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Long eyelashes are considered a beauty feature, and wanting thick long lashes is every woman’s desire. Aside from making you look beautiful, eyelashes play a major role in preventing the eyes from getting damaged by dust, debris, and other foreign particles. (1) It is for this reason that you must take proper care of your eyelashes.
Generally, there could be 90–160 lashes in 5–6 rows on the upper eyelid. (2) These may be thick or thin and long or short, which are equally equipped to protect your eyes.
However, people, especially women, often want to grow thick and longer lashes to enhance their beauty. This can be done with proper care, some lifestyle changes, and a few natural remedies, which will be discussed in this article.
Home Remedies and Tips to Grow Longer and Thicker Eyelashes
Here are a few home remedies and tips to improve eyelash growth and make them thicker and longer:
1. Massage your eyes
Gently massaging the eyelids with your fingers can boost blood circulation to the area, thereby providing nutrition and improving eyelash growth. You may use oil to massage the eyelids as well.
2. Apply castor oil
Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, which improves hair loss. (4)(5) Therefore, applying castor oil to your lashes may prevent eyelash loss and increase eyelash thickness.
Make sure to mix castor oil with coconut oil before using it. You can also add vitamin E oil to the mixture. It is best to apply the oil using a cotton tip before bedtime and wash it off in the morning.
3. Use a warm compress
A warm compress can help relax your eyes and increase blood flow to the area, improving eyelash health.
Simply dip a clean cloth in warm water, wring out the excess water, and place it on closed eyelids for about 5 minutes. Repeat this remedy a few times every day.
4. Wash your eyelashes
It is vital to maintain the hygiene of your eyelashes to get rid of harmful foreign particles that may interfere with eyelash growth. Use a gentle, antibacterial cleanser to wash your face and eyelashes.
5. Brush out the lashes
Use a spoolie to brush your lashes every day before bedtime to prevent damage and breaking. This also helps separate clumped lashes, making them look fuller.
6. Consume a healthy diet
A healthy, nutritious diet is essential for maintaining the health of your eyelashes, similar to other body parts. Include foods rich in iron, vitamins, biotin, zinc, fatty acids, and protein in your diet. (6)
It is also recommended to consume plenty of seafood, garlic, and green leafy vegetables, all of which enhance eyelash growth.
Treatment for Healthy Eyelashes
Eyelash growth may be supported with medications. Also, you may require treatment to manage problems that affect your eyelash health. You may consult your doctor on the use of the following:
- Bimatoprost: Generally used to treat glaucoma symptoms, bimatoprost may be applied on the base of the upper eyelashes to make the lashes thicker, longer, and darker. It has been shown that the regular use of bimatoprost as eyedrops by patients with glaucoma affected eyelash growth in 42.6% of the cases. (3)
- Biotin supplements: Biotin improves eyelash health, thickness, and length by boosting blood flow to the eyelashes, aiding in lash growth, and reducing dryness as well.
How to Prevent Eyelashes from Thinning and Falling Out
Apart from trying out methods that increase eyelash growth, it is essential to practice good hygiene and observe measures that prevent falling out, thinning, or shortening of the eyelashes.
The following tips are helpful in avoiding such problems:
1. Avoid touching your eyes
Your hands come in contact with various contaminated surfaces, often picking up dirt and bacteria. When you touch your face, especially the eyes, with your hands, you increase the risk of infection. Thus, avoid touching your eyes to maintain the health of your eyelashes.
2. Do not apply makeup regularly
Extensive use of eye makeup and mascara can dry out the eyelashes and irritate them, resulting in poor growth. It is important to let your eyelashes breathe and recover.
3. Clean your eye makeup before bedtime
Sleeping with your makeup on is one of the biggest factors affecting eye and eyelash health. The eyelashes may become weak and brittle if makeup is left overnight. In addition, your skin may develop dark circles, acne, and other issues.
Therefore, make it a habit to properly remove your eye and face makeup using a makeup remover and a cotton pad. You can also use organic coconut oil for the same.
However, refrain from rubbing off the makeup; instead, gently wipe it off in one motion, cleansing your eyelashes at the same time. Also, cleanse your face whether you have applied makeup or not, every day, before bedtime.
4. Remove your artificial eyelashes gently
Most people pull their artificial eyelashes to remove them, creating a tug that may damage the natural lashes or eyelids. The proper way is to use micellar water or makeup removers to remove artificial eyelashes gently.
5. Refrain from using waterproof mascara
While waterproof mascara curls your lashes for a long time, it dries out quickly and can affect your eyelash health. In addition, removing waterproof mascara is difficult, often requiring vigorous rubbing, which can potentially damage the eyelashes.
6. Avoid eyelash curlers
The eyelashes are sensitive and can break off easily. Using an eyelash curler increases the risk of eyelash damage, especially if you move the curler accidentally while still clamping onto the eyelashes.
7. Throw out old, expired eye makeup
Expired makeup products such as eyeliners, mascaras, and eyeshadows can react with your skin to cause irritation. Moreover, they can be a source of infection-causing bacteria and therefore should be avoided at all costs.
Do Eyelashes Fall Naturally Every Day?
It is common to lose up to 4 lashes each day since the eyelashes have a growth cycle, similar to hair, and die at one point in time. However, the number of lashes you lose each day highly depends on the health and care of your eyelashes.
What Causes Eyelash Thinning and Shortening?
Before delving into the secrets of growing thicker, longer lashes, it is vital to know the factors that have a negative impact on your eyelashes in order to avoid or improve them.
These factors include:
- Aging: Eyelashes get thinner with age due to the natural aging process.
- Menopause: The hormonal changes associated with menopause, such as the low estrogen levels, can cause hair follicle damage, often causing thinning and falling out of eyelashes.
- Certain medical conditions: Your eyelashes can become thinner or shorter if you have thyroid problems, trichotillomania, eczema, or psoriasis.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs cause massive hair loss, including hair from your eyelashes and eyebrows.
- Use of eyelash extensions: Extensive use of eyelash extensions can affect the health of your natural eyelashes as the glue used for attaching the extensions may cause irritation or damage. The chemical-laden glue may induce burning, redness, and inflammation, all of which can result in eyelash fall in the long term.
- Not removing eye makeup before sleep: Leaving on your makeup overnight can affect your skin health and can lead to eyelash loss and bacterial infections.
Final Word
Thicker, longer eyelashes are often considered a beauty enhancer. Regardless, it is important to take care of your eyelashes as they protect your eyes from damage and infections. For this, it is suggested to clean your eyelashes regularly and massage your eyelids for a few minutes.
There are various other home remedies and lifestyle changes that you can try to boost the growth of your eyelashes. However, if your eyelashes are thinning out unnaturally and the condition doesn’t seem to improve despite proper care, it is best to consult a doctor as there may be an underlying condition that causes such a problem.
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