Castor Oil

Ricinus communis is believed native to tropical Africa and now grows across most warm regions of the world; India supplies the large majority of the world's castor oil today, with Brazil, China, and smallholder farms across parts of East Africa, including semi-arid Kenya, also producing it. What sets the oil apart chemically is its fatty acid profile: roughly 85–90% ricinoleic acid, a hydroxyl-bearing fatty acid essentially unmatched in concentration among common vegetable oils.

That hydroxyl group is why cold-pressed castor oil is so viscous, and why it behaves as a strong humectant — binding and holding moisture rather than absorbing quickly. It's also one of the oldest plant oils on record, referenced in Egypt's Ebers Papyrus around 1550 BCE, and long used across Indian and African traditions for hair and skin conditioning. Today the same properties — heavy, coating, moisture-binding — make it a staple in hair oils, scalp treatments, eyebrow and lash conditioning, lip balms, and body oils.