# Castor Oil types - is this type alright?



## RogueRose (Sep 12, 2014)

I was reading an article about castor oil and they named at least 5 different types of oil and they were all used for something different.  They all seemed to be produced or processed differently, some labeled "hexane free" (so maybe hexane is a problem in this oil??), which may lead to it having different properties.  

I'm curious where you people get yours.  I found it at CVS but it was really expensive as it has been packaged as a medicine (just pricy because of testing).  I also found this:

Walmart Castor Oil 6oz - $2.64

Walmart Castor Oil 8 oz $4.49

Will either of these work?  I'd like to find it in larger sizes as it is usually less expensive but I don't want to get the wrong kind (I think the kind used on lawns to protect from moles isn't the right kind).  Anyone have suggestions?


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## Susie (Sep 12, 2014)

I have used the Walmart brand in both sizes, they work fine.


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## IrishLass (Sep 12, 2014)

Whenever I'm out of my bulk castor oil and am waiting for my ship to come in, I use the castor oil from my local, family-owned health-food store. They sell the HomeHealth brand castor oil, which is cold pressed and cold processed, and they sell it for $13.99 for 2 lbs. worth. I think I've seen the same brand at Wholefoods and Sprouts, but only in smaller bottles.


 IrishLass


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## goji_fries (Sep 15, 2014)

Hey Rogue Rose, I saw Essential Depot and NDA with some cool bulk prices for castor oil.


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## shunt2011 (Sep 15, 2014)

I've used the castor from walmart and it works just fine.  I can get it locally by the gallon at a restaurant oil supply company and they also carry some soapmaking oils.  Try soapers choice they have a good price by the gallon as well.


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## Ellacho (Sep 15, 2014)

As long as it's 100% castor oil, it should be fine. When I first started to making soap, I bought my first castor oil from Wal-mart. Then, I found less expensive castor oil from an Indian market. If you live near by any Indian or Middle Eastern groceries, you can easily find castor, coconut, sunflower & almond(even neem oil). Once in a while, when I am out of bulk oils, I still buy some of mentioned oils from an Indian grocery.


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## goji_fries (Sep 15, 2014)

Ellacho said:


> As long as it's 100% castor oil, it should be fine. When I first started to making soap, I bought my first castor oil from Wal-mart. Then, I found less expensive castor oil from an Indian market. If you live near by any Indian or Middle Eastern groceries, you can easily find castor, coconut, sunflower & almond(even neem oil). Once in a while, when I am out of bulk oils, I still buy some of mentioned oils from an Indian grocery.



got some neem there too hehe


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## Ellacho (Sep 15, 2014)

goji_fries said:


> got some neem there too hehe



Don't you love it ? I also buy a lot of wonderful herbs from there!


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## goji_fries (Sep 15, 2014)

Ellacho said:


> Don't you love it ? I also buy a lot of wonderful herbs from there!



The herbs are so much cheaper than the quadruple retail madness. Nigella sativa and ground nutmeg is real cheap at the indian or mideast store. Ziploc sized bag of bay leaves for $1.50 . I see alot of mustard oil; thought of using it for soap but have to research it's safety for topical use.


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## Ellacho (Sep 15, 2014)

goji_fries said:


> The herbs are so much cheaper than the quadruple retail madness. Nigella sativa and ground nutmeg is real cheap at the indian or mideast store. Ziploc sized bag of bay leaves for $1.50 . I see alot of mustard oil; thought of using it for soap but have to research it's safety for topical use.



He he he, I bought the mustard oil too for my next shampoo bar recipe(Ayurveda) but I have not tried it yet!   According to my research, mustard seed oil is loaded with vitamins and minerals like zin, selenium, and beta carotene. Thus it will condition and encourage hair growth. So I am looking forward to making it .


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## goji_fries (Sep 15, 2014)

Ellacho said:


> He he he, *I bought the mustard oil too for my next shampoo bar recipe*(Ayurveda) but I have not tried it yet!   According to my research, mustard seed oil is loaded with vitamins and minerals like zin, selenium, and beta carotene. Thus it will condition and encourage hair growth. So I am looking forward to making it .



Ohhhhhhhhhh, feed the sickness my friend :clap:


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## LunaSkye (Sep 15, 2014)

I have the home health brand, though I got mine form Whole Foods. It's not bad to use, but I agree with Susie and suggest getting the one that is 100% castor oil. It would be even better if the cheaper one fits the bill.


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## Booko (Sep 16, 2014)

For the record, hexane is a hydrocarbon and is a small fraction of what's in gasoline.  It's as toxic as gasoline and kinda smells like it too.

Um, yeah, please don't put that in your soap.


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## CanaDawn (Sep 16, 2014)

Booko said:


> For the record, hexane is a hydrocarbon and is a small fraction of what's in gasoline.  It's as toxic as gasoline and kinda smells like it too.
> 
> Um, yeah, please don't put that in your soap.



For the record, hexane is a solvent commonly used in the extraction of oils, including common food oils like canola (yeah, I know that doesn't change the properties of the hexane, but it's not being directly used for soaping.  The oil that is not hexane-free would have trace amounts possible due to it being used for oil extraction)


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## Booko (Sep 17, 2014)

CanaDawn said:


> For the record, hexane is a solvent commonly used in the extraction of oils, including common food oils like canola (yeah, I know that doesn't change the properties of the hexane, but it's not being directly used for soaping.  The oil that is not hexane-free would have trace amounts possible due to it being used for oil extraction)



Thanks for the useful info, CanaDawn.  More useful than you suspect, even. 

I've used hexane in extractions in the lab, but most of the exposure there is in the air.  How it's used in food is practical knowledge I lack, so this is good to know.

I think I should probably switch my canola oil out for something else then.  Even trace amounts aren't necessarily good for those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, which would describe my daughter and myself.

I know there's a corn-derived defoaming agent used as well, but I never had a reason to run down what it is.

I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up in the food budget and stick to unrefined oils.  Oh well.


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## CanaDawn (Sep 17, 2014)

Oh! I'm glad it was helpful.  I wonder how "trace" the amounts are, but it's not the sort of thing that is printed on any labels...it would take some detective work!  Canola is also heavily treated in the fields with Roundup, here at least.  As a final straw, I found it was prone to DOS when I tried it way back in my first or second batch.


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