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The world of oils is vast and varied, with new ones making it to shelves of cosmetic stores every year. Yet, some oils have been around for centuries and remain just as favoured today. Castor oil is one of those oils. Renowned in the beauty industry for its soothing, moisturising, and anti-inflammatory properties, it is a staple in many beauty products.
While castor oil works beautifully in anti-ageing beauty remedies, it is also fantastic for relieving dry skin or soothing sore muscles. Pick the right essential oil to go with it, and you have a winning combination. Below is a list of 7 essential oils that pair well with castor oil, along with a quick look at the benefits of these oils.
7 Essential Oils That Pair Well With Castor Oil
1. Lavender Essential Oil
Soothing, balancing, and anti-inflammatory, the lavender essential oil is an oil of choice among many formulators. When paired with castor oil, it can help relieve dry skin, soothe inflammation, calm irritated skin, and promote overall skin health. The pleasant sweet, floral aroma also helps lower anxiety and promote relaxation.
Pair lavender oil with castor oil and add to your homemade massage oils to soothe sore muscles, moisturisers to nourish your skin, or bath oils to soothe your senses and relieve aches and pains.
INCI Name: Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil
Properties: Soothing, balancing, and anti-inflammatory
Fragrance Family: Herbaceous
Fragrance: Herbaceous with floral notes
Note: Mid to top
2. Rose Absolute
If you are looking for a feel-good oil, rose absolute should be on top of your list. The sweet, comforting scent of rose absolute improves mood and relieves stress, making it the perfect pick for everyday use. It is also an excellent pick for those with dry, mature or reddened complexion.
Pair rose absolute with castor oil and add it to your facial remedies to smooth and soften the skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and puffiness and protect the skin from premature ageing. Or, mix it into your bath oil to calm your senses and ease muscle aches.
INCI Name: Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Extract
Properties: Anti-inflammatory, rejuvenating, calming
Fragrance Family: Floral
Fragrance: Sweet, floral
Note: Base to Mid
3. Sandalwood Essential Oil
Renowned for its rich, creamy, woody aroma and emollient properties, sandalwood essential oil is a wonder oil for dry skin. Aside from helping to moisturise the skin and leaving it soft and smooth, it can also help with irritations, inflammation and spots. Emotionally, sandalwood essential oil helps alleviate worry, tension and fear.
To access sandalwood’s wider benefits, blend it with castor oil and rose absolute to create rejuvenating facial moisturiser for dry and mature skin. Alternatively, combine sandalwood with lavender essential oil and castor oil to prepare moisturising body lotions with a soothing aroma for days when you need to unwind after a hard day.
INCI Name: Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil
Properties: Emollient, calming, sedative
Fragrance Family: Woodsy
Fragrance: Deep, rich, sweet
Note: Base
4. Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli essential oil is a fantastic oil that helps to help combat dry skin, making it a must-have in moisturising hand creams and foot lotions. An earthy, herbaceous aroma of the oil blends beautifully with the light scent of castor oil.
To soften the skin and boost hydration, blend patchouli essential oil with peppermint essential oil, melissa lemon balm and castor oil and add it to your nourishing foot lotions or creams.
INCI Name: Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Oil
Properties: Deodorant, bactericidal, cicatrising
Fragrance Family: Earthy
Fragrance: Earthy, herbaceous, musky
Note: Base
Related: Castor Oil For Dry Feet: Benefits, Uses and DIY Remedies
5. Peppermint Essential Oil
I like to think of peppermint essential oil as the ‘energy-boosting’ essential oil. It is refreshing, stimulating and uplifting, making it a great pick when you need your mood boosted. Peppermint essential oil also helps relieve aches and offers a cooling sensation when applied to the skin, making it a must-have in homemade remedies.
Pair peppermint essential oil with lavender and castor oil to prepare soothing foot soak, massage oils, balms and lotions for tired feet or to soothe aching muscles.
INCI Name: Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
Properties: Refreshing, uplifting, analgesic, cooling
Fragrance Family: Camphorous
Fragrance: Refreshing, minty and invigorating
Note: Top
Related: High Heels Addict? Here Is How Castor Oil Can Help Soothe Sore Feet
6. Thyme Essential Oil
From boosting circulation to soothing complexion suffering from irritation, blemishes and inflammation and reducing minor pain, thyme essential oil is a versatile oil that offers numerous skin benefits. Emotionally, thyme oil’s calming and centring aroma helps relieve stress and promote self-assurance.
Blend with lavender, sandalwood and castor oil to revive fatigued skin or peppermint essential oil for a cooling and uplifting massage oil for sore muscles.
INCI Name: Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Essential Oil
Properties: Calming, centring, soothing, rejuvenating, anti-inflammatory
Fragrance Family: Camphorous
Fragrance: Sweet and herbal
Note: Top
7. Clove Bud Essential Oil
There aren’t many oils that give you that warm fuzzy feeling that clove bud essential oil delivers. Warming and comforting, clove bud essential oil is associated with minor pain relief, restoring ease and comfort to tired bodies. Emotionally, the oil’s warming, spicy aroma is recognised for its stimulating properties and helpfulness in reducing anxiety, stress and fatigue.
Add a blend of castor oil and clove bud essential oil to your homemade massage or bath oils to soothe sore and tired muscles.
INCI Name: Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Flower Oil
Properties: Disinfecting, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, warming
Fragrance Family: Spicy
Fragrance: Spicy and warming
Note: Base
Soothing, moisturising, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving, castor oil is an effective multitasker you can add to your rejuvenating face creams, moisturising body lotions, soothing balms and relaxing massage oils. Well suited for dry skin types, castor oil blends well with a range of essential oils to create a variety of homemade remedies that work together to make your skin glow.