie hat and let steam whilst I popped out with my son for snacks and Christmas decorations. When we got back home I removed my beanie hat and sat under the hood dryer for 30 minutes, then once cool, I rinsed my hair and then shampooed using Crème of Nature Moisture & Shine shampoo

After towel drying for 5 minutes, I deep conditioned with Shea Moisture 10-in-1 Superfruits Complex Masque mixed with my castor oil mix, covered with a plastic cap and sat under hood dryer for 30 minutes rinsing once cool.

T-shirt dried for 40 minutes then applied my leave-ins; Crème of Nature Straight from Eden Detangling leave-in, Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter leave-in, Grapeseed oil and a few drops of Fantasia IC Olive Oil Moisturizing Serum, detangled my hair in sections and then air-dried using my satin scarf to lay my edges.

Once 90% dry I spritzed my hair with a bit of water and spritzed my new growth with Root2Tip Honey Rain Juice, then moisturised and sealed with Root2Tip Triple M Moisture Milk and my avocado oil and lavender JBCO. I put my hair in a loose bun and covered with a satin scarf for bed.

When I woke up on Sunday morning and removed my satin scarf, my hair looked and felt so dry so I spritzed my hair with water and then moisturised and sealed again with Root2Tip Triple M Moisture Milk and my avocado oil and JBCO mix and then covered with a satin scarf again until I was ready to go out later in the day.

Sunday's Hairstyle

Monday's Hairstyle

On Monday, my hair still looked and felt dry so when I got home from work, I spritzed my hair with water and covered my hair with a plastic cap for an hour before going on to moisturise and seal my hair.

Tuesday's Hairstyle

My hair still feels dry and I am at a loss as to why so tonight I will be co-washing my hair to give it a moisture boost.

My new growth is getting out of control and I am only 9 weeks post relaxer. I want to stretch to 11 weeks so think I may need to bring the hair dryer out to help keep my new growth under control. I also think I need to go back to using my Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm to deep condition as it gives my hair so much slip which I need when detangling with all of this new growth.

How was your washday?

7 Weeks Post Relaxer

Castor Oil Challenge - Two Month Check In....

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

It has now been 8 weeks since the castor oil challenge started and I must admit the challenge so far has been a breeze as I managed to get myself into a routine from the beginning of the challenge and now use castor oil as second nature rather than thinking about it.

I cannot believe how quickly 8 weeks have gone, which is also a scary thought as it means Christmas is round the corner and will be here in just 5 weeks....

Quick Recap:

I joined the challenge at the extreme level. This consists of oiling my scalp every other night, adding 2 teaspoons of castor oil to my weekly deep conditioner and also use castor oil mixed with avocado oil to seal my ends each night.

I am happy to report I have been very consistent with each step of the castor oil challenge and I think being prepared at the beginning of the challenge has definitely helped.

For oiling my scalp, I pre-mixed Lavender Jamaican Black Castor oil with 100% pure castor oil and I store this in an applicator bottle which makes oiling my scalp no task at all. For those of you in the UK, I purchased 6 applicator bottles for £3.50 from HobbyCraft.

For deep conditioning, I have made up another mix of Lavender JBCO and pure castor oil and this bottle stays in the bathroom so when washday comes around, I can easily mix my castor oil mix with my deep conditioner.

Last but not least, to seal my hair, I have a pre-mixed 100ml bottle of 40% Avocado oil 60% Lavender JBCO. I keep this with my moisturiser downstairs so that it is ready and waiting when I go to moisturise and seal before I go upstairs to bed.

I store both my deep conditioner oils and my oil mix to seal my hair in 100ml clear plastic bottles which I bought for £1.00 in Primark. These bottles are perfect for your hair DIY's or to use to carry and use your hair products and are ideal for holidays. You can find these bottles on eBay here.

I am almost 7 weeks post relaxer and my new growth is popping with full effect, this is partly down to slightly under-processing my hair more than planned on my last relaxer touch up 6 weeks ago but oiling my scalp with my castor oil mix, keeps my new growth soft and manageable so it is no struggle at all.

At the beginning of the week, with the two month mark of the challenge soon arriving, I realised I had not dusted my ends over the last 4 weeks so on Tuesday evening, I took my hair down after work to inspect my ends and was pleased to see that my ends were in really good condition and did not require dusting but I went through my hair and dusted anyway taking off the bare minimum. Sealing with avocado oil & lavender JBCO has been amazing for my hair and particularly my ends. Each evening when I take my hair down, my ends always feel soft and moist and when I want to, I can still get away with moisturising and sealing every other night.