Love Island Star's Castor Oil Hack Divides Fans After Giving Birth

As of August 14th, 2025, Love Island alum Montana Brown has sparked a debate among her fans and followers after sharing a natural remedy she used after giving birth to her second child earlier this year. Brown, who welcomed her daughter Miley with fiancé Mark O'Connor, revealed that she has been using castor oil packs on her stomach every night to help with inflammation and "excess skin postpartum."

In a video posted to Instagram, Brown demonstrated how she wraps a cloth soaked in castor oil around her belly and then removes it, showcasing her stomach. She cited several purported benefits of the practice, including aiding digestion, keeping skin hydrated overnight, supporting lymphatic drainage, and reducing inflammation.

While castor oil packs are generally considered safe to use, and the ingredient has become popular among celebrities, Brown's post received a mixed response. Some of her fans praised the hack, with one person commenting that it "helped me with hormones, inflammation and skin redness." However, others were more skeptical, with one commenter calling it "a whole lot of nonsense."

Furthermore, health professionals and fitness coaches pointed out that there is little scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of castor oil packs for the claimed benefits. A postnatal specialist noted that "research actually shows potential allergic reactions and that's why it's key to test on smaller areas of skin first. Research overall is incredibly limited."

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved the use of castor oil as a laxative, and the purported systemic effects of castor oil packs, such as labor induction and pain reduction, remain largely unproven.

Despite the ongoing debate, Montana Brown remains committed to her natural postpartum routine, as she continues to navigate the challenges of motherhood and share her experiences with her followers.