Castor oil should be an incredibly simple product.

Yet search online and you’ll find countless versions with different extraction methods, added fragrances, carrier oils and packaging.

So if you’re buying castor oil for hair growth, what should you actually look for?

1. Check the Ingredient List

Start with the obvious.

If you want pure castor oil, the product doesn’t need a complicated formula.

Propel Health Australia’s contains:

100% Certified Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis).

No fragrances, artificial colours or preservatives.

2. Look for Cold-Pressed Oil

Cold pressing extracts the oil mechanically without excessive heat.

It’s a straightforward, minimally processed approach that makes sense for a natural topical oil.

3. Check That It’s Hexane-Free

Some oils can be extracted using chemical solvents such as hexane.

If avoiding solvent extraction matters to you, specifically look for hexane-free on the product information.

4. Consider the Bottle

Natural oils can deteriorate with exposure to light.

Amber glass helps protect the oil from light exposure while also avoiding unnecessary plastic packaging.

5. Keep Hair-Growth Claims Realistic

This is perhaps the most important point.

Castor oil has a long history of traditional use for hair and scalp care, but good clinical evidence that it directly stimulates new hair growth is lacking.

Its more defensible benefits relate to moisturising the scalp, conditioning dry hair and helping reduce the appearance of breakage.

So when comparing castor oil for hair growth, I’d choose based on product quality rather than extravagant before-and-after promises.

Pure. Certified Organic. Cold-pressed. Hexane-free. Protected in amber glass.

For castor oil, simple is probably better.