Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge Check In #1

In January I joined the Hairlista Castor Oil Challenge at the Basic Level which requires me to apply castor oil to my scalp twice a week and massage into my scalp for 2-5 minutes. The challenge came at the perfect time as I had just started using Jamaican Black Castor Oil on my scalp as part of my relaxed hair regimen.

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I decided to incorporate Jamaican Black Castor Oil into my regimen after reading about the potential benefits. Jamaican Black Castor Oil is said to help with moisturizing, strengthening, and thickening new hair growth. It's also said to help with scalp issues such as itchiness and dandruff which are the main reasons I decided to start using it.

Over the past eight weeks of the challenge, I have noticed a lot of great improvements in my hair.

Before I got my last relaxer touch-up I noticed that my new growth was thick, moisturized, and didn't tangle as much as it had in the past
My scalp hasn't been so itchy and the flaking has pretty much gone away
My ends are looking thicker which means places like my nap are seeing lots of hair growth

The one negative thing I've noticed is I'm shedding more. It's not a whole lot, but it's more than I had been. I'm not 100% sure this is connected to the castor oil, but it's a symptom that I've seen some of the other challenge participants talk about.

Here are some before and after pictures