Emile MackieYou, probably, remember all about the health benefits of castor oil from your childhood, when your grandma used to recommend it for almost anything, from dietary supplements to infected toenails. If you didn’t believe her then, you should start believing her now because the health benefits of castor oil have been proven, and the miraculous substance is here to stay.
What Is Castor Oil?
Despite what many people wrongly believe, castor oil is not made from actual castors. In fact, it’s made from the seeds of the castor oil plant, after they have been pressed and the liquid squeezed out of them. So, where does this name come from in actuality? Its origins are not known, but researchers believe it is, probably, a replacement for the word castoreum. It was a perfume base which people of the olden days used to extract from the beaver’s perineal glands. The Latin word for beaver is castor.
Castor oil, therefore, is a vegetable type of fat, usually in liquid form. It can be either colorless or yellowish as far as color goes. Its main trait is that it has an entirely distinct smell and taste when you first take it. It is categorized under triglycerides, seeing as it is 90 percent fatty matter and its acid chains are ricinolates.
It is mainly used to make soaps, paints, dyes, lubricants, coatings, inks, hydraulic and brake fluids, plastics that are resistant to cold, polishes and waxes, pharmaceuticals, nylon, as well as perfumes.
Health Benefits of Castor Oil
Here are the main benefits of castor oil, broken down into categories, for your consideration.
#1. Health Benefits of Castor Oil for Your Hair
- Castor oil promotes hair growth
You can warm up castor oil very slightly. Be careful not to let it warm up too much because seeing as it is a type of oil, it will burn you. Pour it into your hair and scalp and gently massage it for a few minutes. Seeing as it improves blood circulation at that level, it will also help your hair grow faster. Taking into consideration the fact that it also has a high level of fatty acids of the omega six type, it will provide nourishment for your hair like you’ve never experienced before.
If you wish the castor oil to have a profound effect on your hair, then you can spread it on the length of your locks all the way to the tips, tie your mane in a bun, and leave it in for the night. Remember to cover yourself up with a cap or shower hair protector so as not to mess up your pillows and beddings. You can wash your hair the next day. You might have to do it several times over, as castor oil is tricky to remove when it comes in contact with water.
- Castor oil helps you say goodbye to dandruff
Yet another one of the excellent health benefits of castor oil is the fact that it can help you get rid of dandruff once and for all. Since it has antifungal as well as antibacterial properties, when you massage it into your scalp on a regular basis, it will deter the conditions which lead to the forming of dandruff.
- Castor oil will thicken your hair
A common problem both men and women have when it comes to hair is that it’s too thin. This condition causes it to break. However, if you use castor oil on a regular basis, which means twice or three times every week, it will strengthen your hair better than any other hair-care product available for purchase on the market.
- Castor oil as a conditioner
When it comes to conditioning your hair, you will be happy to find out that you don’t have to spend so much money on specific hair-care products anymore because castor oil is all you need. Mix just a few drops of castor oil with a generic brand of cheap conditioner and apply it evenly to your hair and scalp. After a few regular uses, your tresses will become a lot softer and visibly healthier.
- Castor oil for split ends
When applied directly to the strands of hair, the health benefits of castor oil become prominent. Use a cotton ball dipped in castor oil to apply some of it to your hair ends. You must do this half an hour prior to your shampooing routine every time you decide to wash your hair. Soon enough, you’ll start noticing that your split ends will have disappeared for good.
#2. Health Benefits of Castor Oil for Your Eyelashes and Eyebrows
If you are a person who is a fan of huge, thick eyelashes, and who isn’t, say goodbye to falsies or extensions. Castor oil is all you’ll ever need to get that dreamy look you’ve always wanted. Dip a clean mascara brush in pure castor oil as use it just like you would apply said mascara. Go through this routine every night before you go to sleep and see how they become unrecognizable. Batting your eyelashes at someone has never been easier.
The same applies to your eyebrows. We are now going through the fashion stage in which thick and lustrous eyebrows are all the hype. Gone are the days when we liked them thin and almost invisible. If you want to follow this trend, you can always use castor oil to get them thicker and prettier.
All you need to do is rub a small amount of castor oil into each one of your eyebrows every night before going to bed. Since it stimulates hair growth, as we detailed above, castor oil is also great if you have over plucked your eyebrows or had a minor mishap. Be careful about the amount of castor oil you use. If you put too much in your eyebrows, it might leak into your eyes as you sleep.
#3. Health Benefits of Castor Oil for Your Skin
- Castor oil delays all aging signs
The process is, in fact, relatively simple. The oil seeps deeply into the skin, softening and hydrating it as it makes its way through the layers. It will then support the natural production of collagen and elastin, two compounds which prevent the early appearance of small wrinkles and fine lines. If you don’t have these wrinkles on your face, it will look a lot younger and smoother.
Here are three simple recipes for every skin type, so that you are able to enjoy the health benefits of castor oil for your skin.
- For the dry skin type – add a quarter cup of castor oil to three-quarter cup of sesame oil
- For the normal skin type – add a quarter cup of castor oil to three-quarter cup of grape seed or olive oil.
- For the oily skin type – add a quarter cup of castor oil to three-quarter cup jojoba oil
All you need to do is massage your face with the oil mixes as gently as you can every night before you go to sleep. After the gentle massage, you need to place a warm and damp piece of cloth on your face and let it rest there approximately one minute. When that time has passed, remove all the excess oil using a cotton pad. After the process has ended, your skin will feel amazingly nourished, soft, and hydrated like never before.
- Castor oil as a remedy for dry skin
If you suffer from skin dryness, then castor oil is your friend and ally once more. You need to mix it with a bit of coconut oil. The proportion should be 1:1. Apply this concoction to the area where your skin is driest and allow it to take effect 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse everything off and pat yourself dry. Do not wipe your skin, as that will cause further damage. Patting yourself dry will be sufficient.
If it so happens that the skin on your face is quite dry, here is an excellent mask recipe based on castor oil, of course. Add one teaspoon of castor oil to one egg yolk. Apply this mixture to your face for ten or 15 minutes and then rinse it off until it’s all gone. Your skin and your face will immediately fall in love with this beauty treatment.
- Sunburns are a thing of the past with castor oil
The health benefits of castor oil when it comes to the skin don’t stop here. It’s also a fabulous remedy for severe sunburn if you are unlucky enough to be suffering from this ailment. It has both soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, which means it will calm and heal your bad sunburn.
Mix castor oil and coconut oil in a 1:1 proportion and gently rub it on your affected area. You should soon be feeling the sweet relief.
- Castor oil for your lips
Whether we are men or women, we are all looking for that perfect lip balm which we can use in the cold season as well as in the warm one and which leaves our lips feeling wonderfully hydrated and perfectly plucked up for kissing. If that is your case as well, look no more because castor oil is about to become your best friend for life. Say goodbye to chapped and dry lips for good.
- Health benefits of castor oil for cases of mild acne
Castor oil has a high content of ricinoleic acid, which makes an excellent natural treatment when it comes to mild acne or black spots. Here is what you need to do to be able to enjoy it as a remedy. Wash your face with plenty of warm water. Since the aim is to open up the pores, you can also take a mild steam or a really hot shower for ten minutes. The results will be the same, and you will get to relax as well in the process.
The next step requires you to massage a bit of castor oil into your skin and leave it to rest overnight. Next morning, rinse it all off and watch as your acne clears up in no time. However, an important recommendation here is that if you have severe acne, you should consult your doctor before applying any type of treatment to your face.
- Castor oil beautifies your cracked heels
Since it is absorbed so quickly into the skin, castor oil will make a superb remedy for cracked, dry, and painful heels. Use the oil in abundance to massage the soles of your feet. Be careful because you need to this right before you get into bed. The idea here is for you not to take any more steps afterward because it will wear off the oil.
If you are worried about messing up your sheets, then you can use an old pair of socks to cover your feet. After a few days, you will notice that the skin on your heels is a lot softer and moisturized.
- Make your own hand cream using castor oil
If you mix castor oil with sesame oil in a 1:1 proportion and use it just like you would use your overnight hand cream, you will notice an immediate transformation. Your hands will feel soft and creamy like never before.
- Castor oil for damaged and brittle nails
The solution here is as simple as they get. Pour a little castor oil into your palm every night and gently massage it into your nails. All the cracks will be gone in no time, as well as your usual brittleness. However, you must not be wearing any nail polish, and you must perform this procedure right before going to bed. You cannot wash your hands afterward because it will defeat the purpose.
Other Uses of Castor Oil
Believe it or not, the health benefits of castor oil do not stop with your hair, skin, and nails. Here are some more areas of your body on which you can use it, as well as some other ailments for which it is mildly useful.
- Easing the pain related to arthritis – castor oil has anti-inflammatory properties, which means it can be successfully used to relieve some of the pain one feels when suffering from arthritis.
- Clearing constipation – the effect of castor oil when it comes to bowl movement is extraordinary and incredibly efficacious. Just one teaspoon of the oil in the morning will get your bowels moving again.
- Treating ringworm – castor oil has a molecule termed undecylenic acid. It is considered to be a highly effective treatment for the fungal skin infection known as ringworm. If you want to obtain the best results, make sure you rub it into your skin and leave it overnight to take effect.
- Inducing labor – although it is efficient and it has been used for a very long time as a labor-inducing agent, we do not recommend you take it while still at home. Visit your doctor and see if he agrees with you taking castor oil for this.
Castor Oil can Help Many Diseases and clear up Symptoms
The curious thing is that, when thinking about this remedy, people typically associate it with the best cure for constipation that we have. However, as this long list of health benefits of castor oil goes to prove, there is so much more to this excellent vegetable oil than meets the eye.
Castor Oil has Anti-Inflammatory benefits
Ricinoleic acid is the primary fatty acid found in castor oil that has impressive anti-inflammatory properties.
When castor oil is applied topically, it reduces relieves pain and inflammation.
Castor oil as a gel containing ricinoleic acid led to a significant reduction in pain and inflammation when applied to the skin as compared to other treatment methods.
Castor Oil can help Induce labor because it is a laxative.
It causes spasms in the intestines. This will stimulate your bowels also the vagal nerve.
This irritates the uterus and can make it contract to send a pregnant woman into labor.
But in another more extensive study, there was no induction of labor post the use of castor oil.
May Help Treat Gallstones
Warm up of castor oil packs can help you relieve the pain and inflammation that comes with gallstones.
Placing the warm pack on your abdomen may help.
Check with your doctor before you use castor oil for this purpose.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids cause discomfort and bleeding because veins become swollen in the lowest part of your rectum and anus.
The seeds in castor oil attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties. Always check with your doctorbefore using castor oil.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease in which the tissue usually lining the uterus grows outside of it.
This causes pain and menstrual irregularities.
Massage Castro Oil directly onto the abdomen to relieve pain.
Castor oil pack should be warmed up for this purpose.
Mix the oil with a few drops of a relaxing essential oil (like lavender oil) can help relax the pelvic muscles.
You can only do this before your period starts not during it.
Cloe Ratliff
