Castor Oil for Eyelashes and Eyebrows: Does It Work, and Is It Safe?

Castor oil is one of the most popular home remedies for longer eyelashes and fuller eyebrows, but no good study shows it makes lashes or brows grow. It can coat and condition the hairs, so they may look glossier and break less. For eyebrows, a careful, tiny amount is low-risk. For eyelashes, the risk is getting oil in your eye, which causes irritation, blurred vision and possible infection. We don't recommend it for lashes, but if you choose to try, the steps below keep the risk as low as possible. The only proven lash-growth treatment is a prescription medicine from a doctor.

Castor oil for eyelashes and eyebrows: what to expect

• Growth: no reliable evidence. Online "before and after" photos usually differ in lighting, makeup and angle.
• Conditioning: the oil coats hairs, which can make them look darker and glossier for a while and may reduce breakage from rubbing or heavy mascara.
• Brows after over-plucking: what helps most is simply stopping plucking and waiting several months. Oil may keep regrowing hairs soft.

How to use castor oil on your eyebrows

1. Patch test a drop on your inner arm first.
2. At night, with clean hands, dip a cotton bud in a tiny amount of castor oil.
3. Stroke it along the brow hairs only.
4. Wipe off any excess so it doesn't run into your eyes as you sleep.
5. Wash your face in the morning.

If you choose to try castor oil on eyelashes

We don't recommend it, because the eye is easy to irritate and infect. If you still want to try:

• Remove contact lenses and eye makeup first.
• Use a clean, disposable mascara wand or cotton bud, a new one each time. Never share.
• Use the tiniest amount, on the middle and tips of the lashes, not the lash line or the inside of the eyelid.
• Close your eyes, then gently blot away any excess with a tissue.
• Stop immediately if you get stinging, redness, itching, swelling, discharge or blurred vision.

If oil gets in your eye, rinse with clean water. See a doctor if redness, pain or blurred vision lasts.

Who should not use castor oil near the eyes

• people with eye infections, styes, blepharitis or dry eye disease
• anyone who recently had eye surgery or lash extensions
• anyone who reacts in the patch test
• children

Why are my lashes or brows thinning?

Thinning lashes or brows can be a sign of something treatable:

• eyelid inflammation (blepharitis)
• thyroid problems
• alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition causing patchy hair loss
• rubbing, harsh makeup removal or lash extensions

See a doctor if loss is sudden, patchy, or comes with itching or redness. A doctor can also discuss the prescription lash-growth treatment that has clinical evidence. It has side effects, so it needs medical advice.

Which castor oil to use near your face

Use pure, sealed, cold-pressed castor oil with no fragrance, and decant a little into a clean small container so you don't contaminate the whole bottle. xHerbs Castor Oil 200ml is stocked at:

• Lagos: Elo-Ruks Naturals, Shop E2/379, Articles Market, Abule Oshun.
• Port Harcourt: Doyen Pharmacy, beside Salvation Ministry, Okuru Link, Golf Estate Road, Golf Estate. Tel: 0815 091 0417 or 0815 091 0418.
• Online: xherbs.store (₦10,500, October 2026).

See also castor oil side effects and castor oil vs coconut oil.

Frequently asked questions

Does castor oil grow eyelashes?

There is no good evidence that it does. It can condition lashes, but it carries a risk of eye irritation and infection.

Does castor oil grow eyebrows?

Not proven. Stopping plucking and waiting is what helps most. A tiny amount of castor oil on a cotton bud may keep regrowing hairs soft.

How long does castor oil take to work on eyebrows?

Brow hairs take several months to regrow after plucking, with or without oil. Give it at least 3 months.

Is castor oil safe for the eyes?

Cosmetic castor oil shouldn't go in the eyes. It can cause irritation, blurred vision and, with dirty applicators, infection.

Castor oil or coconut oil for eyelashes?

Neither is proven to grow lashes. Both carry the same risk if they get into the eye.

Bottom line: Castor oil isn't proven to grow eyelashes or eyebrows. For brows, a tiny amount on a cotton bud at night is low-risk. For lashes, we don't recommend it because of the eye risk. See a doctor about sudden or patchy loss. Buy pure xHerbs castor oil at Elo-Ruks Naturals, Lagos, or Doyen Pharmacy, Port Harcourt.