I know what you are thinking. I would be thinking the same thing. But trust me, Castor Oil is good for all sorts of things and you don’t have to ingest it. So, no need to panic.
I have a very dear friend who is my homeopathic guru. I solicit and trust her advice about ANY health/personal care type things. Several years ago, we were talking about this lipoma (a non-cancerous, fatty tumor) that I had which I was hesitant to have removed surgically. Since it was fat and since she knew that Castor Oil dissolves xanthelasma (those little yellow cholesterol deposits that some people get under their eyes) she suggested that I could try Castor Oil on it. She didn’t promise that it would get rid of the lipoma, but she knew that it wouldn’t hurt anything to try.
It did not shrink or dissolve my lipoma, but it did make the area feel better, so I kept using it for that for a while. I also started using it for other things (since I had it out anyway):
- It helps strengthen and grow hair (I use it on my eyelashes and eyebrows).
- I like to use it as an under-eye night cream. It is very thick and emollient, and I think it helps with fine lines and puffiness.
- It can be used topically on your tummy to get the same results that you would by ingesting it. Rub it onto your tummy clockwise (down on the left, up on the right, end on a downward stroke) before bedtime for results by morning.
I looked around on the internet to see what other people have to say about Castor Oil and I found some other uses for it. The most interesting to me was that Castor Oil has anti-inflammatory effects and can be applied topically reduces inflammation and relieve pain. This is probably the benefit that I was getting when I would apply it to the area of my lipoma; when I would wake up in the morning, I would notice that the area always felt noticeably less achy.
One very popular internet application for Castor Oil is for promoting hair growth. I’ve tried it on my eyebrows and eyelashes, and I think that it maybe, sort-of works. I mean, you’re not going to look like Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. What I noticed is that, for example my eyebrows seemed smoother and fuller, not as wiry as before. It could just be that the hair follicles are plumper and smoother because they are moisturized.
Because it is so thick, it can be messy, you really have to take your time to rub it in. It has a sort-of nutty smell; it’s not delicious smelling like coconut oil, but it also isn’t offensive. A 6-ounce bottle of food-grade Castor Oil at the drug store is under $5. I think that it is great for specific applications.