Castor oil eyelashes how long to see results

The Internet is abuzz with beauty bloggers raving about the results of using castor oil for eyelashes. But does this humble lash solution live up to the hype? Or is just a new old wives tale? Let’s deep dive in.

What is Castor Oil?

Castor oil isn’t an everyday product for most of us but take a quick look under the hood and you’ll see that this thick, viscous oil is incredibly multi-functional.

It’s a natural laxative. It’s a magical hair growth oil. It’s wonderful for reducing wrinkles. It’s even used to repel garden moles and perk up ferns!

And now, thanks to the fact that it’s highly moisturizing and rich in Vitamin E, it’s being touted as an all natural, very budget-friendly eyelash growth product.

But does it work?

The Benefits of Using Castor Oil for Eyelashes:

Eyelashes frame your eyes, flutter every time you blink and are one of the most underrated yet important features on your face.

Most girls use mascara to make them look more defined, fuller and darker ’cause after all, we all love that big doe eyed, fluttery eyelash look. Longer, more lustrous lashes make the eyes seem larger and more striking – and who doesn’t want that?

Unfortunately not all of us are lucky enough to be born with naturally gorgeous long lashes. The good news? There are many home remedies out there that can work well in creating that pretty long-lashed look.

The easiest home remedy for natural eyelash growth? It’s gotta be castor oil.

But than again, there’s a huge range of eyelash growth products out there that will help you grow covetously long, thick lashes…so why should you try a humble home remedy like castor oil?

Well, apart from the fact that it’ll save you a bunch of cash – castor oil has been found to be surprisingly effective when it comes getting longer, thicker eyelashes. It can also help prevent breakage and even stimulate faster, healthier eyelash growth.

Castor oil works by moisturizing and deeply hydrating dry, brittle and tired lashes, giving them the nourishment they need to grow to their full length and height and making it easy for new lash growth to come through.

That’s because castor oil is actually jammed packed with fantastic nutrients that promote natural lash growth. This thick oil is rich in fatty acids, antioxidants and proteins that help strengthen your lashes and create a naturally full lash line.

By applying castor oil on eyelashes, you allow the nutrients found in castor oil to soak into your lashes and your eyelash hair follicles. The result?  You can help turn dry, damaged lashes on the verge of falling out into smooth, healthy and clearly defined ones.

What’s the best castor oil for eyelashes? Go organic – it’s going near your eyes so you want the purest stuff possible.

Does Castor Oil for Eyelashes Work?

Okay, so you know that castor oil can provide deep nourishment for your lashes, but you’re still curious – “does castor oil help eyelashes grow?”

Well, yes…and no.

Here’s what we mean. Despite the fact that castor oil is fantastically moisturizing and chockfull of nourishing antioxidants, it doesn’t contain any ingredients that can reliably and measurably affect the length and thickness of eyelashes.

Which is why most doctors, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and even lash experts will tell you that castor oil for eyelashes is not an effective solution.

Because compared to, say, an eyelash growth serum that has a clinically tried-and-tested and proven ingredient (i.e. a prostaglandin analog) to cause measurable eyelash growth in the majority of users – castor oil pales in comparison.

Case in point: Latisse, the most well-known eyelash growth serum on the market, has clinical studies to back up their claims. One such study included 278 participants aged 22 to 78 and at the end of 16 weeks, the results showed that 78% of participants experienced a significant increase in the length, fullness and darkness of lashes.

As far as we know, there have been no such controlled trials in regard to castor oil.

Should You Use Castor Oil for Eyelashes?

Just because something hasn’t been subject to rigorous clinical trials, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

It just means you need to have reasonable expectations. As in, don’t expect the same kind of results from castor oil that you would get from using an eyelash growth serum that contains a prostaglandin ingredient, like the GrandeLash MD serum below.

Castor oil nourishes, hydrates and conditions eyelashes into a healthier state. Prostaglandin analogs, on the other hand, actually lengthen the natural lash growth cycle so that each and every eyelash can grow longer and thicker.

To compare the two is simply not fair. You can get solid results with castor oil – just don’t expect Snuffleupagus-like lashes.

So is castor oil still worth using? We’ll let you decide – here are some results people have seen from using castor oil for eyelash growth…

“I use this every night on my eyebrows and eyelashes and I have seen a great improvement in length and thickness. I see a few people have a problem with the oil going in their eyes (it doesn’t cause any damage, it just gives you blurry vision), but i just apply a little to the tips of my lashes and this is enough to coat you lashes because it will slowly slide over the rest of you lashes as you sleep, so you don’t end up with too much excess.”

“I bought this for my thinning eyelashes and have been putting this on after I shower at night before bed, right at the base of my lashes and it has dramatically helped and conditioned my lids and lashes.”

“My goal is to have fuller longer eyelashes. I noticed an improvement in 2 weeks. As of now I’ve been using the oil for a month and a half now and will continue for more months until I reach my goal! My husband has noticed the difference ; the other day when we were dining he told me ” wow you have nice long eyelashes” this made me feel good as others are noticing too!!!”

“I have been using this for several months and have had really noticeable results. I use it on my lashes and they definitely look both longer and thicker. They also are falling out a lot less than they used to.”

“My lashes thinned out after years of wearing fake lashes. I started using this product after a friend recommended it. I saw a difference with my lashes and eyebrows after using it consistently for a few weeks.”

“I’ve used this every other day for a few weeks on my lashes and eyebrows, and especially in my lashes I’ve seen a change. They might’ve gotten a little longer, but most of all they’ve gotten a lot stronger. I’ve had problems with my eyelashes breaking off a lot, sometimes so much that there’s a noticeable “gap” in my lashes where several has fallen off. Since I started using castor oil I’ve seen significantly less lashes break off when taking off makeup etc.”

Ready to try it for yourself? Here’s how to use castor oil to grow lashes…

How to Apply Castor Oil to Eyelashes

You only need a minimal amount of castor oil for lashes – which is great as it means it will last for absolutely ages when you buy it. Invest in a disposable eyeliner brush or mascara wand to help you. If not, you can simply use a Q tip.

The best time to apply castor oil on eyelashes is at night before bed since this gives you plenty of time to let the oil naturally sink into your eyelashes for maximum benefit. However it’s important to take care when applying – if the castor oil gets into your eye, it can be a bit irritating. It’s not harmful, but your vision will be blurry because of the oil so don’t use too much!

Before you apply castor oil on eyelashes, make sure that your skin is really clean before you start, then gently and carefully apply the oil to just the tips of your lashes. Don’t worry about making sure you start at the roots since the oil is thick and heavy and will naturally distribute itself along your lashes during the night.

Try not to touch or rub your eye to give the oil time to fully saturate into the lash and hair follicles. In the morning give your face and lashes a good clean, but remember to go easy near the delicate skin around your eyes.

That’s it!

Castor oil is an affordable, effective home remedy if you are hoping to grow thicker, healthier eyelashes. It can strengthen your lashes and even prevent the loss of them too!

If you regularly use castor oil on eyelashes, you can expect to see some fantastic results and enjoy your beautiful longer lashed look within as little as 2-3 weeks. So go on – give it a try!

Want to take natural lash growth up a notch? Why not make a homemade eyelash growth serum using castor oil and other lash growing ingredients?

Does castor oil grow out your eyelashes?

Does castor oil grow lashes before and after?