Who doesn’t want thick, long eyelashes? Since people notice your eyes first when they look at your face, it makes sense to want to ensure that that first impression is a favorable and lasting one. Not all of us, however, are blessed with fluttery eyelashes. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean we have to just accept that anymore.
How to Get Long Eyelashes
From natural solutions to medical ones to makeup for longer lashes, there are quite a few ways nowadays to enhance the allure of your peepers.
Better Health for Longer Lashes
If you are ill or extremely unhealthy, there is very little you will really be able to do about getting longer lashes because your body will be using whatever nutrition it gets to maintain your vital functions, not keeping your skin, hair and nails healthy. So get healthy before or while you are attempting to get longer lashes if you want to see results. Here’s what you should be eating for better beauty in general:
- A variety of fruits and vegetables for a diversity of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients
- Green leafy vegetables for iron and vitamins A and C
- Citrus fruits for vitamin C
- Oily fish like sardines and trout for omega 3 fatty acids
- Dairy for protein and calcium
Don’t forget to drink 2 litres of water a day and get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Stress too can affect eyelash growth so figure out a way to manage it.
Eye Care for Longer Lashes
Your eyelashes will naturally get longer if you are healthy and the right conditions for growth are present. So apart from eat, sleep and exercise, you also need to ensure that you take a little care when it comes to your eyes.
- ALWAYS remove your eye makeup before bed. Sleeping with eye makeup on can weaken your lashes considerably and lead to sparse growth.
- Whatever face product you are using, if the instructions say ‘Avoid area around the eyes’ do exactly that! They don’t put that on the box for nothing. Chemicals in cosmetics too can prevent eyelash growth in addition to harming your eyesight and raising your risk for eye infections.
- If you get an eye infection, manage it immediately. Plus, throw out any eye makeup that you used immediately before or during your bout with the infection so as to prevent recurrent episodes in the future.
- Wear sunglasses when you step out, especially when you are driving or riding in a city. Dust, dirt and pollution can contribute to infection, dryness and weakening of your eyelash follicles. Instead of the fashionable skinny frames, select ones that give your eyes full cover, from the sides too if possible.
- Don’t use mascara that’s more than 6 months old. The expiry date may be far off, but germs and contact with air deteriorate the efficiency and quality of mascara considerably which in turn damages your lashes. Using old mascara can also make your eyelashes brittle and thus more prone to breakage.
- When you are removing your mascara or any eye makeup, be gentle. Don’t pull at your eyelashes to get the gunk off. Instead, invest in a good quality makeup remover that requires you to just gently swipe over the eyes for instant, safe and complete removal of makeup.
- Did you know that even just rubbing your eyes often during the day can increase your risk for eye infections plus cause your lashes to break? Our hands are full of germs. Your work area is filthier than a bathroom stall according to researchers. And your hands are at your work area most of the day. Do you really want to touch your eyes with them?
Condition Your Eyelashes
Just like your lovely tresses and skin, your eyelashes too need hydration. You’ll discover eyelash conditioners aplenty at your chemist’s and cosmetics counters. Buy a branded one with a good reputation to prevent side effects. If you’d rather not take the risk, just glide on some Vaseline on your lashes before you go to bed at night. Olive oil helps too. If you have oily skin that’s prone to breakouts, wash off the oil after 30 minutes. Know that it will be at least 6 weeks before you see a difference from this tip and that’s only if you are consistent.
Massage those Eyelids
If you’ve ever read guides on promoting hair growth, there’s always a small tip in there about massaging the scalp to improve blood circulation to the follicles. In the same way, by massaging your eye lids (gently) you’ll boost blood circulation to the follicles of your lashes which can aid in growth.
Eyelash Growth Solutions
There are several eyelash serums which claim to promote eyelash growth. Some of them work, some don’t. There is always the potential for side effects which varies from person to person so you can never be sure unless you try them. Plus, they can cost a pretty penny. It is important to consult with a doctor before trying out pharmaceutical eyelash growth solutions to see if you are the right candidate for a certain product. These serums too will take time to work, usually six weeks.
Eyelash Extensions & Transplants
If you are looking for a quick, temporary solution to get long eyelashes, try eyelash extensions. These are no different than regular hair extensions. Individual fake lashes are stuck on to the eyelids. They’ll stay on there for a month or two, depending on the quality and the skill of the professional who applies them.
There’s a more drastic solution available too in the form of an eyelash transplant. This involves inserting hair from your scalp into the lash line. It’s a permanent solution but it is expensive. Also, since it is only done through a surgical procedure, you have to worry about the inherent risks of surgery too.
Makeup to Get Longer Eyelashes
- Before you begin doing your eye makeup, allow your moisturizer/foundation/face cream/eye primer to dry properly. This will prevent smudging and make for sharper eye makeup (especially mascara) which will contribute to the illusion of longer lashes.
- Don’t underestimate the power of your humble eyelash curler in making your lashes look longer. The curling motion irons them out to their full potential. Clamp at the base first, closest to your lash line, and hold for a few seconds. Repeat in the middle and then at the ends of your lashes.
- Ditto for an eyelash comb which will separate your lashes plus make them look sharper and neater, all of which will make for the illusion of length.
- If you have thin lashes, you can enhance the illusion of fullness and length by brushing primer on them.
- Two to three coats of volumizing or even regular mascara will do the trick. Start right at the base of your eyelashes and go all the way to the ends. Just make sure you wait for a couple of minutes between each application to avoid clumps. Creamy mascaras do a better job of volumizing so keep an eye out for those when you’re out shopping.
- Apply liner really close to the lash line. This makes it look like your lashes are starting way before they actually are thus making them look deceptively longer.
With a combination of these tips, you’ll be flashing come-hither looks on nothing but the strength of long lashes in no time. Warning: increased male attention is a possible side effect!
Shutterstock