Castor Oil for Weight Loss

Can you use castor oil for weight loss? Learn about how to use it to achieve your fitness goals.

We’ve already discovered the many virtues that castor oil has on our hair, skin, nails, etc., but I am often surprised by the amount of people who ask me about castor oil for weight loss.

Is castor oil for weight loss proven to be effective? Is it safe? How to use it?

In this article, I discuss castor oil for weight loss and my recommendations for using this natural oil if you’re searching to lose a few pounds.

Losing Weight

It seems that in today’s world, everyone is trying to achieve the perfect body image. Whether we see it in magazines, on our favorite Netflix series or Instagram, we always dream about a fitter version of ourselves.  Though I think having a positive body image is a really wonderful thing and is something that everyone should have, I don’t agree with the heavy dieting and weight loss programs in order to attain that perfect body.

Castor oil for weight loss | Castor Oil Guide

I am a natural product lover and this definitely carries over into the type of food I put in my body and even the makeup I choose to put on my face. This means I will search for natural methods to lose weight before ever considering dieting. With healthy eating, lots of outdoor activities and exercise, I am able to obtain my desired body weight and image. Besides being a popular topic among the media, the question of weight loss and obesity is also at the heart of public health and political debates.
Weight loss and becoming a ‘healthier you’ is a global trend; in fact, on a global scale, 39% of adults are overweight. Unfortunately, this is something that hits right at home, too. The USA is unfortunately one of the top countries for obesity. I know we love our butter, sugar, salt, carbs, and XL portions of food and drink, but most of it often ends up as waste (1).
If we want to become healthier versions of ourselves, we need to cut out processed food from our diets (2). If losing weight is your prerogative, then eating lots of fruits and veggies and committing to lots of physical activities is the best way to achieve just that. And oh yeah! Castor oil for weight loss is right up there on the list. 😉

Ingesting Castor Oil for Weight Loss: What You Need To Know

You’ll see that castor oil is recommended on several sites for weight loss. This is because castor oil has strong laxative effects due to its rich composition of fatty acids. These other sites are therefore recommending that you use castor oil as a laxative to rid your body of its extra fluids and water retention. Does purging your body sound like a good idea? Nope, I don’t think so either!

If you ingest castor oil, be prepared to run to the bathroom and stay there for long periods of time as you empty all the liquids from your body. This will indeed give you the (false) impression that you are losing weight. Remember that you will only be losing your body’s water content, leaving your body all of its fat content. Therefore, ingesting castor oil for weight loss is really not effective long-term or healthy for you to do this (3).

This is why I definitely do not recommend ingesting castor oil for weight loss purposes. Remember that castor oil is a very powerful laxative and can be quite toxic with a high dosage. It is just not worth the risk.


But good news! You CAN use castor oil for weight loss externally which is safe and proven to be very effective!

Read more below to find out how 🙂


Again, ingesting castor oil for weight loss is a bad idea (4). Not only does it have powerful immediate effects on your body, ingesting it long-term for weight loss purposes can lead to very serious health problems.

Avoid ingesting castor oil at all and only use it’s awesome benefits externally which is where the real magic happens anyway!

Externally Using Castor Oil for Weight Loss

Rich in beneficial fatty acids and most of all ricinoleic acid, castor oil is nature’s own little miracle worker. Having numerous therapeutic and cosmetic benefits, it’s no surprise that using castor oil externally can also be effective for weight loss.

Castor oil for weight loss | Castor Oil Guide

Indeed, by applying castor oil externally, for example by using a castor oil pack, you can stimulate lymph and liver function, improve blood circulation, reduce inflammation, detoxify, support ovarian and uterine health, and burn stubborn belly fat. In addition to all this…

  • Castor oil is often used in the form of a castor oil pack to help with arthritis, rheumatism, joint or muscular pain, or liver problems.
  • People suffering from skin conditions (psoriasis, eczema, even burns or scars, etc.), see an improvement and alleviation of symptoms with regular application of castor oil.
  • Dry, scaly feet with nodules or blisters will also benefit from the daily application of castor oil.
  • Castor oil is also commonly used to combat and slow down the appearance of wrinkles by improving blood circulation
  • and many more 🙂

As you see, these reasons are why I highly recommend only using castor oil externally, not only for weight loss purposes but for any other external health or beauty purpose.

Castor oil for weight loss | Castor Oil Guide

Using Castor Oil Packs To Lose Belly Fat

Feeling stressed over belly fat? Don’t worry most of us do. Still, you can make your tummy lean and tight with the topical application of castor oil. Here is how you can achieve this.

Use Castor Oil Packs

You will need:

  • Cloth
  • Cotton Ball
  • Water Pack
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Quality Castor Oil

Directions:

  1. Lie on the bed and soak a cotton ball in castor oil.
  2. Now gently apply it on your stomach and massage in circular motions for 10 minutes.
  3. Place the cloth over your tummy and cover it with a plastic wrap, so castor oil remains intact.
  4. At last, place the hot water pack over your plastic wrap and let it relax for 10 minutes.

Combining Castor Oil + A Healthy Routine = Weight Loss

To lose weight, you have a vast choice of natural, healthy methods. Depending on just how much weight you aim to lose, I would recommend consulting a doctor or nutritionist to discuss the best foods to eat and the most effective exercise routine adapted to your needs.

General and somewhat obvious recommendations for optimizing weight loss:

  • Avoid eating foods that are high in fat, salt, or sugar content
  • Prioritize cooking methods that keep essential vitamins in minerals. For example, microwaving/heating your green veggies makes them lose their Vitamin C
  • Limit the use of oils, butter, or fatty salad dressings
  • Incorporate tons of fruits and veggies in your routine
  • Opt for healthy snacks (carrot sticks, hummus, kiwi, nuts, etc.) instead of chips, pop-tarts, etc.
  • Get in the habit of working out or running every day

Everyone has their different rhythm and capacities. Nonetheless, it’s important to walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Don’t make rainy weather an excuse. If you can’t walk outside, invest in some home exercise equipment so you’ll never miss another opportunity! You may have a busy schedule, but you can find time I’m sure of it! 🙂 You got this.

Final Thoughts: Castor Oil for Weight Loss

Today you have a multitude of sports adapted for everyone, at all types of intensity levels. There are also tons of fitness blogs that you can follow just in case you need a little extra motivation!

huile de ricin pour maigrir

Remember, there isn’t one special recipe for losing weight. Every person is different and so you may have to work harder than someone else to achieve similar results. It’s important to not give up! Castor oil for weight loss should not be the only method you use to lose some weight.

Combine castor oil packs, plus a healthy diet, and lots of physical activity all together to optimize your weight loss journey. Best of luck!

Dr Helen Smith
Dr. Helen Smith provides food and nutrition consultation and treatment for obese as well as health-conscious patients. She holds B.S in psychology and completed her M.S in nutrition sciences from California State University. She has over five years of experience in advising and helping patients with the right nutrition and diet. Her mission is to make nutrition information accessible to everyone and help people follow a healthy lifestyle.

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Our articles are written and reviewed by medical experts who have extensive experience in nutrition, health, and essential oils.

Every information we share is research-backed, including the claims and statistics. The numbers in the parentheses (1,2 and 3) represent the scientific references so that you can study the topic in brief.