6 Castor Oil Beauty Benefits You Can't Live Without!

I know – you may not leap to the connection between castor oil and beauty, but these six castor oil beauty benefits will have you coming back for more.

You’d be hard pressed today to find a popular commercial beauty product that doesn’t contain some sort of harmful, cancer-causing chemical.

But things weren’t always that way. In fact, not that long ago, beauty products were rather simple, with easily pronounceable natural ingredients.

Today, we’ll focus on one such ingredient known as castor oil.

Castor Oil Beauty Benefits

Castor oil is an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant oil derived from castor seeds.

For centuries, it has been used therapeutically and medicinally as a topical treatment for everything from ringworm and constipation to the following beauty applications.

1. Warts

Warts are caused by infections on the top layer of skin. If only we had a natural ingredient that was anti-bacterial…

Oh wait! We do – castor oil!

Castor oil can work wonders for treating topical skin infections. All you need to do is cover the wart with a thin layer of castor oil. Let this sit for 10 minutes and then wash it off.

Repeat this process for several days and the wart will eventually fall off.

2. Acne-Free Skin

Acne is caused by hormonal fluctuations that cause an excess of sebum (skin oil) production. The excess sebum clogs pores and causes inflammation and acne.

Thanks to castor oil’s anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, the natural compound combats this process.

To use castor oil for acne, boil a pot of water and drape a towel over your face. Lean into the steam for 5 minutes to open your pores.

Next, soak another towel in warm water, place two teaspoons of castor oil on it and massage your face for one minute.

Splash your face with cold water to close your pores and then pat your skin dry. Repeat this process nightly.

3. Healthy, Shiny Hair

Castor oil contains ricinoleic acid and omega-6 fatty acids, which help with blood circulation to the scalp. This improves hair growth and strengthens roots.

Castor oil also works as a great natural hair moisturizer and conditioner due to its rich emollient properties.

Castor oil is quite thick, so when using it as a hair treatment, it’s best to mix a small amount of it with olive oil. This will help it distribute evenly throughout your hair.

Using your fingers, apply the castor/olive oil mixture onto your scalp in a circular motion. Apply the oil across your hair in sections until all of it is covered evenly.

Then, wrap your hair in a towel and leave the oil to sit overnight. In the morning, wash your hair using a natural shampoo to remove all the castor oil from your hair.

4. Smooth Lips

Due to its high fatty acid content, it smooths chapped lips, and makes them super smooth. In fact, castor oil can actually be found in many commercial lip balms.

Why not get the benefits straight from the source? Apply castor oil to your lips with a Q-tip twice daily. It does taste a bit unpleasant, so don’t use too much, and consider combining it with something like olive oil.

5. Long Lashes

Castor oil beauty benefits don’t stop with the skin, and your lovely lashes are like your hair. Castor oil targets the follicles of your eyelashes, giving them nutrients like vitamin E that stimulate growth. Also, nutrients from castor oil prevent lashes from breaking, which helps with fuller, longer lashes.

For best results, apply castor oil right along your lash line. You don’t need to apply a lot of it – use an eyeliner brush to apply it as you would mascara.

6. Healthy Heels

Cracks in your heels don’t just look bad – they also expose you to some potentially rough infections.

Castor oil’s anti-bacterial properties protect your feet from such infections. The oil’s vitamin E and essential fatty acid content also work to repair your cracked heels, making them softer and less painful.