1. Lubricate Scissors
Castor
oil makes a wonderful lubricant for scissors. Because it actually can
be ingested, it is much better for use on metals that touch food than
other lubricants that should never touch your mouth. Just rub a bit on
your scissors or other utensils and let it sit for a while and then wipe
clean with a paper towel or clean cloth.
2. Soothe Eyes
Castor
oil works great to remove tiredness from around your eyes. It works
much like petroleum jelly but without the mess. Before you go to bed at
night, just rub a little around your eyes and even on your eyelashes. Be
careful not to get it in your eyes. It will soak in overnight and leave
you looking and feeling a bit more refreshed in the morning.
3. Hair and Scalp Treatment
If
you tend to have dry scalp or dandruff, you can rub a little castor oil
into your scalp and massage it in to alleviate the flakes and
itchiness. Incidentally, the oil works really well as conditioner, too.
Just mix 2 teaspoons with an egg white and a teaspoon of glycerin and
massage into your wet hair. After a few minutes, rinse with warm water.
4. Arthritis Pain Reliever
Massaging
castor oil into achy joints will give you a bit of relief from the pain
of arthritis. You can mix castor oil with enough turmeric or cayenne
powder to make a paste and then rub it into your joints. Be sure that
you don’t get this in your eyes, especially if you choose to use cayenne
pepper instead of turmeric.
5. Repeal Moles in the Yard
Moles
hate castor oil, probably as much as children do. If moles are tearing
up your yard or your garden, must mix ½ cup of castor oil with about 2
gallons of water and pour into the molehills. Note that the castor oil
will not kill the little creatures but it will definitely make them
start looking for somewhere else to hang out.
6. Healthy Bowels
While
you should use caution anytime you actually ingest castor oil (because
it works so well as a laxative), mixing just a teaspoon into orange or
cranberry juice each morning will keep your bowels working regularly.
You can also take a teaspoon if you want to detox your intestines but
again, be sure that you limit how much you actually ingest.
7. Perk Up Ferns
If
your ferns seem to be a bit less than healthy, a mixture of castor oil
will perk them right up. Just combine a tablespoon of the oil with 4
cups of warm water and a tablespoon of baby shampoo. Drip about 3
tablespoons into the dirt around the fern and then follow with regular
water.
8. Healthy Skin
You
can apply castor oil directly to your skin if you want a more youthful
glow. Many people don’t know that this oil is great for eliminating and
preventing wrinkles and for pregnant women, castor oil rubbed into the
skin can help to improve elasticity and prevent stretch marks caused by
pregnancy.
9. Calluses and Corns
Castor
oil applied directly to the affected areas can help to relieve calluses
that are caused by a number of things. You can also massage a bit of
castor oil into corns to help alleviate the pain and swelling that they
cause and ultimately make them disappear over time. This takes a few
applications but definitely works.
10. Make Hair Grow
If
you have balding areas on your scalp, or you just want thicker hair,
you can massage a bit of castor oil into the affected area for about 6
minutes every day to promote natural hair growth. This also works on
eyebrows so if you want thicker eyebrows, just massage a few drops into
your eyebrows for a couple of minutes every day.
11. Repair Split Ends
Another
hair benefit of castor oil is its ability to help prevent and repair
split ends. Just apply a few drops of the oil directly to the ends of
your hair to reduce the amount of breakage that you see. It helps to
restore health to your hair and will make it much less brittle so there
is less breakage.
12. Healthy Lips
Even
though you may not want to have castor oil anywhere near your mouth, it
does wonders for dry and cracked lips. In case you didn’t already know,
castor oil is actually added to many lip remedies that you buy over the
counter. You can simply rub a bit on your lips and it will help to heal
cracks and prevent further chapping.
13. Relieve Sore Muscles
Castor
oil is wonderful as a general massage oil or you can use it to
alleviate sore muscles. Just apply directly to the sore area and then
massage for as long as you like. Do the same for general massages. It
feels great even if you don’t have sore muscles and the Vitamin E
content is great for your skin.
14. Scratches
You
can relieve the pain from scratches and other abrasions by using castor
oil, too. You don’t have to mix it with anything. Just add a few drops
to your scratches and the healthy properties of the oils will begin to
heal them, much more quickly than without adding anything. It also works
great at curing ringworm and other fungal ailments.
15. Acne Treatment
Castor
oil works great as a treatment for deep cystic acne. It helps to
decrease the inflammation from the acne and kills bacteria which helps
the acne to clear up. It works really quickly, too so put it on before
you go to bed and you will notice a drastic improvement when you wake up
in the morning.
16. Insomnia Treatment
You
can help to cure your sleepless nights with castor oil as well. Just
rub a bit on your eyelids before you retire for the night, making sure
that you don’t actually get any in your eyes. The castor oil will help
to bring about a peaceful night’s sleep and you will wake up refreshed
in the morning.
17. Alleviate Colic in Babies
Ok,
so you don’t actually give the castor oil to babies who have colic.
Instead, warm just a bit by rubbing it in your hands and then gently
massage baby’s belly area. This will help to alleviate the pain of gas
and other tummy troubles in your infant and help them to sleep without
causing any adverse side effects like many over the counter medications.
18. Hemorrhoid Treatment
Castor
oil works great on shrinking hemorrhoids and alleviating the pain and
itching that they cause. You just have to soak a cotton ball in castor
oil and then apply it to your hemorrhoids. Note that this really only
works for hemorrhoids that are outside the body. Just leave the cotton
ball on your hemorrhoids for about 15 minutes or so and you can do this
multiple times each day if needed.
19. Beautiful Nails
Massaging
just a small amount of castor oil into your cuticles and on your
fingernails each day for a couple of months will give you long, healthy
and beautiful nails. You can also use it on your toenails so if you are
already getting ready for warmer weather, now is the time to start those
pedicures with castor oil.
20. Remove Warts and Skin Tags
Castor
oil can be used to remove unsightly warts and skin tags. You just have
to apply the oil to the wart or skin tag every day for a few weeks and
you should begin to see that mark disappear. Note that this will not
work on moles on the skin so make sure you know what you are trying to
remove before you begin using it.