How to keep castor oil fresh for a long time?

Often people use expired oils in order to not waste them. But is it okay to use expired oils? Especially, castor oil which is used for hair, skin and internal care of body health. So, how to store castor oil so as to keep it fresh till its expiry date? We have got this question solved in this blog topic.

People are taking castor oil for topical use like for hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, for skin beauty and for solving digestive problems for a long time now. As it is beneficial to use, it is also important to know how to store castor oil to prevent it from the damage caused by environmental conditions. Incorrect storage conditions can have adverse effects on the quality of the oil and using such oil can harm the health of a person.

Normally castor oil has a shelf-life of up to one year. It is said that cold-pressed castor oil can also be used for five years. When castor oil is sealed and packed properly, it can be used effectively until its expiry period and maybe sometimes longer than that. There are several ways to keep castor oil fresh but most important is the storage conditions. Not only castor oil but many products get stale and rancid because of poor storage conditions. Sometimes even before the expiry date products start smelling and tasting bad. Even the colour, texture and feel of the products may change.

First of all, when the purchase of the castor oil is made, we need to make sure that the bottle of castor oil is perfectly sealed. Oxidation of the oil can turn it obnoxious. The packaging of the castor oil must not be damaged at the time of purchase or during storage. Damage to the packaging may result in the degradation of the oil.

Here we list some important points to remember while storing castor oil:

1. 1. If the room temperature goes beyond too hot, the castor oil can degrade. It is said that castor oil is preferred to be stored in around 50° – 70° Fahrenheit of temperature.

2. 2. Quality of castor oil can deteriorate if exposed to moisture. It is advisable to keep them away from the areas with excessive moisture content in the air or where there is more use of water.

3. 3. Castor oil’s direct contact with sunlight can make it stale faster and easier than other atmospheric situations. Even when kept in a room, if the sunlight falls on the castor oil directly from the window it can ruin castor oil’s quality.

4. 4. Keep them in a cool place like room shelves, wooden cupboard, etc. For the packaging and storing concern, dark-coloured and thick bottles are considered as the best choice.

5. 5. Always go by the expiry date mentioned on the packing. As they are unsteady in nature may not hold the same properties in it after its expiry date.

Most of the time, castor oil is not used directly. It is heated before the use due to its thick consistency. While heating the castor oil, it is to be made sure that the entire bottle of the castor oil is not heated. Heat only the necessary amount of castor oil in a bowl. The correct method of heating any oil is to heat it over the hot water.

Check the colour of castor oil. If it gets darker than its original colour like brown or if it smells too differently or smells rancid then it can be considered as spoilt.

It is advised not to use expired castor oil externally or internally for the body to avoid any reaction. Just follow the steps and enjoy the benefits of natural and worthwhile castor oil.