How To Grow Long, Luxurious Lashes

Nothing enhances your natural beauty more than long, luxurious eyelashes. Women have tried a number of methods to get them, from applying mascara to using eyelash curlers and even glueing on false lashes with harsh chemicals. But did you know that these methods can actually damage your lashes? It’s a vicious cycle: the more you use these products, the more you need them.

Now you can break the cycle with these easy tips to help you grow and maintain long, luxurious lashes.

Remove Makeup at Night

It can be tempting to skip this step of your nightly routine, but don’t go to sleep with your makeup on. Mascara can make lashes become brittle and break more easily. Remove your eye makeup before you go to sleep. And remember — be gentle! Wipe mascara off with a cotton ball and your favorite cleanser using a downward motion to avoid rubbing your eyelids. The more gently you remove your makeup, the less you will damage your lashes.

Avoid Waterproof Mascara

Remember how I said mascara makes lashes brittle? Waterproof mascara is a particularly bad offender since the waterproofing agent dries eyelashes out. You are also more likely to break lashes off when wearing waterproof mascara because you have to rub your eyelids harder to remove it. Avoid these products altogether.

Hydrate Lashes with Castor Oil

Reducing breakage is essential for long lashes because it takes four to eight weeks for an eyelash to grow back after it breaks off. Moisturizing your lashes with castor oil keeps the hair follicle healthy and less likely to break, due to its antioxidant properties (it contains vitamin E and omega 6 essential fatty acids).

Remove makeup and then apply castor oil to your eyelashes with a clean mascara wand. You want to get the oil on the baseline of your eyelid where the hair follicles are, but not directly in your eye where it can cause irritation. Use only pure cold-processed castor oil, which you can buy at a pharmacy. Leave castor oil on overnight and remove it in the morning before applying makeup.

Other remedies you can apply to hydrate lashes include olive oil, aloe vera and green tea.

Get Your Vitamins

The antioxidants that make these products effective at strengthening and growing hair should also be included in your diet. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B-3 help repair follicle damage and prevent hair breakage, promoting the healthy growth of hair — including eyelashes! Eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables and take nutritional supplements as needed.

Massage Your Eyelids

Massaging your eyelids helps stimulate blood flow, delivering the nutrients in your diet to lash follicles. Wash your hands and gently rub your eyelid and brow bone in a circular motion using the pad of your finger. You can also brush your lashes with a clean mascara wand for a few minutes each day to help increase circulation to your lash follicles.

Remember, when an eyelash breaks off, it could take two to three weeks before it even starts to grow back, due to the dormancy period in every hair follicle’s growth cycle. Keep your lash follicles healthy with the steps above and you’ll see the longer, luxurious lashes you desire.