I've used it as a cuticle moisturizer, not sure I would want to slather it on my face. It doesn't smell great, but I just use a small amount.

Coconut oil is suppose to be a great moisturizer. It’s fairly inexpensive and, if you get the refined, it doesn’t smell.

Oil, altogether, is a great moisturizer if you like the feel and smell. My mother had a massive laugh decades ago when her best friend bought major cosmetics brand sesame body oil. It probably had a stabilizer that delayed rancidity, but for the price one could get a case of food quality, and use a bottle up in cooking before it went off. Thereafter, Mother called our annual boureke (middle eastern savory pastry) making day a spa treatment for dry arms, since one ends up covered in thin layers of sesame oil.

Olive oil (not EVOO) has the right viscosity to be an excellent moisturizer if you don't mind smelling like a salad.

Castor oil smells nasty, IMHO. Give me the olive or sesame any day, even if it costs more.

IMPE, castor oil is kind of thick and sticky. I've seen it used in cosmetic and hair products, but not by itself for skin moisturizing. I had a bottle of it from Now Foods long ago - I blended it with other oils and beeswax to make a butter.

They still sell it - but it's apparently out of stock right now.

I agree about olive oil being a great skin balm. Cocoa butter is nice too, and smells wonderful, if you like chocolate.

It sounds like castor oil might be not too bad to use as a moisturizer according to this article. Apparently it helps against moisture loss. You could give it a try in a discreet location and see if your skin likes it.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/castor-oil#:~:text=A%20natural%20moisturizer,(%206%20%2C%207%20).

Just a warning, Jasdip. Castor oil is often used as a squirrel repellent. 😁

I just bought bottle of castor oil with the purpose of making an armadillo repellent; nice to know I can use it as a moisturizer if the armadillo plan fails. I haven't opened the bottle yet so don't know if it's odorous. It should be since its smell is supposed to be why the armadillo, with a keen sense of smell, is repelled by it.

Meanwhile, I do use coconut oil for a moisturizer. Not a fancy bottle - just a jar off the shelf in the Publix cooking aisle. One doesn't need a gob of it. just tap a couple of fingers on the oil and apply. Absorbs easily and doesn't feel greasy.

I don’t think I would. For some it could clog pores and cause acne. Just the fact it smells bad & could clog pores is enough to turn me off. I read something about it yesterday and it really is not recommended as a facial moisturizer.

The moisturizer that I use contains mineral oil, glycerin, and PEG-7 hydogenated caster oil, among other ingredients. There are also warnings for some castor oil. but it is generally regarded as safe.

I've used them all. Avocado, almond, olive, grapeseed, jojoba, coconut both refined and unrefined... And I'd use any of them before I would castor oil. Grapeseed is a very light feeling, and avocado or coconut seem to penetrate very well.

P.S. just suddenly remembered my grandmother puncturing vitamin E capsules and using that for wound care. It's been so long, but it seems like it was sticky? Don't remember 😉

Jasdip - we use it to repel moles and voles. We had a terrible problem with moles and voles creating tunnels under the sod and then eating the roots of our shrubs. Our landscaper told DH to spray Molevict on the grass and in the flower beds. It penetrates under the surface and apparently they don't care for the taste. Plus it doesn't kill them and is safe on plants.

I heard a health tip on the radio that castor oil makes a great moisturizer.

This sounds like a radio script that an AI might have written and I think Jasdip is wise to search for corroborating information.

Clogged pores? Try either almond or grapeseed. Much lighter. Might be more up your alley

I use jojoba oil under my eyes as a moisturizer overnight. Also use it as an eye makeup remover -- oil cuts right through waterproof mascara, follow with regular cleanser and it's all gone.

I use coconut oil as my only facial moisturizer and if anything, it minimizes my pores. I use it every time I wash my face. Just a tiny bit in the morning, let it absorb in before applying sun screen and makeup. I use an organic, cold pressed product and it does have a coconutty aroma in the jar, but it disappears rapidly.

I just bought a small bottle recently in the laxative isle.

Castor oil is very sticky feeling, nothing like an oil like olive oil. I use jojoba if I use an oil, it's thin and I can put my mineral makeup on top of it. It doesn't smell. I suppose you could use castor oil as a spot treatment on small spots. You can't really put it all over your face because it doesn't spread like an oil. The smell is minimum though. I bought it to put on my brows because some say it helps make them grow thicker but I've not kept up with it enough to really know if it works or not for that.

I recall my mother using castor oil on her face, late 1960-70s, and I don't recall an odor. She also had a castor oil-based cleanser, that I used; a brand no longer around, I think. I remember using it to remove the stage makeup when I was in plays in HS. I didn't have any issues with it clogging my pores - it was applied with my fingers, massaged in, then wiped/rinsed off with water. Worked very well and I liked how it left my skin.

You should be able to get it at any drug store or department store. It's just called Castor oil. It does not smell, its thick and it's a bit sticky feeling. It's supposed to help to soften corns. (It hasn't done much for mine)

FWIW, DD and I shared a table on a cruise with a couple; the husband had been in the cosmetic manufacturing business before he retired. He told me that almond oil was the best oil for moisturizing. He had sold his small boutique business to a large congolmerate that had replaced the more expensive almond oil for something cheaper. He was not happy about that. I use an almond oil based cuticle oil.

raee, you reminded me about stage makeup in high school. I was the makeup person for an elaborately staged sort-of Chinese play. One character was The High Executioner and was elaborately madeup. I would laborously ’paint’ this guys face and then try to remove it all after the play was over. We finally found that some remover with caster oil worked the best. i don’t know about a regular face, but it didn’t seem to make his cystic acne any worse. Others used it too and didn’t seem to have a problem.

Amazon has quite a selection of castor oil products.