What is the difference between Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Regular Castor Oil?
Jamaican Black Castor Oil:
This brand of castor oil is dark brown, almost black in color due to heat or chemicals which degrades the properties of the oil. The seeds are first roasted and the ash from the roasting process is added to the final product, giving the oil a dark tinge and its roasty smell. Some manufacturers marry the ash and regular castor oil together.
Regular Castor Oil:
This brand of castor oil is yellowish in color due to squeezing the seed with high pressure to extract the oil called cold pressing. When it is done in this manner, it allows the properties of the oil to remain in tact. The seeds are cold pressed in such a way that the smell is eliminated which is more convenient, but the clearer the castor oil the lower the iodine content. From a marketing aspect, the clearer the oil, the more potent it is supposed to be, but this is always not accurate. Some castor oil brands have added other oils to bulk up the product and cut costs. Adding other oils will dilute the oil. Due to these methods, it is wise to always check the ingredients of the oil.
So, which oil is better?
This actually boils down to preference. You may argue that the oil with ash is not the purest because the ash is added to the oil from the roasting process and not exracted from the seed itself. On the other hand the ash is extracted from the seed, so having the seed in the oil is not a bad thing. It actually makes the product seem more whole. But still most will say the cold pressed version is the best version. Regular castor may also be the best because if you are not accustomed to the JBCO, regular castor oil may be better on the nose.
