Where It Began

The earliest known use of castor oil dates back over four thousand years to ancient Egypt, where the castor plant grew readily along the Nile. Archaeological evidence and written records show that castor oil was not a luxury ingredient, but a practical one, woven into daily life.

Egyptians pressed castor seeds to produce an oil thick enough to fuel lamps. These lamps burned steadily through long desert nights, illuminating homes, temples, and workspaces. The oil’s slow, reliable burn made it especially valuable in a landscape where light was both precious and symbolic.

Beyond its use as fuel, castor oil was recorded in medical papyri, including the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest known medical texts. It was referenced for soothing the skin, supporting hair and scalp care, and addressing various bodily ailments. While the exact applications varied, its presence in these texts suggests a deep familiarity with the plant and its properties.

Castor oil also held a place in Egyptian burial practices. Jars containing oils were often included in tombs, intended for use in the afterlife. This practice reflects how essential oils, including castor, were seen not only as tools for the living, but as companions beyond death.

What stands out most is how ordinary castor oil was. It was not reserved for priests or royalty alone. It was pressed, stored, and used by households as a dependable resource. Its value lay in consistency rather than rarity, making it a quiet cornerstone of early civilization.

The World Traveler

As castor oil traveled, it adapted. Wherever the castor plant could grow, people learned how to work with it, press it, store it, and rely on it. Its spread followed trade routes, migration, and shared knowledge, not trends.

In India, castor oil became a staple of Ayurvedic practice. Known as Eranda, it was classified as warming and grounding, often used to support balance in the body and to release stagnation. Ayurvedic texts reference castor oil for external use in massage and skin care, as well as for hair and scalp rituals meant to strengthen and protect. Its thick texture was understood not as a flaw, but as a sign of its potency and staying power.

In ancient Greece, physicians took note of castor oil’s effects. Hippocrates and later medical writers documented its use, particularly in treatments that required an oil with weight and endurance. The Greeks valued observation and record-keeping, and castor oil’s continued presence in their writings suggests it proved itself through repeated use.

The Romans, known for their practical engineering and medicine, expanded castor oil’s applications further. It appeared in both medical texts and everyday use, valued not only for personal care but also for its functional properties. Roman households and bathhouses relied on oils as part of daily hygiene, and castor oil’s resilience made it a dependable choice.

Across West Africa, castor oil took on deep cultural significance. It became a foundational ingredient in hair and skin care, particularly for protecting against dryness in hot climates. It was used to nourish the scalp, condition hair, and maintain skin through daily exposure to sun and wind. In many regions, it was also woven into rituals of care, preparation, and coming-of-age, marking transitions rather than treating problems.

What ties these civilizations together is not coincidence, but convergence. Independent cultures, separated by geography and language, arrived at the same conclusion: castor oil was worth keeping. It earned its place through reliability, not novelty.

By the time castor oil reached the modern world, it had already crossed deserts, seas, and centuries. Its passport was full long before it ever reached a bottle with a label.

The Household Healer

For generations, castor oil lived in cupboards rather than cabinets. It wasn’t marketed or prescribed. It was kept because it was useful.

Mothers used it to smooth hair and condition lashes, applying it with fingertips before bed. It was massaged into scalps to support strength and shine, worked into dry skin during winter months, and used for simple at-home care when irritation or dryness appeared. It was often warmed slightly in the hands, applied slowly, and left to do its work overnight.

In many households, castor oil carried quiet ritual weight. Its use marked moments of care rather than urgency. Evening routines, preparation before rest, maintenance rather than repair. Its place in the home was earned through repetition. Castor oil remained not because it promised transformation, but because it delivered steadiness.

Modern Rediscovery

Castor oil never disappeared, but it did fall out of favor as skincare became more pharmaceutical and increasingly focused on texture. Faster-absorbing, lighter-feeling ingredients took center stage, particularly in products designed to deliver quick, visible results. Traditional oils, which worked more slowly and left a tactile presence on the skin, were used less frequently.

As the industry moved in that direction, something subtle was lost. Ingredients that supported the skin over time rather than overnight were often set aside. Formulas prioritized immediacy and elegance, sometimes at the expense of long-term barrier support and resilience.

In recent years, that balance has begun to shift. As more people pay closer attention to ingredient quality and long-term skin health, castor oil has returned to the conversation. Cold-pressed extraction methods make it possible to preserve its natural fatty acids without over-processing or chemical alteration, while modern formulation techniques have improved how it feels and performs.

What was once dismissed as old-fashioned is now better understood for what it is: a durable, effective oil that endures not because it adapts to trends, but because it continues to do its work when handled with care and intention.

Why We Use It at Tulip Blooms

Castor oil is powerful, but it is not perfect on its own.

Its naturally thick, sticky texture can feel heavy when used straight, which is why we never rely on it in isolation. Instead, we treat castor oil as a foundational ingredient, one that shines best when thoughtfully balanced.

In products like our Blooming Hair and Beard Oil and our Castor Blend, we pair castor oil with lighter, fast-absorbing oils that soften its texture while preserving its strengthening benefits. This creates formulas that glide easily, absorb beautifully, and leave hair and skin nourished rather than coated.

By blending castor oil with complementary botanicals, we honor its strengths while refining the experience. The result is resilience without heaviness, tradition without discomfort. That balance is where castor oil truly belongs.

A Living Ingredient

Some ingredients are discovered.
Others are inherited.

Castor oil belongs to the latter. Its value was shaped over centuries of use, observation, and care. It moved through civilizations not because it was promoted, but because it endured. It stayed because it worked.

Today, using castor oil is not an act of nostalgia. It is a choice to work with an ingredient that has already proven itself, again and again, across time and place. When handled thoughtfully, it continues to support the same quiet goals it always has: strength, resilience, and care that accumulates rather than fades.

Castor oil does not ask to be reinvented.
It asks to be understood.