Castor oil, pressed from the castor bean, has many beauty, health, and medicinal uses. The type of castor oil you’re purchasing will depend on the treatment.
You will find food-grade castor oil in the healthcare section of the grocery store, positioned between supplements and vitamins, and sold in the beauty aisle for cosmetic purposes.
While stores may vary as a health supplement and skincare treatment, castor oil is typically found in beauty and healthcare aisles. It can be used orally as a laxative or topically. Its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties are great for treating skin conditions like psoriasis, acne, and eczema.
What aisle is castor oil in?
Castor oil is usually found in the healthcare aisle of the supermarket, among other supplements and vitamins like D3 and cod liver oil. However, if you can’t find it there, you may be able to find it at the pharmacy or in the cosmetics aisle.
Narrowing down what you’re using castor oil for should help you find it quickly in the grocery store.
The most potent ingestible form of castor oil is sold in the pharmacy if one is available, usually formulated as a diuretic or a laxative. Both should be taken under medical supervision, and unless directed by a doctor for long-term use, you should use them sparingly.
When used as a beauty aid for dry or irritated skin, castor oil is sold in the beauty and cosmetic aisles where hair oils are sold.
Castor oil is traditionally pure but may be available in a variety of types, including:
- Pure castor oils
- Organic castor oils
- Heated black Jamaican oils
- White cold-pressed castor oils
Unlike pure or organic castor oil, Jamaican black castor oil is made with roasted castor beans and the ash produced by the roasting process.
This oil smoothes and strengthens thick, dry, and coarse hair. Due to its potency, you should use castor oil sparingly. If you use too much of it, your hair could become matted or felted, leaving the treated hair a hard and tangled mass.
Cold-pressed “white” castor oil uses a non-chemical and non-heat process to press the oil out of the castor beans, and this cold-pressing process helps the oil retain the vitamins and nutrients that are beneficial to hair and skin.
Where to buy castor oil near me
You can buy castor oil at many local grocery and wellness stores such as CVS, Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods market.
- CVS sells both beauty and ingestible types of castor oil products in their cosmetics aisles and healthcare departments. You’ll find hair oils made from castor oil near other oil masks and treatments in the beauty department.
- Kroger carries castor oil in personal care or beauty aisles.
- Target sells castor oil products in the beauty and health care aisles. Occasionally, you can find castor oil in the same aisle as aromatherapy products marketed as carrier oil.
- At Walgreens, castor oil is in the health aisle.
- Walmart carries castor oil in the health or wellness aisles stocked among the vitamins and supplements.
- Whole Foods Market has castor oil in organic and cold-pressed forms in their health and beauty aisles.
A few retail and discount big-box stores do not sell castor oil, like Costco and Sam’s Club, although some may be willing to bring it in at a member’s request. However, online alternatives to purchasing castor oil locally exist.
However, countless reputable online retailers sell both edible castor oil and castor oil for beauty.
How to buy castor oil online
If local stores don’t have stock or you prefer to buy online, you can buy castor oil for beauty or wellness at popular e-commerce sites like Amazon and have it delivered directly to your door often the same day.
This can help you find rare or very new brands that grocery stores may not stock.
Popular places to find and buy castor oil online are:
- Amazon – You can purchase a variety of beauty and wellness castor oil products.
- Sephora – Sells hair oils containing fair trade, organic, and cold-pressed castor oil.
- Ulta – Offers lash, brow, and hair castor oil products.
- The Vitamin Shoppe – You can purchase castor oil products in the form of supplements and wellness products.
What can i get instead of castor oil?
If you cannot find castor oil at the grocery store, retail store, or online, these are the three top alternatives to castor oil.
- Coconut oil
- Jojoba oil
- Olive oil
Coconut oil has uses for beauty and health purposes which means it occupies space on the shelves in both areas of the grocery store.
Applied to the skin directly or mixed into lotion, shampoo, conditioners, and other oils, coconut oil can help prevent wrinkles, dry skin, and nourish hair.
When ingested, either as an ingredient in a dish or as an oil for cooking, it can act as a digestive aid and an alternative to animal fats. (Looking for coconut oil? See where to find coconut oil in grocery store).
A few drops of jojoba oil are all that’s needed, either mixed with your shampoo or used directly on your skin as a moisturizer during the daily skincare routine. It nourishes dry, irritated, and wrinkled skin, especially the scalp, with many people believing it also brightens the skin and helps smooth out eczema.
Jojoba oil can be used either by itself, mixed with castor oil, or blended with olive oil.
Olive oil, typically organic extra-virgin olive oil that is either hot or cold-pressed, is used in cooking and for health and beauty purposes going back thousands of years.
Cold-pressing allows for olive oil that retains all its nutrients and has no chemical additives. At the same time, regular olive oil is an inexpensive and healthy cooking ingredient that imparts flavor when heated.
Some people use olive oil to strengthen their hair and skin either as part of a facial mask and scrub or rubbed into the hair as a treatment after showering.
It helps remove makeup without damaging delicate skin and can be mixed with essential oils and used as a moisturizer. Olive oil, like coconut oil, can be found in the cooking oil aisle or near the condiments.
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