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What is castor oil?
Castor oil is a vegetable oil made from castor beans. It can also be used on the skin. To find out whether you need this lovely oil in your skincare routine, take our skin quiz now!
What is it best for?
Castor oil is excellent at hydrating and moisturizing skin. It has humectant properties, so it can draw moisture from the air into your skin, and its moisturizing properties mean it can reduce dryness, flaking and itchy from dry skin, sunburn, or eczema. Additionally, it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
When applied to the scalp, it can boost blood flow and speed up hair growth by as much as five times the usual rate.
It can also be used as a simple makeup remover that does not cause acne flare-ups.
What is the drawback?
Some people may experience rashes and skin irritation after applying castor oil. In addition, it is not absorbed as easily into the skin, and may make your skin feel oily and sticky. Avoid using it if you have oily skin, and don’t apply too much or leave it on for too long.
A scar can form anywhere the skin is broken deeply enough to damage surrounding skin cells. With acne, most superficial blemishes will heal cleanly, leaving no visible evidence of prior breakouts. However, in the case of cystic acne, when a clogged pore leads to infection that travels deep into the dermis, ruptured cysts can break the follicle wall and cause the infection to damage surrounding skin cells. Collagen helps to repair the damage but leaves the skin more firm and tight than the rest of your skin. Some types of acne scarring leave a concave shape, called a pockmark. Contrary to some belief, not all acne scars are caused by picking or popping your blemishes. Some occur even if the acne is allowed to heal without picking.
To prevent sun damage from making acne scars more visible, it’s best to moisturize daily and wear sunscreen. Additionally, antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals that damage cells and speed up aging. Ingredients and nutrients like acai oil, alpha-lipoic acid, green tea extract, retinol/vitamin A, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, alpha-hydroxy acid and salicylic acid are all beneficial for preventing and reducing acne scarring. Jojoba oil is also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin.
Castor oil may be effective for acne scars, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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