Alongside the massively effective and well researched kings of natural topical treatments like grapeseed oil, and green tea, one which remains highly mysterious is castor oil.
This remedy is the liquid fat extracted from the castor bean, itself the fruit of the ricinus communis plant. Castor beans were found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000BC, while in the Ebers Papyrus medicinal text of 1500BC, castor oil was recommended for lowering eye irritation.
Today, castor oil is an increasingly popular baldness solution, but overall, the castor plant is most famous as the natural source of ricin, the deadly, incurable poison featured in TV shows and delivered in envelopes to politicians everywhere. Castor oil is also a laxative, and was dished out by Mussolini and his fascist henchmen as a punishment back in the 1930s.
As of 2002, castor oil was found in over 769 cosmetic products, with lipstick accounting for 81%.
Rumours circulate the internet that castor oil contains vitamin E and is a top notch moisturiser, but is there any real promise for acne?
Use castor oil – get 56 more minutes in the sun?
By far the best power is shielding your skin against the inflammation and irritation of UV radiation, as shown by an excellent study on sun protection factor, or SPF.
Here’s how it works. If your starting point is 10 minutes lying on a sandy beach in the sun, applying a rose oil cream with an SPF score of 1 will grant you an extra ten minutes free from burning. Applying a revolutionary new sunscreen with an SPF of 150, meanwhile, would give you an extra 1500 minutes.
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The scientists tested ten fat-based oils (as opposed to essential oils like lavender oil), and castor oil received the sixth highest SPF, with a score of 5.687. The two strongest oils were olive oil with 7.549 and coconut oil with 7.119. Almond oil came in at 4.659. Two poor performers were sesame oil with 1.771 and mustard oil scoring 2.105.
Overall, castor oil landed at around the middle. At first glance, it looks average. However, 5.687 is an excellent score; it equals 56 extra minutes and 53 seconds on the beach before pimples explode from nowhere (bring your watch or else).
What’s more, coconut oil and olive oil are riddled with flaws. The former has a comedogenic rating of 4 out of 5, while the latter leads to irritated skin itself due to oleic acid.
The signs are strong for castor oil as a natural sunscreen. At first, there’s no obvious explanation. The first-ranking oils, olive oil and coconut oil, consist of 97% lauric acid and 70% oleic acid respectively. The average castor oil contains just 4% oleic acid with a 2-6% range, and no lauric acid at all.
So what’s the explanation then? Possibly that castor oil is a unique oil in nature. 90% of its total fats are a monounsaturated omega 9 called ricinoleic acid.
Ricinoleic acid is found in high quantities exclusively in the ricinus communis plant. It isn’t extensively researched, not compared to common fatty acids like oleic acid and linoleic acid.
Nobody knows what powers ricinoleic acid has. Therefore, UV ray protection could easily be one of them, and that could explain castor oil’s success.
Can castor oil enhance every other topical treatment?
Next though, we have a completely fake power: the supposed fountain of vitamin E. There’s a strong tendency on skincare blogs to assume that any natural oil is rich in vitamin E, whether it’s jojoba oil or sesame seed oil, but castor oil contains precisely none.
This informative study on 17 different plant oils noted “as low as zero ug of a-tocopherol/g of castor bean and linseed oils and as high as 1276ug/g of wheat germ oil”. Alpha tocopherol is the main natural form of vitamin E.
That theory is laid to rest then, but the tables turn with our next study, which revealed that ricinoleic acid had potent anti-inflammatory properties, which matched the antioxidant capsaicin when applied to rat skin.
Capsaicin is the spicy compound found in Chilli Peppers, which despite the burning and heat that make you vow never to eat one again, is strongly anti-inflammatory. Less inflammation equals less painful and red pimples. Ricinoleic acid even reduced the dreaded substance P, a master regulator in acne which cranks up inflammation, sebum production, and skin cell turnover.
Even more promisingly, castor oil and ricinoleic acid might enhance the transdermal penetration of other skincare chemicals.
I first discovered that power in this review, and the origin turned out to be a study on rats performed in 1952. Therefore, unless you’re a giant rat sitting at a computer desk, the power is completely unconfirmed, but if real, the implications would be excellent.
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Antibacterial peptides and compounds from raw honey would clear acne better. Combining castor oil with green tea would allow the latter to downregulate sebum production more efficiently. The possibilities would never end.
Last on the menu, we have moisturising. No direct studies exist, but castor oil lacks the side effects of olive oil or coconut oil. The irritating oleic acid is extremely low at 4%, while the comedogenicity score is just 1 out of 5, indicating a “very low” chance of clogging skin pores. The wildcard is the ricinoleic acid. This is an unexplored entity; it could have moisture-snatching powers, or it could be ideal for moisturising. Nobody knows yet.
The ricin scare story disproven
Now, we have the ultimate question – is castor oil really laced with ricin, and can using it bring about an untimely demise? The answer is no.
You don’t even need science. Egyptians applied castor oil to their eyes back in 1500BC, and Indian women have used it since 2000BC. If castor oil contained ricin, an incurable poison which ranks among the most easily manufactured chemical warfare agents, there’d be a bloody trail carved through the history books.
In reality, ricin is extracted from the crushed bean pulp after the oil has been separated.
In commercial castor oils, all the ricin is deactivated during intense factory heating anyway. I actually recommend that you buy cold-pressed, or expeller-pressed castor oil, but there’s still no problem. Ricin doesn’t partition into the oil during the initial separation from the bean; studies have confirmed this.
In fact, the FDA has deemed castor oil to be “generally recognised as safe” when taken orally. Topically, there’s even less danger.
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The bigger question is the milder side effects, such as skin irritation. This giant review concluded that castor oil was safe in the concentrations normally used in cosmetics and skincare.
Poor reactions do occur: “the clinical experience suggests that sensitization reactions are seen infrequently”. Existing dermatitis (an inflammatory skin condition) patients were most vulnerable, but in everyone else, castor oil caused no adverse sensitisation, photosensitisation, or irritation.
The scientists also analysed ricinoleic acid, since it comprises 90% of castor oil. The result: “the available data demonstrate few toxic effects”.
Castor oil has no specific irritating compounds, like the 8-cineol of tea tree oil. I’ve seen a few negative testimonials speaking of new pimples, but no more than with grapeseed oil or jojoba oil.
The only much-feared side effect is dry skin; castor oil is said to be a “drying oil” which sucks all the moisture away. However, nothing of the sort was mentioned in the study above.
Whether castor oil cures acne remains to be seen, but there’s little risk in trying it.
Is castor oil a miracle hair-growth tonic?
Castor oil is gaining popularity rapidly in the hair loss community, as a natural alternative to harsh drugs like finasteride. Supposedly, rubbing unheated castor oil into your scalp will stimulate the inactive hair follicles to start growing again. People are even using castor oil to regrow their eyebrows (hopefully they won’t become a metre long).
Is there any truth to it? There’s definitely some evidence. According to this 2005 study, a compound called prostaglandin E2 had a stimulatory effect on hair growth. Specifically, it co-ordinated with another compound called PGF2alpha; PGE2 didn’t convert inactive hair follicles to active ones, but it did accelerate those in the early stages of rebirth.
The connection? This study found that eating castor oil increased PGE2 levels significantly in rats. We don’t know if this translates topically, but it could explain all the great hair growth testimonials online. There’s also a similar compound called prostaglandin D2, which prevents hair follicle activation, and it’s speculated though not proven that ricinoleic acid decreases it.
Overall, the jury is out on whether castor oil will give you a head of hair like Conan the barbarian, or Rapunzel if you’re a woman with hair loss.
The jury isn’t out on two much more common foods though: garlic and onions.
This study was extremely basic, yet very interesting. 38 patients with hair loss were divided into a tap water group or a crude onion juice group, which they applied twice daily.
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In the onion juice group, regrowth of hair commenced after just two weeks. After four weeks, hair regrowth was observed in 17 (73.9%) patients, and 20 after six weeks (86.9%). Meanwhile, only two (13%) people stuck in the tap water group experienced hair growth after 8 weeks.
Why on earth could this transformation have occurred? It could have been anything. Onion is a highly nutritious food; quercetin is one phytonutrient which it’s packed with.
But the onion is in the same botanical family as the garlic bulb, and garlic is another hair-sprouting secret. In this study, 19/20 people applying garlic gel experienced a “good” increase in hair regrowth and 1 experienced a “moderate” increase. This significantly outperformed 20 people applying a placebo gel.
If you want to restore your long lost hair, then just open your cupboard door and grab some onions, garlic and a chopping board.
The verdict on castor oil
Castor oil remains shrouded in mystery. There could be anti-inflammatory powers due to the ricinoleic acid, and it could be a great moisturiser.
We know for certain that the vitamin E content is a myth. We know that its safety record is good to great. The only risk is that you’ll wake up and be the Wolfman, if the hair loss community turns out to be overly accurate.
Sun protection is the best supported power. If it doesn’t clear acne, then castor oil might successfully prevent it.
Castor oil could therefore be a handy oil to keep in your cupboard over the summer, or bring on a beach holiday where the sun beats down on you mercilessly. Remember: castor oil can increase your time spent in the sun without irritation by 56 minutes per 10 minutes. That’s a pretty interesting power.
If you want to experiment with this mysterious oil, then Sky Organics Cold-Pressed Castor Oil is an excellent brand.
Classic vs Jamaican black castor oil
Now it’s time to become an expert on the different types of castor oil.
Specifically, you have the choice of either classic castor oil or Jamaican black castor oil.
Classic castor oil is the norm, and the cold-pressed variety which you should purchase has a light gold colour. Compared to cold pressed oils like sea buckthorn or jojoba oil, it isn’t that dark, but it will have that natural glow to it.
Organic cold pressed is optimal, as during processing, the temperature never rises above the safe level of 50 degrees. Meanwhile, refined castor oil is blasted with heat until it’s swimming with free radicals, just itching to give you acne.
Refined castor oil is also bleached with chemicals to remove the colour. Why the manufacturers would want to is unknown – if I were the CEO, I’d retain the colour to make some extra sales based on appearance. Regardless, these chemicals will pile on extra inflammation and free radical mayhem.
As for black Jamaican castor oil, avoid getting dealt this stuff. It’s called black castor oil because that’s what it is – the castor beans are roasted for an extended period to produce a black colour and burnt smell. It’s still manufactured in the Jamaican heartland and is a centuries old tradition.
Unfortunately, foreign items such as ash are introduced to the mix during production. An added acne risk has never been confirmed, but heating an oil for hours is never a smart decision; the longer the exposure, the greater the oxidation of fats and nutrients. One confirmed change is a higher PH compared to normal castor oil.
Overall though, if you do decide to experiment with castor oil, your choice is clear – cold-pressed classic castor oil.
NEXT: forget creams and moisturisers – discover the ultimate acne-clearing diet
Thanks for reading!