9 Incredible Benefits of Castor Oil for Skin

When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me about castor oil. For her, castor oil for skin was THE remedy by excellence, a remedy to relieve all types of ailments and health problems. Before listing its magical benefits, it would be good to introduce castor oil. Our ancestors knew it under another name: “castor oil”.

Castor oil is a vegetable oil that is obtained by cold extraction of castor seeds.

It is a plant native to tropical Africa. But it is now cultivated in many countries around the world (China, Brazil, India, etc.).

Its powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties have been known and used for centuries.

This explains its unwavering success throughout the world. Nowadays, many industries take advantage of the therapeutic and cosmetic benefits of castor oil.

Castor oil is one of the main ingredients of many cosmetic products (soaps and massage oils). But it is also used in textiles and even in medicines.

The benefits of castor oil for skin

Castor oil is one of the few natural remedies that can be used for many common health problems and conditions.

Here are the 9 amazing uses and benefits of castor oil for the skin in our daily life:

Castor Oil Skin Benefits

1. Effectively treats skin problems

When it comes to skin problems (sunburn, acne, dry skin and stretch marks), castor oil is a real blessing.

It can prevent many types of infections. For example, it treats warts, boils, foot fungus and chronic itching.

To treat sunburn, warts, candidiasis or acne, simply follow these steps:

Use a piece of cotton soaked in castor oil.
Apply the oil directly to the affected areas of your skin.
Leave on for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Note: For a faster treatment, use this treatment morning and night.

For small affected areas, apply a plaster soaked in castor oil.

Then cover the plaster with another clean, dry plaster. For large affected areas, use a clean piece of cloth soaked in castor oil. Apply the piece of cloth to the affected area for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly.

2. Eliminates ringworm

Castor oil is an effective remedy for ringworm. It is a benign but persistent disease of the scalp due to fungus that affects all age groups.

How to explain it? One of the active ingredients of castor oil is undecylenic acid.

It is a powerful fungicide that kills fungi and is particularly effective on ringworm.

Here are the steps to follow to eliminate ringworm with castor oil:

Dilute two teaspoons of castor oil in 4 teaspoons of sweet almond oil.

Note: You can also macerate castor leaves in sweet almond oil for several hours.

Then heat the oil over low heat.

Apply this mixture with a cotton swab to the affected areas of the scalp.
For best results, leave on overnight. Continue this treatment until the ringworm is completely gone.

3. Reduces wrinkles and fine lines

When applied directly to the skin, castor oil penetrates deep into the epidermis.

The oil stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which softens and moisturizes your skin.

As a result, daily castor oil treatments delay the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

And it makes your skin smoother and more supple. Castor oil can even help you reduce crow’s feet, those tiny lines around the eyes.

For best results, apply a drop of castor oil to your face after washing daily.

Continue for 2 weeks. For the rest of your body, you can also apply castor oil every night before bed.

4. Treats and eliminates acne

Castor oil has a high content of ricinoleic acid. This is a fatty acid that has the ability to eliminate acne-causing bacteria.

In addition, ricinoleic acid penetrates the skin deeply.

This makes it an ideal natural remedy to treat and eliminate acne.

Here’s how to use castor oil to treat acne:

Wash your face with warm water, so that your skin pores are well dilated.
Then, make circular movements with your fingertips. The goal is to make well penetrate the castor oil in your skin.
Leave it on overnight.
The next morning, rinse your face with cold water.

5. Deeply moisturize your skin

Castor oil is a great moisturizer. Thanks to its high fatty acid content, this oil easily penetrates the skin.

This promotes optimal hydration of the epidermis, even in particularly dry areas. A small amount of castor oil is sufficient for this type of care.

So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive, highly effective and 100% natural moisturizer…

Look no further! Here’s a little tip for use:

Apply a few drops of castor oil to your face.
Massage your skin well every night. If you follow our advice, your skin will be smooth, supple and revitalized, every morning!

6. Reduces scars

One of the most common uses of castor oil is for scar reduction.

Admittedly, this process takes several weeks to show results. Very regular applications of castor oil are required.

But, believe us, it is worth it:

the aesthetic benefit is real in the end.

And once the result is obtained, it is a 100% natural solution with permanent effects. And once again, let’s remember.

This scar-reducing property of castor oil is based on its richness in fatty acids.

These fatty acids penetrate deep into the fragile skin of scars. They give them more volume and stimulate the regeneration of healthy tissue.

Patiently, castor oil works to make your scars disappear and strengthen your epidermis.

7. Reduces stretch marks

Castor oil is the perfect remedy to reduce stretch marks. Plus, the treatment is extremely simple.

Just massage castor oil directly onto your stretch marks on your stomach and thighs…

It doesn’t matter where they come from (pregnancy, weight gain or loss)! For an optimal result on your stretch marks, massage castor oil regularly.

8. Disinfects sores effectively

Castor oil is an excellent disinfectant that you can use on small open wounds that are not serious.

When you have daredevil children, this can help! It has powerful antimicrobial properties.

You can therefore use it to treat skin infections of fungal origin (ringworm, as seen above).

But also small cuts and scratches. Castor oil also relieves itching and eases pain.

In conclusion, the antimicrobial properties make castor oil a definite must-have in your first aid kit.

It’s a 100% natural remedy for everyday boo-boos.

9. Reduces age spots

Several studies indicate that castor oil can help reduce skin pigmentation.

More and more dermatologists are recommending the use of castor oil to treat pigmentation disorders.

It is effective on age spots, freckles, discoloration and other “skin blemishes”.

Castor oil is packed with fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are the “magic ingredient”.

They help reduce skin pigmentation. How do they do this? They penetrate the weakened areas of the skin and “drain” the pigments.

Omega-3 fatty acids moisturize the skin, while stimulating healthy tissue growth. The result?

Supple skin with reduced “imperfections” (redness, age spots or scars).

How to use castor oil safely?

As you have just read, castor oil has many benefits for the skin.

However, when it comes to facials, it is advisable to use it sparingly.

This is because excessive use of this concentrated product can clog pores and cause irritation or rashes.

Therefore, take care not to use castor oil in large quantities on your facial skin.

Caution: Pregnant women, nursing mothers and people suffering from intestinal obstruction or appendicitis should not consume castor oil without consulting their doctor first.

Nutritional value of castor oil

Thanks to its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, proteins and minerals, castor oil is highly beneficial to the body.

Average fatty acid composition of castor oil:

Ricinoleic acid: 85 to 95%.
Oleic acid: 2 to 6%.
Linoleic acid: 1 to 5%.
Stearic acid: 0.5 to 1%.
Palmitic acid: 0.5 to 1%.
Dihydroxystearic acid: 0.3 – 0.5%.
Other fatty acids: 0.2 – 0.5%.

Castor oil is generally known to be safe and effective. However, few studies have been conducted to define the exact mechanisms of castor oil’s benefits. Researchers are divided on how it works.