Castor oil in cosmetics

Now it is time to have an introduction to Castor oil. Castor oil is a very well-known oil in cosmetics. Castor oil cannot be used in the same way as other vegetable oils. Castor oil is a well-known natural medicine. It is also an essential part of Indian beauty care. How is castor oil different from other oils and how is it used in cosmetics? That’s what I’ll tell you next.

castor-oil-in-cosmetics

Castor oil is produced from the seeds of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). Castor oil is from East Africa. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The seeds of castor plant are very rich in oil, about 40-60%. The seed contains a triglyceride called ricinoleates. In addition, castor plant seeds contain small amounts of a very potent poison, also called ricin. The ricin poison is water soluble so it is not present at all in castor oil. So, you don’t have to worry about using castor oil.

Castor oil is a very special kind of oil

Castor oil is a kind of oil that cannot be compared to other cosmetic oils. The reason is the fatty acid composition of castor oil. As I told you earlier, fatty acid compositions of vegetable oils do follow the same pattern mostly; they contain mostly linoleic acid and oleic acid and just few percent of palmitic acid and stearic acid. Other fatty acids vary in very small quantities. These four fatty acids are present in varying concentrations in almost all oils.

The composition of castor oil differs significantly from other oils

Castor oil does not follow the traditional vegetable oil formula at all. Castor oil consists almost exclusively of risinoleic acid. This type of fatty acid found only in castor oil and some rare mushrooms and a few other rare plants. Risinoleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid. There are only a few percent of the four conventional fatty acids in castor oil. That’s why castor oil is in a class of its own.

Properties of castor oil in cosmetics

  1. Castor oil inhibits bacterial activity. One of the uses of castor oil is for preventing spoilage during grain storage. Castor oil is used in India to prevent the mould and rot of grains, lentils and dried beans in hot and humid climate.
  2. Castor oil prevents fungal infections of the skin. This is good to know if you are making for example foot cream. A small amount of castor oil in the foot cream will drive away the infection.
  3. Castor oil reduces acne on the skin. This is based on the moisturizing and cleansing effect of castor oil. Castor oil also fights harmful bacteria on the skin. This will soothe and brighten your skin.
  4. Castor oil is particularly cleansing oil. Indeed, castor oil is widely used in soaps, shampoos and detergents. Oils used in oil baths also often contain some castor oil. Because castor oil effectively cleanses, it also dries the skin, even if it is oil.
  5. Castor oil is very useful in hair care. Indians believe in the castor oil. That is why they are very happy to use castor oil in their hair masks. Castor oil binds moisture to the hair and reduces dandruff.
  6. Castor oil improves blood circulation in skin’s surface layers and stimulates skin functions. Therefore, castor oil is recommended for skin problems.

What castor oil is used for

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Photo fififum Pixabaystä

Castor oil has a wide variety of uses. It is used in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and even in the manufacture of lubricants. Castor oil is a well-known laxative. Therefore, castor oil is not suitable for food. An important use of castor oil is, of course, cosmetics.

Castor oil promotes wound healing

Castor oil helps the skin to regenerate by increasing moisture and blood circulation and stimulating skin functions.

Castor oil is a very good incredient for facial cleanser

Castor oil is added to detergent cosmetics such as shower soaps and shampoos. The purifying effect of castor oil is very useful especially in washing products. In addition, castor oil also suppresses skin infections and yeast growth. Therefore, castor oil in shampoo suppresses yeast dandruff. If the dandruff is caused by dry skin only, castor oil may have opposite, a dandruff enhancing effect. Castor oil dries the scalp.

Castor oil is said to increase hair growth

Castor oil is often used as an ingredient in hair masks. Along with all the other benefits, castor oil increases hair growth by activating hair follicles. Castor oil increases the circulation of the scalp. The hair grows out of the hair follicles on the scalp. Therefore, the scalp should be especially well taken care of. A healthy scalp is rich in healthy hair. So why not try castor oil in hair care.

There is a fine article in the Hairbudda blog about the use of castor oil in hair care. In that article, Minaz from Hairbudda blog gives many great hair mask instructions using castor oil. https://www.hairbuddha.net/castor-oil-for-hair-growth/

Castor oil helps to increase lashes

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This is said to be an urban legend. Believe it or not but this statement is quite true. I actually tried it for 6 months castor oil to my lashes. My eyelashes became denser and more increased in length quite clearly. Eyelashes do renew faster than hair. That’s why castor oil has a very quick effect on the lashes.

Eyelash treatment with castor oil is done as follows:

  • Put castor oil in an empty mascara package
  • Apply castor oil to cleansed eyelashes every evening and let it stay overnight
  • Repeat the treatment in the morning
  • Continue for at least 2 months. You will notice the growth of your eyelashes

You can purchase empty mascara packages at one of the stores selling home cosmetics. If you do not have one right now, you can simply apply castor oil to the lashes with a cotton swab.

Castor oil is an important ingredient in face cleansing

There is no effective oil spray cleanser existing without castor oil. The purifying effect of ricin is very clear. Some time ago, it was recommended to always use 50/50 castor oil and regular carrier oil for oil purification. However, such a mix is unnecessarily drying. Personally, I mix 1 tablespoon of castor oil and 1 cup of carrier oil in a facial oil cleanser. Find the right dosage for yourself just by trying.

Watch out for these mistakes when using castor oil

  • Castor oil is a laxative. Never use castor oil for food. It is not suitable for internal use.
  • Castor oil must always be diluted. Castor oil is extremely drying oil. Never use castor oil as the only oil in the product. Also, do not add castor oil as such to the skin. It’s too strong. Castor oil is a very thick, gel-like substance. That’s why castor oil should always be diluted.  20% is the maximum percentage of the castor oil in your oil mix for cleansing your skin. In shampoos and hair masks, you can use castor oil alone as they also include other ingredients.
  • Castor oil is not toxic unless laxative is taken into account. However, keep castor oil out of the reach of small children.

I’m really happy telling you about the oils. I hope you will become familiar with all the most common cosmetic oils. There are enough stories about castor oil in cosmetics, however. However, I just wanted to tell you the most important facts about castor oil.

We hope you are excited to try castor oil.

You might also be interested:

Tell me what you did and what the impact was! Particularly, growing hair with castor oil would be of great interest.

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