A Closer Look: Cold Pressed Castor Oil or Refined Castor Oil
Castor Oil, commonly known as Ricinus Oil belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The main constituent of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, which is a form of fatty acid with non-volatile nature. Castor oil appears as a clear, viscous component with a slightly faint odour.
Castor oil is a well known eco-friendly, bio-degradable, and renewable product. It has a wide variety of applications and effects. It is used in soap and lotion making, shampoos, cream, etc. Once you experience these miraculous castor oil products, you would never feel like going back to any other product again.
Castor oil with its umpteen number of benefits is one of the most popular essential oil and numerous castor oil manufacturers in India produces a great percentage of it. With the ever-increasing global consumption of castor oil by different industries, you will be able to browse through different types of castor oil derivatives available in the market.
Diverse Varieties of Castor Oil
In the domain of essential oils, you might have come across certain words like cold-pressed, raw, organic, pure, etc. These terms have important meanings and knowing them is quite essential for understanding the product as well as for deciding which product to opt for.
Different derivatives of castor oil have different effects and applications. The most common method of extraction of the oil is by cold pressing method. For refined oil, there is another additional process where it gets bleached. This process is for eliminating or adding taste, scent, or smell. Due to this process, refined oil also loses some of the natural compounds that it had before.
Sometimes, additional chemicals are added to the refined products during the extraction process. While coles-pressed organic can be a great option for hair care, refined oil is suitable for cooking and commercial purposes.
Let us understand the two major types of castor oil products:
Cold-Pressed Castor Oil
Castor oil is extracted from the cold pressing process which is carried out at room temperature. In this process, the acid value is very low, hence it requires precipitation and filtration to obtain the product. The castor oil obtained from this process contains an abundant amount of nutrients and vitamins. It also consists of a toxic natural element known as ricin, which is poisonous and risky for health.
The transparent looking oil is a pure virgin. Due to the presence of the high amount of ricinoleic acid, it has multiple skin benefits which are quote soothing and healing for the skin. It is commonly used to cure skin problems, burns, skin disorders, headaches, etc.
Let us dive deeper into the various advantages of cold-pressed castor oil:
Heals wounds and cuts
With its antibacterial properties, castor oil products help in fighting anti-bacterial infections. In case you are hurt or have got any cuts, this oil can be applied to the wounds. It can also do wonders in treating skin conditions like swelling, redness, and acne.
Moisturizes the skin deeply
If you are looking for an alternative for your greasy moisturizer then this oil can be one of the best alternatives available in the market. It is quite lightweight and can quickly penetrate deep into your skin.
Makes hair h3er
Although castor oil does not speeds up the hair growth process, it is quite effective in maintaining a h3 and healthy scalp and hair strands. When you massage the oil deep into your roots, it stimulates blood circulation leading to a better healthy scalp.
Refined Castor Oil
Refined castor oil is produced through refining commercial grade castor oil which involves the bleaching and filtering process. After the filtration process, the unrefined oil is sent to the refinery. Here, various kinds of impurities like phospholipids, coloring agents, and many others are removed.
The refined oil also has a shelf life of about 12 months if it does not come in contact with excessive heat.
Refined castor oil is used for various purposes. Let us explore some of the prominent ones:
Food Preservative:
Food grade castor oil is used for different purposes in the food industry like flavouring, food additives, mold inhibitors, packaging, and more. In many parts of India, grains are preserved using castor oils to stop them from rotting. The other usage of castor refined oil is as vegetable oil and it is even used as a preservative for baking goods.
Lubrication:
When compared with other vegetable oils, castor oil has better viscosity at low temperatures as well as better lubrication at high temperatures. It is useful in the lubrication of jets, racing engines, etc.
The major advantage of using refined castor oil is that it is refined, hence there are no traces of toxic Ricin.
Which Castor Oil Derivative to choose?
As both cold-pressed castor oil and refined oil have different extraction format, it is clear that cold-pressed oil is derived from a natural process.
On the other hand, refined castor oil is a more chemical process. It loses some of the minerals and vitamins when refined. One advantage of refined castor oil is that it has no traces of ricin which is toxic for health.
Hence, when we come down to the question we began with that which Castor oil is better? Both types of oil have different purposes and usage. Along with these two, there are also other castor oil derivatives that are used for different purposes. Hence, it becomes crucial to list down your purpose and look for the derivatives that suit you the best.
Ambuja – Castor Oil Manufacturer in India
We are one of the prominent front leaders in castor oil production situated in Gujarat- the state where major castor crop is grown. Striving hard towards manufacturing quality products in different areas of industries is our core motive. We are equally dedicated to taking steps that are sustainable and eco-friendly.
