Maintaining clear skin and silky-smooth hair can be, in a word, expensive. A recent Atlantic article even argued, “You can drink as much water and wear as much sunscreen as you want, but the most effective skin-care trick is being rich.” So bless celebrity makeup artist Jami Svay, who favors one skin- and hair-care product that barely costs a thing: castor oil. (Even Charlize Theron is a fan.)
A secret passed down from her grandmother, Svay now uses the product on her clients and as part of her daily beauty routine.
“I use castor oil on my lashes at night to promote natural hair growth, my skin to get rid of dry patches, and hair for the best shine ever,” she says.
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab rave about its benefits, too. “Castor oil is comprised mainly of the fatty acid ricinoleic acid,” says Beauty Lab chemist Danusia Wnek. “It works as an emollient, smoothing flaky skin and making it feel softer. It can also provide a barrier on the skin and protect against moisture loss. For hair, it acts as a lubricant, coating and conditioning strands to improve smoothness and shine.”
When shopping, make sure you’re looking at organic, cold-pressed castor oil such as these:
How to Use Castor Oil on Your Hair
“I buy empty mascara bottles on Amazon and fill them with castor oil to brush it on my lashes at night to stimulate growth,” says Svay, adding that it works great on your cuticles too.
As for her hair, Svay smoothes SheaMoisture 100% Pure Jamaican Black Castor Oil ($10, ulta.com) onto her ends two to three times a week to prevent breakage. And after applying her moisturizer, she rubs castor oil on her knees, elbows, and other dry patches to layer up and seal in moisture.
How to Use Castor Oil on Your Skin
Castor oil is even known to prevent breakouts, and it’s recommended that you massage a few drops into your skin after washing your face. Then rinse, or use the oil as a spot treatment on pesky zits.
Use too much and you’ll end up feeling greasy, so Wnek recommends starting with a dime-size amount and working your way up.
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