How I Got Insanely Long Eyelashes With Oil From the Grocery Store (Seriously)

So a few months ago, I had this unexpected tender moment with Jelly Bean:

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She had told me that she just wanted “to snuggle for a minute” and then she promptly fell asleep on my lap. My all-grown-up do-it-myself six-year-old didn’t want to admit she still needed a nap (or her mom!) — but she did. And I love it. Unabashedly. Plus, she’s the only kid who will even fit in my lap to sleep anymore. So I had to document it, right?

But when I posted the pic to Facebook, I was surprised to see that many of the comments focused on my eyelashes. “Are those all YOUR lashes?!” said one friend. It’s been over a week since I posted that picture and I’m still getting questions about my eyelashes.

Here’s the thing: Yes, they are all my real eyelashes (i.e. no falsies but I am wearing mascara) and no, I was not genetically blessed in the lash department. Like the hair on my head, my eyelashes have always been thin and sparse. Sigh. But a couple of months ago I lucked into an awesome trick and since so many people have asked me about it, I figured I’d share it here.

Let me start by saying I certainly didn’t invent this trick. In fact, it’s been around for centuries and been on Instagram and Pinterest for years now. I’m just the last person to know about it. So what is this amazing not-so-secret? Coconut and castor oils. Yep, that’s it.

Awhile ago I was trying to take off some stubborn waterproof mascara without completely denuding my poor eyes and tried using coconut oil. It worked like a charm and didn’t sting like normal makeup remover (I have crazy sensitive dry skin) so I kept using it. After a week or two I started to notice my eyelashes looked amazing – fuller and a bit longer. So I googled it. And it turns out that people, who are not babies, putting food on their face is A Real Thing Women Do.

After reading through a bunch of sites, I decided to continue my experiment with a mixture of about 3/4 castor oil and 1/4 coconut oil. I don’t measure it because lazy. I just pour a bunch in a squeeze bottle and use an old eyeliner brush to put it on every night.

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Super high tech, here! (That’s a valentine Jelly Bean “made” me… and my one attempt at “staging” a pic ahahahahaaa)

Since coconut oil is generally solid at room temp, I melt it and then add it to the castor oil. Once mixed, it all stays liquid. Then I use the eyeliner brush to put it on the base of my lashes (don’t coat your lashes, doesn’t help and makes it hard to see!). I just do the upper lashes and when I close my eyes it kind of rubs off on the lower ones too.

After a couple of months I started to see real results. I wish I’d taken a before picture without mascara so you could see how seriously stubby my lashes were. But honestly I didn’t really expect it to work as well as it has!

Now, here are my eyelashes today with NO makeup:

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Pretty amazing, right? (I was standing in front of my curtain trying to get a consistent backdrop. It worked. It also made my hair really staticky!)

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Oh HAI internets, here is my completely bare face. This feels awkward.

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Obligatory scary close up of my peepers!

Now look what happens when I add my usual mascara (Maybelline “the falsies” in black, nothing fancy):

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This is just two coats of normal mascara (no fibers or primers or anything) on my top lashes and nothing else. I’m also not wearing eyeliner or shadow. But I did put on lipstick and brushed my hair. Just for you guys. YOU’RE WELCOME.

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See? They even touch my eyebrows in some places! And the effect is even more pronounced when I go all out with eyeliner, eyeshadow, and fiber mascara on the top and bottom. It’s crazy! Although they can look a little spidery, especially since the oils seem to mainly make them grow longer, not thicker.

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Second scary close up. 

And it’s official, I’ve spent way too much time looking at close ups of my face and I’m starting to freak myself out! Anyhow, here are my tips if you’re interested in trying this yourself:

1. Buy quality. The great thing is that even the nicest castor oil is stupid cheap. I got a 16 ounce bottle for six dollars at the grocery store. And I already had a tub of virgin coconut oil. Normally I eat my food products but sometimes I wear them, as one does. I got organic because I figured if I’m going to blind myself with it might as well be organically blind.

(Note: there are lots of “recipes” for eyelash serum online that use these oils plus other stuff like essential oils and herbs but I am nothing if not lazy and the oils seem to work great just themselves. But knock yourself out if you’re feeling crafty and/or you like your eyes to smell like lavender and Pinterest.)

2. You will blind yourself. And it will be scary. The first time I used waaay too much and it got on my eyeball, clouding my vision and forcing me to run around my house yelping like a cat with glaucoma. (Can cats get glaucoma? Or does my cat just have the cRaZy eyes naturally? Mysteries.) I tried to rinse it out with water but since the rules of chemistry are legit, water doesn’t do much to oil. But! It didn’t really hurt and after a few minutes I blinked it all away and I can only hope it made my tear ducts lusciously supple.

3. Put it on at night, with a clean brush. Use an old eyeliner brush and wash it thoroughly. (You’re sticking it in your eye!) Then put a tiny drop of oil on it and brush it on the base of your lashes, just like you would eyeliner. Note: The oils will take your makeup off so I recommend doing it at night after you’ve washed your face.

4. Be patient. This is the hardest part. I think I began to see some difference after one or two weeks of doing this every day but it was subtle. The results pictured above are after two months of daily application. It’s not a quick fix and I’m pretty sure you have to keep doing it if you want to keep having butterfly lashes.

5. Feel free to rub it other places too. Lots of the sites I read also recommended using castor oil and/or coconut oil on your hair roots to help it grow. In the past I would have thought this ridiculous but since it worked so well on my face I am now trying it on my head. Using the same squirt bottle, I put it all over my scalp. After massaging it in and appreciating how well I rock the greasy hooligan look, I leave it on for… a while. Some sites say overnight but I can’t sleep smelling like salad. So I leave it on for at least a half an hour and sometimes several hours. I’ve only been doing it for a week and I have a feeling it will take a very long time to tell if it’s working. All I can tell you for sure now is that it is a b*$%& to wash out. But I’ll let you know how it goes.  (Here’s a good tutorial on how to use it on your hair, by a woman with the most adorable accent ever.)

Have any of you ever tried using oils to grow any of your hairs? Any tips for me?? What other cool beauty tricks have I been missing out on?

47 Comments

  1. It was so nice to see a blog post from you pop up in my reader! Your blog was one of the first blogs I ever read, and I loved your book!

    Anyway, you lashes look AMAZING! I’m definitely giving this a try!

  2. Wow! Nice to see a post from you 🙂

    You are most certainly not the last to know, as I had no idea about this magical hair potion. I use coconut oil for everything, so you can bet I will add this to my list, too.

  3. UM! I was JUST asking my hair stylist about eyelash extensions at her salon. She told me they didn’t do them; that you lose your lashes in the process, and it’s expensive and really not worth it. It’s not like I’m severely lacking in the lashes department, but I do want them a little bit fuller.

    You are my new superhero. Thanks, lady!

  4. First off – you are gorgeous! And I really miss your voice..
    Good to know you are enjoying life!

    I shared your post with my lash loving ladies (my teenage daughters)

    Hope you see more posts from you

  5. Hmmm, I will have to try this for my lashes!
    Oh, and for the beastly hair wash…. use some baking soda first, then shampoo. I do it almost every week and works well.
    And… lol, if you heat your scalp with the oil on it, it absorbs faster. I typically put it on before working out (at home away from scaring people) and if I don’t feel my head heated up enough, I use the hair dryer for a minute or two.

  6. I do wish you posted more often. This was such a treat and wow, your lashes look AMAZING. I am definitely trying this one. Thank you for the wonderful tip and look forward to your next post. Take care!

  7. Hmm…I may try coconut oil as an eye makeup remover. I use a mascara that is not waterproof, but it is still really hard to get off. It would be a bonus to use something that would also improve my lashes! 🙂

  8. Two things: so happy to hear from you and totally trying this. Thanks Charlotte!

  9. Yay to hear from you friend. I just referred someone to your blog today because we had some of your famous “characters” in our Zumba class! I’ll have to try the eyelash thing. Leave it to Charlotte to always be experimenting…

  10. How I missed your voice!!
    If you reverse the ratios (and I’d use almond oil rather than coconut here) it makes an uh-ma-zing facewash that gets you over seasonal changes with nary a hiccup, and doubles as moisturizer. Google “oil cleansing”. There’s also oil pulling, but I’ve never managed to get past the gag reaction there.

  11. It was so nice to see an article from you again. You are such a great writer. Hope all is going well for you, and thanks for the info. Def need to try this.

  12. Ok since we use coconut oil daily as in the food substance and I don;t normally bask in it. This I am going to try. I loved my eyelash extensions but hated sitting for up 2 hours every 2 weeks to get it done. Hence, back to my minuscule lashes. As we age they go away. My son has those “natural butterfly lashes” I used to. My poor daughter never had them, so today, I am starting this process. I will document my lashes and tell you how it turned out for me and my precious girl!!! Thanks for the hair tip too. Definitely trying that too. 🙂 Thanks for the great tips!! Looking forward to the next one….

  13. So nice to see you back on the blog! I keep hearing about using castor oil on lashes and hair, so I might have to give it a try now 🙂
    And your skin looks amazing!
    Have you tried taking your make up off (all of it) with oil and then washing with normal make up remover? Works great 🙂
    Also: argan oil asa serum and avocado oil under the eye as an eye cream at night.

  14. I am so going to try this & at my age, on places on my hairline too that recede with age & my no eyebrows!!! THANK YOU!!!! You look amazing! I was so surprised to see a post pop up from you!!!!

  15. This is a good advice and educating. Another tip for my beauty regimen. I never go out without curling my lashes and it is so tiring. How I wish to have a long permanent lashes, let me try and i’ll hope to get good result.

  16. Basically ditto everyone else. We miss hearing from you and your eyelashes look incredible. Thank you for sharing!

  17. I mixed up my own castor and coconut oil – after a few days it has turned solid (similar to vaseline). Should this worry me? I’m going to keep using it for now…

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  19. Wow! Your eyelashes are beautiful! Trying this out tonight and will also be applying it to my eyebrows. Thank you for sharing 🙂 I also have a blog that I think will resonate with you. Would love to get your feedback <3
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  20. Great article.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  21. Your face really suit with this, but i think you need to add some makeup app, and i want to introduce you new product that is originated from japan
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  22. Holly Molly!! I am so going to give this a try!! I like yourself was also at the short end when eyelashes was handed out. 🙁 Short, flimsy and extremely light. If I don’t mascara on I look like the living dead. LOL. Maybe this will make them fuller and who knows adding a drop of sage oil might make them darker as well. Thank you for sharing. O btw – you have stunning eyelashes!!

  23. I read that you can use 100% cold pressed castor oil by itself for the lashes. What purpose does the coconut oil serve? Just wondering before I go out and buy some. Your lashes are beautiful!

  24. Haha… Nice post Charlotte. You look really good with these long eye lashes. Unfortunately I can’t use them myself hahaha… I’ll indicate this post to my wife =).

  25. I’m so glad I stumbled on this page! Your lashes look amazing! I am so glad to see results from doing this! I’ve been wanting to start this for my eyelashes again but I haven’t yet.

    Actually, castor oil does thicken hair as well. It does help with thin hair and sparse areas (like around the bangs area, temples, ect). It works on sparse eyebrows too! I personally think the hair and the eyebrows take a bit longer to start seeing results. Maybe 4-6 weeks to start seeing it.

    I’ve heard when you do castor oil for your hair, that you should massage it into just your scalp area and sleep in it and wash in the morning. I only do that sometimes since I don’t always have time to wash my hair in the morning and I can’t wash my hair daily anyway or it will get really dried out.

    Side note- awesome hair mask! If you mix 1 part olive oil (or coconut oil) with 1 part castor oil, warm it up a bit, then mix in 1/2 a packet of Knox UNFLAVORED gelatin and a squirt or more of honey, it’s an awesome hair mask! It makes your hair so shiny and if you do it regularly, in a few weeks, your hair will look so much healthier! You have really nice hair already. Since its thin, I think once a week would be great. I have dry thick frizzy naturally curly hair. I did the hair mask 2-3 times a week for the first 3 weeks then went down to twice a week for a couple weeks, then once a week to maintain. WOW!! What a huge difference it made! And it was a big difference at just 3-4 weeks!

    I made sure the oil mixture was warm and mixed well. I sectioned off my hair, starting from the back and working up (just like I do when I’m flat ironing it or blowing it out with a round brush). After all of my hair was covered, I massaged it in my scalp for a few, then pulled a towel out of the dryer and wrapped it around my head. I’d let it sit for between an hour to 3 hours. Sometimes I’d fall asleep with it in. It’s harder to wash out when you sleep with it in, but it makes the biggest impact on your hair.

    By the way, I love your website 🙂 So glad I found it!!

  26. I was privileged to read your post. and I left a comment. so great to meet you. I’m “following” you. I hope you have a great weekend.

  27. Wow, that’s amazing! I’ll give it a try… anything to help my mini, barely there lashes 🙂 xo Kelly http://lazygirlsguidetofitnessandbeauty.blogspot.com/

  28. Cool! Love reading your stuff ☺️
    I wonder if this would make my eye brows grow thicker?!

  29. So nice to hear your voice again, Charlotte.

    It took 3 months to see results, but my lashes have grown! I use 100% cold-pressed castor oil straight from the bottle, unmixed with coconut oil, as I am allergic to coconut. It’s a miracle. I’ve always coveted long lashes, and now I can have them, naturally. Thank you!

  30. Charlotte MacAuley

    This trick is actually not new to me. Coconut oil and castor oil are the go-to hair growth treatments for black girls with natural hair like me. it works like a dream. you should leave it in a lot longer than an hour. you’ll looooooove what your hair will look like in just a month!

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  32. Hey Charlotte. Your eyelashes look great, and you are beautiful as ever!

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  34. Your lashes are amazing, I can totally see myself blinding myself!

  35. This is awesome. I have such short eyelashes that I am willing to try anything that will make them even just look longer. Plus it is so natural. Thanks for the recipe! I am ordering the castor oil right now 🙂

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  38. This is news to me! You and your lashes are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!! I’m going to try it!

  39. Wow, your lashes are amazing. Fuller and longer. I will try them immediately to have eyelashes like yours.

  40. Great post! Just stumbled upon your website as I was hunting for inspiration for my own website & blog. Love your humor. “Might as well go organically blind!” LOL.

  41. I love your lashes. They really look good and long. I am happy that you discover it and I will try it too. My lashes are that long and I even use falsies to nake it look longer.

  42. Laughed. So. Hard. Alone. Thanks for that!

    I can’t wait to try this…my lashes sometimes fall out by the 3’s and 4’s per eye:( Gaping holes are not aesthetically pleasing especially since I won’t go without mascara. Woohoo, I have hope!

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  44. Amazing idea, you eye lashes are looking really adorable.

  45. Oh my goodnesssss I wish I had seen this before my wedding! Oh well Im doing it now! Goin to the grocery store brb 😛

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