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Applying a few drops of castor oil to your facial hair is not only a healthy way to maintain your beard but also one of the best ways to moisturize your hair and make it silky and more flexible. If you have a rough and thick beard, you should consider using castor oil.
Castor oil is derived from castor plant seeds, and it’s a good hair thickening agent that was firstly used by women. After realizing how effective this oil was, men decided to give it a try, but this time on their beards. It did not disappoint as it proved to be a really good way of keeping a clean, silky, and flexible beard.
While we encourage you to use castor oil to keep a healthy beard, we also want to categorically state that you should not forget to apply other oils to your beard.
The aim of this article is to show you the benefits of castor oil for beards and also look at the evidence proving why every guy with a beard should start using this oil. If you want to buy a good beard oil, read our complete guide on the best beard oil here.
Table of Contents
What Is Castor oil?
As we saw in the introduction, castor oil is oil derived from castor plant seeds. It has several domestic uses ranging from infection and allergy alleviation to promotion of hair growth. Its use started in ancient times when Indians and Egyptians used it as a pain reliever and an anti-microbial agent for treating inflammations.
Castor oil contains ricinoleic acid, which is why it is ]considered to have a high absorb-ability and viscosity rate, making it ideal for nourishing beards. It helps by nourishing the hair follicles and by growing facial hair.
Castor oil is ideal for you if you:
- Want to thicken your beard.
- Want to accelerate the growth of your facial hair.
- You don’t want your beard to look dry and tough.
- You are struggling with a beard that loses hair easily.
The reason why it is beneficial to your beard is because of its components. It has monounsaturated fatty acids such as ricinoleic acid, which is very important when it comes to the healthy growth of facial hair.
It contains the following components.
- Vitamins E and F
- Proteins and minerals
- Triglycerides
- Essential fatty acids for hair growth
Some of the main acids that are part of castor oil are.
- Ricinoleic acid
This fatty acid is antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial. It is important for your hair because it helps hair follicles remain healthy. It also improves blood circulation to hair follicles, nourishing the hair from the root.
- Oleic Acid
You’ll find this component used in several skincare and hair products. Its main function is to improve moisture. The reason why it’s a good moisturizer is that the skin absorbs it very easily.
- Stearic Acid
Stearic Acid helps smooth and de-grease the hair. It’s also good for darkening your hair and making it look richer and healthy.
- Linoleic acid
Just like ricinoleic acid, linoleic acid is good in moisturizing; it is antibacterial and antimicrobial.
So it’s safe to say castor oil helps maintain healthy hair because of its components. Hair follicles are very important in hair growth, and castor oils help them stay healthy.
According to studies, it is also very rich in prostaglandins. These are associated with the stimulation of growing stronger and healthier hair.
Different types of castor oil for beard growth
The different types of castor oil are:
- Organic
- Unrefined
- Cold pressed
- Oil that is free from ingredients or additives
One of the most popular types of castor oil is Jamaican black castor oil.
Jamaican castor oil is the most popular because it is not processed and is scientifically proven to stimulate prostaglandin E2.
When you apply it regularly, you’ll see your beard become healthier, darker, and thicker.
You should go for a high-quality type when buying castor oil for your beard. As long as you buy your castor oil from a reputable shop online or offline, you make a good choice.
TIP: Always smell your castor oil before buying to make sure that it has its natural nutty smell. If it does not have this nutty smell, you should keep looking for a higher-quality one.
Time needed: 5 minutes
How to use Castor oil for your beard?
Learning how to apply castor oil to your beard is very important because you want it to be effective.
Do you want to know how to do it?
Castor oil is heavy and thick oil. That means you should be very careful when applying it. You should not put too much of it because it will cause greasy hair. It will also be difficult for your hair to absorb fast, leaving your beard saturated and heavy.
The secret is to always ensure that you lightly and gently apply it to your beard. If you plan to use it as a treatment agent, you can always apply it before going to bed and wash it in the morning.
You can also dress your beard with castor oil if you want a healthier and darker-looking beard before going out.
Another way is to make a homemade beard oil using castor oil as the carrier oil and add other oils like jojoba oil or olive oil that also promote beard growth.
- Make sure your beard is clean before applying castor oil
Use warm water and a good beard shampoo to clean your beard. This helps the follicles to open up, making it very easy for the oil to penetrate and nourish your hair.
- Dry your beard by using a clean face towel
Apply a few drops of castor oil and massage your beard gently and make sure you have spread it evenly.
- Work gently with your fingers to make sure you have applied it evenly across your beard
You should know that the more gently you massage it on your skin, the more you increase the chances of the oil being absorbed by your facial hair. If you have a sensitive skin type, be careful and use it moderately cause you might develop skin irritation.
What are the Benefits of using Castor oil for your beard?
Just like the many other beard products available on the market, castor oil is affordable and easy to use.
It has many benefits for your beard, hair follicles, and skin.
The most important thing you should always remember when using castor oil is to apply it lightly and gently.
Here are the benefits of using castor oil on your beards.
1. Promotes hair growth
If you are looking for a beard oil to prevent hair loss and improve hair growth, look no further than castor oil. It has ricinoleic acid and essential fatty acids that are good for hair follicle nourishment.
It also helps with blood circulation in hair follicles, making your hair healthier.
2. Stops skin infections
As we saw earlier, castor oil has antimicrobial properties which prevent skin infections. This is the reason why it’s used in fighting dandruff. Apart from being a good agent in fighting skin infections, castor oil is also a good anti-fungal agent.
Ricin and ricinoleic acid prevent skin infections. It also comes with rich nutrients that are essential for healthy hair growth.
3. The best in taming split ends
If your beard has dry hair with split ends, you should use castor oil to stop this.
Mixing castor oil and other beard oils nourish hair follicles, making your hair healthier.
4. Hair moisturizer
Castor oil is a good hair moisturizer. It contains rich moisture components easily absorbed by the skin and hair.
If you are always on the go and you want your beard to be moisturized, then you should start using castor oil. Restore the texture and shine of your beard by regularly applying castor oil after cleaning your beard.
5. Stops greying
There is enough evidence showing that premature greying of beards can be reversed by applying castor oil. If you want to maintain your beard’s pigment for a long time, then you need to start using castor oil.
6. Hair softening
As we saw earlier, there are different fatty acids in castor oil. These fatty acids work together to make hair soft and healthy. As a good hair moisturizer, castor oil is also a good agent in making your hair look healthy and soft.
7. Prevents hair thinness
Thin facial hair and hair damage can be reversed by regularly applying castor oil. Different fatty acids in castor oil help improve absorb-ability and blood circulation to hair follicles. As a result, it nourishes the hair making it grow healthy and strong.
8. Adds shine to the beard.
Applying castor oil to your beard regularly can improve shine and appearance. With all the nourishing effects of castor oil, your beard will look shinier and healthier.
9. Prevents hair loss
When there’s enough supply of blood to hair follicles, the hair grows healthy because it’s regularly supplied with nutrients. Castor oil gets absorbed by the skin and improves blood supply to hair follicles, nourishing them and preventing hair loss.
Read our Guide on DIY Beard Oil Recipes and Make your Own Castor Oil Blend
Castor oil is very important for the growth of a healthy beard. You can also mix castor oil with other beard oils to manage your beard hair growth.
You can read our DIY beard oil guide and make your own blend.
Russell is the founder of themensattitude.com. He is a barber a beard enthusiast and he is obsessed with trying men’s lifestyle products and blog about them. If you have any questions you can hit him up via the contact page.
