What are the benefits of castor oil for your beard?

Castor oil is a botanical oil extracted from grains of Ricinus communis, a shrub of tropical origin from the Euphorbiaceae family. In order to preserve their active properties, the grains are cold-pressed, and the liquid obtained after extraction goes through a filtration process to eliminate allergenic ingredients and ricin, a toxic enzyme. Due to the presence of this harmful protein, the ingestion and consumption of castor oil in its natural state is not recommended.

Castor oil has a thick and viscous appearance, though it is non-comedogenic, which means it won’t block your pores. It is rich in fatty acids, especially ricinoleic acid, the content of which is estimated to be between 83% and 88%. It also contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, and saturated fatty acids like palmitic acids and stearic acid. Its unsaponifiable fraction consists of beta-sitosterol and tocopherol. However, the composition of castor oil can vary depending on several factors, including growing conditions and cultivation method.

Your beard, just like your hair, gives structure to your face and plays an essential role in a person’s physical appearance. However, beards can sometimes appear rough, irregular, and can look a bit neglected. Using pure castor oil, or a product made with castor oil, on your beard can have many benefits.

• Hydrating your skin and reducing razor burn

Shaving can damage your skin’s hydrolipidic film and dry out your skin. Castor oil is rich in fatty acids, and hydrating and lipid-replenishing ingredients, which help to take care of the skin underneath your beard.

• Softening your hairs

Beard hair is often rougher than the hair on your head. Castor oil softens and adds shine to beard hair, and helps to tame any rogue hairs so that the whole beard looks cleaner and more styled.

• Potentially stimulating beard growth

Castor oil has strengthening and nourishing properties, and is known to help stimulate beard growth. However, it’s important to note that, to date, there has been no scientific study to prove this. Its reputation is actually based on scientific studies which examine the effect of castor oil on hair loss, which have demonstrated that ricinoleic acid is able to reverse the process linked to hair loss by inhibiting the action of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2). In terms of beard hair, castor oil helps to hydrate and strengthen it, and healthy hair has a tendency to grow more quickly.

• Cleaning your beard hair and reducing dandruff

Beard hair is a fertile terrain for the colonisation and development of ‘bad bacteria’, which can lead to irritation, itching, and even dandruff. The ricinoleic acid present at more than 80% in castor oil is known for its anti-microbial and fungicidal properties.

In terms of application, castor oil should be used on a clean and dry beard. If your beard is dry and prone to breakage, you can use it daily, both morning and evening. However, those with oily skin should only apply castor oil once a day or every other day, to improve your beard’s appearance without overloading your skin.

Castor oil is also found in a beard care product like our beard oil, which contains several botanical oils: hemp, castor, argan, sunflower. It also contains green mandarin zest essential oil, as well as Scots pine essential oil, which gives it a fresh, woody fragrance of forest and pine sap.