IT’S MAKING A COMEBACK, CASTOR OIL

If you have bad memories of being force-fed spoonfuls of the pale liquid as a child, you’ll be pleased to hear that its return is focused on the topical benefits.  Castor oil is one of the best-kept beauty secrets but those who do know about it can boast longer lashes, fuller eyebrows and lustrous hair. Infamous as a laxative, many people still consider castor oil a crude product, but this unique vegetable oil has so many wonderful uses that it deserves a place in every home.

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.

Castor Oil is ideal to use as a massage oil for assisting detoxification and soothing the skin – it’s superb for nourishing dry skin and removing stagnations from the body. It keeps the skin healthy and young looking and is also used for the prevention, treatment and healing of acne as well as minimising acne scars. Castor oil has been used medicinally around the world for 4,000 years and is featured in Indian and Chinese herbalism.

Here’s what you need to know about castor oil:

• 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 brows before bed and watch them fill out over time.

• When it comes to 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.

• 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.

• For longer lashes, replace your eye make-up remover with castor oil and wipe away the day’s mascara, whilst allowing the oil to delicately coat your lashes, lengthening and protecting them.

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

• Castor oil is a natural treatment for fighting the signs of ageing as it 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.

• Give yourself glowing skin with castor oil by looking after your liver. Apply the oil to a flannel before placing on the liver region (under your right breast) and wrap in clingfilm. Try to leave it there for a minimum of an hour, left overnight it works wonders.

Just by applying a little castor oil before going to bed your lashes, locks and liver region can benefit from natural nourishment.

Look out for cold-pressed or cold-processed 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.

We stock Pukka Herbs Organic Castor Oil, a 100% organic formula with the highest grade of sustainably cultivated.