You open your grandma’s cupboard and you see a bottle made of dark glass. It looks like a package storing a medicine but the label says that this is something completely different. This is castor oil. Are you acquainted with its features? Back then, our grandmothers used castor oil as a laxating drug. However, now we know that this is not the only action the oil delivers.

Castor beans and oil in a glass jar

Castor oil is extracted from Ricinus communis seeds. This plant comes from euphorbias, which is frequently used as decorative strain. It can grow 4 meters high and its leaves have crenate shape, and can have 50 cm in a diameter. However, the leaves are not the most important here. The key role is played by the oval seeds that castor oil is extracted from. Every single seed can be 2 cm long. Solid shell does not facilitate extracting the oil.

What is interesting, castor oil of medical action is obtained only due to cold-pressing process. In general, castor plant is a poisonous plant. However, at some point it was discovered that if processed appropriately, this plant can be used for dealing with obstruction. Castor oil is a bowel mucosa irritant, stimulates intestine peristalsis and, therefore, it eliminates problem of obstruction. Consequently, if you ask your grandma, why she is still keeping castor oil in her cupboard, then probably she would give you the above-mentioned reason.

It is also worth knowing that castor oil has really wide application, especially in the field of cosmetology. In general, it is hard to find products that treat castor oil as their base ingredient because this natural substance is rather dense and greasy. For that reason, it is mainly used as an additive. In short, castor oil helps dealing with many dermatological problems as it works equally efficient when applied directly to hair. It has anti-inflammatory and strongly moisturizing action.

As the time went by, women discovered that castor oil works miracles when applied directly to hair and skin. Then, its action is stronger and more effective. Castor oil is frequently used as an additive of various hair conditioners and shampoos that are used by us regularly. Thanks to such an ingredient, hair products have better and stronger action as it accelerates hair growth noticeably.

The advantage of castor oil, that is pointed out often, is its influence on hair condition. Thanks to regular sessions of rubbing castor oil into scalp (massage additionally enhances action of the oil), this natural product delivers shine to hair and makes strands longer just after a few applications. What is more, strands are more moistened, they do not lose the water so fast and become easy to manage. For these reasons, castor oil is used mostly for hair care procedures. There is yet another reason for such great popularity of castor oil; it is cheap and easy to access.