- Latin Name
- Ricinus Communis
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Origin
- India
Castor oil carrier oil is an excellent emollient and humectant which helps to lock moisture into the skin and hair, to keep it soft smooth and supple. Because of these properties it is beneficial for infections and dry skin conditions, and often thought to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and scars.
As one of the oils main constituents is ricinoleic acid, castor oil is recognised to have antibacterial and antiviral properties and is a powerful anti fungal agent. For this reason the oil is great natural choice for treating fungal skin infections such as athletes foot and ringworm, and for viral skin afflictions such as warts.
The oil is also very soothing and has an excellent anti-inflammatory properties, making it great massage base for treating inflammation, sore muscles, arthritic pain, sunburn and minor skin irritations.
History
The many use for castor oil were well know by lots of ancient civilizations. At the time they didn’t understand the structure of the oil or its constituent minerals. All that mattered was that it was beneficial for skin and hair care, and that it helped people to recover from illness more quickly.
Today we know that castor oil contains vitamin E which is a powerful anti-oxidant which helps the body to eliminate dangerous free radicals. The oil is now used in a variety of cosmetic products such as nail polishes and removers, solid perfumes and lipsticks.
Safety Advice: castor oil is irritating to the eyes.
