Castor Oil Archives - Curly in Colorado

Grapeseed Oil for Hair

Posted on by Michelle

curlyincolorado.com grapeseed oil for natural hair

I use an old Hot Six Oil bottle
to store my Grapeseed oil

In the natural hair world we always hear about using oils for our hair but I’m beginning to learn more about how they work. I’ve mentioned in recent posts how coconut and olive oils are both light enough to actually penetrate the hair shaft. For this reason, they tend to make great moisturizers but not sealants. It’s important to moisturize the hair and then seal it in with something heavier.

In the past, I reached for castor oil to seal with because it has a very thick consistency. However, it left my hair feeling really heavy so I thought I would give grapeseed oil a try. Grapeseed oil is heavy enough to use as a sealant after moisturizing but is lighter than castor oil. An added benefit for me though is that it has a high smoke point meaning I can use it when I use heat on my hair. Now, I’m still not sold on the idea that it can protect against heat damage, but I have noticed a difference.

SEE HOW I STRAIGHTEN MY NATURAL HAIR

curlyincolorado.com grapeseed oil for hair

My straight natural hair after
using Grapeseed oil and a serum
for protection against heat

I recently used it when I straightened my hair and I was very happy with the results. Sometimes after heat styling I’m left with hair that is dry and crispy feeling but I didn’t get that when I used the grapeseed oil. My hair felt very soft and moisturized after using my flat iron on a heat setting ranging from 370 to 400 degrees.

The only drawback is that I’ve read that other naturals noticed that their hair reverted quicker after using the grapeseed oil as a heat protectant. For this reason, I also used a silicone based serum by IC Fantasia to help keep my hair straighter longer. I was able to go a full ten days and probably could have gone longer but it was time to cleanse my scalp.

I‘ve decided to continue using the grapeseed oil in my hair routine for oil rinses, sealing in moisture and for added protection against heat. I prefer the Napa Valley Naturals brand which I found at a local health food store. If you haven’t tried it I say give it a go!

Changing My Hair Routine for the Winter Months

Posted on by Michelle

Making changes to my Wash n’ Go routine
for the winter months

This is the time of year where we start to make changes in a lot of ways. Sometimes the drier weather may call for heavier products for the hair and skin. This has been the case for me lately as I have had to make adjustments to my hair routine to make up for the lack of moisture. Normally I’m able to do my wash n’ go style with just two products. I like to use my favorite leave-in, Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner with Eco Styler gel (the Argan oil one). Right around early October I could tell that my usual combo was not working like it did over the summer. I decided to add a little Castor oil to seal in moisture before applying the gel. This helped some, but still wasn’t quite what my hair needed.

I started leaving conditioner in my hair that I would normally rinse out. The Tresseme Naturals conditioners worked great for this but sometimes I used the Aussi Moist conditioner. Both products were thick, rich and gave lots of slip. The Aussi Moist even worked as a styler on it’s own and gave me lots of curl definition. The only thing though with using conditioner only was that I didn’t get as much wear out of the style. With Eco gel added I could go 4 to 5 days before having to re-do my hair. With conditioner as my styler, I’m lookin’ at two days tops.

I finally settled on applying a little of the Tresseme conditioner to my hair for a moisture boost. Then I’ll apply a little bit of the Paul Mitchell leave-in to each section I’m working on. I seal in the moisture with a quarter size amount of castor oil for each section. Finally, I re-wet my hair by spritzing water on the sections before applying the gel for hold. It’s taken me a few weeks to figure this new method out but it seems to be working a lot better for me. The added moisture makes my hair shrink up more but that’s a good thing so I welcome it.

Dry, Itchy Scalp Woes

Posted on by Michelle

I have Psoriasis and always have a rough time with it during the winter months. It causes dry patches on my skin and flaky, dry scalp. It can be really embarassing because my kinky, curly hair clings to everything which makes the flakes harder to get rid of. I was in a minor car accident recently and since I’m having trouble with my back, I thought it would be easier to wear my hair straight. I figured, I can oil my scalp and keep those flakes under control.

I tried this theory out and boy was I wrong! Not only did I see more flaking, but the itching was out of control! I flat ironed my hair twice this month so that means five days of no washing each time I wore it straight. I have come to the conclusion that until my scalp issue is under control, I have to wash my hair and scalp more frequently.

Sulfate free Shampoo to remove buildup
and Castor Oil to treat my dry scalp

For the first wash after wearing it straight, I knew I would have to oil my scalp one last time so that I could soften those flakes a bit (gross…I know). Then I applied coconut oil to my hair to prep it for the shampoo I was about to use. I washed with Everyday Shea’s Moisturizing Shampoo in Lavender which is sulfate free. Afterwards, I deep conditioned using my new favorite, Tresemme Naturals Conditioner with Aloe and Avocado. I put on a plastic cap and sat under the dryer for about 30 minutes. Already I noticed a big difference in how my scalp felt. After detangling, I dried my hair with a t-shirt, oiled my scalp with Castor oil and applied my leave-ins. Then, I just wore it pulled back in a simple braided bun.

Today, I co-washed and applied leave-in conditioner. I used Coconut Oil to seal and then Palmer’s Coconut Oil Replenishing Hair Milk to define my curls. I then did a simple puff and let it air dry.

I’m going to continue with this process of co-washing each day through the rest of the week and see how it goes. It’s possible that my usual washing twice per week routine is what my hair and scalp likes best. I can’t seem to go more than 3 days without wetting my hair or else major itchies. Hopefully this works and will get me back on track.