Ask your grandma about castor bean oil (or “castor oil” as it’s commonly known) and she could tell you how, when she was a kid, she had to drink it for a variety of reasons—and it ain’t tasty. But it works, and families still use it.
Castor beans are actually the seeds of the Ricinus Communis plant. Whoever decided to call its seeds “beans”?
To us, castor bean’s oil is protective and nourishing, helps babies live and grow better, and is one of the mighty ingredients in BEB Organic Diaper Balm.
Our organic castor bean oil from India carries a host of health-promoting benefits.
- Acne Reducer[1]
Even preemies can get acne—that uncomfortable, often painful, collection of pimples and painful bumps on the skin. It’s caused by an imbalance in skin bacteria, especially an overabundance of Staphylococcus aureus.
- Anti-inflammatory[2]
Every person needs to limit inflammation in their body, no matter where it comes from. For your preemie, inflammation is a challenge to existence, and anything that helps avoid or control inflammation helps your preemie grow better. That’s why castor bean oil is so important in our Diaper Balm—it’s highly effective[3] for decreasing inflammation and swelling, which then reduces pain.
The no-air-passage zone of your baby’s diaper is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria that results in painful conditions. But castor oil’s inflammation-fighting abilities helps reduce the swelling and the pain, even as it asserts its power as an anti-microbial agent.
- Antimicrobial[4]
When bacteria overwhelms an area and causes inflammation, acne, or other skin issues, castor oil rushes in with its antimicrobial sword to control bacterial growth.
Every moment in which your preemie doesn’t have to use precious energy for fighting stress and pain means your baby has more energy for growth and development. Castor oil’s antimicrobial properties keep bacteria away from your baby’s skin and hydrates at the same time, helping your baby stay pain-free and moisturized.
- Fungicide[5]
Fighting the fungus among us is critical to stabilizing our health, and no one needs that stability more than your preemie. Castor bean oil helps fight Candida albicans, the most common fungus in humans.
Castor bean oil is naturally moisturizing to scalp and skin. Your baby may be too young to develop dandruff, but you’re not. No, I’m not recommending you rub our Diaper Balm on your hair! (But if you do, let me know how that goes.) Just remember that the castor bean oil in our balm helps scalps the same way it helps little bottoms—by reducing inflammation.
Every wonderful effect of castor bean oil is the reason we love it in our Diaper Balm, and why we created it for tender little babies who are working hard in the NICU so they can come home ASAP.
- Laxative[6]
This is why your great grandma made your grandma take it regularly. Castor oil stimulates the movement of food through our intestines and helps us eliminate waste easily.
For your preemie, removing toxic waste from their intestines is crucial to growing well.
- Moisturizer[7]
Your preemie’s skin is already so dry, it needs help from the outside in. Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid that moisturizes the skin, helping it grow and strengthen.
The hydrating effect of castor oil helps soothe your baby’s tender bottom and protects it against the irritating urine in diapers. Commercial “for baby” moisturizers use toxic chemicals to do what castor oil does naturally and safely.
- Wound Healer[8]
When sores are kept moist, they often heal better. Moisture not only prevents dehydration, it staves off the build-up of dead skin cells (“cornification”) that can inhibit wound healing. Castor bean oil not only keeps the area moist, it stimulates tissue repair. Quickly building new tissue creates a layer between the wound and the world, protecting the area from infection.
Skin issues like psoriasis not only create dry, damaged skin, they can cause swelling. But our castor bean oil moisturizes and soothes, helping the area heal better, faster. Even though we call it “diaper balm” but you’re not wearing diapers these days, Diaper Balm works great on your skin issues, too.
Your little preemie is working night and day building new cells and healing from the many needle pricks, bandage removal, and medical treatments that have left tiny or large wounds in the skin.
Castor bean oil can help each and every one. That’s why we love it.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763741/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781768/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25542985
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4942971/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843396/
[6] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/castor-oil#section1
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3141305/
[8] https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/castor_oil#section=Therapeutic-Uses
