20 Strange but Effective Everyday Uses for Castor Oil WOW !

your parents ever gave you castor oil as a child, you know just how unpleasant it can be. What is great about this medicinal concoction is that it is filled with Vitamin E which makes it perfect for a number of things, although taking it orally may not be one of them. It is also filled with proteins, minerals and has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties that make it virtually a cure-all for anything that ails you.

 

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.

How to beat oily skin woes in summer

With the scorching sun and heat of summer, we end up washing our 'shiny' faces so often that does more damage than good. 

According to Rod Anker, creative director of Monsoon Salon and Spa, over-cleansing really dehydrates the skin, signaling the body to produce more oil. 

Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who is a fan of holistic beauty and hence consumes plenty of water, says that she learnt the trick of rubbing ice on her skin from her mother which not only feels good in the heat but also reduces the pores. 

Anker advises that one should get cooling facials as they refresh and cleanse the skin without drying it.

Tips for glowing skin

Your skin is a clear indicator to your lifestyle and internal well being, here are a few popular beauty tips to give you that much elusive glowing skin.

Exercise: 

Exercising can do wonders to your skin. Indulge in some sort of physical activity on a regular basis and notice how it affects your skin for the better. Running, jogging, walking or swimming, take out around 30 minutes from your daily schedule and unwind.

Drink water: 

Probably one of the most advised beauty tips, keeping yourself hydrated on a daily basis is absolutely essential. Juices and other liquids are also highly beneficial. Drink around 10-15 glasses a day and it is sure to positively affect your skin. Additionally, excessive consumption of alcohol should also be avoided.

Go green: 

A healthy diet can do wonders to the quality of your skin. Incorporate a healthy dose of vitamins and proteins in your daily diet and notice the condition of your skin change for the tremendously. Figs, radishes, spinach etc are great for healthy, glowing skin. Nuts like almonds are also known to improve the quality of your skin.

Detoxify, sleep well for radiant skin

Hectic work schedules often keep women away from spending any time on nurturing their skin. But it's easy to do it at home by detoxifying the body and getting proper beauty sleep.

Sun, stress, pollution and dirt leads to several skin concerns like uneven skin tone, blemishes and dull looking skin. However, an expert at cosmetic brand Lakme has shared tips on how one can get the desired flawless and radiant skin in the comfort of your home, said a statement.

Detox your body: 

Your body is a result of what is going on inside it. Skin problems develop when your skin can't do its job of eliminating toxins efficiently. Drink warm water with lemon every morning to help flush toxins from the body. Reduce your intake of alcohol for a few days to give your body and skin a break. Up your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and water to boost the amount of skin-saving nutrients you're getting.

Get some beauty sleep:

Sleep affects your physical and mental well-being. When you sleep, you're allowing your body to begin the healing process. Good sleep directly leads to fresh looking skin. Try and hit the sack earlier than you usually do and you will see the result within no time on your skin.

Skin serum is in: 

Gone are the days when serum was only for your hair. Skin serums are the latest trend in skin care. Whoever thought skin serums were only used by experts at the salon, think again. You can now use skin serums even in the comfort of your home with ease. Vitamins in these serums help make your skin even and radiant.

Strip off your make-up before going to bed: 

Leaving make-up and dirt on skin doesn't just clog pores but it also causes skin dullness. Always wipe off your make up and wash your face with a face wash to remove all the dirt and grime that your skin has collected throughout the day. Massage your face with a hydrating creme after you wash your face to help replenish your skin while you sleep.

Don't forget to apply sunscreen: 

We know, you've heard it a million times, but stepping out of the house during the day without wearing sunscreen is like directly forcing your skin to dullness. Sunscreen not only prevents your skin from tanning but also keeps it moisturized and hydrated throughout the day. Applying sunscreen everyday helps your skin retrieve its natural moisture.

How to get revitalised and youthful skin

Healthy hydrated cells are said to be the key to staying young, so get the flow on your face from inside. Glowing and youthful skin may not be far away.

Beauty expert Kathryn Danzey, favoured by celebrities for gaining that extra glow, gives advice to achieve that glow from the inside out in two weeks and says healthy hydrated cells are the key to staying young.

At the anti-ageing health and beauty show at London Olympia, Danzey said that it takes three-four weeks for the skin cells to be renewed and only five days for the stomach lining. So, one should use the food and drinks consumption to help promote our healthy skincare routine.

The beauty expert has a 3-dimensional approach to ageing:

• Hydrating and strengthening the cell wall is vital.
• Topical applications.
• Treatments to protect and reverse.

Cellular hydration diminishes with age and it's impossible to hydrate cells that are weak. Danzey advised that drinking collagen - a big beauty trend at the moment, could help one look young for long.

Collagen Shots have 10,000 mgs of marine extract collagen per serving. Collagen type I is a major protein found in connective tissues and skin, and plays an essential role in maintaining skin tone, suppleness and elasticity.

After the age of 25 collagen synthesis reduces at a rate of 1.5 per cent a year and by the age of 45 collagen levels fallen by as much as 30 per cent.

The visible effects of this process are the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and dry skin. Collagen Shots will solve all of these problems, by consuming one shot per day.

H3O hydration is a revolution that provides all the minerals and ions that are essential for hydration at a cellular level to create healthy hydrated cells.

• Hypotonic hydration with hyaluronic acid for cell hydration.
• Key minerals to transfer nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells.
• Turn on the switch to convert dormant energy to active energy to encourage weight loss.
• Helps regulate the level of oxygen in blood.