Castor Oil Myths and Truths

Castor Oil Myths and Truths

Black Castor Seeds

If you’ve heard rumors about castor oil being derived from petroleum or animal products, it’s time to set the record straight. Castor oil is a natural, plant-based oil extracted from the castor bean — a powerhouse straight from nature. Its use dates back centuries, cherished in beauty and wellness traditions across the globe. This versatile oil has earned its place as a time-tested staple, but what exactly makes it so special? And how can it enhance your hair and skincare routine? Stick around to uncover the true beauty of castor oil!

What Is Castor Oil?

Castor oil comes from the seeds of the Ricinus communis plant, often called the castor bean plant. These seeds, adorned with striking patterns, are cold-pressed to extract their nutrient-rich oil. Cold pressing helps retain the oil’s natural properties by avoiding high temperatures that can diminish its quality.

This translucent, golden oil is known for its thick, viscous consistency and high nutrient profile. Its star ingredient? Ricinoleic acid — a rare fatty acid that sets castor oil apart from other botanical oils. Packed with skin and hair-loving nutrients, castor oil is nature’s gift for hydration, nourishment, and protection.

Fun Fact:

Did you know castor oil has been used in ancient Egypt? Cleopatra herself reportedly utilized it in her beauty rituals. Talk about a timeless treasure!

Why Castor Oil Is Great for Hair and Skin

Castor oil has gained iconic status in natural beauty — and for good reason! From deeply moisturizing the skin to promoting luscious hair growth, here’s why it deserves a prime spot in your routine.

1. Deep Moisturization

If dry skin or a flaky scalp is your nemesis, castor oil is a game-changer. Thanks to its high concentration of ricinoleic acid, it locks in moisture and prevents dehydration. Whether your skin needs a hydration boost, or your scalp is craving nourishment, castor oil creates a barrier that seals in hydration.

  • Hydrates dry patches on the face and body.

  • Restores moisture to brittle hair and ends.

  • Provides long-lasting hydration for the scalp to combat dryness.

2. Promotes Hair and Lash Growth

Dreaming of healthier, fuller locks or longer, thicker lashes? Castor oil supports hair follicle health, laying the foundation for stronger and shinier hair. Regular use can help improve scalp conditions and encourage hair growth.

  • Massage it into your scalp to enhance circulation and strengthen roots. Start light! You may need to shampoo twice.

  • Apply to your eyebrows and eyelashes for bold, defined growth.

  • Mix with lighter oils (like coconut or almond oil) for easier application and extra benefits.

3. Soothes and Balances the Skin

Castor oil is more than just hydrating; it’s a soothing elixir for your skin. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, it’s excellent for calming irritation and addressing mild skin concerns.

  • Reduces redness and soothes irritation.

  • Helps with acne-prone or sensitive skin by fighting off bacteria.

  • Eases the discomfort of eczema and dermatitis with its natural soothing power.

4. Supports a Healthy Scalp

A healthy scalp is the foundation of great hair, and castor oil delivers just that. Whether you’re battling dandruff or dryness, its nourishing properties go to work to restore balance.

  • Improves blood circulation to the scalp for healthier growth.

  • Helps reduce dandruff and flakiness.

  • Conditions the scalp for soft, shiny hair.

How to Use Castor Oil in Your Routine

Castor oil is incredibly versatile and easy to incorporate into your beauty routine. Here are some simple ways to reap its rewards:

For Hair

  • Warm a few drops of castor oil between your hands and apply to your scalp, massaging gently to boost circulation.

  • Mix it with lighter oils like jojoba or argan oil for better spreadability and additional nutrients.

  • To treat split ends, coat the ends of your hair with a small amount of castor oil before bed.

For Skin

  • Use castor oil as a natural moisturizer by gently massaging it onto your face or body.

  • Mix it with your favorite lotion for an extra hydration boost.

  • Calm dry, irritated areas by applying castor oil directly to the skin.

For Lashes & Brows

Want fuller lashes and brows? Use a clean spoolie brush or cotton swab to apply castor oil before bed. Just a tiny amount goes a long way in promoting healthier, thicker hair over time.

Addressing the Myths About Castor Oil

Before we wrap up, let's debunk a few lingering myths about castor oil:

Myth 1: Castor Oil Is Synthetic or Derived from Petroleum

Truth: Castor oil is 100% natural and plant-based. Its origin lies in the castor bean plant, not in any synthetic process.

Myth 2: Castor Oil Is Harmful to Use

Truth: Castor oil is safe to use for most people! However, as with any new product, patch-test first to avoid allergic reactions.

Myth 3: Castor Oil Works Overnight

Truth: While results won’t come overnight, consistency pays off. For the best outcome, incorporate castor oil into your routine for at least a few weeks.

Discover the Magic of Castor Oil

Castor oil is an unsung hero of the natural beauty world. Its ability to hydrate, soothe, and promote healthy hair and skin makes it a standout for anyone seeking clean, effective ingredients.

At [Your Brand Name], we believe in celebrating natural, plant-based goodness. That's why our organic castor oil is cold-pressed, ensuring you receive all its rich nutrients and benefits — exactly as nature intended. Whether you’re a skincare minimalist or a DIY beauty enthusiast, castor oil is here to transform your routine.

Are you ready to experience the benefits for yourself?

Shop our premium organic castor oil now and elevate your beauty routine with a touch of nature's finest!

Gentle Yet Mighty: The Best Natural Oils to Remove Waterproof Mascara

Some of the best individual oils for removing waterproof mascara include coconut oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil. All of which are considered effective due to their ability to break down the waterproof components of mascara, making them easy to wipe away with a cotton pad. 

Key points to remember:

  • Consider your skin type:

    While most of these oils are generally gentle, some like coconut oil might be too comedogenic (pore-clogging) for certain skin types. ~I’m one of these people. I can’t use coconut oil on my face except when a small ratio of a recipe.

  • Always follow up with a cleanser:

    After using oil to remove makeup, be sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser to remove any oil residue. 

  • Gentle application:

    Apply the oil with a cotton pad and gently press onto your lashes to avoid irritation. 

    ~ Cotton balls and paper towel were WAY too scratchy for me. My personal choice are those suuuper soft powder puffs.

    Don’t forget to try different oils to find what is best for you! A recommendation is great, but nothing beats your preference for your own skin. I personally love high-oleic sunflower seed oil as a makeup remover.

    Every skin type is unique, so the best way to find your perfect match is to experiment and see what works best for you. Grab an oil that intrigues you, give it a try, and enjoy a gentle, natural way to remove even the most stubborn mascara—your skin will thank you!

Why different prices?

I got a great question the other day that I’m surprised that I don’t hear more often. The cusomer wondered why some bars are priced at $2.50, some $6, while others are up to $10. In case any of you are wondering, here is the difference.

We’ll start with the $2.50 bars. These 1 ingredient bars pack a powerful cleaning punch, but don’t dry out hands. Great for washing dishes and hand wash items. These were designed to be quick and easy to make to keep labor costs low and ingredient costs reasonable, in order to price them in a range perfect for people on a tighter budget. It is a great quality, non-irritating, all natural soap bar.

Then we have a step up to unique ingredients and designs that offer more from the bar and/or require more knowledge and technique from the maker. These bars will fall in to the $5 and $6 range.

Last, but definitely not least, we have the decadent bars. Rich in the best ingredients you can get your hands on and/or using the most complicated soaping techniques that can add hours to the crafting time. These bars will be marked $7 or more.

Hope this helps and thanks again for all of your support!

Let's talk salts

Ever wonder why we use different salts in the bath bombs? Here’s your answer!

Different Nutrients!

Epsom salts are technically not salt,, but a mineral containing magnesium in large amounts. They are called “salt” due to their crystal looking appearance.

Sea salt on the other hand is true salt obtained through evaporating sea water. As you can imagine, sea salts contain all sorts of nutrients in small amounts, including zinc, iron, and potassium that you will absorb through your skin

Both have anti-inflammatory properties, but very different nutrients. That is why you find us using both in our recipes!

Types of Soap

One of the most common questions that I get is about the different sorts of soap; melt & pour, cold process, and hot process.

Yuzu Melt & Pour Soap. Make at home! Kits available from Paper Street Soap for $55.

Yuzu Melt & Pour Soap. Make at home! Kits available from Paper Street Soap for $55.

Melt & Pour soap is commercially produced. It can vary greatly in how gentle and “natural” it is, depending on the recipe and methods used by the manufacturer. It may be a true soap (made with lye and lipids), a detergent (not produced with oils/fats but is a highly processed surfactant), or a combination of both. 

These soaps are formulated to melt at a certain point, and commonly will have additives to aid in melting, texture, and performance. Upon firming back up, they are immediately ready for use, unlike traditional soap. 

Melt and Pour is great for making unique designs. However, the nature of melt and pour attracts water, making this soap sticky in high humidity. It is possible for a melt and pour to attract enough water that it disintegrates over time.

Cold Process Musgrove Imperial Stout Beer Soap

Cold Process Musgrove Imperial Stout Beer Soap

True soap is made from a chemical reaction between lipids and lye water and can be created through cold or hot process. Cold process mixes the lye and lipids and allows the soap to process over the next few days in a mold.

Cold process soaps are safe to use within a few days, but need anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks to harden. Some unique recipes may take several months, like our spin swirl designs.

Hot Process Resurrection Stout Beer Soap

Hot Process Resurrection Stout Beer Soap

During hot process, soaps are left to cook for several hours, speeding up the saponification (soap making) process. Hot process soaps are safe to use right away.

As you can see, the textures of cold and hot process are quite different. Cold process tends to be hard and smooth, where hot process may have a spongier appearance and feel. However, if left to cure for long enough, hot process will become just as firm and long lasting as cold process soaps.

The quality of any form of soap is up to the creator.

A poor recipe for melt and pour will stick in molds, melt weird, create glycerin crystals, melt while sitting in a warm/humid room, etc. A poor recipe for a true soap may also melt, have chunks of unprocessed oils, or even have too much or too little lye creating gritty or irritating soap. 

Some people express concern over using a true soap, out of worry that there will be lye left in the final bar. Only the most inexperienced soaper will make this mistake. Soapers leave on average 5% of their oils unprocessed, meaning that even after all of the lye has processed there are still moisturizing oils left behind.


Clarified Champagne Soap. We clarify our bars after using the hot process method, but you can clarify a fully saponified cold process soap.

Clarified Champagne Soap. We clarify our bars after using the hot process method, but you can clarify a fully saponified cold process soap.

Experienced soapers will work with a larger ratio of lye to lipids for very specific recipes and are practiced in the precision that it takes to create a quality bar. Our clarified bars are almost entirely saponified lipids to make the bar as clear as possible.

Here at Paper Street Soap, we pride ourselves on quality products using all 3 of these methods.

Which Soap Class is for You?

Paper Street will offer a variety of classes for kids and adults. Click here for scheduled classes

Kids

Anyone under the age of 18 will be best in our melt & pour classes. They will range from very simple to complex. These complex courses may even interest some adults.

You will not keep the mold for the melt and pour classes, but there will be molds for sale, if you would like to make more at home. You may also buy melt and pour soap base for use later.

A melt and pour certification will also be available for little ones.

Adult Classes

For those that are interested in cold process bars, hot process liquid soap, or hot process clarified bars, Paper Street is excited to offer a range of courses.

Beginner classes will be offered in Mini, Medium, and Full size.

  • Mini classes will use a small crock pot and make 3 bars of 3.5-4 oz bar soaps.

  • Medium classes will use a full size crock pot and make 6 of the same size bars from the mini class.

  • Full size classes will use a full size tray mold, which can make 8-10 large bar soaps, depending on how you choose to cut them.

You get to keep your mold from the class. If you already have a mold from a previous class, you get a $20 discount on any other soap class you take by bringing your own!

Beginner class will include some designs, like drop swirls and poured swirls, and thin, accent lines.

Advanced Level Soap Classes

Advanced soap classes will use full sized molds, the size and shape depending on the project. Ranging from Taiwanese swirls to complicated layers.