Castor Oil - certified organic ingredient
Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), filtered, certified organic ingredient
Certified organic by QAI. We use an organic processor certified through Quality Assurance International., which is fully accredited with the USDA National Organic Program.
Available in convenient PET or amber glass bottles 1, 2 oz, 4 oz and 8 oz sizes. We recommend if storing for any length of time, to store in amber or other colored glass.
Lot #615602
Fatty Acid Content: (Approximate)
Saturated:
Palmitic Acid 1%
Stearic Acid approx. 2%
Monounsaturated:
Ricinoleic Acid 75-90%
Oleic Acid 2-7%
Duo-unsaturated:
Linoleic Acid approx. 6%
DESCRIPTION:
This carrier oil frankly is one I ignored for years! Yes years! But continued to see it show up in research. I started using it personally a few years ago for some of the different benefits you can view under the "Description" tab. Ours has been filtered and is not really as thick as I thought it would be and it has very little odor - just a natural scent. I use it now as a hair pack, for age spots and a keloid scar - as well as in some of our regular products. I really would not be without this oil - ever. It still has more benefits, but I haven't had time to review the research in enough depth to post them here. Fungicidal/anti-Candida is one I'm really interested in - I will let you know what I find out.
The castor oil plant is grown in the wild and is also cultivated. The plant itself can be anywhere from a 16-foot tree or a 10-foot-tall bush. We once had one come up as a volunteer in our back yard next to our asters. I didn’t know what it was for a long time, but thought it looked interesting and after asking around, I found out that it was, in fact, a castor bean plant! I had let it grow to about 10 ft. at that point. I quickly cut it down because we have two dogs. There are different varieties but mostly it is a plant that will be found in warmer regions of the world. I have no idea why one decided to pop up in our back yard. I wish I could find the pictures I took.
The beauty of this very familiar, long-time home remedy, is the vegetable oil that is extracted from the castor bean. As you probably know, the oil is a very thick, fatty, sticky liquid but a very stable oil that doesn’t go rancid easily. Although we have a “use-by” date, this oil will keep for a long time.
Just as an interesting piece of information about this plant and its oil is that a by-product of the oil is the very poisonous enzyme, ricin. If you read spy books (yes, my favorite), you might be familiar with this substance. The processed oil regardless of how it is pressed or extracted has no ricin. But this was why I dug up the bush. The beans might be fried or boiled before pressing to remove the ricin or the oil is heated after cold-pressing, which also destroys the poison. Ancient history tells us the Egyptian culture used this oil for therapeutic purposes and the builders of the pyramids used it as protection from the sun. Your mother or grandmother probably used it in castor oil packs or as a laxative. Our research shows us that this is an excellent oil to use for natural skin care for cleansing, protecting and as part of a lip balm or lip gloss formula. We use it in our Baby Boo Boo Balm AKA our Calendula Chamomile Balm for its natural protectant and nourishing properties.
Natural vitamin content: 3-4 mg per 100 ml of vitamin E (naturally occurring d-alpha tocopherol)
INGREDIENT:
Undiluted, filtered, expeller pressed castor oil (Ricinus communis), certified organic by QAI
USAGE/SAFETY:
Some interesting and beneficial uses for castor oil:
- Protects against weather, cold and wind – perfect for winter or summer winds and cold
- Perfume fixative for natural perfumes
- Safe, natural home remedy as a laxative
- Massage blends, but best blended with other beneficial oils for better slide. Great because it is slowly absorbed.
- Very effective in cleansing type products and it is said to "draw" dirt.
- Excellent in balms and ointments for dry, damaged skin areas of elbows, knees and heals
- Extremely beneficial in formulas to relieve eczema or psoriasis
- Since it is slowly absorbed and a protectant, this oil is perfect for lip balms and lip gloss
- Make-up removers
- Blended with other oils, castor oil is perfect for a hair conditioner/treatment
- Can be used in cold-processed soap
- Surprisingly, (and I have anecdotal evidence) this oil has been shown to be effective on age spots, brown pigment and/or liver spots (these terms are traditional terms and not what your dermatologist, or I, would normally refer to them
- Anecdotal evidence that this oil can help fade keloid type scars (I'm testing this one myself)
- Thought to be helpful for thickening and regrowing hair, eyelashes and eyebrows (I would use caution near the eyes - this oil is thick), probably best blended with a lighter oil such as jojoba.
- Inhibits mold
- Useful in massage for inflammatory conditions
CAUTIONS: Just a note of caution, although this oil is familiar and has been used for a very long time, the science is sparse and there have been reports of unpleasant side effects when used incorrectly. This is mostly related to internal use, which is not why we use this oil. It is food grade, but we use and sell it for cosmetic purposes.
TESTIMONIALS
We would appreciate hearing how you use castor oil, if you have tried ours and if you found it to be what you expected. If you'd like to share any of your own recipes/formulas, we would love to hear them. Send you comments to annrn@wingsets.com