10 Everyday Castor Oil Uses

Grandma was right all along.

All of us remember at least one old dear from our childhood who insisted that castor oil was the solution to all of life’s problems.

But it looks like these weren’t old wives’ tales, as modern-day health and beauty experts are now clambering over each other to preach the gospel of the castor oil remedy.

Here are just of the many benefits of castor oil.

1. Skin problems: If something is affecting your skin then applying castor oil could help, whether it’s sunburn, acne or athlete’s foot. Just dip a cotton wool ball in the oil and leave it on for an hour before washing off.
2. Wrinkles: This is a relatively new one (and probably could have helped granny if she knew). Castor oil enables the production of collagen, which we all know softens and hydrate our skin. Perfect for those annoying fine lines around the eye area.  This is a daily routine which works best just before bed.
3. Acne: You certainly don’t want granny at the school disco, but teenagers who suffer from acne will fine the scourge of acne can be treated by raiding her cupboard. Castor oil is rich in Ricinoleic acid, which fights off the acne-causing bacteria.
4. Moisturiser: Don’t believe the hype! You can have all the fancy bottles and celebrity endorsements but there’s no finer moisturiser than castor oil. Skin can be penetrated with ease by the high concentrated fatty acids which removes those pesky dry patches of skin. Only a little amount of castor oil is required for this purpose. So save your pennies and store some castor oil behind the stuff endorsed by Cheryl Cole etc.
5. Stretch Marks: Rubbing castor oil over the stretch marks on your stomach and thighs is highly effective. It can also be used to induce labour.
6. Hair growth: It’s not just the skin that can get the benefits of castor oil, applying it to the scalp can boost blood circulation to the follicles, leading to faster hair growth.
7. Treats scalp infection: Regular washing of your hair with castor oil can help with problems like an itchy scalp, this is thanks to the remedy’s anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
8. Hair Darkening: You can banish those pesky grey hairs and get back on the dark side with castor oil works well in hair darkening help lock in the hair moisture, giving you hair a darker look.
9. Constipation: We’re into the internal remedies now. Not content with fixing your skin and hair, castor oil can be a powerful laxative for treating constipation. A teaspoon for three days in a row should do the trick.
10. Arthritis and Joint Pains: Applying castor oil to your joints can help stop the creaking. Try it three times a week and observe the fantastic results.

What can’t it do?

Believe it or not, the American psychic, Edgar Cayce has recommended castor oil for treating  Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, pain from rheumatism, gastrointestinal problems, menstrual disorders, migraines, age spots, skin abrasions and inflammation.

What’s the downside?

There are no side effects to using castor oil – except for it’s laxative effect. The only word of caution is to take the right dosage if you’re taking it internally.

And now for the science and history bit…

Castor oil is extracted by pressing the seeds of castor Plant, also known as Ricinus communis. The plant originates in Africa and India.

Castor oil has a high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids, Vitamin E, proteins and minerals.