I Tried the West&Month Black Castor Oil for a Month—Here’s the Real Tea

By Sarah M. | Updated October 2023

Listen, I’ve been through the “over-plucked in the 2000s” eyebrow trauma. If you know, you know. I’ve spent more money on lash serums and “miracle” hair oils than I’d like to admit to my bank account. So, when I kept seeing West&Month Black Castor Oil popping up in my feed, I was skeptical. I mean, it’s castor oil, right? How different can it be?

But then I looked at the ingredients. This isn’t just the sticky, thick stuff you find at the health food store. It’s got retinol (yes, in a hair oil!), mica powder, and titanium dioxide. I was intrigued. A hair moisturizer that also helps with skin renewal around the follicles? I had to try it. I’ve been using it for exactly 32 days now, and honestly, I have thoughts. Some good, some… well, let’s just say there’s a learning curve.

The First Impression: Texture and Scent

Here’s the thing: most castor oils feel like honey—super thick, super sticky, and a total nightmare if you get it on your pillowcase. The West&Month version feels a bit different. It has this silky smooth, almost buttery texture that glides on much easier. I suspect it’s the addition of the fatty acid supplements that makes it feel less like a kitchen ingredient and more like a high-end beauty treatment.

When I first opened the bottle, I noticed a slight shimmer. That’s the mica powder. I was worried I’d look like a disco ball, but once you massage it into your brows or scalp, it just gives this healthy, hydrated glow. It doesn’t have that overwhelming “burnt” smell that some Jamaican black castor oils have. It’s very subtle, which is a huge win for me because I use it right before bed.

What’s Actually Inside? (The Ingredient Deep Dive)

I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to labels. Most of us know castor oil is the “holy grail” for hair because of the ricinoleic acid, but West&Month added some wildcards here:

• Retinol: This was the “game-changing moment” for me. We usually think of retinol for wrinkles, but it actually helps clear out dead skin cells around the hair follicles. If your follicles are clogged, hair can’t grow. It’s genius, honestly.
• Mica Powder & Titanium Dioxide: These give a slight “blurring” effect. If you have sparse eyebrows like I do, it actually makes them look a tiny bit fuller the moment you put it on.
• Fatty Acids: These are the “moisture magnets.” My hair usually feels like straw by day three of my wash cycle, but this helped maintain that moisture balance much longer.

How I Used It: My Nightly Ritual

I’ll be real—at first, I was using too much. I looked like a grease trap. But I learned that “apply sparingly” really is the golden rule here. Here is how I made it work:

1. For Lashes: I use a tiny clean spoolie and just barely coat the tips. A little goes a long way. Don’t go right to the root or you’ll wake up with blurry vision (lesson learned!).
2. For Brows: I massage a drop into each brow using my ring finger. This is where I saw the fastest results. The skin under my brows usually gets flaky, but this stopped that completely.
3. For Hair Roots: Since I have fine hair, I only do this the night before a wash day. I massage it into my “problem areas” (the temples) and leave it overnight.

My 4-Week Results: Does It Really Work?

Can you believe this? I actually stopped using my $80 lash serum to see if this $27.99 bottle could keep up. Here is the breakdown:

Week 1: Not much “growth” to speak of, but my eyelashes felt softer. Usually, when I take off my mascara, I lose one or two lashes. By the end of week one, that stopped happening. They felt more “anchored” if that makes sense.

Week 3: My brows started looking… darker? Not because the hair changed color, but because they were so hydrated and the mica was doing its thing. I found myself using less brow pencil in the mornings.

Week 4: The “is West&Month worth it” question was answered for me when my hairstylist asked what I was doing to my hairline. The little “baby hairs” that usually stand straight up were laying flat and looking much thicker.

The Comparison: West&Month vs. The Rest

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