Renowned for many years for its hair benefits, castor oil has recently been accused of causing hair loss. What is the reality? Are these complaints justified? Let's untangle the truth from the fiction together.
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Does castor oil cause hair loss?
Summary
Published August 21, 2024,
updated on October 4, 2024,
by
Pauline, Chemical Engineer
—
4 min read
Can castor oil cause hair loss?
Hair loss is an entirely natural phenomenon. Indeed, hair has a lifespan ranging from 2 to 7 years and is continuously replaced during the hair cycle. This can be divided into three phases: the anagen phase, or growth phase, characterised by intense metabolic activity, the catagen phase, or resting phase, and the telogen phase, or shedding phase. It is interesting to note that each hair has a asynchronous life cycle. Thus, some hairs may be in the growth phase, while others are about to shed.
50 to 150
Hair naturally falls out every day
The use of castor oil for hair care dates back to ancient Egypt, according to the museum of the State University of Minnesota. Split ends, dry or sun-damaged hair... Its hair benefits are numerous. However, in recent years, castor oil has been under scrutiny by several individuals and is accused of causing unexpected hair loss.
No scientific study to date has demonstrated that the application of castor oil can cause hair loss.
The belief that castor oil could promote hair loss seems to be unfounded. The hair loss reported by some individuals after applying castor oil is likely due to seasonal variations, hormonal or dietary changes, or recent stress, all of which are factors recognised by science for their role in hair loss. The simultaneous use of castor oil was probably just a coincidence.
Contrarily, there are reasons to believe that castor oil could promote hair growth. Still under study, this potential effect is thought to be due to its richness in ricinoleic acid, capable of inhibiting prostaglandin D2, a protein that interrupts hair growth. A recent study conducted on rabbits showed that daily application of castor oil and shea butter could stimulate the growth of their fur. After 28 days of daily application, the results showed a more significant fur growth in both males and females on which the oil mixture had been used. Although this study was conducted on rabbits and not humans, and the castor oil was not applied alone, these results are encouraging and contradict the hypothesis that castor oil would cause hair loss.
Note : A castor oil of poor quality will not bring any benefits to your hair and could even damage it, hence the importance of choosing it well.
Effect of a mixture of castor oil and shea butter on the growth of rabbit fur.
Source: KPOROU E. & al. Quality, safety and efficacy of an ointment formulated from Butyrospermum parkii and Ricinus communis oils on rabbit hair growth. African Pharmacopoeia and Traditional Medicine (2021).
Sources
BERGFELD W. & al. Hair loss: Diagnosis and management. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (2003).
TESSEMA S. & al. Physicochemical Characterisation and Evaluation of Castor Oil (R. communis) for Hair Biocosmetics. American Journal of Applied Chemistry (2019).
KPOROU E. & al. Quality, safety and efficacy of an ointment formulated from Butyrospermum parkii and Ricinus communis oils on rabbit hair growth. Pharmacopoeia and traditional African medicine (2021).
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