Benefits of castor oil and how to use it

Castor oil is one of the best kept beauty secrets but those who do know about it can boast fuller eyebrows and lustrous hair.

Castor oil is a clear, yellowish liquid that comes from the pressing of castor beans. Castor beans come from the Ricinus or castor oil plant, a perennial species which produces flowers and spiny seed pods. Allegedly part of Cleopatra’s beauty routine, castor oil has been used across the world for centuries to nourish and enrich the skin and hair. It can be used on the skin as a natural make-up remover or facial oil or applied to the hair to promote growth, volume and shine. It has a distinctive smell which causes some beauty suppliers to add synthetic perfumes or additives. To get the best oil possible just check the ingredients, the most natural option is to go for 100% organic cold-pressed castor oil. 

Beauty benefits and uses of castor oil

Made from castor seeds, castor oil is high in vitamin E and contains essential unsaturated fatty acids like omega-6 that stimulate blood circulation on the surface of the skin, giving hair growth a helping hand.

Here are a few ways you can benefit from using castor oil:

• Enhance your eyebrows 

If you’ve got a brow balding situation – most commonly caused by stress or sleeping on one side - dab a little castor oil on your eyebrows before bed and watch them fill out over time.

• Treat split-ends

When it comes to sneaky split-ends put a 50p sized drop of castor oil in the palm of your hand and warm together with your other hand, before smoothing through the ends of your hair. For the ultimate restorative hair mask, use with coconut oil and leave overnight to work its magic on your mane.

• Hair growth

For hair growth, massage a little castor oil into the roots of your hair once a week. If your hair is prone to getting greasy, use sparingly and be sure to shampoo twice to rinse the oil out thoroughly.

• Soothe inflamed skin

Inflamed skin is crying out for castor oil.  Dab a little on the affected area in the morning and at night. Try to avoid using castor oil on already oily areas or spots.

• Smoother looking skin

Castor oil is a natural treatment for fighting the signs of ageing. Castor oil penetrates the skin and helps to stimulate collagen and elastin, which can soften and hydrate the skin, making it great for wrinkles. Dip a small cotton ball into castor oil and apply to wrinkled skin before going to bed.

• Glowing skin

Give yourself glowing skin with castor oil by looking after your liver. Apply the oil to an old flannel before placing on the liver region (under the right side of your chest) wrap in clingfilm and cover with a hot water bottle. Try to leave it there for a minimum of an hour… overnight would work wonders.

Just by applying a little of Pukka's Organic Castor Oil before going to bed your lashes, locks and liver region can benefit from natural nourishment.

Cold-pressed castor oil

What is cold-pressed castor oil?

Castor oil has been used as a beauty product and natural health remedy for thousands of years due to its nourishing and hydrating properties. Cold pressing is a method of oil extraction that doesn’t use heat in any part of the process as this can often degrade the oils nutritional quality.

Why choose cold-pressed organic castor oil?

Castor seeds are rich with essential oils and in order to extract the oils, pressure is added to them to release all of the goodness. Unlike some castor oils, cold-pressed does not use heat to extract the nutrients. Instead, natural methods of pressing are used, producing 100% pure castor oil. Pukka’s organic castor oil is cold-pressed, using natural methods of pressing to make sure none of the oils goodness is lost. Organic castor oils are free from chemicals and synthetic ingredients, you can also guarantee that they have come from farms that are pesticide and fertiliser free, so better for both you and the environment.