Castor Oil (Part 2 – beautiful skin and hair)
Castor Oil has many medicinal and curative uses, and the same properties that make it so effective in healing the body also make it an excellent choice for maintaining beautiful and healthy skin and hair.
1. Castor Oil cures acne
The Ricinoleic Acid in castor oil works to inhibit many viruses and bacteria, and as castor oil is able to penetrate skin tissue deeply, this makes it an effective treatment for acne.
To treat acne, dab a hot damp washcloth all over your face in the evening before you go to bed. The heat will gently open the pores on your face. After this, massage a little castor oil gently into the skin. Leave on overnight. Repeat this daily for 1 to 2 weeks to see results. You can also repeat this twice in the day, once at night and once in the morning.
2. Castor Oil keeps the skin looking smooth, youthful and unlined
Castor oil’s ability to penetrate more deeply than any other essential plant oil make it an excellent way to keep skin looking youthful and fresh. Castor oil works better than any store-bought anti-ageing creams.
The best way to use castor oil is to rub in a small amount over your face and around your eyes before bed. This may be hard to do at first because castor oil is extremely thick and sticky. Therefore, rub the oil in as thoroughly as possible and then pat your face gently with a tissue to get rid of the excess. This will keep wrinkles at bay. Be sure to use only cold pressed castor oil that is hexane free. Any other kind may clog your pores.
Castor oil is found in several anti-ageing creams, wrinkle creams and undereye creams.
 Reviva Labs Eye Complex Firming Cream |
Burt’s Bees Radiance Day Creme |
 Borba Advanced Aging Recovery Crème |
| Commercial anti-ageing creams that contain castor oil | ||
|---|---|---|
3. Castor Oil breaks up external and internal scar tissue, and prevents new scars from forming
Castor oil’s unrivaled deep tissue penetration help to soften and remove both external and internal scars, like those that form following surgery.
Castor oil will penetrate deep into the tissues to slowly break up scar tissue. Amazingly, castor oil is able to distinguish between healthy cells and abnormal ones. In healthy cells, castor oil will detoxify and stimulate them, while increasing circulation. In abnormal cells like scar tissue and growths, castor oil will instead work to aggressively dissolve cells thanks to the solvent property of castor oil.
To break down internal scarring, soak a piece of clean cloth with castor oil and place it over the scar area for an hour or two each day. You can also simply rub castor oil over the scar each day. More serious internal scarring will take longer to break down.
On another note, castor oil can also prevent scars from forming in the first place. Applying castor oil over cuts or scrapes will promote excellent skin healing.
Remarkably, applying castor oil after surgery, cuts or wounds will also minimize scar formation. This could be because of castor oil’s ability to increase our body’s lymphocytes (because of this, castor oil packs are especially useful for people with HIV or AIDS). Lymphocytes, or white blood cells, appear to regulate wound healing. And studies have shown that T lymphocytes may play an important role in wound healing and scar formation. Babies and young children have naturally higher levels of lymphocytes than teenagers and adults. These higher lymphocyte levels could be one of the reasons why our skin healed with much less scarring when we were younger.
Several commercial scar reduction creams also contain castor oil (eg Scar Zone, Scar Repairex). However, they also contain more chemicals than they do castor oil!
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| Both Scar Zone and Scar Repairex list castor oil as an ingredient | |
|---|---|
3. Castor Oil thickens eyelashes and eyebrows
Rub a little castor oil over the base of your eyelashes before bed. This prevents thinning and promotes rapid growth, leading to thicker and fuller lashes. In fact, many commercial products for eyelashes contain castor oil.
To thicken sparse eyebrows, rub a little castor oil over the brow line before bed.
4. Castor Oil prevents hair loss and regenerates hair
The anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal properties of Ricinoleic Acid in castor oil protects the scalp and hair from infections which can cause hair loss. The Omega-9 fatty acids in castor oil also nourish the hair and prevent the scalp from drying.
Rubbing castor oil on your scalp and the roots of your hair will regenerate new hair growth within months. This will also thicken thinning hair.
5. Castor Oil keeps hair looking soft and shiny
Castor oil is a humectant as it draws moisture into the hair and skin. Applying castor oil on hair will keep it looking soft, shiny and strong.
6. Castor Oil softens thick calluses and removes corns
Castor oil application will soften any rough or thickened skin, including calluses and corns. To treat corns, apply castor oil over your feet and put cotton socks on before going to bed. (Incidentally, sleeping with castor oil socks on will also soothe painful heels and foot pain.)
7. Castor Oil cures skin infections like athlete’s foot and ringworm
Apply a castor oil soaked cloth on the affected area. If it is small enough, a bandaid with a few drops of castor oil can be used instead.
8. Castor Oil prevents stretch marks
Rub a small amount of castor oil over your stomach and thighs daily to prevent stretchmarks during pregnancy or periods of weight gain.
9. Castor Oil will remove moles and warts
Rub castor oil into moles or warts every night. The moles (or warts) will start to shrink over a few weeks, and continued use will eventually remove the mole without any scarring. Complete removal may take 2-3 months, but this slow healing will also ensure there is no “hole” in your skin. (The surgical removal of moles will often leave a hole where the mole was. This indentation can often be permanent.)
10. Castor Oil will remove age spots (liver spots)
Rub castor oil into your age spots every night. The age spot will lighten over time, and continued use will eventually remove the age spot completely.
So theres different kinds of this castor oil stuff? Eh if so what are there? Id really like to use it on my face but im not sure if id just have to use the regular kind i guess. But does it lighten skin at all? Sorry for all the questions >_<
Hi
I have problem of thinning of hair and dark circles. please suggest me the kind of castor oil for hair and skin as I am confused. and my hair are oily and i normally get dandruff on using oil other than almon oil. please suggest me!!!!
I can verify that castor oil works for lengthening and thickening hair… it does not need to be rinsed out. If you wash hair regularly (for me that is 3x/week) and apply small amounts of castor oil to the ends, leaving it in, it does wonders for keeping the hair protected and moist so that it can grow and not break. It definitely works for acne, too. On mine, somehow it seems to dry the spots up. And what’s more, it does not dry your skin *out,* instead, works to soften and smooth the skin. Buy it genuine, buy it organic if you can. The stuff rocks!
Hi Samantha,
I have 2 auto-immune issues and I am 49 years old. I have had a hypoactive thyroid since 15 years old and diagnosed with MS 4 years ago. My skin and hair have drastically changed but I was wondering if castor oil would have any healing properties for MS pain and/or fatigue. Also, I was wondering if I can use castor oil on my wonderful canine friend. She has been plagued with mast cell tumors and is getting too old for surgeries. I have been using black salve for the past few years with great results but would like to know if castor oil would be a good internal or external cleansing for her as well.
Thanks!
Hi GiGi
Castor oil and castor oil packs can be quite helpful for multiple sclerosis sufferers. It’ll raise immunity levels and can also help with inflammation and pain with regular use. With the packs on, you might feel sleepy and extremely relaxed but don’t mistake this reaction as “castor oil makes me lose energy”. I’m not quite sure why castor oil packs has this relaxing effect on some people, but the rest that it inspires is a healing and regenerative one.
Castor oil should also be safe to apply externally on your dog’s tumours. I am not too sure about its efficacy in removing them, but it should not do any harm. There seems to be a few positive testimonials on using castor oil on pet tumours. If your dog is feeling pain or discomfort, castor oil might at the very least help soothe that pain. However, it might be a good idea to observe her for a while after applying the castor oil to see if she licks it off. Ingesting small amounts shouldn’t be a problem, but since castor oil can have a laxative effect on dogs, it’s still a good idea to see how she reacts.
For internal use (relieving constipation), you might want to start with a very low dose initially to see how she tolerates it, or better still, ask your vet. Also, keep in mind the size of your dog when it comes to the dosage as castor oil can cause diarhhoea and can be quite hard on the system. Given that your dog’s health might be delicate, this might not be the best route.
Hi Samantha,
I was wondering if there are different types of castor oils and which ones to use for removing moles and thickening hair. Thanks!
Hi Marcia, I’m only familiar with one type of castor oil – the clear, yellowish kind. This can (with time and patience) thicken hair and reduce moles. Out of this, there is regular castor oil and castor oil that is hexane-free. The latter is suitable for applications on sensitive skin/areas (such as around the eye area) or for internal use.
There is one other kind called ‘black/jamaican castor oil’, which I don’t know much about, but could be useful for hair health as well, if the reviews are anything to go on.
Hope that helps.
Hello,
I am a woman in my 30′s and just had a baby. I started losing my hair because of hormones. I rub castor oil on my scalp and sleep with it overnight and wake up to thicker hair. I am thrilled.
Stay beautiful,
Mimi
That’s great to hear
Thanks for sharing.
I am 25 yrs.old.I have a curly ,dry hair and oily dull skin.I am suffering from hair fall since a long time.I want to improve my complexion and make my hair soft and thick.I want to use Castor oil but I am really confuse .Which should I use for skin and which for hair? pls help me.
Hi rani, just look for hexane-free cold-pressed castor oil. That’s safe for both skin and hair.
Hi!!
I am 34 years of age. I used to have fair flawless complexion, but since past 2 years, I am having pigmentation on my forehead and cheeks, due to which my complexion looks dark and tanned. Please help, since it is very depressing.
Also, please suggest which creams should i use and whether I should go in for facials or that will harm my skin further.
Thanks for your support. Looking forward for your reply at the earliest.
another great product is a Cocoa Tea Tree soap bar from C.O.P.A. Soaps (http://www.copasoaps.com/store/item.asp?Category=135&SubCategoryID=&GroupID=&SKU=COCOATEA). The base is a coconut, olive, palm, and almond oil base with cocoa butter added, which makes it a great moisturizing bar; but they also add tea tree oil and castor oil which makes it great for acne and scars! It also makes a great shampoo bar as well!
I am trying to grow thicker eyebrows and in sparse areas. Do I get the liquid kind of the thick stuff? And same for hair and face??
Thanks!