Daily Archives: November 22, 2020

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Why does castor oil sound like something you might dab under the hood of your car to quiet a squeaky timing belt, or something a badass witch might give you to ward off evil spirits trying to come for you when you haven't called for them? I do not know. Castor oil is a yellowish oil pressed from the castor bean whichtwistis not a bean at all but is actually a seed. (Also: If you ever encounter castor "beans" do not eat them, they are poison, thank you. And yes, they are non-toxic when cold-pressed, which is the only way you will likely encounter them, thanks again.) But what castor oil definitely can do is quench dry strands and potentially stimulate healthy hair growth (although not more hair growth). We tapped the experts to get more intel.

If you look at the molecular structure of castor oiland why would you (lol)you'd see that it was a glycerol with a long-chain fatty acid. Why does that matter to you? Fatty acids are very good at nourishing the hair follicles, explains Atlanta-based dermatologist Tiffany L. Clay. The outer layer of the hair shaft is covered in tessellating scale-like structures called cuticles, and when the hair is damaged, those are flayed and flared, which results in both frizz and dullness. "Castor oil can seal and allow the cuticle to lie flatter," continues Clay. Like coconut oil and many other botanical oil, castor oil is very good at this job.

If you'd like to explore this application, Clay recommends warming a a very small amount between your palms and smoothing it along your ends, weekly. Because, buyer beware: Castor oil isn't exactly a lightweight oil. Castor oil is thicc and using too much can leave the hair slick or greasy; some reports even suggest the compound can lead to felting or matting. Another less intense option is finding a hair product that contains castor oil, like a shampoo, conditioner, mask, or serum, and working it into your regular hair care routine.

Organic + Cold-Pressed 100% Castor Oil

$26.00

The Essentials Castor Oil

100% Pure Jamaican Black Castor Oil

$9.99

Organic Lavender Castor Oil

$11.99

Look, the internet will tell you anything you want to hear, and we want to believe it, too. We want it to be true that a relatively inexpensive little oil could make your hair grow Princess Jasmine thick. Unfortunately, we asked science, and science said nah.

"There is some proposed benefit of castor oil with improving penetration of topicals and even hair growth," says Dhaval G. Bhanusali, a New York City-based dermatologist who specializes in hair loss. "That being said, I don't think the scientific evidence is there to make any sizable claims, particularly for stimulating new hairs."

If you think of your scalp like a garden, you'll agree that keeping a garden well-watered and fertilized will yield cuter tomatoes than one that's dusty and untended. So yes, castor oil will keep your scalp hydrated and nourished, and the resulting hairs will be stronger, shinier, and healthier. But there will not be more of them, and that's an important distinction.

That said, the inefficacy of castor oil in stimulating novel hair growth shouldn't leave you discouraged. "When it comes to hair loss, I can't stress enough how important it is to go see a board-certified dermatologist," says Bhanusali. "We now have so many new options and it's much easier to create a comprehensive plan for early hair loss than later in the game."

Jamaican Black Castor Oil Hair Butter

$12.08

Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Masque

$13.49

Black Jamaican Castor Oil Shampoo

Haitian Black Castor Oil Scalp Care Conditioner

$22.00

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Castor Oil for Hair: The Pros and Cons, According to Experts - MarieClaire.com

Kathleen Roberts| Guest columnist

Data shows that 128 people die each day from the opioid crisis and now, drug deaths are 13% higher than in the first half of 2019, on average.

COVID-19 has brought challenges to every industry, community and person. The impact on our friends and neighbors dealing with substance misuse is no different. Since the start of the pandemic, and especially with orders to stay at home, we've seen an increase in behavioral health issues across our state as well as at the national level.

Similar to COVID-19, substance misuse is an issue we can address by working together. Traditionally in October, our statewide network of community coalitions partners with law enforcement as part of the DEAs National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This event provides communities the opportunity to dispose of prescription medications in a safe, convenient and responsible means, while providing us the opportunity to educate the general public about substance misuse.

In October 2019, Florida hosted 219 collection sites, collecting 404,980 pounds of prescription drugs. Across the nation, Americans united to safely dispose of 12,699,456 pounds of medications.

This years Take Back Day looked very different in many communities, but it is still important that we properly dispose of expired medications or those we no longer use or want to ensure they dont end up in the wrong hands. The good news is there are easy ways to do this from the comfort of home.

When youre finished using a prescription medication as directed by your doctor, you should safely dispose of it rather than keep it in your medicine cabinet for future use. One way to do so is to mix household materials like cat litter or old coffee grounds with your unused medications, seal them in an airtight container and dispose of it in your trash can.

You can also visit your local drug take-back center these are often a drop box located at your local law enforcement office but you can find the closest one to you using the Drug Enforcement Agencys Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations search tool.

Finally, one of our favorite ways: at-home disposal kits. These at-home disposal kits allow us to put unused or unwanted medications in the provided pouch, add water, seal and dispose of the now neutralized medications in the trash.

Through a partnership with the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) of Florida, our network of community coalitions across the state will distribute an additional 65,000 at-home drug disposal kits in the coming weeks and months. This is in addition to the 50,000 at-home disposal kits we announced and distributed earlier this year through our partnership with RALI Florida.

While we all need to prioritize our safe disposal efforts, its also important to evaluate how we are storing medications we still need. As we spend more time at home, go through your medicine cabinets to make sure your prescription medications are in a locked or secure place and always out of the reach of children.

Together, we will get through this global health crisis, and at the same time, we can continue to work together to help create safe, drug-free communities for our children.

Kathleen Roberts is executive director of Community Coalition Alliance, a collaborative of community coalitions around the state of Florida.

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At-home medication disposal to address rise in overdoses - Gainesville Sun