Castor Oil and Sauna: How to Pair a Castor Oil Pack With Your Sauna Time
Yes, you can pair a castor oil pack with sauna time. Most people do it one of two ways: they wear the pack inside an at-home infrared sauna blanket, or they do the pack on its own at home, before or after their sauna session. There’s no right order. The part that takes some planning is keeping the oil where you want it, because castor oil stains almost everything it touches.
Here’s how to set it up, plus one thing we won’t promise you.
What is a castor oil pack?
A castor oil pack is a piece of cotton flannel soaked in castor oil, laid on your skin, covered, and usually kept warm for 30 to 60 minutes. Castor oil is pressed from the seeds of the castor plant. It’s thick, slow to soak in, and made mostly of a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. Packs are an old folk practice that has had a big comeback online.
What we won’t promise
Plenty of posts online, including an older version of this one, say castor oil packs and sauna “detox your liver.” There’s very little research behind that, so we don’t say it. People who love this ritual tend to describe it more simply: it’s warm, it’s slow, and it gets them to lie still for a while. That’s a good enough reason.
Before, during, or after your sauna?
During, with an at-home infrared sauna blanket. The blanket’s warmth takes the place of the heating pad a castor oil pack usually calls for. This is the setup most people mean when they search “castor oil in sauna.”
Before or after, on its own. If you’re heading to a studio or gym sauna, do the pack separately at home. You’ll be sitting up, the pack will slide, and the oil will end up on the bench and your towel.
If you’re coming to HOT HAVEN. Please skip the castor oil before your visit. We provide the long-sleeve shirt, sweatpants and socks you wear in the sauna, and castor oil doesn’t wash out. Make the pack your wind-down at home that evening instead.
How to do a castor oil pack in an infrared sauna blanket
What you’ll need
Cold-pressed castor oil
A piece of cotton flannel you don’t mind ruining
Plastic wrap or a reusable pack cover
An old cotton top
Your infrared sauna blanket and an old towel
A glass of water
Steps
Patch-test first. If you’ve never used castor oil, rub a little on the inside of your arm and wait a day.
Soak the flannel until it’s saturated but not dripping.
Lay it on your skin. Most people put it over the belly.
Cover it with plastic wrap, then pull an old cotton top over it so nothing oily touches the blanket.
Get in. Lay the towel inside the blanket, zip up, and use your blanket’s usual heat setting and session length. Don’t add a heating pad inside the blanket.
Clean up. Take off the pack, wipe away the extra oil, and wash with warm water and soap. It usually takes two rounds.
Store the flannel in a sealed glass container. Many people reuse a flannel several times and replace it once it smells off.
Keeping the oil off everything else
Castor oil stains fabric for good. Keep a set of “castor oil” towels and clothes.
Don’t let oil touch the inside of your blanket. If it does, wipe it right away and clean the blanket the way its maker recommends. (Our infrared wrap cleans like a yoga mat: blot it with a towel, then use a gentle cleaning solution.)
Oily feet slip. Step out of the blanket onto a towel.
Check first if…
If you’re pregnant, have a medical condition, have broken or irritated skin, or aren’t sure heat or castor oil is right for you, check with your healthcare provider first.
Rather have someone else set up the heat?
At HOT HAVEN in downtown San Diego, every session is 55 minutes in your own private room. Choose the cocoon-style infrared wrap or the spacious cabin, and we provide everything you wear. See our infrared sauna page.
For the full Haven Ritual, start with lymphatic compression, a hands-free session in a full-body compression suit, then move to infrared. Move it out, then sweat it out.
First time with us? Your first session is $50. Book your session