By Katie Muirhead

After spending over twenty years as a professional hairstylist, our founder Romina Manenti found herself in front of a pivotal point in both her life and career. It was 2016 when Romina started questioning her work and relevance in the beauty and fashion industry, and she quickly realized it was time to reposition herself in the world. 

She transitioned from working for others into being her own boss, taking with her her innate talent and passion of crafting and creating hair products. Focused on the universe of organic and vegan living,  Romina realized what she was missing - “my goal was to create a universal, all-natural and effective hair product proven to support healthy hair growth at any stage of the hair cycle.” Deep diving into the research, experimenting with formulas and learning from her mistakes, Romina created her solution through innovation.

After learning about and understanding both the benefits and limitations of Jamaican Black Castor Oil, she was driven to create a formula that is beneficial for  all hair types, textures and conditions. Romina blended, elevated and expanded the unique properties of this natural ingredient to obtain a complete formula that delivers the wonder of Jamaican Black Castor oil to all. 

About Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Jamaican Black Castor Oil is a very thick, viscous oil that can be recognized by its amber - brown coloring. This color is naturally created by the ash that remains after the roasting process of the castor beans - a process that also unlocks the oil’s unique earthy, smokey scent.

This ash is alkaline, so it increases the pH level of the oil. Alkalinity that helps to naturally open up the hair cuticle, facilitating the absorption of nutrients into the hair shaft and making it a superior choice as a hair care ingredient. Jamaican Black Castor Oil can even be considered the “gym of the hair” - by naturally opening the hair cuticle, each strand develops increased flexibility to adapt to alkaline and acidic conditions. 

There is also another property that makes Jamaican Black Castor Oil a sought after hair care ingredient: its ability to seal the hair cuticle. It acts as a moisture barrier to keep hydration inside the hair strand, increasing the overall health and resilience of the hair. With this line up of healthy hair properties, there’s no wonder that Jamaican Black Castor Oil is heralded as a magic oil of hair care!

Researched and Perfected: Jamaican Black Castor Oil For All

As we’ve seen, Jamaican Black Castor Oil is widely known for its hair care benefits, such as promoting hair growth, moisturizing dry hair, strengthening thin hair and preventing split ends. If it is so miraculous, then, why isn’t this power ingredient in every hair care product already? The truth is that in its purest form, not all hair types are able to benefit from Jamaican Black Castor Oil in everyday life.

Limits of High Viscosity Oils

When Romina first discovered Jamaican Black Castor Oil, she immediately recognized that this was an ingredient in its own league. However, the high viscosity (or stickiness) means that it can cause tangles upon application and pull at fine hair. An oil of this viscosity can also be harder to wash out, creating a risk of over-washing to get rid of leftover oil and cause an overall lack of shine.

Viscosity Adjustment

Romina was inspired to create a blend of Jamaican Black Castor Oil that overcomes this viscosity limitation, allowing the unique benefits accessible to all hair types. For proper performance and to achieve effective results, an oil treatment has to coat at least 65%-90% of the hair - a  less viscous formula is easier to both  apply and wash out, meaning it can easily reach more individual strands of hair.

By calibrating the blend but not diluting the oil, Romina was able to create a patented formula with Jamaican Black Castor Oil as the key ingredient. This blend harnesses the unique, powerful benefits of this all-natural oil, with a perfect viscosity that is easier to use for all hair types. By introducing three other lightweight, nutrient-rich oils, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil and Hemp Seed Oil, Romina created a medium weight blend with a velvety finish, without losing any of the oils’ original properties or benefits. This means that the full spectrum of nutrients is now delivered in one universal formula that is suitable for any hair texture or condition.

Deeper Absorption

This adjustment to the oil’s viscosity also facilitates absorption for hair with low porosity - the oil can penetrate the hair fiber faster and more easily, allowing the benefits of this natural oil to start working straight away. The hair cuticles are now lubricated, creating luster, sheen and silkiness like never before.

A Gentle Wash

The adjustment made to Jamaican Black Castor Oil’s viscosity means that a smaller amount of product is required, allowing for optimal distribution and avoiding build up. As a result, it is easy to get rid of any oil residue with only one shampoo - this means that no oil or shampoo is wasted and there is no risk of overwashing. In fact, unlike pure Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Romina’s revolutionary blend is designed to also be used on clean hair as a nourishing styling product, delivering the benefits of this powerful oil everyday between washes. 

Patented Formula

It is clear to see why our MAY11 Revitalizing Hair Oil has become a cult favorite - its patented formula is proven to support healthy hair growth at any stage, for any hair type. Whether you’ve come across Jamaican Black Castor Oil in the past and been unsure how to incorporate its thick texture into your routine, or you’re only discovering this wonder ingredient of hair care now, this is your sign to try this revolutionary blend.

This innovative formula is available in three scents: the Original MAY11 Original, a Fragrance-Free blend that amplifies the natural scent of Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and our NEW version, scented with all-natural Premium Neroli Essential Oil from Morocco.

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