Castor Oil Benefits

Castor Oil is one of those products that have multiple wonderful benefits, as long as you don't overdo it.

 

Why Use Castor Oil

Castor oil is an excellent source of essential nutrients such as vitamin E, antioxidants and minerals that boost skin health.  Castor Oil can be taken internally, just make sure you follow the directions exactly.  However, only a small amount of nutrients from any food source are absorbed by the skin.  Hence, external application of natural moisturizers such as castor oil that nourish the skin from within is recommended.

 

Wrinkle Treatment Benefits

Castor oil is a natural emollient that penetrates the skin and helps stimulate the production of collagen and elastin which can soften and hydrate the skin. Therefore, it is a wonderful natural treatment for wrinkles since it restores and rejuvenates skin's natural youthful appearance by making skin smoother, softer and pliant. It prevents dry skin and helps to tighten loose skin, in combination with toning exercises and a well-balanced diet. You can massage castor oil directly into the skin daily. Adding lemon juice or lavender oil may also enhance its effects.

Dip a small cotton ball into the oil and apply it on wrinkled skin before going to bed. Use only a small amount of oil when applying it to the skin near the eyes. 

 

Castor Oil and Healthy Hair Growth

Castor oil is a great hair oil, but it can be very thick and viscous. So some women may end up having a bad hair experience with the oil. In fact, it’s not uncommon for a woman to get immediately turned off from using this oil because it left her hair all sticky and icky. Still this oil is simply amazing for the health of your hair and scalp. So check out these few tips on how to best use castor oil. Then try out this oil for a few weeks- who knows, you may just fall in love too!

Tips for Using Castor Oil:

1. Moisturize Hair First
Before using any emollient (i.e. hair oil or butter), you always want to make sure that your hair has been wet first (i.e. your hair that has been moisturized first). Emollients don’t “moisturize,” they simply “seal” moisture in. So the best way to use castor oil is on wet hair.
2. Use Less Oil
Castor oil is very thick and viscous so you don’t need to be “heavy-handed” with use. Using a lot of castor oil won’t increase its benefits- it will just make your hair sticky and limp. And with castor oil, as well as many other emollients, you will find oftentimes that when using “less is more.” Also, because it is a “heavier oil,” some women do prefer to only use castor oil on certain parts of their. For example, some may only use castor oil the edges of hair as opposed to using it all over their hair.

3. Mix With Other Oils
Since castor oil is so thick and heavy, it may be best to “lighten” it up with other oils. There’s no law that says you can’t mix your emollients. In fact, I’ve been using a great mixture that includes equal parts castor oil, olive oil and fresh rosemary. This is a wonderful hair oil- and it smells great too!

A few benefits of castor oil:

·         Is an excellent emollient and humectant for skin and hair

·         Is a treatment for hair thinning and hair loss

·         Prevents the dry and itchy scalp

·         Has anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties- so it can be effective for treating skin/scalp infections like ringworm.

My Review:  I started using Castor Oil on my thinning eye lashes.  I was diligent at putting the sticky oil on my eyelashes and around my eyes every night for 30 nights.  At the end of those 30 days, I had a lot of new eyelash growth, and my eyelashes appeared thicker.  I stopped applying the Castor Oil for the next 30 days and did not notice as significant improvement with new eyelash growth or thicker eyelashes at that point in time.  However, my new eyelashes did continue to grow.  I was very impressed by this.  I also felt like the "crow's feet"  wrinkles around my eyes had significantly decreased as well.

Pros:   I was greatly impressed at the improvement in eyelash growth and thickness I felt I received by using this product.  I plan to use this mixed with other oils for those other wrinkles that are beginning to show up.

Cons:  The Castor Oil is very sticky to use.  The more I rubbed it into my skin, the less sticky it felt.  Had I mixed it with other oils or other products, it may have lessened that sticky feeling.

My Ratings:  A thumbs  up for a great product.