Things you can do to Naturally Enhance your Eyelashes

But what are the options? When it seems so simple to go out and get eyelash extensions, is it worth trying other methods for a more natural enhancement? Let’s have a look into the world of eyelash enhancement and see what methods seem worth the effort and what may end up being more hassle than it’s worth.

If you want longer eyelashes that appear stronger and have more vibrance to them without pulling too hard on those purse strings, you may think about trying some natural remedies to enhance your lashes in a really natural way. There are plenty of concoctions to be made with organic and natural ingredients that have been said to assist with eyelash growth and promote healthier lashes in general, but a lot of them need a bit of trying and testing to see if they are really worth the time and effort. We are all different though, and the way our hair grows varies from person to person, so just because one natural remedy doesn’t work for one person, it doesn’t mean it won’t work for others.

Castor Oil – Straight from the beans of a castor tree, castor oil has been used for years in beauty as it is known for its health benefits and fatty acids that have hydrating properties and help to rejuvenate skin and hair. When used for eyelashes castor oil is best used on its own so that other ingredients don’t cause skin irritation, when this oil alone can avoid that completely.

To use castor oil on the eyelashes is quite simple, you just need to make sure that they are clean and clear of all makeup, dip a cotton bud into the oil and apply it directly to the lash line. It is good to let it sit there for a few hours or overnight to let its properties sink deep into the eyelashes and follicles, and then follow up by washing it off the next morning.

Castor oil is generally considered quite safe, but it is best to do a patch test before applying it to your eyelashes to be sure. There isn’t much to confirm scientifically that castor oil can help your eyelashes grow back faster, even though many people have used it for hair loss or thinning, but it does add ricinoleic acid to the area, which castor oil is largely made up of, and can help with added shine. The only real way to find out if castor oil works for your eyelashes is to try it and give it a go with regular applications to see the benefits.

Shea Butter – With most homemade remedies there isn’t a lot of scientific evidence to back up how much they really work, and with shea butter the jury is still out. It is usually used for skin care and often haircare too. With smoothing and hydrating qualities it can be a useful thing to always have around anyway, so there is no harm in trying a little bit on your eyelashes every day or couple of days to see if it benefits you.

Shea butter is really moisturising and is packed with antioxidant and ant-inflammatory properties that should nourish your eyelashes and promote healthy growth. Softening the eyelashes but without leaving them brittle, a little dose of this stuff should work wonders on keeping your eyelashes healthy and shiny and is said to help with faster growth when used regularly.

Green Tea – When it comes to stimulating eyelash growth there are plenty of tried and tested methods that work for different people. Green tea is said to have antioxidant properties that helps aid with eyelash health and in turn healthy and stronger growth. B-vitamins that are found in green tea are said to strengthen he follicle, which if you struggle with your eyelashes already could be a good fix to make sure you are getting the best out of them.

The benefits of using green tea for eyelashes is that it is also associated with alertness and reducing puffiness under and around the eyes too so when you want to try it out you may find that it helps you in more ways than one. To use green tea for your eyelashes you can either let your green teabag sit in boiling water for a while until it is completely cool and place the teabags over your eyes for 10-15 minutes. I must stress that you check the tea is completely cool before you try this, or you may end up with worse problems that weak eyelashes!

The great thing about this is that you get 15 minutes of complete relaxation while you wait for the goodness of the tea to sink into your eyelashes and skin, but if you are strapped for time then this option may not be the best for you. You can always dip a cotton bud into some green tea and apply this to your lash line before bed and after cleansing to see how it works for your as an applicator.

Petroleum Jelly – The key to longer lashes isn’t always in a secret potion that makes them grow faster, but sometimes in a remedy that helps keep your existing eyelashes and follicles in such a healthy state that your lashes want to stick around for longer. Petroleum jelly is all about conditioning, moisturising and smoothing out rough bits, so when it comes to your eyelashes, this stuff is said to nourish and condition your eyelashes so that they look and feel great instantly.

Petroleum jelly is easy enough to get hold of, usually seen in tubs of Vaseline in your local beauty store and is used for so many things it would be hard to name them all. Often used to moisturise lips and keep them from cracking especially in harsher weather conditions, it should do the same for your eyelashes.

The thing to note is that it is a thick oil-based jelly that coats the whole area it is applied to, so while it can lock moisture in, it can stop anything else from penetrating, similar to waterproof mascara that can suffocate eyelashes if left on for too long, causing inevitable brittleness if used too much. So the best thing to do is use a cotton bud with a small amount of petroleum jelly on, cover your lash line and wipe away any excess so you don’t get it in your eye, go to sleep, and then wash away the jelly in the morning so that it isn’t a permanent fixture on your eyelashes.

It can be worth it, as I said petroleum jelly works wonders in hundreds of ways, but it can be a bit fiddly and greasy, and it may not be your preferred method of eyelash care especially if growth is what you are after.

So you’ve made a note of natural eyelash growth remedies but want to see what your other options are? Or course there will be a few other tricks hiding away up your sleeve, but did you know that your diet can have an effect on your eyelash growth and how healthy they are?

Protein rich diets are recommended for everybody to assist with healthy organs, growth and overall health, so it makes sense that it will help with hair and eyelashes too. But you will need to sustain a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals and good fatty acids to feel the full benefits in every aspect.

Eggs are a great source of protein and biotin and contain the right number of amino acids to promote keratin production which is said to keep your eyelashes in a positive state of growth.

Salmon is packed full of Omega-3 and B-vitamins that help to protect your eyelashes against breakage or becoming brittle. When it comes to eyelash growth you need to maintain healthy lashes in order for them to grow to their full potential, otherwise trying products to speed up their growth may prove to be ineffective.

Fruit and green vegetables like green beans and broccoli are a source of minerals and vitamins that assist with collagen production in the body and are linked to eyelash growth, as are beans and nuts that provide the right fatty acids to keep your eyelashes strong and your body in a good metabolic state for alertness and healthy skin.

It is worth looking into dietary changes to improve your eyelash growth, but it is doubtful that hoarding stashes of these foods will give you instant results, so if you are in it for the long-haul and just want to give your eyelashes the best chance as growing as strong and long as they can naturally then this may be just what you need.

Healthy eyelashes don’t automatically mean longer eyelashes, but it is important to look after their health if you want to give them a great start within their cycle. The eyelash growth cycle varies from person to person, but generally has a growth phase where they begin to form inside the follicle and grow as long as they are going to during that cycle. They then have a transitional phase where nothing really happens to the eyelash in terms of appearance, but the follicle begins to shrink away beneath the skin. After this there is the resting phase, and this is where the eyelash sits dormant waiting to fall out naturally before the growth phase begins again.

When you take care of your eyelashes you will find some will fall out naturally anyway as they are all in different stages of the cycle at any one time, but if you look after them equally you are bound to see the results in eyelashes in the growth stage and transition phase if they aren’t falling out as easily or are being encouraged to grow longer in the first stage.

How can you do this? Well, a few changes in habits can ensure that your eyelashes have the best chance at growing longer and stronger with each cycle. Makeup is great, but when you tend to wear it too often, you are depositing products and chemicals into the skin and lash line that can stunt or prevent healthy growth. Try looking at using makeup less or looking for ingredients that may be harmful to your eyelashes, such as those contained in waterproof mascara, the oils are binding and are designed to stay put for a long time, which can suffocate the eyelashes leaving them with not much room to grow if worn every day.

Look at your cleansing habits and if you tend to lose a few eyelashes in the cleansing process, and if so then it may be time to make a change to how you do this. Foam or water-based cleansers are great but can be hard to shift stubborn makeup and you may tend to rub harder to get rid of it. Always wipe in the direction of the eyelash growth, outward not inward, and try not to use circular motions that may aggravate the eyelash in the follicle and make it fall out prematurely.

Above all, make sure that you are removing you makeup each day before falling asleep to give your eyelashes a chance to breath and not collect any particles that are just siting and waiting for a chance to give you a nasty infection or irritation. Change your mascara regularly and as a general rule, try not to keep using open mascara after 3 months. This may not see your eyelashes grow beyond your wildest dreams, but it will assist with eyelash growth and health and you will see changes if you start to look after them.

There is an option for those who don’t want to enhance their eyelashes through means of false lashes or extensions, and that is an eyelash growth serum. When something has been formulated with eyelash growth AND health at the same time, it can turn out to be a lot easier than trying to come up with new protein-filled lunch ideas or concoctions of various oils that can be messy to apply.

Eyelash serums promote healthy growth, lustrous shine and boldness in colour, so the extra length that you can get from applying it daily will be a massive bonus. Applicators tend to be quite thin and soft and provide your eyelashes with just enough to do the job instead of dealing with messy blobs of petroleum jelly and getting it all over your fingers. With an eyelash serum, your fingers won’t make contact with your eye, so you limit the chances of infection or irritation, so it is already a better way of enhancing your eyelashes.

There is only one way to find out what works and what doesn’t, but at least with an eyelash serum you know exactly how long it should take before you see results. You can carry on wearing makeup as you normally would and cleansing properly, and even add some more vitamin enriched food to your diet to feel the full benefits of eyelash growth.