# Castor oil as acne treatment **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871 "2008-08-13T17:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/1 "2008-08-13T17:37:18Z")
Essentially, it boils down to this: Make a 1:3 mixture of castor oil:extra virgin olive oil. Massage it in to your pores. Let it sit for ten minutes, then steam the oil off by repeatedly putting a hot wash cloth over your face. Once all of the oils are off, tighten your pores with witch hazel or some other astringent. Google “oil cleansing method” for more details. The claim is that the castor oil can easily penetrate the skin due to it’s low molecular weight. Since it’s an oil, it readily dissolves the sebum and other gunk that tends to build up in the pores of those with acne problems. It’s supposed to be both gentler and more effective than traditional benzoyl peroxide / salicylic / glycolic methods. I ask this because I’m a 30-year-old guy who just can’t seem to get rid of the deep, embedded blackheads on my face, especially on my nose. Occasionally, one of them erupts into a nasty whitehead, or worse, a red, inflamed cystic sucker. I’m currently sporting a nasty third eye of Shiva right between the eyes. So, what gives? Is there any medical reason to think it will or will not work? I mean, it makes logical sense to me, but I’d like to avoid a trip down the laxative isle if I can. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/2 "2008-08-13T19:14:10Z")
Wow, I’d be terrified to put oil on my face, but it does sound plausible… If you do it, let us know. Have you tried the pore strips, like Biore? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/3 "2008-08-13T19:19:42Z")
Sounds like the olive oil system a friend of mine uses. Seems to work for her. I think Id rather use olive oil on my face instead of Castor oil… isnt the castor bean a relative of poison ivy? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/4 "2008-08-13T19:34:26Z")
Castor beans are the source of Ricin, a deadly nerve toxin. Offhand, I’d pass on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/5 "2008-08-13T19:41:16Z")
Well… > **[Castor oil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil)** > > Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans, the seeds of the plant Ricinus communis. The seeds are 40 to 60 percent oil. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is 313 °C (595 °F) and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about 90 percent of fatty acids are ricinoleates. Oleic acid and linoleic acid are the other significant components. > Some 270,000–360,000 tonnes (600×10^6–790×10^6 lb) of casto... > [@](#): > > The castor seed contains ricin, a toxic protein **removed by cold pressing and filtering.** Bolding mine. 😉 Also… > [@](#): > > The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized castor oil as “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) for over-the-counter use as a laxative, with its major site of action the small intestine. If you can drink it safely, seems like you can put it on your face, too. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/6 "2008-08-13T19:46:03Z")
Ricin is not present in castor oil, it’s part of the waste material you get when you process castor beans into castor oil. [cite.](http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp) I wouldn’t press my own castor beans or anything, but commercial castor oil is safe. It seems plausible, although IANAChemist. I know that lots of people in the Mediterranean use olive oil for cleansing, historically and today. Cold creams, used for decades to remove makeup and clean out pores, are oil based, as well. Me, I think I’d pick up a jar of Noxzema, instead. Less mess, and no search for castor oil. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/7 "2008-08-13T20:39:03Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] Sounds like the olive oil system a friend of mine uses. Seems to work for her. I think Id rather use olive oil on my face instead of Castor oil… isnt the castor bean a relative of poison ivy? [/QUOTE] Castor beans are in the Euphorbiaceae, therefore being relatives of the poinsettia. Poison ivy is the Anacardiaceae, therefore being a relative of mangoes. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/castor-oil-as-acne-treatment/459871/8 "2008-08-14T00:44:13Z")
[QUOTE=black rabbit] … then steam the oil off by repeatedly putting a hot wash cloth over your face. Once all of the oils are off, tighten your pores with witch hazel or some other astringent… [/QUOTE] I’d guess that that’s the important part right there; basically an extended washing plus an astringent. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the initial oiling is at worst counter-productive, and at best pointless. You could run a half-face-each-way experiment, but it might be hard to generalize from one case.