When we think of how beautiful eyes can be, it’s hard not to think how many enchanting gazes there are imaginable because of our eyelashes. If the eyes have the language of their own, then the eyelashes are making the statement.
Yet, eyelashes endure a lot.
With the flourishing lash enhancement discoveries and new treatments, we have been presented with more options to have lush, full lashes which can of course, be boon for a short period and bane for the health of the natural lashes in the long run.
And eyelashes may be perfectly made to make the eyes look beautiful, it is there for a whole other more vital function such as protecting the eyes from small particles and dirt. So, keeping lashes healthy should be on top of the list and is non- negotiable.
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Some eyelash fun facts
Before we dive in to enumerating some useful care tips to have healthy eyelashes, let us be amazed of fun facts about them aside from the fact they make our eyes pop:
- Lashes fall out daily. Five to seven lashes fall out each day and that’s perfectly normal. Having a shorter growth cycle than the hair on your head, an eyelash has only three months. That is one of the reasons why eyelashes don’t grow very long.
- Lashes grow in stages. The first three stages of the hair growth cycle- the anagen, catagen, and telogen include the maturation and growth stage of hair and the production of new hair by the hair follicle. While the last stage -the exogen, is when the old hair detaches from the root to make way for the new hair.
- Your upper lid hairs are thicker than the ones on your lower lash line. In fact, they're almost twice as full with about 200 to 300 lashes as compared to the lower lash line with only around 100 lashes.
- Mites exist in your lashes. They’re called Demodex and they remove dirt and debris, and help clean your lash follicles.
- Lashes has been styled since 4000BC.
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The Must-Do Care Tips for Healthier Eyelashes
Batting a long, thick lash starts with proper care and conditioning. Here are 10 tips you should take heed:
- Moisturize and hydrate you lashes
Water and essential oils are naturally nourishing and good for the skin. The same is true for hair. Because lashes are still hair, dry lashes can get fizzy and brittle which hastens the damage. Moisturizing also help in a fast and strong growth of eyelashes. The conditioning elements of natural oils make the lashes develop the noticeable volume we all want in our lashes.
- Dedicate to a Healthy Diet
Nothing is truer than the adage that says “Beauty is skin deep.” If the body is healthy on the inside, the glow radiates to the outside. Nutritious food keeps the mind, body and beauty in another level of awesome good. And things are no different when it comes to lashes.
Including a menu of food with good proteins and fats promote a lush and full set of newly grown lashes. Fatty fish, which is a good source of omega-3, reduces hair fall and increases the density of eyelashes. Niacin, which is a type of vitamin B-3, can help you get rid of dry, brittle eyelashes. It also helps your eyelashes grow and improves blood flow to your hair follicles.
- Avoid make-up with harsh ingredients
There are many ingredients of today’s make-up fad that can be potentially harmful for the eyelashes. Avoid using ethyl alcohol-based mascara and anything that contains parabens, phthalates because it is extremely drying and will make your lashes brittle and more prone to breaking.
When having eyelash extension, choose a lash extension glue that is latex free. Never resort to lash adhesives from cheap brands which products are not tested and certified by the experts. After all, use nothing at all other than damaging ones.
- Clean your lashes
There’s no special degree in medicine needed to understand that the primary function of our eyelashes is to catch dirt therefore, dirt and bacteria can build up in these tiny little hairs which endangers them and your eyes. Leftover mascara and lash extension glue, which are known culprits of breakage of natural eyelashes, make the situation even worse.
Not only can you, but you absolutely should clean your eyelashes before you can wish to have the best version of those curls. Take special care when cleaning our eyes, and use only those items that will not cause irritation or discomfort. Lash shampoos that contain natural extracts and are formulated from organic ingredients are becoming the go-to option in deep cleaning and removal of dirt, fine particles and all sorts of cosmetic residues. Deep cleaning is just one of the many reasons why a lash shampoo should be in your lash care kit.
In cases where you need to remove false lashes and lash extensions, your choice of lash extension remover should include the one that effectively dissolves even the strongest lash extension adhesive without harming your natural lashes. This one’s critical as not being able to fully remove lash adhesives is not only destructive to your natural lashes but also affects intensely the quality of an eyelash extension application, if you’re having one.
Cleaning eyelashes may be uncommon but taking the extra mile in doing so promotes the healthy growth of the natural lashes significantly.
- Avoid scrubbing or rubbing your eyes
Not rubbing your eyes 100% can get tough especially when you have allergies. Rubbing can be so satisfying to get rid of that itch. BUT! When you take a closer look, it causes more long- term harm than that second-to-play relief. Aside from rubbing your eyes, which enhances that dark circles around the eyes, the friction during rubbing can cause your lashes to twist out of place and uproots them prematurely, greatly affecting its volume. Going to the worst scenario, rubbing your eyes may damage the eyelids which in consequence, hinder the growth of natural lashes.
Of course, we are not eliminating the bigger reason why rubbing your eyes is a no-no. You literally don’t know where your hands have been and may have been contaminated with much more germs than your toilet seat. Thus, rubbing your eyes with your hands is deliberately putting those germs to your eyes, face and lashes. That’s a screaming ew and yucks!
- Brush your lashes but gently
Just like you were told when you were just a little girl in 5th grade, combing your hair can have benefits. Same is true with brushing your eyelashes. Brushing your eyelashes not only removes residue from various make-up and lash products, it also helps to keep your lashes fluffed and in place!
Having an easy-to-follow routine of brushing your lashes is the key to being consistent with it. Another important thing to remember is to use the right eyelash comb or eyelash wand. Lastly, brushing your lashes needs the right technique and right strokes in order for it to be beneficial rather than damaging.
- Let your lashes breathe!
Just like a strong, independent person, our eyelashes endure and have been through juggling things from protecting to fluttering your eyes. Make-up and lash treatments are very enticing to try on nowadays especially with the level of enhancement they render to boring, straight-edged lashes. However, sometimes in order for these treatments to come off really spectacular and effective is for you to have the right and healthy set of natural lashes first. Otherwise, these treatments will just be masking the underlying problems and worse, maybe making them worse.
Thus, let your lashes breathe! Once in a while, have a break from wearing mascara, having lash extensions, and curling your lashes too much. Let your natural lashes recover, replenish and regain its optimum health. In fact, letting your lashes grow naturally will give you a chance to examine and determine accurately what characteristics of your lashes you should be working on rather than blindly following everything that has been said.
Just as much as you do, your lashes deserve that break!
FINAL THOUGHTS…
Eyelashes are truly enchanting and we are so caught up with all of the techniques and enhancements to doll them up that we often overlook their general health. Your lashes deserve to be more than just that crusty, clumpy, unrecognizable strips of hair you cover fake lashes on when you’re not happy with them.
Healthy lashes is a true lash queen’s doing. So happy lashing!