How to show healthy lashes

I’ve already discussed different topics on skincare, lip care, and hand care and I’ve reviewed some body care products. Normally people pay a lot of attention to these parts of the body together with the hair and maybe the foot. However, there are two other body parts which also require special care. I am talking about the lashes and the brows. In this post, I am going to give some tips to show healthy lashes.

What are the lashes? show healthy lashes

The lashes are the hairs present on the eyelids. They have a composition similar to any other hair on the body. The main component of an eyelash is a protein called keratin (93%). The rest of the lashes is mainly water.

The number of lashes on each eyelid depends on the person, age and other factors. On average, we have about 200 lashes on the upper lid and about 80 lashes on the bottom lid. The lashes on the upper line are distributed among five to six different rows, while on the bottom line, we have a single layer of lashes.

The main function of the lashes is not to make a gorgeous look. They have a protective function as they protect the eyes against external aggressions like dust, fine particles, sun radiation and even dehydration. Lashes are extremely sensitive to the touch. If something touches the lashes they send a signal to the brain to immediately close the eyes.

As already mentioned, the lashes are made of keratin and water like any other hair in the body. The hair is the visible part of the lash, but it is not unique. There is a root underneath the skin and a bulb connection to the dermal papilla. This papilla provides blood to nourish the lash.

How do lashes grow? show healthy lashes

There are three phases involved in the lashes growth period: Anagen (active growth), Cetagen (transition phase) and Telogen (resting phase). Let’s see these phases one by one.

Anagen phase show healthy lashes

The anagen phase is a growing phase. Not all of our lashes are in the same phase at the same time. Only 35-40% of our lashes are in this phase at one time.

In this phase, the hair is attached to the dermal papilla, which provides the lashes with the blood and nutrients they need to grow. This phase lasts between 4 to ten weeks. The lashes growth rate is about 0.12-0.14 mm per day. The longer the lashes are in this phase, the longer they will grow.

Cetagen Phase show healthy lashes

The cetagen phase is a transition period. During this phase, the hair follicle detaches from the dermal papilla. Therefore, the lashes stop growing. However, they maintain the length achieved during the anagen phase until the next phase. During this period, the lashes look gorgeous.

If a lash falls down during the cetagen phase, the follicle will remain empty until the next cycle. The lost lash is not immediately replaced.

This phase lasts between 2-3 weeks.

Telogen phase

This phase is a resting period. A new baby lash starts to grow in the follicle. That pushes the old lashes out and, therefore, they fall in a natural way. The time between the formation of the baby lash and the loss of the old one lasts between 3-4 months. approx. 50% of our lashes are in this phase at the same time.

When the old lashes fall out a new cycle starts. Each lash will be in a different phase of the cycle at one time. We can lose naturally between 3-5 lashes each day on average.

Why do we lose more lashes than expected?

Most of us lose more than 3-5 lashes a day. The “extra” lashes fall down in a non-natural way that can be due to different reasons. The main reasons are:

Unbalanced diet. If our vitamins and minerals intake is below our needs, the lashes can grow weak and consequently, they will fall down easily.
Sleep on makeup. That is one of the worst mistakes you can commit. When you sleep on makeup you are clogging not only your pores but also the hair follicle. Consequently, the lashes become dry and weak.
Use waterproof mascara daily. The waterproof mascara itself does not produce any harm to our lashes. The problem is that this type of mascara is hard to remove. You can damage your lashes when removing the waterproof mascara.
Use a non-appropriate makeup remover. The lash area is very sensitive and we should use makeup remover specially indicated for the eye area.
Wrong use of the lash curler. If the protective rubber on your lash curler is damaged or if you press too hard you can produce harm to your lashes. Never use the lash curler with the mascara on.
Touch your eyes with dirty hands. That can bring bacteria to your eyes and lashes which produce an infection.

How to care for our lashes show healthy lashes

There are a few things we can do to show lovely and healthy lashes.

Eat food reach in vitamins A, B, C, and E, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. Drink plenty of water.
Use eye makeup remover and apply it smoothly. OK, you are using a good eye makeup remover, but still, your lashes fall down when you apply them. Is it possible that you are rubbing really hard to remove the makeup?

The best way to remove the eye makeup is to pour some eye makeup remover on a reusable pad ideally (you can also use a cotton pad, but it is not environmentally friendly). Apply the pad over your eyes and leave it there for about 15 seconds. During this time, the makeup will “melt”. After this time, swipe gently in the direction of your lashes.

Brush your lashes. Yes, I am not going mad. When you brush your lashes you are eliminating dirt and particles. But not only that, but you are also activating blood circulation and your lashes are receiving more nutrients (well, not the lashes but the hair follicle).
Massage the eyelid. That improves eyelash growth. Again this is because more blood and, therefore, more nutrients will reach the hair follicle. You can use coconut or argan oil to massage the eyelid. Don’t forget to massage the lash line.

A 5 minutes massage before going to bed is enough to increase lash growth.

Apply nourishing products to the lashes. You can apply different oils to increase the lashes length like rosemary, castor, olive or almond oil. My favourite is castor oil. I have some in an empty tube with a spoolie (you can buy them from Amazon). I apply it at night, before going to bed, to the bottom and top lash lines.

You can use also specific commercial products to nourish the lashes. These products contain different ingredients like panthenol, hyaluronic acid, castor oil, and jojoba oil among others.

One of the most famous lash serums is the Xlash product. I’ve never used it (I have it now but still I couldn’t try it). However, I tried some time back a similar product from Biobalance and some from other brands. I posted a review about the Biobalance Lash Serum.

How does a lash serum work? show healthy lashes

Lash serums normally have an effect over each phase of the lash growth cycle. Any eyelash serum will take a few months to show results and the reason is that you should wait until all of your lashes undergo one full cycle.

Eyelash serums act over the anagen phase making it longer. As mentioned earlier, as long this phase is, the longer the lashes will grow.

The second point of action of the lash serums is during the cetagen phase. Lash serums nourish the lashes so they don’t fall out during this phase. Remember that when a lash falls out during this phase a new one will grow only in the next cycle, so you will have missing lashes during the rest of this cycle.

Finally, lash serums speed up the telogen phase. Therefore, the growth phase (new cycle) will start sooner.

It is the combination of the effects produced in each phase that make eyelash serums effective. That obviously can take up to a few months, so it is important to be consistent with the lash serum application and patient to see the results.

My favourite lash serum and next serums to try

I’ve given you a few tips to have better lashes in a natural way and also I talked about lash serums. I hope you can understand now how eyelash serums work and that the results they produce are not miraculous but scientific. Do you use lash serums?