Am I alone in my abiding love for Castor Oil?
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free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 1:52 pm

I love castor oil! I don't even do OCM. I think Castor Oil gets a bad rep, you need to give this wonderful oil a chance! Ok, so it's thick and it's not the most aromatic oil, but so what? It's cheap and readily available, I buy a bottle of cold pressed castor oil at a health/ supplements store and because it's so thick a little goes a long way so it lasts forever.

Now, I understand why people don't want to give castor oil a try- it's just not that sexy. I also probably would not have tried it if I had never needed it for health reasons. About me: I am extremely gifted in the eyelash department. However, there is a bad side to this- starting at around age 5, I would get flakes at the roots of my eyelashes- basically dandruff on my eyelashes. It would look like I had not washed my face in the morning.

A doctor prescribed me a hydro cortisone based cream to use and I did use it but I hated it. It was annoying to use, I would use it at night on my eyelashes maybe once a month to keep the flakes at bay. At some point in my teens I got addicted at picking at the flakes, trying to remove them manually. This was BAD. I had a little metal eyelash comb that I used for this purpose and it got worse and worse until I had tiny little wounds- it looked like I was wearing red eyeliner. As soon as people started commenting on my red eye liner I came to my senses. I threw out the metal eyelash comb and I've never bought a metal eyelash comb again! My mother naturally freaked out and gave me some castor oil and the rest is history.

By the way, I don't believe it makes hair grow or make it darker or anything like that, I just want to throw this disclaimer out there.

I started using a generous amount at night on my eyelashes and eyebrows to moisturize and prevent flaking. I would use it whenever I saw the beginning of flakes/dryness, at least once a month. Even if a lot of it gets in my eyes, there is no irritation, it is totally safe as long as the castor oil isn't expired. Anyway recently I started using castor oil on more than my eyelashes. When I'm feeling dry, I use it as a night time moisturizer all over.

My technique for applying it:
Wash hands. Use a generous amount of castor oil on the hands, really rub it in everywhere, put some extra castor oil in the middle of palm. Then I apply it to eyelashes, eyebrows, and the eye area with fingertips. Then I rub my hands together again, and press my hands into my face all over so that there's just a really thin layer of castor oil everywhere.

Anyway, castor oil has lots of benefits. Castor oil has never broken me out, if anything it's healing. Obviously, it's a great moisturizer. Castor oil is anti-microbial. Castor oil is anti-inflammatory. There are theories that castor oil apllied topically to the skin (in castor oil packs) actually effects the immune system. Castor oil has been used in folk remedies for years and years.

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:34 pm

Sorry, but Castor Oil may be okay for some, but it is TERRIBLE for others. Castor oil is well-known to go rancid very easily and there is no way of telling (it does not smell 'off'). Castor oil gave me and a friend a nasty bacteria infection all over our skin that did not go away for six months and that required heavy-duty antibiotics. There are many threads on EDS warning about castor oil on the skin. I suppose it is okay for eyelashes, but it can ruin the skin! Please be careful.

there is also this:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=25334&highlight=castor

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:37 pm

Nimue - I am with you on Castor Oil for eye area and and eyebrows. I have been using Castor oil for years for eye lash line and around eyes area, a friend of mine used it also for eyebrows in a situation similar to what you described. And it is truly remarkable how well it works. I do not have any fine lines in eye area and attribute it to Castor oil which I used since being a teenager. It needs to be hexane free in addition to being cold pressed.

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:52 pm

I'm sorry you had such bad experiences!

Did you use cold pressed castor oil and did you make sure it wasn't expired?

Where did you get the info to say "is well-known to go rancid very easily"?

Ok, I went to that link and it looks like the problem for her was stuff in the castor oil, like preservatives and that it wasn't cold pressed. The castor oil I have I got from a health food store, the expiration date is 2 years from now, it's pure cold pressed and cold processed castor oil, and it's hexane and paraben free.

avalange wrote:

Sorry, but Castor Oil may be okay for some, but it is TERRIBLE for others. Castor oil is well-known to go rancid very easily and there is no way of telling (it does not smell 'off'). Castor oil gave me and a friend a nasty bacteria infection all over our skin that did not go away for six months and that required heavy-duty antibiotics. There are many threads on EDS warning about castor oil on the skin. I suppose it is okay for eyelashes, but it can ruin the skin! Please be careful.

there is also this:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=25334&highlight=castor

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:55 pm

Wow, I'm not alone! Mpstat, how old are you? How often do you use it? I only use it occasionally, maybe I should step it up!

Yes I get Castor Oil from a health store that's cold pressed, cold processed, and free of everything. It's still really cheap though.

mpstat wrote:

Nimue - I am with you on Castor Oil for eye area and and eyebrows. I have been using Castor oil for years for eye lash line and around eyes area, a friend of mine used it also for eyebrows in a situation similar to what you described. And it is truly remarkable how well it works. I do not have any fine lines in eye area and attribute it to Castor oil which I used since being a teenager. It needs to be hexane free in addition to being cold pressed.

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:16 pm

I have used Castor oil for more then twenty years practically every day. Castor oil is the only single product that I have used since I started. Through the years other products would come and go but Castor oil stays.

Since not long ago I started substituting Castor oil with camellia oil. Now I use camellia oil more frequently, but bottom line every night some sort of oil applied to around eyes area either camellia or castor oil. I also started applying camellia oil to entire face and neck several times a week (Castor oil is too thick for such large areas). The reason was that oil helps in doing facial exercises, but as I feel now oils are beneficial in general for really long term effect, such as years. Now I think that camellia oil is also a keeper for years to come for my face/neck.

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:02 pm

Another user of castor oil here!

I have thick eyebrows and exactly the same problem with flaking as you describe. I use castor oil regularly (maybe twice a week) to keep the skin moist under the eyebrows. It gives a nice sheen to the eyebrows and keeps them in place. It doesn't make them stiff, like most eyebrow gels do.

I don't use it on my eyelashes as I have no flaking there and I don't believe it makes hair grow.

I put the castor oil in little amber bottles with droppers. To make it more sexy (to repeat your words, Nimue), I add a couple of peppermint essential oil. Smile

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:28 pm

I'm with you to, girl!! Laughing

I think castor oil is one of the best nighttime eye creams available to womankind!!!! Wink

free skin care · Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:53 pm

Castor oil has many healing properties. If you are interested in what Edgar Cayce, known as "The Sleeping Prophet", had to say about castor oil, you can find out a lot on the internet. Someone in the Middle Ages called castor oil the Palma Christi (palm of Christ) and it caught on.

Here are some links to more info:
http://edgarcayce.org/health/database/aboutCastorOil.html
http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/castoroiluses.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5692/c-oil.htm
http://www.edgarcayce.org/health/database/chdata/data/thcast1.html

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:35 am

I totally love what it does for eyelashes, and have used it for a long time. Recently I added some to Talika lash conditioner, with excellent results.

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:05 am

Isn't castor oil the component in OCM that's supposed to deep clean the pores? I bought a bottle from Walgreen's but it doesn't say cold-pressed. I think I'll try the one from WF. The reason that I'm experimenting with OCM (castor oil and grapeseed oil) is to get a very deep pore cleansing that's more gentle than acids.

Wouldn't any oil help with conditioning eyebrows? Has anyone noticed a significant increase in eyelash growth with castor oil?

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:43 am

You have to get a cold pressed and processed castor oil that's fresh and free of preservatives. I don't do OCM though. No, I did not experience increase in eyelash growth.

tsjmom wrote:

Isn't castor oil the component in OCM that's supposed to deep clean the pores? I bought a bottle from Walgreen's but it doesn't say cold-pressed. I think I'll try the one from WF. The reason that I'm experimenting with OCM (castor oil and grapeseed oil) is to get a very deep pore cleansing that's more gentle than acids.

Wouldn't any oil help with conditioning eyebrows? Has anyone noticed a significant increase in eyelash growth with castor oil?

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:44 am

Thanks for the links!

lunarmm wrote:

Castor oil has many healing properties. If you are interested in what Edgar Cayce, known as "The Sleeping Prophet", had to say about castor oil, you can find out a lot on the internet. Someone in the Middle Ages called castor oil the Palma Christi (palm of Christ) and it caught on.

Here are some links to more info:
http://edgarcayce.org/health/database/aboutCastorOil.html
http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/castoroiluses.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5692/c-oil.htm
http://www.edgarcayce.org/health/database/chdata/data/thcast1.html

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:22 am

tsjmom wrote:

Wouldn't any oil help with conditioning eyebrows? Has anyone noticed a significant increase in eyelash growth with castor oil?

I have heard that castor oil and olive oil are the most appropriate oils for eyebrows. You will need a thick oil. I have not tried olive oil yet. Smile

free skin care · Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:29 am

tsjmom wrote:

Has anyone noticed a significant increase in eyelash growth with castor oil?

YES! I've used it for deceades and have fairly long dense eyelashes.

A month or so ago I received Talika as a free gift with my Ed's order, and added castor oil to it, and the two work amazing together. It's all laid out on page 11 of this thread with before and after pictures;

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?tid=26564

free skin care · Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:52 pm

I actually have some castor oil at hand but I'm afraid of using now after reading the disastrous testimonials on it from the OCM. Confused

I would like to use it for my lashes but when I tried that I got whitehead like things. Not styes (probably spelled it wrong) though. Do you know any better way of increasing lash length? I heard of Carekate's homemade serum but never got around to find it?

free skin care · Thu May 01, 2008 8:10 am

I've read an article somewhere on the uses of Castor oil in medicine. It turns out Castor oil has been used in China for centuries as cure against all sorts of ailments. In the United States its uses it limited to over-the-counter laxative and it's also used to induce birth. i suspect there is a lot we don't know about this substance.

free skin care · Thu May 01, 2008 9:08 pm

Another fellow castor oil user. I do castor oil packs 3-4 times a week. I have a sebaceous cyst on my chin (it's small but it still bugs me). My naturopath suggested the packs on my abdomen and on the cyst itself (along with a special diet, dry brushing, a special herbal tea and homeopathic drops). My cyst has shrunk to the point where it's barely visible. Even my husband commented on it! I swear by castor oil - but I do agree that it has to be cold pressed. I buy the Palma Christi brand.

free skin care · Fri May 02, 2008 11:57 am

CMAYC wrote:

Another fellow castor oil user. I swear by castor oil - but I do agree that it has to be cold pressed. I buy the Palma Christi brand.

I've had the most awful time finding castor oil since moving to Florida. I finally found it in a supermarket, but it doesn't say "cold pressed" on the label anywhere.. Should it?

What can happen if it isn't cold pressed?

free skin care · Sat May 03, 2008 9:36 am

Hi Kassy...

I don't think anything can "happen" if it's not cold pressed (as far as I know, anyways). It's just a better quality oil that is more effective when it's cold pressed. It's the way it's distilled. Drug store castor oil is often distilled using alcohol. I think if it doesn't say "cold pressed" on the label, it's not cold pressed.

free skin care · Sat May 03, 2008 4:48 pm

I'm curious how you feel that it compares to jojoba oil? I've started using jojoba oil and am starting to think that it's doing more for my face than anything I've tried yet.... so I'm curious if castor might even be better?

free skin care · Sat May 03, 2008 5:23 pm

I'll keep looking for the 'cold pressed' cator oil. I think I'll check out 'Whole Foods', they seem to have all the goodies.

A few days ago while I was shopping, I picked up an 8oz bottle of cold pressed avacado oil. I've been putting a light layer of it on after cleansing, and it's glorious!

free skin care · Sat May 03, 2008 6:49 pm

sgresnic wrote:

I'm curious how you feel that it compares to jojoba oil? I've started using jojoba oil and am starting to think that it's doing more for my face than anything I've tried yet.... so I'm curious if castor might even be better?

I've never used jojoba oil... However, from reading about it I think it's much much lighter and thinner than castor oi. Castor oil is a very thick oil. I think castor oil has some unique benefits that other oils just don't have, so it's difficult to compare it to a different oil.

free skin care · Sat May 03, 2008 6:51 pm

sgresnic wrote:

I'm curious how you feel that it compares to jojoba oil? I've started using jojoba oil and am starting to think that it's doing more for my face than anything I've tried yet.... so I'm curious if castor might even be better?

My understanding is that they are good for different things, neither better than the other. I thought I remembered that castor oil was effective at drawing out impurities, which is the role it plays in the OCM. Jojoba is known to moisturize and probably helps to dissolve oily dirt. Also, jojoba is not technically an oil...it is a wax.

Betsy

free skin care · Sun May 04, 2008 10:33 am

My take on it will be to limit the use of castor oil for conditioning eyelashes and -brows (and OCM if desirable).

For skin softening and moisturizing properties, jojoba oil is an excellent choice. It's known to not clog pores.

Two of my other favorites are ultra refined emu oil and rose hip oil. They are rich in essential fatty acids.

I have heard that macadamia oil might be one of the best oils for skin as its molecule size is better suited for penetrating skin than any other oil. You can do a search on EDS archive if interested. I cannot comment on its effectiveness as I haven't used it myself. Smile

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