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How I used castor oil on my scar |
I’ve been writing about castor oil a lot, mainly because I’ve had some wonderful results from it personally. Among other things, castor oil has aided in my recovery from PCOS and dissolved a painful calcium deposit on my heel. That it could do those things were amazing to me — it still is.
Sometimes though, I find myself reluctant to write about my own positive experiences because the extent of my successful healing can sound like I’m making it all up. I think part of it is because the “accepted” way of getting treatment for most of the modern Western world is to go to a doctor, take lots of pills (ALL of which are liver-toxic, by the way) or go for painful surgery (which may or may not make things worse). If you do these things, no one will question your sanity or your prudence.
This is despite the fact that most modern, accepted treatments are expensive, with possibly harmful side effects, may/may not even work, usually become ineffective when discontinued (which means you are chained for life), only seeks to treat the surface symptoms, and abandons even the pretense of healing as its aim. The last one makes me want to alternately cry and tear my hair out because it’s madness… unethical, even.
Meanwhile, the method of treatment I’m proposing (castor oil) is so simple, cheap and effective that many will write it off without even giving it a chance. After all, how can it work when it’s not expensive, painful and harmful to us, right? I know some might mock me or think me as simple-minded, or even worse, a scam artist…
The other day, someone asked me in the comments if I was writing about castor oil because I make money by selling it. I do not produce or sell castor oil on this site or anywhere else. I never have. All the ads on my article pages are contextual ads, not direct product ads. My first instinct when reading this commenter’s question was to feel somewhat hurt/indignant. But after a while, I ended up feeling quite grateful to the commenter as it gave me a chance to clarify an issue that I didn’t even know might cross some readers’ minds.
I seem to have rambled on a bit here… My point is, in the end, it really doesn’t matter what some choose to believe or disbelieve about castor oil. It only matters what I believe/experience/do/ultimately share with the world. I know my messages will go out to those who really need it. That to me is everything. And that is partly why I’ve decided to write this article. Hopefully, it will convince some people to open up their minds a little. Well, I can hope!
This article is quite different from my other ones. I’ve realised that while it’s one thing for me to TELL people about my experience with using castor oil, it’s quite something else when I can SHOW them. That’s right, I’m putting aside any self-consciousness I have and showing everyone my own before-and-after photos. Yeah!!! And here we go…
The story of how I healed my scar using castor oil
THE SHORT VERSION: I successfully healed a three-year old deep burn scar on my leg by using castor oil. Scroll down for photos galore. The end.
THE LONG VERSION: In 2007, I accidentally burned my leg on a hot motorcycle exhaust pipe. Yes, I lead a very exciting life. 🙂 The burn was on the inner calf of my right leg. My initial injury can be classified as a deep second-degree burn.
After the wound scabbed and peeled over a couple of weeks, the scarred skin that emerged was:
- almost completely hairless
- much less sensitive to touch than the normal, healthy skin around it. These mean the burn was deep and severe enough to have “killed” most of the hair follicles as well as some nerve endings.
- had a complete and “permanent” change in color. This was mostly hyper-pigmentation (darkening) mixed with a bit of hypo-pigmentation (loss of color), which is common in deep burns. The pigment change was dermal (reached the lower dermis layer of the skin, as opposed to the upper epidermis only), and deep enough that conventional lightening treatments such as hydroquinone could do nothing to change it.
- there was also a slight crescent-shaped depression close to the centre of the scar. I could feel the dip in my skin by touch alone.
In October 2009, I started using castor oil on my leg.
By June 2010 (9 months later), the scar was almost gone.
Amazingly, after this nine-month period:
- there was normal hair growth — I know the photos below don’t show the hair, but that’s only because I’d shaved my legs.
- my touch sensitivity returned — nerves I previously thought were dead and gone were revived back to life
- skin color/pigmentation returned to normal, blending in almost flawlessly with my surrounding skin. This was not something I expected at all since I have olive skin or Type IV skin
- the small depression had mostly filled in with healthy new tissue
In the most recent photo below (March 2011), you can still see a shadow of the scar on my calf. However, this was deliberate on my part — in August 2010, I decided to stop using castor oil on my leg. As strange as this may sound, I wanted a little bit of my scar to remain with me, because in my eyes, it had turned from a flaw into a reminder of my mind-opening journey.
You may read this article and imagine that the journey was a completely smooth, confident and happy one for me, but that isn’t the case at all. I had many ups and downs. During the first few months, I had many “downs”. There were days when I lost faith and thought about giving up. But as I discovered, all things change with time.
So yes, I want to keep a little bit of my scar with me. It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve healed. Even now, everytime I look at it, I’d feel so very grateful for my healing and in awe of my body’s amazing transformation.
It truly makes me wonder what else is possible!
My method of using castor oil
How I used castor oil was easy — I kept it on my scar as much as I can. There were many days when I kept castor oil on my scar for almost 24 hours a day (excluding the breaks for showers).
During the day, I would massage castor oil into my scar. Sometimes I did this a few times a day. I learnt to carry a tiny travel bottle of castor oil with me to do this in the restroom at public places or at work.
At night, I would put a castor oil pack on my scar before going to bed. A castor oil pack is just a way to keep castor oil on the skin by wrapping it up. For my castor oil pack, I would slather the oil on my scar, cover it with cotton gauze, put more castor oil over that, and then wrap my calf up in cling film (plastic wrap) to keep it from staining my sheets. I then put on a long sock to make sure everything stayed on while I slept. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I got it done very quickly, usually in less than a few minutes.
What I used
- I used only microwave-safe cling film that’s toxin-free, which seems to be fairly safe. It’s important to use toxin-free plastic if you’re putting on a castor oil pack. Castor oil is a very good solvent and can displace the chemicals and dyes in some plastics. Once displaced, these chemicals may be readily absorbed by the skin, leading to irritation (thanks to dollfaceluna for pointing this out to me!).
[UPDATE: I recently found something that might work even better than cling flim — silicone food wraps (sometimes called stretch lids/silicone lids). They’re stronger than cling film, clear, washable and maintain their shape (they don’t bunch up easily). And because they’re washable and reusable, they also save money and reduce waste. I bought a set and it’s very easy to cut them down to size. Most come in a few sizes, so you may not even need to cut them.]
- I used cotton gauze because it was cheap and disposable, but when I first started out, I was using cut cloth (basic unbleached cotton). Both are fine, but because castor oil will go rancid eventually, I’d need to wash/dry the cloth every few nights to keep it fresh. Eventually, I switched to cotton gauze that I bought at the pharmacy. Gauze was cheap, plentiful and disposable, so I didn’t need to wash it. It came in long strips so I cut them up into small squares for my use. If you decide to use cloth instead, here’s a tip: wash it out with baking soda. Baking soda gets castor oil out very well.
- The brands of castor oil I used were Home Health, Heritage and Now Foods (where to buy castor oil?). However, this shouldn’t matter. Any brand that’s hexane-free and cold-pressed will do (the oil should ideally be cold-pressed because it retains more nutrients this way — the cold-pressed oil extraction method is much gentler than conventional methods; for example, it uses no heat). Anyway, I couldn’t tell any difference in the quality between the brands I used. So don’t worry about brands so much, I made my own purchasing choices based on how large a bottle I could get for as low a price as possible, just because I go through a LOT of castor oil. 🙂
I used castor oil this way daily, but I also took breaks from it once in a while to let my skin rest. I found that my heavy usage of castor oil would sometimes “loosen” the skin on my scar, making it look a bit wrinkly. Kind of like the way skin would “prune up” when we stay in a bath too long. I wasn’t worried the first time I noticed this “loosening effect” because I somehow knew it was temporary. This probably happens because castor oil is a very good humectant and will put moisture into the skin. The breaks I took gave my skin a rest and then everything would tighten up again. This would be anywhere between a week to two weeks. I took as much time as my skin needed to tighten back up.
Just to be clear, this temporary loosening only happened because I was using castor oil very intensively on my scar (almost 24 hours/day and over many consecutive days). I’ve never gotten any such effect through normal usage of castor oil on other parts of my body or my face.
In the beginning, I worried that taking these breaks from my regimen would delay my healing. But when I saw that my scar was continuing to heal and progress regardless, I started to change my mind. I now believe these breaks were beneficial and possibly even crucial in healing my scar. I believe my skin was rebuilding itself more efficiently during the rest periods, while breaking down the scar tissue more actively during the “on” periods. But that’s just my personal opinion, I don’t exactly know how castor oil was able to do what it did for me, I only have my theories. (If you’re interested in finding out more on your own, google Edgar Cayce and castor oil. Edgar Cayce was a pioneer and advocate of castor oil use. )
Like I told a commenter (Matt), it’s a fairly intensive daily regimen, which was sometimes hard to keep up with. But then I started to see results… Slowly but surely, I saw my scar changing with my own eyes after a few months. This was the proof that kept me going when I would have otherwise given up.
How my scar changed
Everyone’s scars and skin injuries are different so it would make sense for us to heal differently. This was how my scar changed.
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- The appearance of tiny light dots
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After a few months, I started seeing many tiny, light-ish dots in my hyperpigmented scar. They were so tiny at first that I could only see them by looking closely under the bright light of a torch. Then the tiny dots grew large enough that I could see them in normal lighting.
These dots continued to expand and eventually started to join up with each other. I got very excited at that. Eventually, I had small patches of healed, unblemished skin within my scar, which I spent many minutes staring at and touching…. I was simply amazed at them.
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- Hair growth (important for regeneration!)
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At the same time, I started seeing short and very fine, light-colored hairs appear on my scar. At first, these hairs were almost colourless and looked “golden” under a light. Over time, they grew longer, thicker and darker, until they looked no different from the hair on the rest of my legs. I noticed that my scar started to show faster improvement after normal hair growth returned.
This is probably because hair growth and follicles are important in cell regeneration. You may be surprised by this, but stem cells — which turn into our skin cells and nerve cells and everything else — originate from our hair follicles (these stem cells also aid skin regeneration after an injury—read ‘Hair follicle stem cells – the hairy truth‘). Knowing that my follicles were important in healing my scar, I made sure not to harm them by waxing since this would pull them from the root. And yes, I admit that I even avoided shaving my scar most of the time just to be safe. Although in theory, shaving should not do much harm, and what harm it causes should be temporary at the most.
Basically, the changes in my scar came slowly and started out very small, but these little changes added up to a big one over nine months.
In fact, here’s another tip: if you’re trying to heal a scar with castor oil, take a good, clear photo of it now if you can. It would be useful for you to look at it and make comparisons after a few months just because it’s sometimes hard for us to see the changes in something that we look at everyday.
About the photos
It was awkward for me to take photos of my calf with my phone. The easiest way for me to take a good shot was to rest my right calf over my left thigh. I actually have tons of photos, these are only a few. What can I say… I’m a big geek and something of an amateur documenter. I’ve been journaling for many years now for my own nerdy pleasure. I never thought I would share these photos with anyone else, let alone publish them online for the whole world to see!
If you’re reading this and have a deep scar you wish to treat, I hope my photos and story give you some hope. 🙂
| Date | Photos (click to enlarge) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| May 2008 |  |
Taken with Sony Ericsson K770i Cybershot. Flash was OFF. You can clearly see the crescent-shaped depression in the middle. |
| May 2008 |  |
Taken with Sony Ericsson K770i Cybershot. Flash was ON. Compare with the photo above taken on the same occasion. The camera flash makes a big difference. |
| June 2010 |  |
Taken with Sony Ericsson Hazel (no timestamp feature available). Flash was OFF. |
| March 2011 |  |
Taken with Sony Ericsson Hazel (no timestamp feature available). Flash was OFF. |
| March 2011 |  |
Taken with Sony Ericsson Hazel (no timestamp feature available). Flash was ON. |
| March 2011 |  |
Another angle to give you some context. Taken with Sony Ericsson Hazel (no timestamp feature available). Flash was ON. |
Note: Thank you to the girl I saw at lunchtime today. She was walking ahead of me in a skirt and had the same burn scar I did, on the same place on her calf. I really, really wanted to ask her about it (motorcycle exhaust pipe, huh?). I wanted to roll up my pant leg, show her my calf and share with her what I did to heal it. But I didn’t. Eventhough I would have approached her with nothing but love and an enthusiastic desire to share/help, I thought there was a chance she would not have wanted my help at all or not in that setting (we were in a crowded place and she was not alone).
Afterwards, I wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision in not speaking to her. Sometimes, we fear too much and a golden moment in life might pass us by. I thought about how I could make things right somehow, and I came up with the idea of putting this article + some of my photos together. So this was all really inspired by her. Thank you!
oh thankyou!! this will greatly help my siblings. My brother gets swollen lymphnodes when hes sick and my sister has a deep scar that embarasses her. I cannot wait to get some.
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Several times I have burned myself taking cookie sheets out of the oven and over two years ago I burned myself bad enough to leave a permanent scar on my wrist. Just 4 days ago I did it again and this time I applied castor oil to the new burn area, two separate spots. We learned about the benefits of castor oil when we used it to remove a large blood vessel tumor from my daughters face after an injury. Her mass was over a cm in diameter and 1/2 cm raised off her face. Doctors wanted to biopsy and remove it, leaving a massive scar. Knowing how much this helped her I applied castor oil to my new burn and 4 days later the burns never blistered and the old scar on my wrist that was very visible is now almost completely gone. I can believe how wonderful this stuff is!
That’s great Beth, thanks for sharing. Castor oil really is amazing stuff.
Samantha – how did you apply the oil? I recently had an accident and my friends and I did not think it was necessary to get stitches. I’m now greatly disappointed in my choice and already self conscious of what its going to look like when it heals, as the cut is on my forehead. I read your article and immediately purchased the oil. I’m giving the cut a few more days to heal. Did you massage the scar or apply a cloth with it? My scar is going to be deep and wanted to get your opinion. I’m hoping I have as much success as you did and I’ve already learned quite the life lesson. Thanks. Matt.
Hi Matt, sorry to hear about your accident. I’ll update the article soon with details of my usage, but for now, to answer your question:
I did both. I massaged castor oil into the scar during the day (sometimes a few times a day. I learnt to carry a tiny travel bottle of castor oil with me to do this). Then, at night I put on a castor oil pack before going to bed (I used cotton gauze, but cloth should work just as well). I basically tried to keep castor oil on my scar as much as I can. I did take breaks from it once in a while to let my skin rest.
It’s a fairly intensive daily regimen, which was sometimes hard to keep up with during the first few months. But after that, I gradually started to see results with my own eyes. This was what kept me going when I would have otherwise given up.
Since your wound is fairly fresh and still healing, you’d probably get faster results than I did. Best of luck, Matt 🙂
I have tried, cocobutter, coconut oil, no marks cream – and nothing has worked. I am a 26 year old who wants so desperately to wear shorts, skirts, go to the beach. I have skin that marks easliy and my marks are “raised” almost keloid. I am embarrassed and don’t even show my legs. This has affected my social life and if this castor oil can help… hmmmm. Thank you for sharing, I never leave comments but your story really inspired me.
PS – I don’t know where to get the product but I’m looking forward to trying this (trying not to be pessimistic about the results)
Hi Island girl, thanks for your kind comment, I’m happy you were inspired by my story. I’ve updated the article now with details on my usage, so hopefully you’ll have more confidence in trying it out for yourself.
PS – what brand of castor oil did you use and what was the daily ritual??
I, like Island Girl, would also like to know the brand of castor oil… Thanks for the inspirational story.
Hi Priscilla + Island girl, I’ve updated the article now. I used Heritage and Home Health castor oil, but the brands don’t really matter. Just look out for castor oil that’s hexane-free and cold-pressed.
Sorry I misunderstood your last comment, does the castor oil need to be cold pressed or not?
Yes, it should be cold-pressed.
I BOUGHT CASTOR OIL FOR MY SKIN AT WALMART CAN I USE THIS ON MY SKIN
PLEASE LET ME KNOW
THANKS
LINDA
Hi Linda, I don’t know the kinds of castor oil walmart carries, so you should check the label for ingredients and usage. It should be pure castor oil (i.e no other ingredients) that is cold-pressed and hexane-free.
Just curious how long it took until u began to see the dots of normal skin within the scar. Also when u first began using the oil, did it make the scar look worse before it looked better?? It seems to be making my scar stick out more if that makes sense
I’ll have to check my journal and get back to you about the dots.
I don’t recall my scar looking worse though. It just looked “wrinkly” during my heavy usage. However, castor oil does increase circulation, so if your scar is reddish, it might make it look even more so.
Hi, it took about three months before I noticed the dots.
Ok, thank you SO much for sharing your story & taking time to answer my questions. Im taking pictures & will update w/progress.
You’re very welcome, L 🙂 Good luck on your journey, and it’ll be great to hear your updates.
I am a guy got some pigments on my face .Am wondering if castor oil will work.
Regular use of castor oil has been known to lighten age spots (and these are very hard to get rid of), so you should definitely give it a shot on your pigmentation. It’s not a fast fix though, patience is key. Best of luck!
I’m amazed at all your success with castor oil! I’m 27 female.
With a pretty long scar on my face 🙁 the scar is about 13 years old but has brought so much insecurity and there’s some scar tissue puckering when I make certain faces
so the scar starts by the bridge of my nose and goes under my brow
what technique could I use since it’s on my face?
And I’m having some thyroid issues but seeing a homeopathic doctor but my hair has thinned and fallen out about 50% which also adds to insecurity!!
I have seen some improvement with my hair but it’s still falling out more then normal would castor oil help?
Would I use the same type of castor oil for both scar and hair? Is it a liquid ora cream base?
Hi Melissa, yes you can use the same castor oil for skin and hair. It’s a very thick oil/liquid. For hair, you might want to dilute castor oil with a lighter one like coconut oil (just because it’s quite “sticky” by itself).
From your description, I’d imagine your scar is largely horizontal and close to your eyes? If so, you can try keeping a castor oil pack in place during sleep with an eye mask/sleep mask. That’s just one idea, you might stumble on a better one as you try different things. I’m now treating an old scar on my elbow, and I keep the castor oil pack in place using a slip-on elbow bandage, but I started out using a sock with the foot cut off. Sometimes we have to get a bit creative. 😉
Was wondering if anyone on here has a natural treatment for hammer toe. In my case it’s hereditary. All my siblings have it. I really would like to do something about it but naturally. I am apprehensive about surgery because I’ve had a nightmarish experience with surgery previously and I’m really somewhat distrustful of doctors.
I have been well connected in the holistic community since around 1995. Since then, my second toe on my right foot just lifted gradually, turning into a hammer toe that just could not be kept down. I was very self-conscious of it, even trying to hold my foot a certain way when I wore sandals, so that it was not so noticeable. I tried various remedies, including the little hammer toe elastic foot strap that is supposed to make it gradually go back down. All I got was a very sore toe by bedtime every night, with no progress whatever.
Finally, I decided to get it fixed. I found a wonderful podiatrist, randomly I must confess, and he did a fabulous job of fixing it. He made the middle joint of that toe ‘go away’ by somehow removing the joint and making it all one piece. The tiny joint at the tip of the toe still works, so the toe looks just fine. They have made worlds of progress in this surgery in the past twenty years. I had heard random horror stories of very poor results from others, and was really afraid to do it, but I felt like I had to because it got so bad that I could only wear one or two styles of shoes, not cute shoes at all.
The recovery takes a while, and you must follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter. I did, and my toe is just lovely now. I had a bunion fixed at the same time. Now I can wear strappy sandals that I never wore before, and I have two really cute feet. I was so thrilled that I sent a thank you note to Dr. Rowley, here in Hemet, Ca., thanking him for his wonderful work. I highly recommend the surgery. Some things are just not good candidates for holistic therapies. Good luck to you.
Hi, Sandy ~
Thank you so very much for your reply about hammer toe. I really appreciate it. I have looked into getting it surgically corrected as well. I was going to do it many years ago back in the ’80s but the MD told me he was going to make the surgical cut in the shape of an X across the top of my affected toe and when it healed, I would have a scar that looked like an X on top of my toe. I was like Heck No! And he said it would take at least six months to heal and that I would be out of commission for a while. I could not fathom having a scar in the shape of an X on my toe. I wanted to be able to wear cute sandals without feeling self-conscious. A scar like that would have made me feel very self-conscious, so needless to say, I passed on the surgery.
I’m going to try acupuncture and see if that helps and if it doesn’t, then I may consider the surgery route again. I’m just not a huge fan of allopathic medicine unless it’s an emergency situation and I need a bone reset or stitches.
Hello,
Its good to see your progress, it is a great recovery. I do believe in Castor oil too.
I want to know have you used cold pressed, hexane free Castor oil? or any castor oil is equally effective.
Yes Anu, I only used cold-pressed hexane free castor oil. I didn’t try any other type so I can’t speak abt their effectiveness. Maybe someone else who’ve used it before can chime in to help you.
If you’re confused abt the difference, I’ve actually written a bit about the possible benefits of using cold-pressed oils over refined oils in a response to an older comment. There was a study that found the conventional refining process removes a significant amount of the nutrients found in oils.
Hope this helps you a bit?
Thanks for sharing your story. I have lot of good things about castor oil especially for hairs. It is good skin as well i am quite happy to know it . Most importantly you have provided proof which is enough to convince.
Thanks, Samantha! I rarely leave comments but your story is great and gives me a lot of hope in getting rid of some of my own scars.
You’re very welcome!
Sir
I had a burn accident on 31/12/2008 mid night. Both of my hands , chest were badly affected. Later on after 4 months I noticed that over my right cheek there developed Keloids from which pus and blood with bad smell comes out. I am using Agnijith an Ayurvedic products from Kerela and noticed a little improvement. Sir I dont want to make any surgery because if I do so there will not grow hair ( beard) over the affected areas as left cheek has not been affected. possibly it it due to regular shavings I made. whatever it may be I want to recover from this types of Keloids over my Cheek, chest and hands without surgery. Please suggest a best home made way/medicines so that I could get the benefit at the earliest possible. Due to the keloids on my cheek I am feeling inferiority complex to show my face to people. What will be the best ways ? Please Sir. I will be always gratefull to you and worship as my God. plese Sir
thanks
Mr D N Das
Vill & PO: Shanti Nagar
District: Assam
PIN: 781314
Mob: 9435325115
e mail: dwijendra_das@rediffmail.com
Hi Das, I’m not sure if putting up your contact information on the Internet is such a good idea. If you ever want me to remove that, just let me know.
Also, you might want to check out this page. It could give you some ideas on how to treat your keloid. http://skinverse.com/keloid-treatments-cures-and-home-remedies
This is pretty amazing! I found your site looking for steroid cream damage tips and I’m encouraged because I have hexane-free castor oil and used it occasionally on my severely damaged skin on my arms and hands from 20+ years of steroid cream.
I found it to make me itch pretty bad as my steroid burns are chemical and make high nitric oxide levels in my skin. I should try it with the organic coconut oil I use after each soak I do and then I put plastic gloves on my hands overnight to keep the moisture in. I have been dealing with this for over a year, but it got really bad in March and April. A flare that is common with steroid cream withdrawals.
Anyway, thanks for the info and I’m going to try some castor oil again.
Thanks for your article. I recently used iodine for some patchy skin on my chest, and now it looks like I have leprosy, and is so irritated and sore! It sort of frightened me, and I am looking for some way to clear it up. I am going to try the castor oil, and appreciate your posting your experience. Those of us who are looking for alternatives to the mainstream medical field need each other!
You’re very welcome. I’m surprised iodine caused such a reaction on your skin. Did you use iodine tincture? That can cause burning if overused or used on sensitive areas. I’ve found that betadine is a much gentler iodine for skin use. The only downside is that betadine dries “sticky”.
Anyway, thanks for your comment and I hope castor oil helps you!
Hi, Thanks for your article- I came across it because it mentioned PCOS and I also have this condition. I too, have been using castor oil, however I apply it on my face every night and just leave it on. I apply just a bit (it feels like a thick oil) but a LITTLE goes a LONG way! In the morning I wake up with beautiful skin, in the summer I would get heat bumps and this has even gotten rid of that, I dont have crows feet (although I am 26), and my pores are not even visible. I have been using castor oil for 2 months now and people REALLY see a drastic difference. I started to tell others about it…but noticed that people don’t always like a natural route, plus you have to be consistant. You don’t have to use a lot of this oil, but to see the beautiful results that one can get you certainly have to use it daily and NOT give up after a few uses. Really it’s such of a wonderful oil that can reap beautiful rewards. Thanks for writing this article and for getting the news out there!
Hi Lina, you’re very welcome and thanks for your sharing your experience too. I’m really glad I did it (putting up my photos, I mean).
Funnily enough, I’ve had a similar experience when trying to tell my friends about castor oil — their eyes just glaze over. They seem to prefer paying hundreds of dollars each month for anti-aging serums and whatnot. Oh well, I guess that’s the power of advertising for you. 🙂
Hi Samantha,
No, thanks to you for putting up the photos, there is a difference and your scar is practically unnoticeable. You know advertising is partially at fault for keeping people away from trying natural remedies first before dashing out their hard earned cash. However, the a greater power that would keep people ignorant from trying natural options is the FDA, since they rarely test natural remedies. This of course causes people to be weary of untested remedies/or cures regarding natural remedies which aren’t FDA approved. Not that I have anything again the FDA…just find it strange that they don’t care to perform scientific testing that would support/disprove whether such natural remedies such castor oil really could help to treat/prevent scarring. But then one must remember that if you start curing problems rather than just treating the symptoms, they won’t make their millions.
Yes I agree, most conventional treatments nowadays only seek to treat the symptoms. And since natural treatments like herbs and oils can’t be patented, effective or not, they won’t be a big money-maker like pharmaceuticals or the chemical stuff are.
Amazing! Does Skinverse has a facebook page?
Hmmm it never occured to me to create a facebook page for this site, but I might just do that and see what happens 🙂 Thanks Darla
Hi I ran across your site because I wanted to know how to reduce scar tissue in my scalp. I have alopecia from wearing braids which has severely damaged my scalp. I’ve been getting injections in hopes to stop my hair from shedding. I’m amazed that you demonstrated the effects of castrol oil. My grandmother who was 83 before she passed encouraged me to use castrol oil. She guaranteed me my scalp would heal and my hair would grow back. She told me not to listen to the doctors. She really couldn’t explain to me how castrol oil would work but she said “use it.” Thanks I am going to take pictures once a month for nine months and if I see any results I will let you know.
Hi Dawn, thanks for your comment and best of luck to you. I think your late grandmother had the right idea — it was fascinating to me watching my hair slowly change as my skin healed. There’s a remarkably intelligent process to the healing, which was also quite beautiful to me in a way. Between my bouts of impatience at times (yes, I had them! ;)), I also spent many, many minutes just staring in awe and wonder at all the small changes I could see.
Hi, Thanks so much for writing this article. I have a bottle of castor oil that I want to use but it is kind of old and smells rancid to me. Should I discard it or will it being rancid make a difference.
I would discard of the old castor oil.
You’re very welcome and I agree with Dawn. Castor oil has a distinct smell, but it shouldn’t smell rancid.
Hello Dawn,
thank you for sharing so generously your experience. I had a surgery some time ago and I have now a scar. I wouldn’t care about the the scar itself but it is painful. Was your scar painful? Did it heal the pain?
Hi I just ran across your site when researching castor oil for external scars. I have done it for internal scarring and I SWEAR by it as well. In 1999 I was diagnosed with Endometriosis and had to have surgery to remove a grapefruit sized growth. About 2 years after that I began having the pains again. I was on 3 different pain killers and a muscle relaxer for my pain for about 6 months. I had an ultrasound and they found a golfball sized mass on my ovary and had a laporoscopy to see if it was the Endometriosis growing back. Turns out it was scar tissue from the previous surgery. It was so dense from the adhesions that they almost could not find my ovaries. The scar tissue would fill with fluid daily which is what gave me my INTENSE DAILY CRIPPLING pain. I was given the option for a hysterectomy and scar tissue removal but was told it was not a garuntee that it would work and more adhesions could create more scar tissue. I was then referred to an herbalist with a PhD in women’s health who had me do the castor oil compresses as well as take some herbs to help expel the broken up tissue from my body. Within 1-1/2 years I was 100% pain free. It has been over 7 years now and I have had ZERO pain. I have not had any ultrsounds to see if the scar tissue is still there or not but I have zero pain and that’s what counts in my book.
I am a HUGE advocate for caster oil and I can’t wait to try this on my daughter’s cesarean section scar. The Dr’s at the Army hospital where she had her son completely butchered her and now has a MASSIVE scar.
I would be HAPPY to email you before and after pictures if you’d like to send me your email.
Hello Earth Bound Misfit, I would love to see the photos as well as receive some advise. Please contact me: cosmovart@gmail.com Thank you!
Hi Roman,
Not sure what “advise” I could offer but I would be more than happy to show results in the upcoming months. We will start the journey this weekend so it will be a while. Her scar is pretty deep and pretty wide. But I am VERY optimistic and excited!
I don’t know exactly how to use it so I would like to know how often should I apply it and how. Also massage? Any tip would be very welcome.
My scar is small but apparently very deep as it really burns.
Thank you
Here is what I did step by step (Keep in mind this was for my internal scar tissue)
Warm compress for 45 minutes every night
1) Warmed oil in saucepan on stove SLOWLY (Do not burn or boil)
2) Took a cut piece of tshirt (white) the size of the area I needed to cover and soaked it in the oil.
3) Laid down on couch and put soaked cloth on my pelvic area, then covered that with a thick towel and then placed a heating pad on top of that. (I was also told to prop my feet up while doing this)
4) Laid there for 45 minutes each night
5) Put cloth in zip lock bag and put in the fridge for storing and the left over oil into a jar. Each time I I put the same oil in the pan and soaked the same cloth. About once a week I’d change out the cloth and oil.
6) Immediately took a HOT shower
Now along with all this I was on herbs to help expel the internal scar tissue form my body. I was takng a Lymphatonic by Herbs Etc, some Kelp, Acidopholus(sp), and Cinnamin and Peria.
Where is your scar?
Hi EarthBound Misfit, thanks very much for sharing your experience in treating internal scars. 🙂 I’m really glad you were able to avoid a hysterectomy. Pls feel free to send me your pictures at sam [at] skinverse [dot] com* and I’ll add them to the main article as well, I think it could be really helpful for other readers.
* Sorry for writing it that way, I’m trying to thwart the spambots.
I hear ya on the spambots…lol. They are EVERWHERE! Will add you to my list of emails as I go along. Will be doing monthly pictures for next year or so, however long it takes to help her even just reduce that thing.
I don’t know exactly how to use it so I would like to know how often should I apply it and how. Also massage? Any tip would be very welcome.
My scar is small but apparently very deep as it really burns.
Thank you
Though I have not ever tried the massage part, it was recommended for me to do that for my scar tissue along with the castor oil. Honestly I was too lazy…lol.
Thank you so much for sharing your method, I will apply it! Good luck with your daughter and thanks again!
Tasteless, odorless and colorless castor oil is available.
I have not been able to buy the oil yet.. waiting for next check. I have been realizing I have tennis elbow…. it’s getting pretty bad. I have to give up one of my loves which is crocheting because I am pretty sure that is what caused it. I am going to try the castor oil pak on this as well as my daughter’s scar. Will keep you all posted on both.
Time for healing tennis elbow without the use of the paks is said to be anywhere from 6 to 12 months. REALLY hoping the paks speed that up a bit.
Wish me luck!
Good luck EarthBound 🙂
Thanks for the article, I’d actually read it earlier before too and remembered it again because of the side-story at the end. Love it 🙂
😀 Thank you Marie
I burn my leg with hot water two years ago! It looks kind of like your burn, is just hyperpigmentation, is very soft the hair grows, you think it will work? Sorry about my spelling I’m Hispanic lol but if u can give me more info and probably I can send you pics of how my leg look and u can advice me!! My email is yairiscassells@yahoo.com! I been very depress since this injury
Hi Yairis, I got your photos, but I couldn’t see a scar anywhere. Maybe it’s the lighting?
Anyway, I don’t see why castor oil will work on my scar and not on yours, so you should give it a try and see what happens. Best of luck!
Thanks!!! I know the light and my cell phone camara but where I can buy the castor oil?! Thanks again
how long do you use the castor oil before you see the wrinkling effect and take a break from castor oil?
Hi quinie, it varied from what I remember. When I first started, I got the wrinkling effect much slower (after a month or more). But as time went on, I got it more frequently (every 2-3 weeks).
Hi I dont know if anybody can help but I had a facial over a year & a half ago & the woman stretched my skin & damaged my connective tissue on my face. my face is full of fluid sometimes but I have realised it’s because i have a lot of scar tissue & it is trapping the lymph. Do you think the castor oil would help? Is it safe to use on the face?
Any help would be so appreciated it has been a really bad year & a half dealing with this & I just want my face back. I dont have any scarring as its all internal but it really hurts where the scar tissue is & where the fluid sits. Thanks
Hi Miss Gemini, that’s sounds like a horrible facial. I’m sorry for your poor experience — it sounds like the woman who did it has no business giving anyone a facial.
I don’t know if castor oil can help, but it is safe to use on the face. You can give it a try and see how you feel. It’s best to use your own good judgement in any type of healing as everyone is different.
That said, castor oil use does boost circulation, so it might get things moving and support the healing of your facial tissue. Do you have any inflammation or swelling?
Hi Samantha
Thanks for coming back to me. Yes there is definitely still inflammation and swelling. Nobody knows what she has damaged but I think it’s the connective tissue and muscle. Where the swelling still is there seems to be big lumps underneath which I think is scar tissue. When I massage it the lymph starts to move and the lumps go down but then before I know it the lumps are back.
Is it o.k to use the oil with swelling and inflammation?
Thank you so much for your help x
Hi, castor oil is actually quite effective on swelling and inflammation — mostly cases of swelling from trauma. For example, the kind of swelling we get if we accidentally jam a finger or a toe in the door. What you have might be different, but it shouldnt hurt to try.
My advice is try it for a day and if you feel comfortable and have no adverse reactions, you can try it for 2 weeks. This should be enough time to tell for yourself whether or not castor oil is making a difference. If you can feel/see a positive change, then you’ll be more confident in continuing the applications.
Also if it’s not too uncomfortable for you, you can also try leaving it overnight for faster results. Leaving castor oil on during sleep might be especially useful because nighttime is when our bodies do its deep healing work.
hi, i am 15 years old and last summer, i had an accident while cooking and splashed oil all over my thighs. it didnt bother me at first because summer was almost over , but then it came again . at that point i became so upset at the appearance of the scar ( it was redish/pink) it stands out especially since im fair skin.i been searching the web for some time now and i found this. i was so happy . i started using jamaican black castor oillast month and hair started growing back in the area of the scar.
i just wanted to know ….
1. did you keep it wrapped when excercising if not what did you do ?
2. did you keep it wrapped when you you went out on your daily activities, if so how did you keep it fom slipping ? ( especially with pants)
******* thank you sooo much for posting this ********
Hi eri123, sorry to hear about your accident. It’s great that you’ve gotten hair growth so quickly though, and thanks for sharing that you used jamaican black castor oil. I don’t know much about it, so it’s good to hear from someone that it works just as well.
1. My main exercise then was brisk walking, so this wasn’t an issue for me. If you’re doing more high impact exercises or things like swimming, where keeping a castor oil pack on isn’t possible/easily managed, my advice is don’t worry about it so much. Yes, I went “all in” when it came to my castor oil applications, but that doesn’t mean taking a break for a few hours will result in no/poorer results. Who knows, a few mini-breaks during the day might actually be helpful in the healing process? It might help avoid the temporary looseness that I encountered.
2. I had some trouble keeping a castor oil pack on my calf during my workday, so it was a learning process. I kept it in place with a makeshift elastic bandage (I used a pair of extra tight socks with the foot cut off. Since your scar is on your thigh, high socks or pantyhose could work. You can even try bicycle shorts under a skirt to keep the pack in place).
My sock method worked quite well most of the time, but not always. Sometimes it would slip downwards. I found it stayed on much better when I wore skinny/tight jeans. So I varied my use depending on my outfits. On my “off” days, I took to rubbing castor oil into my scar directly a few times throughout the day. Because of this, I learned to keep a tiny travel bottle of the stuff in my pocket at all times, so I could apply it on during bathroom breaks at the office.
Anyway, this was what I did and it worked well for me, but I’ve no doubt you can find a method that works best for you too — all it takes is just a bit of creative thinking. 😉
Best of luck!
** You’re very welcome! 😀 **
Lol I have the exact same scar burn in the exact same place on my right leg and yes it was from the boiling exhaust of a motor bike! I thought it was just me and glad to know it isn’t.. Thanks for sharing the info!!
Haha no you’re definitely not alone 🙂 In my case, I made the error of lowering my feet from the footrests to flat on the ground. It was a reflex at the time because I was used to being in front instead of the passenger!
p.s: Feel free to commiserate, we can form the world’s smallest club right here 😀
Hi Samantha,
I was wondering where you bought your castor oil?
Did you buy it from a local Walgreens or CVS?
Because I looked at their individual websites and they both sell castor oil USB 100%
However, the description says “For relief of occasional constipation. This product generally produces bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours.”
I wanted to know if I could buy the oil at a store rather than ordering online.
If you did order yours online, could you tell me where you got it?
Hi Jess, castor oil is also an effective laxative when taken internally. You can use those as well, but look for a brand that says cold-pressed and hexane free on the label (the USP mark doesn’t guarantee that).
Yes, you can buy castor oil in stores. Some specialty health food/alternative health stores should carry castor oil in large bottles. I couldn’t find any where I live, so I buy mine online from iherb.com (the shipping is reasonable). There’s a discount code for it on the top right of this page if you’re interested. But there are also many other websites like Vitacost that sell castor oil online. Amazon should have it too.
Hope that helps.
Your article is inspirational. I think I have some scar tissue from needling (corrective surgery for a skin treatment, I regret both unfortunately). At first I thought it was just skin thickening but from research it seems like it’s scar tissue. I tried castor oil a few months ago but gave up because I thought I was just “wishful thinking”. But I researched it again tonight and your article and success with it really inspired me to try again and to have some hope! So thank you!
Hi Eve, you’re very welcome and best of luck on your own healing journey 🙂
This does look promising. I’ll keep coming back for more.
i read ur story and am really impressed with the results of castor oil.Inspired by ur story want to use black castor oil for my hair,they r really thin.I am 40yrs old.The problem i am facing now is that i cant find black castor oil anywhere where i am staying.I am in botswana(just near south africa).I tried ordering online,jamacian black castor oil but the shipping charges for me r more expensive then the product itself.I dont know how to get this oil now.Would u be kind enough to help me to tell me where else can i find this black castor oil.Thanx a lot in advance.
Sorry neetu, I don’t quite know where you can get black castor oil in Botswana. Maybe someone else will chime in and answer?
i just heard from a dear friend about castor oil, definitely i will be trying this one, as i read from above comments, re – hair i am having hair problems (droping) maybe from menopause, i will be trying this very very soon especially with the coconut oil as said, also trying for the skin rather than buying these expensive face cream, cannot wait to try it. thanks ladies.
I am really glad that someone cared to share their positive experience and teach us. I am sorry that you had some negative comments but don’t be upset since many people are using others commercially for their benefit. I want to tell you that I had a severe allergic reaction on my face and nothing worked from the medications so the doctor wrote me stronger creams and antibiotics. I stopped using all the creams or soaps because my skin was burning like hell. I used olive oil (since I use it for my hair) but it was light. So I shifted to pure Castor oil and that was amazing. The next day all the burning and itchiness was gone. The redness and the appearance was still there but little better. Now my skin is improving and I feel much better. That was weird and I couldn’t believe it since I know all natural remedies take time but in my case I was glade that the burning was gone over the night. Usually I use oils for my hair and I guess now I will use it for my skin too. Thanks again for your kind care to write this article.
Thank you for your kind words, Fahad 🙂 And for sharing your experience. It’s remarkable that it worked so quickly to calm down your skin!
Does anyone know of Castor OIl would help Poison Oak??? I am torm because I know it’s healing but it would also moisturize when I am trying to dry it out.
Anyone know for usre if it does? I have a wicked case of it… and I am MISERABLE right now.
Hi EarthBound Misfit, I’m sorry that no one replied to you yet. How are you feeling now?
It wound up Systemic Poison Oak.. it was in my blood stream. I got it EVERYWHERE. It’s been just awful. The Doc put me on Prednisone… it broke it up within 36 hours. I did try some castor oil after I had been on the steroids for 48 hours. I am just making sure I don’t scar at this point. I still have some itching and lots of redness and only a couple of blisters left, so I am at the end of the road with it I hope. I have read where when people stop the steroid treatments its come back, when it’s been this bad, so I am just crossing my fingers it doesn’t happen to me like that.
Oh dear, sorry to hear that. Here’s hoping for a quick and full recovery.
Hi, EarthBound. So sorry that I missed it when you first posted about your poison oak predicament. There is a natural way to cure poison oak and a myriad of other maladies. It’s called Calcium Bentonite Clay, AKA Montmorillonite Clay and it’s a clay mineral of the Smectite family. It’s 100% natural living clay. It can be taken externally as well as internally and it heals and cures ailments like acne, acid reflux, age spots, allergies, spider bites, bee stings, blisters, etc. Too numerous to list everything here. The only caveat is you must be sure that you have Calcium Bentonite Clay (Montmorillonite) because all clays are not created equal and it must be 100% natural. Go to the website aboutclay.com and you can read all about Bentonite clay. Perry A is the owner of the website and she has written a book called How To Cure 101 Ailments with Calcium Bentonite Clay and she also sells Bentonite Clay as well as other products. I asure you that you’re going to be blwon away when you read about all the ailments Bentonite Clay can cure. I was shocked to learn about the medicinal benefits myself. But it’s very true and Perry A is an expert on the subject. I love her website. It’s full of great information and wonderful products. I purchased a gallon of the powdered clay recently. I made a poultice and used it for my eczema and it’s just about all cleared up now and it’s only been about 3 or 4 days. Trust me when I say you’ll be amazed at what Bentonite Clay can heal and cure and it’s very INEXPENSIVE. Another plus!!
Wow! Thanks for the info!!! I will most certainly look that stuff up!
Thanks for sharing JP. I’m going to be doing some reading on this myself now 🙂
Where i can buy good castor oil?
I’ve been buying mine at health food stores. Whole Foods, Sun Harvest, Central Market and most herbal stores should carry the good stuff. Just make sure it is Hexane free and cold pressed.
nice advices samantha….i use castor oil for my hair and i guess its since 2 weeks i used it….n i evn used d formula of using castor oil on my face for acne…i really wonder if i hve acne or small pimples coz d once which i hve r simply swollen n my forehead is full of it n evn d area near my nose…..i used castor oil which i apply to my hair////n i guess they increased more…..i wntd 2 ask u whether i must use d same oil or somethng diferent…plz do rply….
You should stop if it’s clogging your pores. Is your castor oil hexane-free?
i dnt noe….?????…which 1 shud i use….n unxpected ….i thought u wud rply lately but rather thanx…swthrt
Castor oil that’s not cold-pressed or hexane-free can clog pores.
Do you think this would work on stretchmarks? I have old stretchmarks
from when I was 13.
Hi, this older reply might help you.
thank u so much samantha…:)….
Been reading up on skin tags and using baking soda and castor oil. Has anyone tried this? Does it become itchy and crumbly as it dries? (The paste that is)
hi samantha… i want to try castor oil on my face.since i have many rashes,black spots,acne and itching.but i can’t find cold pressed castor oil anywhere in India.so, please suggest me which castor oil should i use?… please tell fast.my skin is going worse.
Hi, this article has info on where to get castor oil at the bottom.
thanx…..samantha