**REVIEW** Clove Essential Oil (from First Botany)

Before now, whenever I thought of cloves, only two things came to mind: 1) Toothache relief, and 2) Teen cigarettes.

I applied to get this at a deep discount so that I could add Clove Oil to my arsenal of health, wellness, and beauty products.

This Clove oil is from First Botany. This is my first time trying one of their products and, so far, I am happy with this oil. (I did do the "paper test" to check if it was diluted with carrier oils and it passed.)

What I have learned about Clove Oil in the past couple of weeks is:

• It has the highest Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) number I've seen yet.
• It's a remedy for dry skin
• Can be used to shine metals (yeah, really)
• It's both analgesic and antiseptic, which is why, I guess,..
• ...it's so good for toothaches. (I'll tell you in a moment of my experience)
• That its main ingredient is Eugenol, which is high in anti-bacterial properties (thank God for Wikipedia!)
• It's rich in calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorous, potassium and vitamins A and C
• Because of its fragrance, it's used in lots of toiletries (soap, lotion, perfume, etc.)
• Clove bud oil is used in the popular Tiger Balm (my niece swears by Tiger Balm)
• Can be used as an insect repellent (and is included in many store bought brands of the stuff)
• Is said to increase sexual energy.(Y'all will have to let me know about that one! LOL)

source

                                              

Like I mentioned, I have a story about clove oil. When I was living in Arizona (and working two jobs but still had nothing but prayer as health insurance), I got an abscess around a tooth. The thing developed in between breakfast and lunch time. It started to hurt so bad that the side of my face turned red (and you all know how dark I am, right?). I had to leave work to go home and lie in the dark and cry. A friend of ours heard that I'd left work with a toothache. She came right over to my house with the tiniest bottle of essential oil that I've ever seen. It was clove oil. She put some on a cotton ball and had my place it over that abscess. The pain started to ease up within minutes. I had to rinse and replace the cotton with fresh oil every couple of hours. By that night, the pain was completely gone and, by afternoon or so of the next day, the abscess was gone.

I kept that bottle of oil around for the next several months and then gave it to someone else with a toothache. They were as happy as I had been with the results. The only thing is, I never used clove oil after that. (And I do remember my mother having talked about her mother chewing on cloves to keep her teeth healthy and her breath fresh.)

At any rate, I don't particularly like the smell of cloves. I knew I wouldn't be using this one as a fragrance (like I do with, say, Frankincense), but I do like that it can be used for so many other things. I love using it in my concoction of natural tooth cleanser which, up to now, has been of this recipe:

• Coconut oil
• Rice powder
• Peppermint, Spearmint, Lemon or Tea Tree oil

Now, of course, I am using the Clove oil as the EO in the recipe. (Note: it keeps the breath and mouth feeling fresher much longer than Peppermint, Spearmint or Lemon. It tastes better than the Tea Tree oil.)

I haven't yet been able to bring myself to use it in water to drink any, but I am seriously going to be trying that soon. I have checked on some other ways to use this (because I want to have some hair uses), and here's what I came up with:

• Mix Clove Oil with Cinnamon Oil as a snake repellent
• Apply some to temples to soothe tension headaches (use a carrier oil!)
• Use (with a carrier oil) for a massage to heighten, uh, circulation...
• Mix with olive oil to massage cold legs and feet (has warming properties)
• Do a scalp massage with a carrier oil and 1 or 2 drops of clove oil (it's very strong) to stimulate hair growth.

The biggest Pro to clove oil is that it is stimulating. The warning to this is clove oil is also very strong and has to be used with much caution.

My favorite find to all the hair uses is this recipe that a lady in the grocery store told me about:

Take two drops of clove oil and mix into a half cup of honey.

Rinse your hair and towel dry it, then apply enough olive oil to coat your scalp and hair well.

Apply the clove/honey mix to any thinning areas and cover with a cap for about 5 minutes.

Finally, either shampoo your hair and apply some leave in conditioner.

(If you have extremely dry hair, you can lightly shampoo the hair so you don't lose all the oil from your treatment.)

I haven't tried this yet, but I did add a single drop of clove oil to a glob of coconut oil and used it to oil my scalp. I want to add a little more clove oil, but don't want to burn myself! Maybe I will experiment the next time I do a scalp treatment.

A couple of last things about the First Botany brand of Clove Oil:

1. It is a Clove Leaf Oil (not Clove Bud Oil). I guess for people more familiar with Clove, there is a huge difference (?). I won't know until I try bud oil. For me, this was pleasant smelling (strong, IMO), and I could feel the warming properties that I heard about.
2. The bottle is a good 4 oz size and I think that, because its recommended to use so little, it will last me a good while. I am storing it as suggested (cool and dark place).
3. I have now applied to try other products by the brand and will update you on how the quality stacks up to this oil. Right now, I'm pleased.

If anyone has a good knowledge of uses for Clove E.O. (or about the differences), do let me know.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**REVIEW** Red Palm Oil

I've mainly stuck to the more common oils and butters when it comes to using them for my hair and skin. Coconut oil has been a favorite, and I've got argan, marula, avocado, and a little bit of raw shea butter in my little beauty chest. I haven't ever really heard much mention of red palm oil though.

I can't remember what put my attention on this particular oil. I think it was something I read about caring for extremely dry hair. Not sure now, but am I glad I found out about it.

This is the brand I picked up at a local health food store:

on sale for $4 and change.
Normally $6 something

The texture reminds me of coconut oil. It's very thick and slightly hard until it gets any kind of warmth. The color is not so much red as a sort of "brick orange" and, boy oh boy, you have to be careful not to stain your fabrics. I did stain an old towel that I use just for messy jobs. I will see what happens on wash day...

The first thing I did with this was risk staining something by slathering it on right before taking a shower. I wanted to do a light body scrub with the oil and my rice powder. Every now and then I like using rice powder or baking soda mixed with oil to do some all-over exfoliation. I usually use either refined or fractionated coconut oil, but this was my chance to try something different. Since I was experimenting, I went ahead and massaged some of the oil (minus the ricee powder) into my hair along with some coconut milk.

The palm oil goes on really nice. I can tell that it feels more moisturizing than coconut oil. It also feels a bit heavier on the skin. When I exfoliate with oil and powder, I always use my hands. (Ladies, since massaging in a scrub takes more time than just showering, this is a great time to do the self-exam of your breasts. Because cancer sucks!)

The palm oil rinsed off nicely with my liquid soap and, no, it didn't stain the tub, thank God. The softening effects were amazing. My skin felt like silk. As for my hair, I have to say that the palm oil is going to be a great pre-poo treatment. I did shampoo the oil out, but I think that next time I might just try rinsing with very warm water. I love that the moisture lasted longer than it does with a coconut oil conditioning.

Now, don't get me wrong - I am not ditching my coconut oil. For one thing, the palm oil doesn't have the fragrance and deliciousness of coconut oil. I do know that I will be keeping palm oil in my regimen. I like how it made my hair and skin feel, and I love that it makes a more effective lip balm than coconut oil. (By the way, try doing a oil and baking soda or rice powder lip scrub to fight chapping.)

So, I loved the red palm oil. I'm not crazy about the staining. One thing I tested was rubbing the palm oil into my skin really well, letting it 'set' for a couple of minutes, then seeing if it would stain my sheet. It did not. Hmmm.

When I used the oil on my face (pre-makeup), I noticed only the slightest possible tinge of it's color. Of course, I have dark skin. What I wonder is if the oil would be a nice addition to lighter skin tones. Maybe in place of tanning? I don't know and I'm going to have to experiment on one of my friends to see what this would look like.

Okay. I love this for my skin and hair. Definetely. So, what about using it for cooking? I tried that out.

I had some ground veal that I've been meaning to defrost as soon as I had a recipe. I never did look up anything I liked so I just mixed the veal with some tumeric, red pepper (yes, me), a little salt, some onions, garlic and chopped spinach and sauteed it in some of this palm oil. After I drained the meat, I ate it over some thin noodles.

The oil certainly added a nice color to the bland veal. The flavor was very, very nice. With the seasonings I used, I couldn't really pinpoint the oil, but I really liked the results. For that quarter pound of veal, I used about a half tablespoon of oil. That was plenty. I cooked it on medium-low heat and had no problems with smoking or anything.

Just like with coconut oil, I understand that there are different ways to incorporate the palm oil into the daily diet. That's great when you have multiple uses for a product. I did a side-by-side shot of nutrituion labels (RPO on left) to show a comparism with coconut oil. With my coconut oil, I add it to my coffee and smoothies, plus I like to spread it on toast. For the palm oil, I think I might add it to meats and veggies with I'm baking them because I don't fry food that often anymore. I love the color.

Here are some sources I checked out for more information:

• Livestrong on the hair & skin benefits of RPO
• Naturally Curly's take on using RPO for hair growth
• The Boah talks on the (hair & skin) healing properties of RPO
• Probably the most objective of the 3 sources is here

Of course, just because something is natural, that doesn't mean we don't have to be careful with it.  Make sure you do your research and watch how your hair and skin reacts. As far as ingesting something, well - use your common sense.

Peace
-Free

P.S.:
My niece told me about this video and I just have to share it. This post seems the perfect spot.

Stop hiding them dang butters!!!

**REVIEW** Organic Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Powder by Midori Spring

After my failed first attempt at getting my hands on Matcha powder, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to try this one:

Pop top & then a screw on lid for freshness control

This is Midori Spring's Organic Ceremonial Premium Japanese Green Tea Matcha Powder.  It's actual Matcha powder, no fillers and, judging by the results I got, there's no half-stepping on the quality.

Of course, I had to judge my results against what I get with regular green tea and what I got with this tea powder. Here is what the product claims to do:

• Increase energy levels
• Help reduce stress and improve mental alertness
• Support metabolism and help with weight loss
• Support immune system and help reduce inflammation
• Help the body cleanse of harmful elements

Of course, all this is pretty much what regular green tea has been touted as doing. The thing is, a good quality powdered tea leaf is supposed to be more beneficial than regular green tea. This brand claims to have over 7 times the antioxidants found in regular steeped tea.

The first things I noticed about the Midori Spring product was how very talc-fine it is and the vibrantly green color. Let me tell you, this is nothing like that low-grade, filler-pumped product I talked about yesterday...

I received this product at the perfect time to test its energy-boosting claims. My body has been just dragging lately. I've been so fatigued and weighed down by this recurring cold/virus that I could hardly get out of bed for more than a few hours a day over the last couple of weeks. I can tell that the powder is an energy boost, although with the state my body is in, that boost only lasted for a few hours at a time. In spite of this, I was able to judge the results of the powder against the boost I get from my usual dose of caffeine via coffee.

The biggest difference between this powder and my coffee is that the powder didn't jitter me up. I got a nice boost from using just about a teaspoon full of the powder. And that is in spite of the fact that I haven't been following the brewing instructions:

Yeah. I don't own the proper equipment for the traditional brewing method. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a bamboo whisk.

The first time I used the powder, I used a fork as a whisk. The color was amazingly beautiful and I did get the foamy texture, which was pretty cool. The thing is, I think I used too much. The tea was too strong, or at least it tasted too strong for me. Or maybe I'm not used to the powdered version of green tea.

It's upside down (thanks Blogger) but you see the color
and the fine powder

About the taste: it's a very veggie-leafy-green flavor. Think of what regular green tea tastes like and magnify that by 10. Drinking it hot seems to increase that taste, but the tea is made in such small amounts that it's doable even for someone who might not like the flavor. Also, the color is so beautiful. The tea ends up looking very frothy/creamy - even whisking it with a fork.

Whatever the case, because I do want to get the benefits, and I don't always have time to use the suggested traditional brewing method. I was glad to find that there are other ways to use the tea. You can add it to other things (soups, smoothies, etc.), but I found a way to use it more often during the day.

What am doing now is adding the powder to different beverages. I like using apple juice, Ginger Ale or plain seltzer water. The apple juice and ale have calories I don't need, but they have a flavor to mask the powder. The seltzer water is good though because of the fizz. I can add just a little bit of juice or ale to it and get some flavor without all the calories. Adding the powder to meals throughout the day is probably the best way to get a good intake of the powder. I am anxious to try adding it to soups and smoothies.

I've only been using the powder for about a week, so I can't tell anything about most of the claims, but I started the energy boost more and more with each day. I still have this cold and the gloomy weather draining me, but when I replace my coffee with the powder, I feel a bit of a lift. Also, I'm still trying to see if my stress level is evening out. I can say that the powder does not give me the over-hyped feeling of my coffee. It's strange how you can be tired and jittery if you do too much caffeine.

What I like about the Midori Spring brand of Matcha is that their powder seems to be of such high quality. The packaging is made to keep the product fresh. Note that the Midori brand -

• Is certified Kosher and organic
• Is gluten-free, GMO-free 
• Contains no pesticides
• Is free of fillers (such as soy, etc.)

When I posted about powdered tea yesterday, I noted a few things that make for a quality product. Notice that Midori meets the criteria for being from "first harvest" and grown in the shaded conditions. 

I will keep using the powder to see about the other claims (especially the weight loss), but for now, I will take what can get as far as the energy.

From what I have heard about regular green tea, you need to get at least 8 cups a day for full benefit. For now, I'm adding about a teaspoon of the powder into my beverages 2 or 3 times a day (since day before yesterday) to see if it helps. One benefit is that I'm cutting back on my coffee and other less healthy drinks, so at least I'm cutting out some calories. I can't wait to see how I feel in a couple of weeks.

Remember that Matcha - or at least a good one - is made from the whole tea leaf. Think of the benefits of regular green tea:

• Aid in weight loss
• 8 Benefits (a slideshow but worth it)
• 11 More Benefits (some of which are new to me)

Now remember that Matcha is processed differently to boost those benefits to a whole other level. And as far as some of the benefits of the powdered tea:

• Some "proven" benefits
• And some benefits I mentioned above in the post
• Top 3 benefits (with some explanation)

the way I look at it, if I'm going to ingest something or its health benefits, it's nice to have something I can add to food and drink. 

Midori Spring offers a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee of refunding or product exchange.

Matcha has been used in Asia for centuries, and I'm glad that we are picking up on the benefits of this powder here. Just remember: go for quality.

I want to mention that you might want to check out this link. Midori Spring is having a giveaway. Good chance to try out the product...

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

About Matcha Tea (a pre-review post)

You have probably started hearing a lot about something called Matcha. In my opinion, it's in the category of About to Trend. Hard and heavy.

I've had a chance to try a couple types of Matcha - one sponsored and one that I picked up at my local health food store. Since I'm going to be posting a review of the sponsored product very soon, I wanted to go over some of the basics about Matcha in general. First thing to know is, there's nothing really "basic" about Matcha. I feel like I'm having to learn a new language just to understand this product.

Let's start with a little of what I am coming to understand about matcha:

• Matcha tea is powdered, but not all powdered tea is matcha. 
• Matcha is also, I believe, grown in the shade.
• Matcha is prepped for serving (to drink) than regular tea.
• Matcha tea is from the whole leaf, the tenderest parts of the leaf, and is often used ceremonially.

To make matters  just a little bit more confusing, in addition to the types of green tea, and types of matcha, there are different grades of the teas. Yikes.

I'm determined to kinda, sorta understand this Matcha tea though. If the terminology doesn't trip me up. Here are some of the different types of Matcha:

• Usucha - or "thin" tea, is from sprouts younger than a certain age. (source)
• Koicha - "thick" tea, is usually more expensive because it comes from rarer tea plants.
• Tencha -  In Japan, this is the only tea that qualifies as"true matcha" and it is made from the delicate shade-grown tea leaf trees. (source)

 So... Tencha = Matcha - though in the U.S., the Matcha we get is most likely never Tencha... Yeah, see? Confusing.

Just to take a break, I took a look at a video of Matcha leaves being processed.



When I applied to review the product that I will be posting on soon, I had never tried any kind of Matcha tea, but I picked up some at my local health food store a couple weeks ago. Since I didn't understand that there are different types of Matcha, I was a little bit confused when trying to choose between the few brands available. I ended up with this one, just because of price and convenience. This brand had three different types so I chose the one that sounded most flavorful.

Then I had to look up what "Genmai" means:

Genmaicha is the Japanese name for green tea combined with roasted brown rice. It is sometimes called "popcorn tea". This type of tea was originally drunk by poor Japanese, as the rice served as a filler and reduced the price of the teas; which is why it is also known as the "people's tea".

Okay. So I got a little bit ripped off as the American trying to experiment with a new trend. Let me tell you, at about a dollar per pack - for 12 single-serve packets (0.03 ounces, or 3 grams, per pack), I wasn't getting a "true" (or even near-true) matcha tea.


At least the labelling was honest. The problem was my own ignorance.
















This, by the way, is what the actual tea looks like:

The texture is very grainy and leaves very little film on the plate I had it on. It felt like a fine sand.

And, for comparison, this is what a true matcha powder looks like:

The matcha powder is vibrant green and almost as fine as talcum powder
It's hard to tell from the photo, but you can see some of the texture difference between
the Matcha powder and the Genmaicha (paler) product

To be fair, the Genmai wasn't awful. I think that any kind of powdered (or grainy) tea is an acquired taste. The Genmai had a soil-ish/dirt-ish taste. I was able to cover that with some of the Chaga nectar I used as a sweetener. I also learned that I could just put the Genmai into other flavored teas or beverages.

I will be posting more about the actual Matcha powder when I do my product review. For now, I can tell you that there is a huge  flavor difference between those two products. Huge.

Doing a little research beforehand literally pays (or at lease saves) when trying something new. In the case of the brand of Genmaicha I bought, I couldn't even do much checking on it when I got home. The website printed on the package takes me to a domain that is for sale. After a brief search, I couldn't even find images for the product. I gave up because, for one thing, I won't be buying the brand again and, for another, I want to stick with trying better quality products. Maybe that Matcha Matcha brand has an actual Matcha tea available, but it wasn't one of the choices when I was shopping.

The main thing to know when using Matcha is that you have to read the labels. Make sure that you are getting the best Matcha available.

Next: I will be doing the review for the first organic, powdered green tea I've had the chance to try.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Pure Lavender Oil by aVo Essentials

While I love essentials oils, sometimes I forget what a the "true" scent of something is. I ordered a vanilla essential oil once and, while it was great in a blend of other oils, on it's on, it was not something I was crazy about. Probably that's because my general idea of "vanilla" was so influenced by all the fake scents used in products. The oil I got was exactly like what I remembered from my mother's cooking.

My idea of the lavender scent was influenced mostly by store-bought products. My one memory of "real" lavender was from flowers that a sweetheart used to give me. Good memories.

When I got the chance to try this, I was excited to see if it matched my memories of the lavender flowers I once loved so much.

Notice the dates of the product. Fresh!

This is a Pure Lavender Oil from  āVō Essentials. (I love when the oils come with a stopper.)

Lavender is one of the scents I like for certain moods. I don't want to smell lavender in my coffee or food, but I love having this one.

Of course, like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect of the scent. I wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, the best thing about this oil's fragrance is that, even though the scent is very distinct (just like the actual flowers), it's not overpowering at all. I had a fresh head cold when I first received the oil and I couldn't smell it at all. Once my sinuses cleared up, I could  tell that I had a "true" oil. Perfect. It really did match my memories.

Like I said, this is not something that I would use in food, but I understand that some people do use actual lavender in the kitchen (mostly for baked goods) and I find that interesting. Of course, keep in mind that this oil is for external use only!

What I have liked using it for is adding it to my shampoos and bathwater. Also, I like to blend it with some of my sweet orange oil to wear as a fragrance. I tried blending it with the vanilla oil I wasn't crazy about that as a wearable fragrance, but I did like it in the bath. Both scents are very soothing. I'm going to play around some more with the different blends. One way I did like using it is to add a drop to the hand sanitizer I carry in my purse. I did it to make the sanitizer smell better, but I later found out that lavender is a natural anti-bacterial.

Even though I loved the scent of my lavender bouquets, I didn't know at the time that lavender can be used for relaxation and stress relief. I realized it after using the oil in my bath water. Again, I think it's the whole "soothing" thing. I do know that it works well to help you sleep. If you apply a dab on your temples (with another carrier oil), it does ease a tension headache.

I've been using mostly coconut oil for as a carrier for this one. The regular coconut oils smells amazing when mixed with this, but if you want to keep the lavender scent undiluted, a fractionated coconut oil works nicely. The argan oils are heavier and, though they don't really disturb the lavender scent, it's more cost efficient to use an FCO for more body coverage.

 āVō Essentials offers a 100%  money-back guarantee, but the product is really good. The price seems a bit high, but the 4-ounce size makes it worth it. Lavender is a potent enough fragrance that it doesn't take much for most uses. Besides, you will need to use a carrier oil for applying to the skin because the lavender oil is concentrated.

There are a lot of other uses I want to investigate. Here are links to some information and usage suggestions:

• WebMD is my go-to for basic warnings and usage notes
• Use as a bug repellant, among other things...
• Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial agent
• Some lesser-known uses
• Interesting general to specific info
• Some recipes for that bottle of lavender oil
• My favorite: Chapped Lip Relief

If you haven't tried lavender oil before now, this is a good one to start with. Because of the product size/cost, multi-use, quality and the brand guarantee, you should be happy with this one.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Caribbean Roots Black Castor Oil by Aveya Beauty

Remember back when your mom or grandma made you take a spoonful of castor oil every so often? No? Okay, maybe that's just me. And I will never forget how I hated seeing that spoon coming at me!

If you are too young to remember stuff like that, then I have to tell you something: no matter how I hated it, I have learned that Mom and Grandma knew what they were doing. Castor oil is one of those things that is good for you, inside and out. My elders used it as a moisturizer, a "hairdress" (treatment), a lip balm, and a remedy for constipation. Being young back then, I wanted nothing to do with it. It tasted horrible and, besides, I preferred the cute little tubes for my lip balm.

Flash forward all these years and I'm back on the castor oil. I still haven't gotten a taste for ingesting it, but I have discovered the benefits of using it externally. I'll get to that in a minute. For now, let's talk about this:

Aveya Beauty produces this Black Castor Oil that smells better than what I remember from my childhood. Actually, I have tried a couple other brands of black castor oil since those days so I can compare this one to what I have used before. Looks like Aveya has some other quality products I'd like to try (I'm already trying another product of theirs).

I'll cover some more castor oil info in a moment, but about this one:

• There is the faintest of scents to it (you'll see why this matters to some folks in a moment)
• It's one of the first "heavier" oils that I've been able to use right out of the bottle without having it just sit on top of my skin. It soaks in so quickly that I carry it in my purse use it during the day. If I wait just a few moments, it has absorbed enough that it doesn't smudge papers or clothing.
• I love what it does for my hair. Applied to damp hair, it seals the ends so that I don't get so much frizz once the hair is dried.
• Because of the nice absorbency, I can use this on my face without getting a lot of buildup. Best thing is, it makes a really nice oil cleanser if I mix in a little bit of fractionated coconut oil and use wipe with a baby wipe.
• After I had been using it as a hand moisturizer, I noticed that my nails and cuticles were getting a lot of the benefits. At their driest, the sides of my nails get that ashy white look from the dead and damaged skin because I wash my hands a lot. I'm planning to do a cuticle scrub with this oil, using it and a little bit of baking soda and an old toothbrush. Then, I will re-moisturize with the oil. Can't wait.
• Speaking of scrubs, I have been using sugar and another oil to exfoliate my lips. After the next lip treatment, I'm going to balm up with this castor oil. I plan to do a heavy coating of the oil and let it rest a while before I smooth it into my lips.
• Because I am noticing that it doesn't take a lot of this oil for regular uses (even the above lip treatment shouldn't take much), I'm happy with the size of the bottle. At first, I was wishing it had come in a little bit bigger size for the price, but it's working out to be a good value after all. (By the way, the label even instructs users not to use more than needed. That's a nice change from the old "wash-rinse-repeat world" method used to keep consumers coming back for more.

There is one gripe I have, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the product. It's the printing on the label. Other than the front, all the other print is so small that I actually had to use a magnifier app to read it... Seriously. And the label includes some good info - such as suggestions for how to use the oil and/or mix it with other products. 

To save you some squinting, here are the benefits listed on the label:

• Increase hair growth
• Thicken hair that's starting to thin
• Reduce and prevent hair breakage
• Eliminate dry hair
• Make hair fuller and shinier
• Deeply condition and moisturize hair and scalp
• Prevent dry scalp
• Boost your hair's overall growth.

Some of that is a bit repetitive, but it matches what I have been reading about the benefits of castor oil. One other thing I'd like to point out is that I don't personally find there is much difference in benefits between a good "regular" castor oil and a good JBCO. That's just my opinion though and other people might have a different take.

If you are buying via Amazon, Aveya discounts a limited amount of this product on a monthly basis, so there's your chance to give it a try. (The Aveya site offers what they call an "iron clad, bullet-proof guarantee".)

Now here goes some more general information about castor oils:

If you have checked out castor oil recently, you might notice that there are a few popular types out there:

• Castor oil - has a yellow-ish coloring unless it's filtered to a clearer shade.
• Black castor oil - gets its dark color from the ash of roasted beans
• Jamaican black castor oil - I don't know for a fact but, since not all JBCOs come from Jamaica, the name comes from the process, which is, I am guessing, a Jamaican invention. (This Aveya black castor oil, for instance, is a product of Haiti.)

 By the way, Black Hair Information offers up a wonderful history and some info on castor oil & JBCO. Glad I found BHI, which is now bookmarked.

The big difference in castor oils, other than the color, is the smell. The JBCO has a odor that a lot of people don't like (I do). BHI describes it perfectly as having the scent of burnt seeds.  "Regular" castor oil has a faint, well, oily scent, in my opinion, but lots of people claim it's odorless. Even though the JBCO does have a smell you might find unpleasant, I found that the odor dissipates very quickly. As for ingesting castor oil, it's not my favorite thing to do but, like I mentioned at the start, my elders were big on getting a little bit of it into the body for, um, cleaning things out... LOL

Here are some links to more info:

• Covers most of the benefits as listed on the label
• Interesting to see what the Times of India site says
• Some not-so-common uses
• Home Remedies lists some uses and warnings
• Black Naps (love that name!) has some great info about using castor oil on natural hair

Sure hope I gave you some good info - or lead you to it - if you have been thinking about using a castor oil in your beauty routine.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.