Castor Oil… Worth All the Hype?
There has certainly been a huge amount of coverage in the media recently, promising incredible, often miraculous results, when using castor oil. Last year, I was fortunate enough to visit The Rain Forest, and I spoke to a plant expert who told me locals used castor oil for many common ailments from tummy upsets, toe fungus, wrinkles, hair and nails, joint pain, age spots, aches and many more.
My Very Unscientific Trial
So, I thought I would give it ago for a few months and see if I noticed any benefits. This is a very unscientific trial, and I would suggest doing your own if you are interested in using castor oil.
Skin
I have very dry skin and while that was wonderful as a teenager (no spots!), it is not quite so good as you age. I was not really concerned about wrinkles, more about the texture and feel. I used cold pressed, hexane free (I was told this was the best) castor oil in the morning and at night on my face.
It is a very heavy oil, and quite sticky, and some people choose to add a lighter carrier oil, but I just used it straight from the bottle. After just one month, I could see and feel a difference in the texture, but no difference to my age spots.
By the end of three months, my skin was much softer, the texture improved and I think the age spots (I only have two tiny ones) did seem to be a little lighter.
Hair and Nails
Like my skin, my hair tends to be a little dry and can be frizzy in damp weather. I used castor oil once a week on my hair, massaging a tiny amount into my scalp and spreading it down through my hair.
It does need a lot of washing out, but my hair texture has really improved. As an added bonus, on frizzy hair days, the teeniest amount on the ends made a huge difference.
However, the best result for me was my finger nails. Again, they tend to be a little dry, especially as I have aged. For the last 10 or so years, a split has occurred on one of my thumb nails about half way down and nothing I have done has helped.
Generally, this would happen every month as the nail grew in length, but since daily application of castor oil this has not happened once!
Joints
There have been some amazing claims for castor oil in respect of joint pain, especially arthritis. This is something I have been a little skeptical about, but I have to say my joints do feel easier, though I am guessing this is more of a long-term thing.
I rubbed neat oil into my knee and wrist (where I have arthritis) about twice a week. I think I am going to increase that to every day for the next month or so, and see if the improvement continues.
More Un-Scientific Trials Needed
I would say that some of the claims may be a little overenthusiastic, but for a product that is quite inexpensive, natural and has been around for thousands of years, it will always have a place in my bathroom cabinet. I am looking forward to a few more unscientific trials to see what else works for me!
Also read, Do You Show Special Attention to the Delicate Skin Around Your Eyes?
Please Join the Conversation:
Have you used castor oil? What did you use it for? Did you have improvements? Is there some cosmetics product you have tried and what is your unscientific conclusion?
Tags Mature Skin Care
I’d wondered if castor oil is beneficial as I’ve seen quite a few posts about it recently, so thanks for telling us your results. What is neat oil that you mentioned you rub into your joints?
I was assuming that it meant “neat” as with a drink, “neat scotch” is just plain, no water, nothing else in it. I wonder if I’ve got that right nor not?
Ahhh, I bet you’re right, Liz, thanks!
Hi Liz, thank you, that’s exactly what I meant! Lily x
Castor oil is a carrier oil. It should be mixed with another oil for using on yiur face. It should only be bought in a glass bottle and cold pressed. It’s excellent for the face when used correctly.
Castor oil is considered a carrier oil meaning it is safe to mix with stronger oils but there is no harm in applying it directly to the skin
Thanks for joining the conversation. Yes you can use it neat or mix with others Lily x
Could you tell us the brand you used for each part of your body? Thank you.
Natural Riches is a good brand. It’s in a glass bottle and is cold pressed.
The one I used is Botanic Hearth which is organic, hexane free, cold pressed. Most of the time I use it neat but sometimes add almond oil if I am going out and do not want it to be so thick. Lily x
Interested in the use of castor oil for nails. My nails suffered when I had chemotherapy 18 years ago and ever since the one on my ring finger has started to split vertically down the middle once it gets to a certain length. This means I have to keep it trimmed to as short a length as possible. I have tried all sorts of nail strengthening remedies over the years, none have worked so I will give this a try as the rest of my nails tend to flake.
Thanks for this tip, castor oil is not something I would have thought of as I associate it with parents giving it to keep children regular many years ago :)
Hi Linda, thanks for joining in. I really hope it helps! Lily x
Interesting article, thank you.
Hi Jeanieh. Thank you for your lovely comment! Lily x