Castor Oil Packs
How to Prepare and Use a Castor Oil Pack
Before using castor oil packs, test for skin sensitivity to castor oil by first massaging a small drop of castor oil directly to the skin.
Materials for using castor oil packs:
• Therapeutic grade hexane free organic castor oil
• A large wool flannel, unbleached and organic
• Piece of plastic (a plastic trash bag works well)
• Heat source such as hot water bottle or heating pad
• Large old towel or sheet
• Glass container to store the flannel – such as a mason jar.
Directions for using a castor oil pack:
Make sure you are well hydrated and have gone to the bathroom and emptied your bladder and/or colon before beginning.
Choose a space where you are able to lay down comfortably. To avoid any oil dripping onto the surface, cover the space with an old towel.
Find a piece of flannel that is large enough to cover your abdomen but not any larger or it can make a mess. Saturate the flannel in castor oil; you want to get it wet but not dripping. **Note that this can be a messy process.
Lie down on your back on the surface protected by the old towel and cover your abdomen with the flannel. It is most important to make sure your right side (where the liver is) is completely covered from just above your groin to your sternum (breastbone) or pectoral muscles.
Put a very large pillow under your knees and feet in order to take stress off of your lower back and to focus the blood flow into your abdominal region. You could also lie on the floor and put your legs up on the couch.
Cover the flannel with a piece of plastic or plastic bag and put the heating pad or hot water bottle on this. Place a hot water bottle or heating pad on top of the flannel and plastic
Relax for 45-60 minutes while the castor oil pack does its work and use this period of time to read a book, meditate, visualize, and/or spend time doing deep breathing. Otherwise you might like to take a nap.
When finished, remove the pack and put the flannel into a glass mason jar, seal it tight and store in the refrigerator. Keep saturating the flannel with castor oil for future packs as you desire. You can also discard and use a new piece of flannel next time.
Replace the castor oil pack when you notice a visible colour change or if it smells bad.
Wash off any remaining castor oil on your skin with a natural soap or a solution of ½ a litre of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
Be sure to stay well hydrated as your hydration level will play a critical role in the detoxification effects from the castor oil pack.
Using the packs for just a few days can be enough to provide relief from certain symptoms, but the more thorough detoxification results come when this procedure is done regularly.