castor oil

[clementine]

also is castor oil ok to use on the skin?

[RRM]

what is it? (where is it made from)
how much vitamin e does it contain?

[clementine]

It's made from the castor bean. I can't seem to find any information on how much vitamin e it has, but if you google it, it is reputed to be good for acne. I have been on the sample diet for almost two weeks, and my skin looks better but I still have a few pimples and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong! I am eating lots of fresh fruits and the cucumber, tomato, avocado salad with olive oil, but also lots of strawberries and I read in the old forum that strawberries contain toxins and are not ideal. Could this be causing it?

I use rosewater to wash my face in the mornings and an Avene soapless gel cleanser to wash my face at night (I need to take off makeup and I feel like just rosewater is not enough!). Then I use sesame oil on my face afterwards.

The ingredients in the cleanser are: thermal spring water, decyl glucoside, polysorbate 20, ceteareth-60 myristyl gycol, disodium cocam-phodiacetate, glycerin, sodium lauroul sarcosinate, methy gluceth-20, benzoic acid, cetrimonium bromide, pumpkin seed oil, disodium EDTA, fragrance, green5, lactic acid, phenoxy-ethanol, yellow5, zinc gluconate. (wow that is a lot, I didn't realize!). Anyways any advice would be really helpful, since I'd really like to have perfectly clear skin. Thanks!! Dana

[clementine]

I just realized that I have been using sesame oil from toasted sesame seeds, and not a cold-pressed one! Could this be the cause?

[RRM]

It's made from the castor bean.

I would avoid oil from any bean.

I still have a few pimples and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong!

Thats can be lots of things.
What do you eat exactly (not just what you eat a lot, but every small other thing you sometimes eat)

also lots of strawberries and I read in the old forum that strawberries contain toxins and are not ideal. Could this be causing it?

No, they are just very mild toxins.

the ingredients of the cleanser seem pretty much standard to me.

I just realized that I have been using sesame oil from toasted sesame seeds, and not a cold-pressed one! Could this be the cause?

Probably not, but its not good for your skin's health.

[clementine]

For breakfast I usually eat oranges, melon, and banana. Then about every hour or so I eat either a peach, plum, apple, or more oranges. I eat lots of strawberries and cherries as snacks. For either lunch or dinner each day I have a tomato-cucumber salad with olive oil and an avocado. Sometimes I have it more than once a day and sometimes I have 2-3 avocadoes in a day. I drink only Volvic water, use rosewater to wash my face, and I found cold-pressed sesame oil for my face so I use only that. My skin is still not perfectly clear (although now only a few small blemishes but still!), do you have any ideas/suggestions for why this might be and what I could do differently?

[fictor]

I use almond oil in my face. And I fund that it was key to use VERY LITTLE.
I wash my face only by letting water from the shower run over my face,
usually not even touching my face, applying a very very small amount
of oil to my face while still moist.

I do not apply oil to my forhead, as this seems to promote small pimples.
I only apply the oil in my "beard area".

Also, do you eat yolks and/or fish at all? And how much?

[CY]

It's made from the castor bean.

I would avoid oil from any bean.

The castor "bean" is not actually a bean. Rather, it is a large seed resembling a bean because of surface patterns (look like a pinto bean to me).

The oil contains low levels of several natural forms of vitamin e. It is also poisonous if ingested, but the toxins are harmless when the oil is applied to the skin. Compared with other oils, it is notably more viscous. The primary fatty acid in castor oil, ricinoleic acid, has anti-inflammatory properties.

My experience:

The oil, when applied as a thin layer, allowed to sit for a few hours, and then wiped off with a warm moist cloth, actually seemed to have a drying effect on the skin. Supposedly, the thick oil pulls sebum from the skin, which may prove beneficial for those suffering from acne. Upon wiping the oil off, skin felt waxy, although not greasy, so I suppose it left the moisture barrier intact. After a couple days of use, overall facial redness was reduced, and any lesions seemed to have shrunk. I discontinued using castor oil when I stopped using any products on my skin.

For breakfast I usually eat oranges, melon, and banana. Then about every hour or so I eat either a peach, plum, apple, or more oranges. I eat lots of strawberries and cherries as snacks. For either lunch or dinner each day I have a tomato-cucumber salad with olive oil and an avocado. Sometimes I have it more than once a day and sometimes I have 2-3 avocadoes in a day.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't the Wai salad intended to be consumed after eating fruits (as a way to prevent blood sugar fluctuations)? Try eating small portions of this salad a few minutes after eating a fruit meal.

[clementine]

Fictor and CY- thanks for all the help. I eat egg yolks occasionally, usually about 2 per week (I don't really like them and I want to watch my blood protein level). I rarely eat raw fish, only when I go for sushi once in a blue moon.

I tried using castor oil on my face at night 2 nights in a row, but I didn't wipe it off, just slept in it and I have been using much less sesame oil. I seem to have a lot of small blemishes on my forehead and chin, whereas before when I was eating a regular diet those areas were clean and it was only my cheeks that would break out. So I think that the problem has to do with topical stuff and not diet. I'm not sure what the problem could be, I wash my face with rosewater + face wash at night and then just spritz rosewater on in the morning. After both I follow with a small amount of oil. Should I try using normal tap water instead of rosewater, or a different face wash? It's so confusing to know what to do!

[clementine]

I just read that if you eat too big of a meal, then it can also lead to acne. So if I eat too much fruit and feel full, that could be a cause as well?

[RRM]

thank you for that info about castor oil, CY.

Supposedly, the thick oil pulls sebum from the skin, which may prove beneficial for those suffering from acne.

I dont think so. The sebum that can be 'pulled' from the skin is not trapped sebum. Only trapped sebum causes acne. the sebum that is not trapped prevents the skin against dehydration so that this oil may maximally 'pull' sebum that is harmless and beneficial anyway...

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't the Wai salad intended to be consumed after eating fruits (as a way to prevent blood sugar fluctuations)?

The salad may also provide a separate meal, as you can also eat 'just fruits' for a meal, depending on how sensitive you are to fluctuating blood sugar levels. For most people, simply consuming some fat daily will suffice. For some, a much more stringent fat intake is required.

[RRM]

I just read that if you eat too big of a meal, then it can also lead to acne. So if I eat too much fruit and feel full, that could be a cause as well?

Yes, if you are sensitive to too much fluctuating blood sugar levels, a too big a meal can cause acne as well.
Anyway, for everybody its best to eat as much as required to replenish your blood energy levels, and nothing more. Its much better to eat more frequently than to consume meals that may be too big.

[Oscar]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't the Wai salad intended to be consumed after eating fruits (as a way to prevent blood sugar fluctuations)?

I don't think so. You can use it that way (containing avocado) because avocado is quite fatty, but it's by no means a 'must'.