Castor oil obtained by cold pressing seeds of the castor plant is in its true essence a vegetable oil. It has been used time and again and in many parts of the world for its medicinal and healing properties for the skin and the hair. It is pale-yellow in colour and viscous.
Beauty Benefits of Castor Oil for Skin
1. Help to prevent wrinkles
Free radical damage of the skin leads to degeneration of the skin cells. This leads to premature ageing. Since castor oil is rich in anti-oxidants, this damage is prevented as it protects the skin from oxidation.
2. Moisturize Skin
If you suffer from dry, flaky or patchy looking skin, massaging a few drops of castor oil onto the face before you will give it that boost of hydration. You will wake up with visibly soft, supple and moisturized skin.
3. Reduce Under-eye Puffiness
Using castor oil under your eyes right after you wake up can reduce under-eye puffiness. Consistent use of castor oil also treats under-eye dark circles.
4. Prevents Sunburn
Sunburn can leave your skin feeling extremely irritated, red and itchy. Thus, using castor oil on the skin will give you instant relief. The cooling sensation of the oil combined with the anti-inflammatory properties of Ricinoleic acid present in it will treat your sunburns in no time at all.
5. Use as a Lip Balm
Castor oil hydrates the lips, giving it all the moisture that it needs. Thus, your lips will appear smoother and plumper if you use castor oil in place of your lip balm daily. You can even apply it all over your lips and leave it on as a sleeping lip mask to wake up to soft and pink lips.
6. Treat Acne
One of the compounds present in castor oil is called Ricinoleic acid. This acid, when penetrates the skin tissues get rid of any acne-causing bacteria and virus. Thus, castor oil can be used in the treatment of acne.
7. Cleansing
Castor oil, when massaged onto the face acts as a natural cleanser. It helps clean out the dead skin cell accumulation as well as deep-cleans the pores of dirt, pollutants and excess oil. The result of this is radiant and brighter looking skin. You can wash your face with lukewarm water after this step to ensure that it does not become too oily or greasy.
8. Darken & thicken eyelashes
Castor oil stimulates hair growth. Thus, using it on your eyelashes daily before you go to sleep will make your lashes darker and fuller as well.
How to Use Castor on Face?
1) Castor Oil with Sesame Oil for face wrinkles
Benefits: Castor oil has anti-aging properties, which helps stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. This, in turn, delays the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation of the skin.
Ingredients
1:3 ratios of castor oil and sesame oil.
How to prepare
- Mix both the oils together into a homogenous concoction.
- Warm the oil and massage this oil onto the skin.
- After about 5-10 minutes, wipe away the excess oil from the skin using a damp washcloth. This works best for dry skin.
- If you have oily skin, you can substitute sesame oil with jojoba oil. If you have fairly normal skin, you can substitute sesame oil with grapeseed oil.
2) Castor Oil with Sweet Almond Oil as a moisturizer
Benefits
Using castor oil and almond oil mixture will give you supple, soft and hydrated skin. With time, the texture of your skin will improve, and skin tone will even out as well.
Ingredients
- 1:1 ratio of castor oil and sweet almond oil.
How to prepare
- Mix both the oils to form a consistent mixture.
- Apply this mixture all over the face in place of your night moisturizer. You can even use this mixture as an under-eye cream to prevent puffiness.
Read more about almond oil and its benefits for the skin.
3) Castor oil with Egg Yolk for dry skin
Benefits
This face mask acts as a hydration mask that treats issues as such dry, flaky skin. Using this facemask at least once a week will ensure that your skin becomes softer, looks more radiant and moisturized as well.
Ingredients
- One tsp. castor oil
- One egg yolk
How to prepare
- Mix the oil into the egg yolk, into a consistent and smooth paste.
- Apply this evenly all over your face, making sure that it coats all the dry and flaky patches.
- Leave this mask on for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse it off with lukewarm water.
4) Castor Oil with Coconut Oil for sunburns
Benefits
Castor oil has anti-inflammatory properties that soothe skin from sunburns, giving instant relief to itchiness, inflammation, and redness. It also gives relief to inflamed skin that is caused by acne.
Ingredients
- 1:1 ratios of castor oil and coconut oil
How to prepare
- Mix castor oil with the coconut oil into a homogenous concoction.
- Apply this to the affected area, leave it on for about 30 minutes and then wash it off for instant relief.
5) Castor oil for skin blemishes
Benefits
Castor oil contains healthy fatty acids that stimulate the growth of healthy skin tissue. The oil also removes any excess oil, dirt, dead skin cell accumulation as well as bacteria which promotes better blood circulation to the skin. This helps lighten blemishes as well.
Ingredients
- A few drops of castor oil
How to prepare
- Cleanse the skin using a mild cleanser.
- Steam the face for about 5 minutes to open the pores of the skin
- Massage a few drops of the oil onto the skin, so that it penetrates the layers of the skin.
- Repeat this twice a day for best results.
6) Castor oil With Olive Oil as a scrub
Benefits
Castor oil works as a great exfoliator that is super gentle on the skin and thus, non-abrasive. Some people who have extremely sensitive skin discover that their skin becomes itchy and inflamed after exfoliation. Thus, this is a great alternative as castor oil will ensure that all the dead skin cell accumulation is removed without hurting the skin in any way.
Ingredients
Equal parts of Castor Oil and Olive Oil
How to prepare
- Mix both the oils into a homogenous concoction.
- Apply this mixture all over the face, gently massaging it in. Do this for up to 5 minutes.
- Using a warm washcloth, pat it on your skin. This will open out the pores of the skin so that all the gunk and dirt can be removed and the oil will penetrate the skin in a better way.
- Rinse your skin with lukewarm water after and repeat this process once or twice a week for best results.
7) Castor Oil with Lemon Juice for skin pigmentation
Benefits
Pigmentation of the skin is usually caused by free radical damage. This damage is generally caused by the sun’s rays. Thus, using Castor Oil on the skin will prevent free radical damage caused by oxidation. This treats skin pigmentation, making the skin tone even.
Ingredients
- A few drops of Castor Oil
- 2-3 drops of lemon juice
How to prepare
- Mix the oil with the lemon juice into a consistent mixture.
- Apply this all over the face and leave it on for about 20-30 minutes
- Rinse after using lukewarm water and repeat this process at least once a week.
Side Effect of Castor Oil for Skin
Since castor oil is obtained from natural sources, it is generally safe for the skin. The FDA has also declared Castor Oil as safe to use. Thus, Castor Oil should generally not cause allergies or be sensitive for the skin. That being said, if you’re not sure whether you’re allergic to it, it is always better to do a patch test on a small portion of your skin before you go ahead and use it all over your face.
It is advised to consult a doctor and proceed with caution about castor oil usage if you are pregnant or nursing.
Avoid Castor Oil from getting into your eyes as it may cause irritation and burning.
Read More: How castor oil can be used for beard growth as well.
Where to Get Best Quality Castor Oil?
It is very important to make sure that the Castor Oil that you use is 100% natural or organic. Usually, Castor Oil available commercially is obtained from castor seeds that are sprayed with a lot of pesticides. Thus, make sure that you buy castor oil that is sold by natural or organic brands that do not use pesticides, preservatives or harmful chemicals.
Also read: Castor Oil for Eyes – Benefits and Uses.
