You bought it, but now how do you take care of it?!
Before your first use, you may want to wash your new pack as recent research from the National Institute of Health shows that even organic materials may contain traces of chemicals via packaging, transportation and warehousing. Thankfully, washing was shown to significantly reduce or even eliminate these chemicals completely.
Here is how to wash your castor oil pack before first use:
In a bowl, mix warm water, baking soda, and natural dish soap, and let your pack soak for 1 hour or overnight.
Hand wash it with warm water and natural dish soap, rinsing and wringing it out very well.
Hang or lie it flat to dry on a towel.
You can also wash it on a cold cycle in the washing machine with natural detergent. Just don't ever put your oily, used pack into the washing machine as it could ruin your washer.
(Side note, I definitely did this before even thinking about how I should take care of this and my washer is fine!
But definitely recommend doing it correctly as below!)
After use, the goal is to not wash your pack, but to keep the oil towards the middle of the pack and away from the seams. However, it is quite easy to wash your pack should you chose to (I DO!).
To wash your castor oil pack after use
Follow these 4 steps:
In a bowl, mix warm water, 2-4 TBSP baking soda, and natural dish soap, and soak your pack overnight (the baking soda helps pull the oil out of the fabric).
In the morning, hand wash it with warm water and natural dish soap, wringing it out very well.
Take an old tea towel (that you don’t mind ruining) and lay the outer layer of the pack against it. Roll the pack up in the tea towel, blotting out the oil from the outer layer.
Hang or lie flat to dry.
OR
Put your castor oil pack in your dishwasher, securing it by tying the straps to the inner rack
Run your dishwasher with a natural dishwashing soap
Remove from dishwasher, using an old tea towel, roll it up in the towel to blot and press out any oil residue
Hang to dry
Just remember, it may not last as long if you do this!
For a detailed video on both methods of watching click here.
How often should you replace your castor oil pack?
With daily usage your pack should last about 3 months. For those who care for it well or use less frequently, it will last longer. Use your best judgment and intuition as there is no evidence to support when the correct time to replace the pack is.
As you can see, caring for your castor oil pack is quite easy! I hope this blog helped clear up any questions about aftercare. Remember, I'm always a comment, email, DM away should you have any more questions!
Want to start gently detoxing the body? Get your Queen of the Thrones castor Oil Pack in the Kate and Co. Wellness Store.
As always, this is not medical advice. Please see your regular doctor if you are experiencing health issues.
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