Ricinus communis oil/castor oil

Another recent aqcuisition: a small (30 ml) bottle of Ricinus Communis oil aka castor oil (cheap (30 kr, 2 EUR, $2,5, £1,5), sold in pharmacies).

Ricinus is a highly toxic plant, has very pretty and very poisonous seeds (should a child eat 3-4 seeds, it's a goner). Tough that, since the plant is widely used in gardens and cityscapes cause it's just so pretty.

This oil has been used for centuries for it's laxative properties (when taken orally) and also for boosting hair growth (used externally). Apparently it wakes up the dormant hair bulbs or smth and therefore makes the hair thicker. People use it to regrow overplucked eyebrows and it's also widely used after fake lashes are removed and people are left with only 1 or 2 of their own.

Ricinus oil is not to be used to remove eye makeup! Although the oil itself is not toxic there's a big chance of getting puffy eyes in the morning. It's used on the scalp (not the hair itself - use something cheaper there, like ordinary olive oil with some drops of essential oil), eyebrows and eyelashes only (ok, places where you want to have lots of hair - maybe someone would like a hairy chest...). One can use an old mascara wand or a q-tip to apply the oil.

I am a big fan of removing eye makeup with oils. I always use mineral oil and not the natural oils: reason being mineral oil is very unlikely to produce an allergic reaction, eyes are a very sensitive area (mineral oil will not go rancid). Natural oils, especially those mixed with essential oils - would not do well with everyone. Sometimes when travelling I do use olive oil or sunflower oil to remove eye makeup but no matter what oil I use I always make sure I get all the oil off the lids before I go to bed (eyes might swell up otherwise). I have rather long lashes and I attribute this to the oil cleansing method - oiled up lashes are not as brittle as lashes that get in contact with eye makeup removers every day.

Riitsinus ehk kastoorõli on vanast ajast teada vahend (juukse)karvakasvu kiirendamiseks, tuleb vaid nahale määrida. Efekt tulenevat sellest, et äratab uinunud folliikulid ja nõnda tekivad paksemad juuksed. Juustesse endisse määrida pole mõtet, sinna kõlbab ka tavaline ning märksa odavam oliivõli. Viimasel ajal on paljudel kunstripsmed ja nende eemaldamisel selgub, et enda omadest pole miskit alles jäänud - siis on riitsinusest kasu küll. Seespidiselt mõjub lahtistina.