It is common for our eyelashes to be smothered with mascara, curled with tools, and even to endure harsh glues from false eyelashes and eyelash extensions. In order to help the eyelashes grow longer, stronger, and thicker, they deserve a little extra tender loving care. These are tips that may help the eyelashes appear and feel lush!
1) Be Gentle to Your Eyelashes
The most important factor to improve your eyelash appearance it to be gentle and avoid using harsh products on your eyelashes and eye area. Wearing makeup can take a toll on your eyelids and eyelashes, so it is important to take care of them.
Remove makeup gently
Make sure you remove your eye make up every night with a gentle makeup remover or light oil, such as grape seed oil. Using a makeup wipe can work, but be gentle when removing mascara so you don’t tug your lashes out. Removing eye makeup with a wipe or washcloth can also irritate the under eye and lid so do not rub too hard. Giving your lashes a break and not applying any eye makeup at all is very beneficial as well, especially if serums and oils are incorporated in during this time.
Wash makeup brushes regularly
Make sure you wash your make up brushes regularly and replace your mascara to avoid growth of bacteria in the mascara and on the application wand.
Watch out for glue
If you use fake lashes, it is critical that you make sure the glue does not irritate your eye, and that you wash the glue off entirely after you take them off.
2) Use Nourishing Natural Oils
Using natural oils is an easy and convenient way to enhance eyelashes, moisturize them, and make them thicker. There are many commercially available oils that are commonly used for skin and hair care. Recently, it has become popular to use castor oil or emu oil as DIY eyelash treatments, as some people feel they make their eyelashes longer and thicker. However, this has not yet been proven in a scientific study. If you chose to use natural oils on your eyelashes, it is best to look for labels that say “organic” and “cold-pressed.” Household oils such as coconut oil and olive oil are popular.
Another common trend is to apply a Vaseline mask to the face and eyelashes. Although this can help to moisturize brittle or dry eyelashes, it will not cause them to grow longer.
3) Growth Serums
A more expensive alternative to natural oils is a lash growth serum. Growth serums are nutrient packed, and often contain ingredients such as biotin and peptides and may contain compounds that are similar to prostaglandins (describe in #4 below). Some lash serums can be quite pricey, but there are many options commercially available to fit different budgets. All growth serums are over the counter and can be purchased at makeup stores. There are
4) Prescription Eyelash Growth Treatment
Latisse® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution 0.03%) is the only FDA approved treatment to increase the growth of eyelashes in people without enough lashes. It requires a prescription from a doctor and usually takes approximately 4 weeks for noticeable results. Latisse® has been proven to significantly increase eyelash growth but requires constant use and eyelashes will return to their normal length and thickness upon stopping the treatment. Interestingly, this treatment was originally made to treat glaucoma, but it was incidentally found to also increase eyelash growth! Latisse® requires a doctor’s prescription and it is important to only use Latisse® with a doctor’s approval. The side effects can include irritation, redness, and eyelid skin darkening. In some people, Latisse® can cause darkening of the iris, which can be more noticeable in those with blue, hazel, or green eyes.
5) Makeup
Using makeup is a simple way to temporarily create longer, luscious looking lashes. Mascara can be used to make the lashes appear longer, thicker, and darker. If you do not like to wear mascara, tightlining is a technique that you can use to create the illusion of more lashes. Tightligning is a makeup technique where you apply a very thin line of eyeliner very close to your waterline, giving your eyes a subtle pop. Another makeup tip is to use a mascara primer, which is applied before your normal mascara. A mascara primer functions as a base for your mascara to adhere to, making the lashes even longer, thicker, and more dramatic. Lastly, false eyelashes, often referred to as “falsies”, can be applied either to the entire eyelid rim or as individual eyelash “extensions”. Eyelash extensions can last for several weeks, but require continual maintenance and are usually very expensive.
Any treatment of product applied to the eye area can cause irritation and allergy in some people. Before applying a product to your eyelashes, first test it on a patch of skin to see if you develop a reaction.
