Garden of Wisdom's Castor Oil (Organic) is extremely conditioning, making it great for dry skin. Castor oil soothes inflamed skin, and reduces swelling from damage or irritation. As castor oil is the biggest resource for ricinoleic acid, it has properties that other oils may not have. Ricinoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. As a humectant, ricinoleic acid pulls moisture from the air and traps it to the skin, helping to hydrate skin.

Properties very emollient, excellent for lip products, conditioning, anti-aging, analgesic, anti-inflammatory

Botanical Name: Ricinus communis
Origin: India  / Organic
Extraction Method: Cold pressed / Unrefined
Color: Clear Yellow
Derived From: The Castor Bean
Contains: Ricinoleic Acid
Base Oil: Can be used up to 100% strength. This oil is rich, however, so consider using at 5-10%
Shelf Life: 5 years

Please Keep Your Products Out of Humidity, Heat, Direct Light and in a Dark Cabinet When Possible 

Exfoliating Acid - products have a shelf life of 9-12 months. The only things we don't suggest refrigerating are the Mandelic Acid Serums or Salicylic Acid Serums, as they can crystallize in the refrigerator. If this happens, you can set the product into a hot water bath to see if the crystals will dissolve.

Additional Items That Require Refrigeration and/or Kept in the Dark

Hydrosols and Distillates - remove 1 ounce of hydrosol and add it to a separate, sterilized spray bottle and spritzer. Keep the larger bottle in the refrigerator.
Carrier and Exotic Oils - generally refrigerate all carrier oils, although some very rich oils will solidify. This is fine. All you have to do is take the oil out, warm it up at room temperature, and it should liquefy. If not, set the bottle in a hot water bath and occasionally shake the bottle, which will hopefully turn into a liquid. Some oils, like coconut cream and jojoba oil, have a super long shelf life.    

Refrigeration of The Following Ingredients is Not Necessary, But it Won't hurt

Essential Oils - essential oils are best stored in a cool, dark place.   
Co2 Extracts - these should continually be refrigerated.
Butters - we suggest refrigerating our "skincare" butters. You can remove
what you need and keep the rest in the fridge.
Clays - keep in a dry, dark place. Shelf life is at least 2 years.
Herbs All herbs <i>(whole or ground)</i> should be kept in a dark, cool, and dry location.
Herbal (liquid) Extracts are created using grain alcohol. The alcohol pulls the constituents (properties) from each herb, root, trunk, leaf, and flower. They have a shelf life of 3-5 years.
They can be stored in the refrigerator or a dark, dry place.
Other Raw Ingredients - such as Sodium PCA, Honeyquat, Oat Beta Glucan, etc., will all have different shelf lives.

Oleic 3.93%

Stearic 1.0%

Palmitic 1.0%

Linoleic 4.32%

Linolenic 0.3%

Ricinoleic 87.74%