Cold Pressed Castor Oil: Must-Have Tips for Online Buyers

No sooner did castor oil regain its popularity in skincare and cosmetic products, a lot of castor oil manufacturers in India emerged guaranteeing 100% pure castor oil. But, do all-natural products are completely pure and safe? How to identify which one is genuine? Let’s find out.

All That is Natural is Not Pure

“Castor oil is a natural product obtained from castor beans so it will be pure.” First of all, we have to stop assuming that all-natural products are 100% pure because a small number of preservatives or additives are do added to them which may give nasty side effects. An experience so bad is enough to break the trust over natural products. Well, some exceptions are offering genuine products but how to identify them is the real struggle which is why we have prepared a guide on how to buy cold-pressed castor oil online for you to avoid committing shopping mistakes and get the best one for better results.

Castor Oil’s Re-entry Into the Market

Although castor oil never left the market, it was neither a commercial product until recent times, when it began to regain its popularity in the skincare routine. The strong-smelling, yellowish thick oil – Castor, loaded with a variety of cosmetic and medical purposes, which was a part of beauty regimen since ancient times, became viral in 2014 for “Castor oil hair challenge.”

As per the “Hey Curlie Castor Oil Challenge” started on Instagram, one has to apply castor oil to their clean scalp and massage for 3-5 minutes 2-3 times a week at night to allow penetration and circulation to promote hair growth for 3 months. While for some, it gave amazing results, there were reports of incidents like total eyebrow loss by some beauty bloggers which damaged the reputation of castor oil. The truth is, it is not at fault. The manufacturing process of castor oil and the addition of other ingredients to castor oil products to make them better and suitable for selling are the real reasons why castor oil got in such a bad light. Hence, it is advisable to read about castor oil first and then click buy, and the checklist for what to read is as follows:

Recommended: A Closer Look: Cold Pressed Castor Oil or Refined Castor Oil

1. Know the difference

Did you know castor oil was originally intended for industrial purposes because it doesn’t freeze due to its high viscosity? Yes, in addition to its therapeutic applications, castor oil and its derivatives are the star ingredients in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold-resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, and perfumes. Therefore, before adding castor oil to your cart, check its purpose and stick to it. For example, if it is for hair, don’t apply it to the face and blame the product later.

2. Scan the ingredients

Just because the label reads castor oil, doesn’t necessarily mean it contains pure castor oil. Many manufacturers do add preservatives or other additional aromas and additives to increase its shelf life or to mask or modify the natural odor or color. Even though in a small amount, such added ingredients might also cause irritation and other scary damages like the loss of eyebrows mentioned earlier. Therefore, scan the ingredients as well as the whole label through your eyes properly to avoid repenting later.

Recommended: Know the hidden facts about castor oil from Ayurveda

3. Check for certifications

Organic, cold-pressed, 100% natural, all these can’t be just stamped on the labels. They are certifications for each which any manufacturer must mention so that customers can trust them and buy. Check for certifications on the bottle itself or you can also visit the brand website and look for them as it is mandatory to show certifications to the customers if not on the product then on the website.

4. Run a background check

If you have come across a castor oil brand or some of your friends or family have suggested one, there’s no harm in doing a little bit of research on your own. Before buying from third-party marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, etc., visit the castor oil brand’s company website to gather gold mine of information that may companies miss mentioning on Amazon or any other product pages. In this way, you can know in detail about the company, their experience as well as their practice in manufacturing castor oil and its products.

5. Read reviews for a preview

The best thing about online shopping is reviews. People’s reviews are the experiences that you can trust and so don’t forget to go through them before making a purchase decision. You can learn from the reviews whether the castor oil has proven to be beneficial or not, or is it causing any side effects, etc from customers’ reviews.

6. Know the source

To know the authenticity of castor oil all you need to do is to check its origin. The quality of castor oil depends upon the castor beans and if the beans themselves are not from proper castor farms, or the land rich in castor production like India then, you might have to rethink your buying decision. For example, castor oil sourced from the US or the UK might be not as authentic as you get from India because you might already know, that the castor plant grows in hot countries. Thus, always check out the label or the company website to locate the origin of the castor oil.

Follow The Rule – Try and Buy

We all do a trial of clothes before buying then why not do a try and buy for skincare products as well? Since it’s something we are applying on our skin, even though it is 100% pure and natural, always run a patch test on your skin and then buy as you never know what you are allergic to. Some brands do offer sample products that you can buy and try to check for any kind of irritation after application. The same goes which castor oil and its products. Apply a bit, wait and check, if all ok you are good to go shop.

Takeaway

Anything in excess is always bad. Even if you are using 100% pure castor oil from a trusted castor oil manufacturer in India like Ambuja Solvex, it is advisable to use it wisely but regularly to get the best results.