| For easy navigation, click on the links below, then the Back button on your browser to return to this list.
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. IÂ 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.
-
-
- The appearance of tiny light dots
-
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.
-
-
- Hair growth (important for regeneration!)
-
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!
how do i keep my skin and hair beautiful in a natural way?i also want my teeth to be white and beautiful too.
After my car accident I had a huge scar on my right shoulder. Even though people really don’t see it and its not visible, I still feel very self conscious about it. I will definitly try castor oil to heal my scar! Thanks.
i have dark skin around my eyes due to long term use of tpoical steroid cream. now i’m in the process of weaning it. can i use castor oil for healing my skin now?
Yes, you can use castor oil for steroid skin damage. It’s not a quick fix, but consistent use over several months should heal and strengthen the skin around your eyes.
I got i question, i been using it for just couple weeks every night, i start few months ago but i use it like 10 times, i noticed my scar got a little darker, with tiny like white dots, or locuras than the scar, because my scar is just hyperpigmentation, i use sunscreen on te scar and i dont even use short. Is this normal get a little darker?
I don’t remember my scar looking darker, but there were lightish dots. Maybe it’s the color contrast that makes your scar appear darker?
That’s what I was thinking, because I can see the inside of the scar with the dots all over, so maybe, hopefully works for me too! Thanks for ur post again!!!
Yes, the dots may be tiny, but they’re a good sign (at least they were for me), so I’m very hopeful that your skin is on the right track. Good luck Yairis!
Thanks yew Samantha, i’ll try this out on my feet, where i have a scar since 10 years and it looks to ugly :S Thanks once again 🙂
I had a quarter sized wart removed from my scalp and there is no hair where the wart grew. Can castor oil return hair to this bald spot?
Yes, I think it’s possible. The depression in the skin (if any) will need to fill in first though.
I had a motorcycle burn from the exhaust pipe once. I put aloe on it and vitamin E, kept it covered then put vasoline on it daily for weeks, it went mostly away in about 3 months. It left a small brown scar, but I kept at it until it was gone. That was in the 80s, my sister-law got burned on the same motorcycle exhaust pipe and the same leg. I told her what to do, she didn’t listen and now to this day has a scar, mine is gone and it was big. I remember showing the nurse my scar 3 weeks after I got it. She went screaming out the room to get the doctor, gee I thought maybe I was going to die or something, but she was shocked at how well it healed in just weeks. Go figure.
Hi Sky, thanks so much for sharing that.
I’ve commented a few times that it may not be the type of oil that matters so much in fading scars, but persistent applications, so it’s great to get confirmation from someone else.
Hi I’m interested in your scar removal. Did you put all three, the aloe, vitamin e, and vaseline on at the same time? Or did you use the first two only and then later switched to just using the Vaseline? Thank you very much as I am depressed over old scars and need help removing them.
could you please go into more detail as to how to apply the vitamin e and aloe vera? Do you apply them at the same time? How many times a day? Which goes on first? etc. Thanks so much.
Hi!
I’m writing a book, and writing a section on scars. I know about castor oil (I’ve recommended it before for pelvic issues) but wanted more information on scars. This information is great! Could you contact me? … Would you mind if I used the information and pictures in the appendix of my book as an illustration on castor oil?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Hi Caroline, I’d be happy to help, but could you drop me an email at sam [at] skinverse [dot] com, so I can get a few more details? Thanks!
Hi I was wondering what would be an affective remedy to stretch marks? I’ve had them for 3 1/2 years now. Mostly on my stomach,butt area and the back of my legs. Also something to prevent new ones forming.
Thank you.
Hi Jasmin
This older reply might be helpful to you.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Hi! thanks for the article it was very interesting 🙂 I recently purchased some castor oil to help treat my acne. Now that I know it can heal scars, can it also fade my acne scars? I have a lot of dark-red-ish spots ALL OVER my face left over from past breakouts. I was wondering…if I massage the castor oil over the scars, will they fade as well? i’ve been applying castor oil all over my face for the past couple of months now but I’m not seeing much fading action 😛 Is there something I’m doing wrong? Thanks!!
Hi elena
You’re very welcome, and I’m really not sure how to answer your question.
Everyone’s scars and skin are different, so we would heal differently. Speaking of which, our bodies and rates of healing are also different. I generally have a very healthy diet (most of the time!), lifestyle, and outlook on life (you’d be surprised how much our mind and emotions play a part in our healing or non-healing)… and I’ve noticed that any cuts or bruises I get tend to heal really rapidly. This probably had a part to play in my scar healing then as well. Our skin grows from the inside out, so our overall physical, mental, and emotional health would matter greatly.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is the article only describes my own personal experience, so don’t worry if you’re not seeing the same exact changes at the same exact pace with castor oil on your acne scars. There might be changes that are unique to you.
And please don’t take offense at this—as I really don’t want to offend you in any way!—but generally speaking, acne is usually a symptom of something else going on. Our skin is an excretory organ, but our bodies only uses skin eruptions (eg acne) to expel toxins when our primary excretory organs (liver, bowels, kidneys, etc) aren’t able to work optimally or are hindered in some way. Of course, there could be other reasons for acne as well (like hormones and certain medication) and I totally don’t know your situation, but I thought this might be helpful to share as well.
wow, this is so interesting, for a while last year i was using castor oil for weightloss is was weird, i started rubbing it on my abdomen as people say it is good for detoxification and then i noticed that wherever i rubbed it, the area would feel slimmer and more supple. sometimes i rubbed it over my whole body, boy did it stink though. yuck
so i thought, this castor oil is like a miracle, and why haven’t i heard of it, i googled it and some good stuff came up but finding your site verifies for me that castor oil is a real healer as i had thought.
Thanks for sharing lizzy!
Hi there!
Your story is truly inspiring. I have a scar from my tattoo removal. Do you think castor oil can help with it? Also, it’s on my back so I believe that using castor oil packs will be easy for me. Would the healing process speed up if I only used a castor oil pack throughout the day and did not massage the oil into the skin with my bare hands? Also, would you suggest using heating pads? Did you use heating pads on your scar? Thank you so much. Your story was amazing. I hope this works for me.
You’re very welcome, and I don’t see why castor oil can’t help your scar as well. A castor oil pack should be sufficiently healing without an accompanying massage. Your skin will absorb it throughout the day, which is quite good and intensive as it is.
I didn’t use any heat when treating my scar. But if it’s convenient for you, applying external heat should help speed up healing as the oil can more deeply penetrate faster. It’ll also boost circulation, which is always good.
Best of luck, determinator!
Hi Thanks so much for sharing your story!! If you will permit – this is going to be long. but I am desperate for help.
I have an unusual skin disorder. I am extremely photosensitive to any type of light – indoor or sun. If I don’t have makeup on, my skin will start burining after about 1/2 hr. I can’t use sunscreen as it burns my face even more.
About 10 years ago, I was doing AHA acids to exfoliate. One weekend I had to work a 10 hour outdoor event in the hot sun for 2 days. I slathered on spf 50 thinking this would help – the next day my skin was pure leather, red, painful, like I had a chemical and sun burn really really bad. It healed okay, but from that point on, I have been super hypersensitive to any light source on my face.
A few weeks after the event above, I didn’t know my damage was so bad because my outward skin seemed to heal okay, so I waited a few weeks and started doing anti-aging type creams, some AHA, but not a whole lot, mainly Vitamin C serums, light exfoliators. It was okay for while and then about a year later, my skin would mysteriously start burning after about an hour in front of a computer monitor. Over the years, it included TVs, cell phones, anything that emitted light.
It got so bad, all I could use was vitamin e oil, but after a time, I couldn’t use that either. I coudl use nothing but pure mineral makeup to protect my skin.
Its like I had no barrier on my skin anymore but it looked liek normal skin.
So I didn’t moisturize for years only used mineral makeup. This was fine for a while until I got older and my skin started drying out big time. Mind you the mineral makeup only protects me for so long. My face still burns but not as bad as if I didn’t have it on.
Here’s my thought and question – looking at your photos what happened to your skin (a serious burn) probably meant that you lost your skin barrier as well. Was your leg extrememly photosensitive as well as seneitive to anything you put on it before the castor oil?
Did the castor oil in your opinion rebuild your skin tissue and your skin barrier that protects your skin tissue? I really need a solution as I can’t function now like a normal person because I’m always avoiding direct light.
My entire family and coworkers think I’m crazy because I have to sit so far from computer and TVs just to watch them as well as have them turned down to almost black. As a result I’m losing my eyesight now too.
I’ve been to several derms they haven’t helped much. I have used every type of natural oil out there. I can only use them at night as during the day if I have them on under my makeup even a light coat – my face will burn like crazy in the light. It’s soooooo weird and debilitating.
And I have really bad melasma patches on my cheeks now.
Please help!!!
Hi Marie,
I’m very sorry to hear about your condition. Right after my accident, the burned skin was extremely photosensitive. In fact, I didn’t protect it well enough in sunlight, which is probably why it got so deeply hyper-pigmented. But after my skin had hyperpigmented, it wasn’t photosensitive anymore. I think the injured area had all the melanin it needed to protect itself by then.
To answer your question, before I tried castor oil, I tried weak acids (lactic acid, which is supposed to be safer for olive skin tones) and hydroquinone (not at the same time). Eventhough they were supposed to be rather gentle, they stung and my skin didn’t like them. So I think you’re right in that my injury had made the skin there much more sensitive and vulnerable.
I’m positive castor oil has rebuilt my skin layers. The deeply-injured skin is completely normal, healthy and plump now, just like the rest of the skin on my calf.
I don’t know anything about your condition, but it sounds like you should avoid all chemicals. If store-bought sunscreen is no good, have you considered making your own by using pure zinc oxide and a natural base oil? This would be free of chemicals and preservatives. Normal zinc oxide (avoid the newer nano zinc oxide as this can irritate) will lead to some pasty whiteness, but if you’ll be using mineral makeup over, it shouldn’t matter.
I don’t like sunscreen myself either so I actually use the gentlest sunblock I could find — believe it or not, this turned out to be a baby diaper rash cream that uses natural ingredients. All I cared about was that it was mostly natural ingredients and contained 40% zinc oxide, which worked marvelously as a sunblock.
And here’s an article about melasma that might interest you.
I hope all these helps you a bit or at least gives you some ideas to go on.
Hello! I was wondering if castor oil will have as great of an impact on scars on individuals with African American skin? My scars appear somewhat hypertrophc in that the outside of the scar is extremely dark in comparison to my brown skin tone while the inside has a somewhat white/light brown pigment. Thank you so much for your story. You are amazing!
Hi mimi, you’re very welcome 🙂 And I don’t see why castor oil wouldn’t work on black skin as well. My dermal (deep) hyperpigmentation was also very dark compared to the rest of my skin.
I’ve also been rubbing castor oil on an ancient hypertrophic scar on my elbow for some time now, and it’s softened and flattened quite a bit.
Hi! I have this big keloid on my arm due to a surgery. Actually there was a small keloid at first left by a vaccine. Then I had it removed 15 years ago. Now the keloid is getting bigger, and the worse is it is itchy around the keloid area. I had bought castor oil already but haven’t applied it yet. Can it still be removed considering that the keloid is old and big? Thanks!
Hi Crescia, I think it can help with time and patience. You might also find this other article helpful as well (someone reported results on her keloid using castor oil) –> Keloid treatments and home remedies
Hello, i’ve had a keloid on my chest for the past 15yrs or so. I’ve tried all sorts to no avail. I started using castor oil about four months. At night, i would soak cotton wool in the oil and apply it on the keoid. It helps to subdue the pain but the keloid has not reduced. What am i doing wrong? Pls reply.
Hi ify, I don’t think you’re doing anything “wrong”. The fact that the pain is subdued is an excellent sign that it’s doing something to your keloid scar.
A scar can be a complicated thing, bundles of nerves wrapped and knotted in hard tissue. I’ve noticed that healing will usually happen in stages, and in reverse. The healing of irritated nerves might just the first step for you. I’ve got an ancient raised scar on my elbow (about 20 years old) which I’ve been treating with castor oil for many months now, and it’s transformed and literally changed shapes as it flattens and softens.
You might also get more help by posting here >> Keloid Treatments and Home Remedies
Hi. i was wondering if castor oil can also help with existing stretchmarks..
Yes they can if you apply on regular basis at-least twice a day and should first clean yourself before applying the oil.
Hi, this seems to work! it appears that you found a very effective method of application, at least in your case.
You mention that you took regular breaks from usage and that you believe this assisted the healing process. Can you please clarify more precisely how long your ‘on’ periods were i.e the periods you were actually applying the oil. If I am correct your ‘off’ periods were a 1 week to 2 weeks?
Also how much oil per application did you use and on average how many times per day – 3,4 times ?
many thanks if you can answer this!
Hi Frank
Yes, as I already stated in the article, my breaks were 1-2 weeks.
When I applied the packs at night, I soaked the cloth with oil. When I rubbed it in during the day, I would use only a drop or two, just enough for my skin to absorb but not enough for the oil to stain my pants (for purely practical reasons).
Hope that helps.
ok thanks Samantha. I may not have been that clear – The main thing I wanted to know how many days your ‘on’ periods were on average? i.e. the period you were applying the oil
know this may be hard for you in hindsight as it may have varied, but just want to mimic treatment as closely to yours because it appears to be working for my dermatitis/itchy dry skin – the only thing that has so far, fortunate to come across your account!
thanks
Hi Frank,
Sorry for the late reply, I just saw this.
Yes, my ‘on’ periods varied. In the first few months, they were longer at around a few weeks to a month or more (if memory serves me correctly!), but they progressively got shorter towards the end.
Sometimes my ‘on’ periods during the later part were as short as 1 week. Over time, the temporary skin looseness I got came about more easily/quickly. I don’t know why this happens, but I just adjusted my on/off schedule accordingly to be safe.
I’m very glad to hear it’s helping your dermatitis. How is it now, if you don’t mind me asking?
Sam
Hi again, thanks for clarifying that. My dry itchy skin skin condition has improved quite a bit over 5 months so far ( much less itching, skin seems to be normalising). It is on the scalp so i have been cautious as not to apply too much oil, in fear that it will clog follicles etc, however, in view of the positive results I have had, I have recently started doing the castor oil dressing( with gauze and cling film with air holes, wrapped up with bandana (not too tight) ) at night and after first few days, it seems to be ok. I am hoping that the castor oil will somehow counteract hair thinning due to the dermatitis, along the same lines as you saw with your scar regeneration, but we will see!
Out of curiosity, did you wash your scar with soap everyday? Reason I ask is that I am not sure how regularly to shampoo?
many thanks
Does caster oil work for old raised keloidal scars
Yes it works if you apply per manufacturer instruction.
dear Samantha,I JUST LOVE YOU.
You are unheard of.soooo helpful & giving.
wish you the best
Thank you + much love back, my dear Fedra!
Sorry it’s taken me so long to actually do this but I am now on day 3 of removing my skin tags. I have about a dozen of them on my neck that snag on threads in my clothes and pull and just plain hurt when snaged and look yucky!
Here is what I am doing:
In a small Tupperware container (the size you put a single serving of salad dressing in) I mixed a small amount of Cold Pressed Hexane Free Cator Oil and baking soda. I just kept adding small amounts of the baking soda until it was pastey. I had to play with it for a while because the 1st day I thought it was thick enough but as it sat on my skin it warmed up the mixture ran down my neck. So I added more and will still most likely add more tonight. Still a tad runny but stays on the tags.
I have applied it each morning for 30 minutes and each night for 30 to 45 minutes. When I clean my neck afterwards I use hot water and soap. I keep the mixture in the container with the lid sealed on well on my bathroom counter. (Anyone know if I should be keeping it in the refrigerator?)
So far what I am seeing:
As I clean my neck the tags seem to be a bit more sensitive. Nothing major just feels like I am rubbing sandpaper on my neck. This mornig after my neck had time to calm down from washing it the tags seem to be a bit more visible. I think they may be a tad darker more red as opposed to brown or normal fleshy colored. Usually they are my flesh colored excpet for a couple that are more mole like and brown. I also think I am seeing more of them. Almost like they are tiny ones that had not surfaced yet but are being pulled through by the mixture. Either that or I just never noticed them before because they are so small.
That’s all I have for now… I will keep you posted every few days. I am told it takes 2 to 3 weeks to complete the process.
Well.. I am on day 7 now and 2 tags have already come off and the others look reduced which is weird cuz the ones that came off protruded more in the end and fell off. I really didn’t think it would work this quickly but I am very excited it did!
The first one fell off yesterday morning at work. I have a tendancy to mess with them now I guess because I am anxious for them to come off. The 2nd one fell off last night after my evening application. I was washing my neck and one looked really dark, almost black. I went to rub it and it just fell off.
Right now they are leaving a tiny red dot and still a very slight raise in skin almost like a scar…. so I am continuing to rub those areas to see that will receed as well.
I’ll continue to keep you posted for those reading this.
Wow… that’s really quick progress. 🙂 Looking forward to hearing more updates from you.
I am on day 10 now. (Keep in mind most of the tags are barely larger than the head of a pimple, should have clarified that before)
All but 2 tags have fallen off now and one that is more of a mole type tag. Dark brown head with a skinny neck like tags have. What is left from the tags that have fallen off are tiny red dots that are slightly raised like a tiny scar. I am going to continue applying on everything and see if I can get the red things gone.
But all in all if you were to look at my neck now compared to what it was its a HUGE difference.
I’ll let you know when the mole thingy comes off. I think this one is going to be far more stuburn. I am going to buy some bandaids today and start leaving the application on longer and covering with a bandaid and see if that helps move things along.
OK.. day 20. I am down to 1 skin tag and the mole still. The little red bumps from the other tags are flush with my skin now with a faint red dot. Seems to have slowed down a bit but I have forgotten to do it a few times. I have to pick up more oil today.
Day 24… the last skin tag has FINALLY come off. I think the new castor oil and Baking soda did the trick. Still have the mole left and have not heard of anyonre actually removing it with this mixture but I am going to give it another 2 weeks of application and see what happens.
Awesome… Thanks for the update!
HI samantha! I’ve mentioned to you of combining ACV and castor oil. I’ve noticed that when I applied ACV, the keloid seemed to swell and hardened. If I put it there a little longer, it scarred and scabbed. And so I stopped applying it and continue with the castor oil for 1 week. With the castor oil, I’ve observed that it flattened and get smoothened. But then I tried to apply the ACV again (‘cos what I bought was a big bottle and a waste if I won’t use it), same thing happened that it looked like it get swollen. What will I do? Shall I continue applying ACV? Thanks a lot!
Hi Crescia, I think it’s probably best to use what works for your skin/scar. Not all the remedies will work well for everyone, so some degree of experimentation is needed to find a good one.
ACV can be harsh and acts more like an “agitator”—this can be good for some scars by aiding in its breakdown, but in other scars, all the extra activity may not be so helpful. It sounds like your scar is responding better to a “gentler and deeper” treatment via castor oil now.
Hope that helps.
Hey I just wanted to say that God bless you for posting this– I actually decided to begin an “experiment” with a castor oil pack on a laser tat removal I have which is hypopigmentated (if that’s even a word) because of my skin color (I’m African American). The doctor told me to use cocoa butter– but I just believe castor oil is more effective to be honest. I have just been keeping it wrapped (even at work) for a couple days, and letting it breathe for a day or two. I think I’ll try your method instead.. it makes a lot more sense! I just decided to google to see if anyone had any sucess stories, and I found yours! So, thanks again!
You’re very welcome, Aya 🙂
If you’re treating only hypo-pigmented skin, you might want to do a search on the benefits of ginger slices on hypopigmentation. It’s traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that might help move things along for you (just a warning that ginger would burn a little when applied!).
Oh wow! Thanks so much for the heads up! I will definitely look into that! 🙂
will any castor oil mixtures work on old stretch marks? i used to be like 110lb when i was in middle school and buffed up for high school when i got accepted onto the football team. not i have stretch marks on my hip areas. im about 160lb now. there isnt really a lot of fat im just much much larger all the way around. this also happened when i started working out my upper legs. the more muscle, the uglier my skin got. any ideas on how this oil or what could work?
Yes, it’s possible castor oil may work on old stretch marks over time as they are a form of scar tissue. It’s not a quick fix though.
do you know of anything that would be a faster fix? there are so many old wives tales.
If it’s cellulite and not just stretch marks, painting iodine tincture might help speed things up.
This older comment might interest you (be sure to scroll down the thread).
there isnt any cellulite there. like i said im very in shape. its not fat that has made my skin stretch. the muscles on my legs have grown quite a bit and i guess just when too fast. but ty for the insight. i will keep on searching into the methods posted about here.
I had larger strech mask in my arm icant wear even a short sleave shirt or dress im always wear long sleave need help plz
Hiii thank u for ur post i had a brown spots on my cheeks and I’ve tried many things like retain-A and hydroquinon and no result and many treatment like Trio-E
also doesn’t work for me i decided to use Castor oil today i will keep telling you my progress i hope that my dark spots fade away it’s make me fel so bad really wish me luck and thanx again . “my spot are from sun “
plz answer me soon :))
Thanx
hey just wanted to add that my mother had that on her cheeks and was told that it was from an estrogen imbalance. She does eat alot of soy products. Just FYI for you.
soy product ? like soy milk ? plz tell me if her spots fade away ! thanx a lot for ur response i hope it works for me but does soy product have a side effect for pregnant women ? i’m trying to get pregnant 🙂
Dear Samantha why u r not answering me plz
There appears to be no question in your original comment at the top… So I don’t know what answer you’re looking for exactly.
If you mean the question about soy milk below it, you’ll need to wait for Anonymous to reply, I’m afraid.
i start using Castor oil 1 week ago and i feel like it’s fading away not that much but i will keep using it onmy brown spot that on my cheeks the Q was ! is it good for sun spots the brown one???
. Thanx a lot dear 🙂 i will keep posting my progress i hope it’s working for me wish me luck
Yes, it can work on age spots. If you care to read it, this is already mentioned in this article here.
Thanx dear Samantha … this is my 3rd week using Castor oil i feel that my skin is better than b4 but still have the brown spots i wll keep using it until it fade away …
I am starting to have the lines around the mouth, I am starting to put castor oil mixed with almond oil as I also have dry skin (which i believe is the reason for the mouth wrinkles). I wanted to know how you have applied the oil on your face (i would not prefer that “loosening” effect on my face! lol). But did you just apply it regularly like at night? once a day everyday?! thanks i would appreciate it
Hi,
i have asian skin, got dermabrasion done 3years back which ruined my skin. the texture of my skin is ruined with enlarged pores wrinkles and sagging skin, discoloration. do you think castor oil can work? if yes would it be permanent cure?
Hi 🙂
Thank u so much for sharing 🙂
I will def start.
I am going to try the castor oil and make comments. Thanks a lot.
Hi
I have a keloid over my left eyebrow which followed an accident 4 years ago. Can I use castor oil to fix it and have my skin flat again, and what do u mean by cold compressed castor oil?
Thanks
Yeah i had keloid removal surgery for the 3rd time last year and so far it has been great but lately i’ve been seeing something like a blister forming in the place where the scare was and its scaring me because im so afraid of getting it cut off again and i can’t go through it again. Somebody please tell me what can help. Thanks
Go and get a skin therapy like E-Sil scar therapy solution. Follow the direction. You will have to massage the area it’s growing a lot. Carry the tube with you so you can massage it throughout the day. Use the silicon pad too. Put pressure on the silicon pad every once in a while. Leave it on and press it every once in a while alway using the solution. You can get the solution at Walmart and other drugs store. I had a keloid that was developing on my shoulder and this got rid of it completely.
I’m using the rubber band method to revome a keloid on my right earlobe..it hurts!!!its been two days,but it seems to be shrinking and coming off..but I was wondering if it would be safe to use castor oil on it once the keloid falls off,to remove the remaining scar??
Yes, castor oil is safe to use.
thanks very much! Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise (certainly a blessing for internet users) that you didn’t talk to her about the scar. Which leads you to get motivated in posting this very very helpful post. If heavens will it, it is easy for the powers that be to guide her and see this article for herself!
God bless you always. 🙂
What a lovely thought — thank you! 🙂
Im still suffering from this marks on my face, because Im bleaching my skin. Asking whether I can start using castor oil.
Best wishes
Hi, Thank you so much for posting this. I have a motorcycle pipe burn as well on my calf muscle. I got it the same year. This guy was parking his bike as I stepped back. I knew to stay away from pipes, but it was just one of those unfortunate accidents. My burn is smooth to the touch and almost like my other skin in texture, but it is darker with hyper pigmentation. If you asked me in the past what my best feature was, I would have said my smooth LEGS and I’m a pretty cute person. 🙂 I cried a little, but I thought easy come, easy go. I still love my legs, but I hate putting make up on it when I wear dresses and shorts. Hopefully one day there will be a permanent cure. I am so THANKFUL you posted this. I was meant to stumble upon this, and I could have been that person in line! God Bless you for sharing!
Hi Jolie, you’re very welcome. Comments like yours make me really glad I decided to write this.
And thanks for sharing your story. I understand how you feel cos it was hard for me too sometimes. And I remember feeling bad for feeling bad because I thought I was just being vain and shallow etc. But the truth is, even though it was really only a cosmetic injury, doesn’t really make it any less difficult to deal with.
All the best if you decide to try castor oil on your burn 🙂
I agree with you, Samantha, about feeling reluctant to share your experiences; I, too, have experienced my own ‘cures’ using Castor Oil, but have also experienced the resulting ridicule after excitedly trying to talk tell people about it.
I do know this: it’s not called ‘Palma Christi’ for nothing (meaning ‘Palm’ or ‘Hand of Christ’, because of it’s miraculous healing powers).
Some things are better kept to ourselves – let the doubters discover it for themselves when they find themselves in need, as we’ve done.
Good luck to you 🙂
Thanks Morgana 🙂
Ya.. I’ve had my share of doubtful faces. I’ve used it for 2 things now. 1) extreme internal scar tissue. I had had surgery 2 years prior for Endomitriosis. I started having severe pains again (DAILY doses of Percocet, darvocet, vicodin and Flexoril) and had a laporoscopy. The scar tissue was so dense they had difficulty locating my ovaries. Took about a year of nightly packs but I am now 100% pain free. I don’t even get menstral cramps anymore and I used to have debilitating pain since I was a teenager. 2) I recently removed 11 skin tags from my neck. Took just under 4 weeks.
The skin tags I had witnesses at work during the entire process though. But the internal cures, I don’t think they believe me on that one. Oh well.. their loss.
Hi!
Thanks so much for posting your story, you’ve given me so much hope. I’m using castor oil my face right now to treat some scars I sustained from a bad reaction to electrolysis. I’ve got red marks and ridges/enlarged pores/intentations/wrinkles (yes, a combination of all of that!) along my upper lip and between my brows.
I was wondering if you’ve used castor oil for anything else, and if so, would you be comfortable sharing anything else you’ve seen/learned?
I also wanted to ask about the burn scar on your leg: after you stopped applying the castor oil, did it continue to stay relatively healed? Or did the indentation return, and the new hairs go away?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Melody, sorry I somehow missed your comment!
This is a very late reply, but my scar healing was/is permanent. It’s true cellular healing (not a quick fix), with no regression at all after I stopped applying castor oil.
hi iam of african descent and i have been looking for something for i had psoriasis that leave tiny dark spots all over my body im going to try this. thank you for sharing this i have been looking everywhere for something
Ashley, I’m an African American too. The castor oil did not work for me. It made my hyperpigmentation darker, but I am trying every home remedy in the book and the only thing that is working for me so far is lemon juice and baking soda. Today, I am trying plain yogurt, honey, nutmeg, brown sugar, and oatmeal. Aloe vera gel works well too. I am determined to make this work. Please let me know what works for you. I just want my even pretty skin tone back. Please keep me updated on what works for you!!!! I would love to give you my e-mail, but I want to make sure you get this message. I am not sure if it will post if I include my e-mail, but we need to work together for the best results. I read goat milk and turmeric works too. I’ve bought every cream in the book that includes ingredients that work in the articles that I’ve read. I can’t put a price on beauty and even toned skin. I am determined and I will find a solution. I will keep you posted for sure!
How has that concoction worked for you? You also mentioned your use of lemon juice? How did that go? Thanks!
Hi there, I’m going to start using castor oil for my scar.
Do you know a method which could speed up the whole process?
Best regards
Hi. I’m African american as well do I’m looking for something to lighten up my darkened skin. Let me know how jt goes! Thanks.
I’m african american and i know we have a hard time finding some things that work, especially since despite our common race our skin type can still be completely different. Now with that being said, I don’t know what type of skin you all have but for me, I have been using Palmers Cocoa Butter since I was in middle school for my skin. It has never failed me! My skin is firm, even, and the 3rd degree burn that I had gotten, from when I spilled hot out the micowave cup of noodles on my inner thigh, has since then gone unoticeable! I don’t remember how long it took for the results to happen I just know that it took less than 9 months because I like so many have little patience for results. LOL The fact that I was able to wait tells me that it had to have happened fairly quickly for me to continue using the product. If I was a celebrity I would firmly endorce Palmers products…especially the Cocoa butter. I still use and it never fails me. Not to meantion it leaves your skin smooth.
Hey do you have any pics of your inner thigh mark. I just can’t believe you used Cocoa Butter
That would have been a good thing to do considering that I was watching for results but I unfortunately don’t have any pictures for you. I’m telling you though…for me and my skin it worked. As I sit here looking at my thigh now the only way you would notice the scar is if you studied it otherwise it’s so close to my natural color it looks like nothing is there. I’l try to describe…I had three scars in a row side by side that stretched 3 1/2 inches each across my thigh. Each one of them were dark chocolate brown like the color of most peoples eyes or a mahogany brown would be of better description. It was most definately a 3rd degree burn and I thought that the scar would be permanent because you know with noodles being starchy I couldn’t get them off my leg quick enough to avoid being scared! Then fortunately, I had already been using Palmers anyway on my face just because I liked it but I noticed that it smoothed scars as well so I started using it on my thigh. I would say…based off of my impatience to wait, it had to have taken no longer than a month or two if that before I started to notice the scar was disapearing! There’s no harm in trying it and it’s inexpensive. If Palmers doesn’t work my sister likes to use the Coa Coa butter stick( not the palmers product but “Helen”) and that works for her.Hope I help you.
Good Morning, I am African and have been using Castor Oil on my strech marks left over from my delivery of two beautiful kids. I have strech marks on my stomach and sides and also have strech marks on my chest from growing two fast when I was a teenager. Anyway long story short IT WORKS…My strech marks are fading I have only done it for six weeks and there is noticeable treatment. Before that I used Cocoal butter from primary school, high school and over to university and it did help but while pregnant I still developed Strech marks now I am hooked on castor Oil. Thanks for sharing all this information. I mix mine with Coconut oil and shea butter and put it all over my body. Then on my stomach, breasts and sides I put Castor oil alone with no mix of carrier oils and its working. Am so so glad. Its also fantastic for growing hair. I use it on my hair line which I had lost due to braiding smaill extensions…And in the last six weeks I finally have hair…Hail Castor Oil.
Castor oil in your hair…there are so many things out there how do you pick. LOL I might consider trying that one. Sounds good.
Am serious Bianca, it works…. My hair is growing back thicker than before 🙂
Hi Imelda
Just wondering what the effect is on your stretch marks with castor oil.. is it making them lighter or making your skin tone even? I want to try this method but i hope it doesn’t make the marks lighter as I have wheatish skin.. Also how are you applying it and how often?? Thanks!
I am 24yrs, and am writing from Ghana. I have this African chocolate skin. My scars are dark and numerous, on especially on my legs. How can i get access to this castor oil. Pls kindly help me bcos it is diminishing my respect among my peers. Please i need ur help.
Hi Aminatu – see ‘Where to buy castor oil‘.
Hi, i’m alvin and i’m african. Umm, i hav keloids on 1/2 part of my face and i’m gonna try using this castor oil on them to see if it will make them disappear. I really really hope it works, i’m tired of people staring at me. Thanks so much for this page.
What can i use for beautiful even tone skin?and stretch marks?
Do you think this would work for severe acne scarring?
please am writing from Nigeria,am 22yrs female,my case is as that of Aminatu,hw can i get the castor oil,