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Castor oil packs have gone from something your naturopath mentioned once to something half of Instagram is doing before bed. We have been asked about them enough times this year that it seemed worth writing down properly, including the part nobody tells you, which is that castor oil stains absolutely everything it touches.
A castor oil pack is a piece of flannel soaked in castor oil, laid on the skin, usually over the abdomen, and left there for an hour or so with something warm on top. That is the whole thing. It has been used in naturopathic practice for a long time, most commonly over the liver or the lower belly.
People use packs for bloating, sluggish digestion, period cramps and general wind down before sleep. The honest position is that the research is thin. There is a small older trial in elderly patients that found packs helped with constipation symptoms, and beyond that most of what you will read online is tradition and personal experience rather than clinical evidence.
That does not make it useless. Lying still with something warm on your stomach for an hour is a pleasant thing to do and plenty of people find it settling. It does mean you should be sceptical of anyone promising it will detox your liver.
Skip castor oil packs if you are pregnant or trying to be, if you are menstruating heavily, or if the skin is broken. Castor oil taken internally is a strong laxative and is a different matter entirely, so do not drink it. If you are being treated for anything abdominal, ask your doctor first.
Two things. A pack, which is the flannel and usually a wrap to hold it on, and the oil itself. Look for cold pressed and hexane free, which means the oil was pressed rather than chemically extracted.
The reusable packs are worth the money if you think you will keep it up, because the alternative is old towels and cling film and it gets messy fast. If you are just trying it, start with a 100ml or 200ml bottle rather than the 500ml.
Jamaican black castor oil is a different product, roasted before pressing, thicker and darker with a smoky smell. It is used more often on hair and scalp than for packs.
Most people who use packs regularly do three or four nights a week for a month, then see how they feel. It is not a one off thing.
This is the question we get most. Do not put an oily flannel through a normal wash with your clothes, because the oil will transfer. Store the pack in a glass jar or a zip bag in the fridge between uses and just top it up with oil. When it eventually needs washing, do it separately in hot water with a good squirt of dish soap, then wash it again. Expect the flannel to stay slightly discoloured, which is normal.
Old towels underneath, always. Castor oil does not come out of good sheets.
The full range is under Castor Oil Packs, and if you want to ask someone in person we are at 936 Anzac Parade, Maroubra, open seven days.
