Does castor oil REALLY work on lashes and brows? We tried it for 30 days

If you’re ever wondered what you could do about short lashes or sparse eyebrows, you may have come across a beauty hack that suggests using castor oil. The tip simply says to apply the oil every night and you’ll wake up to lusher lashes and brows. I wanted to know if this actually works and what sort of results I could get from using it for a month. But first, what is castor oil exactly?

Castor oil is a medicinal oil derived from the seeds of a plant called Ricinus communis. It’s often used as a laxative but is also a common ingredient in cosmetics. Known for its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, it offers skin benefits such as combating fungi and bacteria and helping to heal wounds.

Ready to take on the challenge, I bought a small bottle of castor oil from Watsons for about P80 for 30ml. For 30 nights, I simply applied it on my lashes and brows with my fingers right after finishing my skincare routine. If you want something a little more precise, you can use an old mascara wand that has been cleaned or simply dip a cotton bud into the bottle. The oil feels very thick but I did not have any allergic reactions or develop any breakouts. It just smelled a little bit like nuts but it wasn’t too bothersome.

Before I started using the castor oil, I took this photo and measured my lashes with a ruler (first time to do this, actually!) My upper lashes’ longest length was 0.7 cm.  

After 30 nights of application, here’s how my lashes and eyebrows now look like:

I love how my eyebrows and lashes look thicker and lusher! To check that I wasn’t just seeing things, I used a ruler to measure my lashes again. My upper lashes now measured 0.9 cm, a full 0.2 cm from before! Even my lower lash line seemed to be growing more hair. Though naturally bushy, my eyebrows also looked fuller and darker, so I haven’t needed to use my eyebrow pencil as often. It feels like the castor oil even conditioned the hairs; they look pretty shiny and healthy!

The results of this challenge really surprised me but there seems to be a good explanation for this little miracle. Castor oil contains essential fatty acids like omega, linoleic, and oleic acids, which are able to penetrate into the skin and hair follicle. This enables it to nourish from the hair root, making it stronger and more resistant to breakage. The added moisture also serves as a protective layer, which makes hair look shinier and more pigmented.

If you’re in need of some hair help, I would definitely recommend trying this out! I’m thinking of keeping it as part of my regular routine so I can still be rocking full eyebrows and lashes ‘til I’m 80. I want to try it on my scalp as well to see if it can help with my falling hair. It’s pretty cheap, too, so it may work as an at-home hot oil treatment!

Have you tried using castor oil on your eyebrows and lashes? How did it work for you?