Product Review: Castor Oil Hair Treatment

I have been using this as a pre-poo treatment and also as a light sealant when I mist my hair w/conditioner and water in between styling sessions.  Here's what I have to say;

As a pre-poo treatment:
It softens and makes detangling easier in my opinion (I have thick 4A/4B hair that is about shoulder-length) and the softness remains after washing my hair.  I have noticed no residue following washing sessions--I pre-poo w/a cap for several hours, co-wash twice (or shampoo and then co-wash which I do once a month), then deep condition for at least 30 minutes.  Then apple cider vinegar rinse (1/2 bottled water, 1/2 ACV).  Then I add my leave-in conditioner of choice and seal (since it's fall now, I'm sealing w/plain castor oil or a handful of the above pictured product).  Then I twist it all up.  Days later, my hair maintains it's sheen, softness, and finger-combability.  (My whole routine, including twisting, takes about 1.5 to 2 hrs actively--with the pre-poo and the deep conditioner, most of the time is spent mult-tasking w/a plastic cap and a cute hat).

As a refresher:
This is my quick fix when my hair looks a little raggedy and I don't have time and/or energy for the whole wash/twist routine and I still want to look cute and like someone loves me (Hi, Ma!).  It works well for managing frizziness and making sure that my hair stays soft and squishy (I'm not as heavy-handed as I used to be, but I like my hair to maintain it's moisture for 3-4 days between refreshing sessions and this product lasts until I re-style).  Using this as a refresher, I have noticed a tiny bit of product build-up, which was remedied by refreshing only once before stylng again.  I just mist my hair and then smooth a half-handful of this over and through my hair, concentrating on any dry spots.  I then re-twist my hair in larger twists than the original style and that's it! 

As a sealant:
I love my plain castor oil; however, one advantage of this product is that it contains several other good products


Ingredients: Hollywood Beauty Oil Complex , Mink Oil , Sweet Almond Oil , Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E) , Jojoba Oil , Paraffin Oil , Safflower Oil) , Lanolin , Cocoa Butter , Propylparaben*** , Fragrance

***Caution: contains a paraben which some studies have linked to breast cancer; however, research remains inconclusive as to whether the same levels of parabens exist in healthy breast tissue.  If you are concerned about the existence of the paraben in this product, you could create a mix with some of the other oils and yield many of the same benefits.  Castor oils, sweet almond oil, vitamin E, jojoba oil, safflower oil, and cocoa butter can be purchased at most drug stores, Walmart (ick), beauty supply stores, and health food stores for low to moderate prices.  I have purchased castor oil and vitamin E oil from Walmart for about $4-5 a bottle and sweet almond oil from the health food store for about $4 a bottle.  I have also purchased 100% cocoa butter from Walmart for $1 and have seen safflower oil in the cooking section for about $5 for a large bottle.  You can add the essential oil fragrance of your choice to this mix.