Caring For Your Eyelashes

As well as being a traditional symbol of femininity, womanliness and beauty, our eyelashes are used for more practical reasons, such as being the main barrier to protect our eyes from the elements and harmful substances that may try to enter our eyes. In the same way that the whiskers of a cat can sense when something is close, our eyelashes are able to sense any substance that is approaching the eye and cause the eye to close on reflex and protect itself.

Instead of going through the daily maintenance schedule of curling eyelashes and applying mascara every day, many people are opting to have fake eyelashes attached. False eye lashes are a very popular way to have longer and darker lashes with little hassle and maintenance. Although, false lashes require less daily care, it is necessary to make sure that care and attention is paid to them, so as not to allow any infection or rashes to occur.

There are many parasites that we are aware of which live in our hair such as head lice and mites, in the same way, there are small mites that tend to settle and live in our eye lash follicles. In order to protect our eyelashes from this sort of infection, it is important to always make sure that any mascara and make up is removed fully, especially people who suffer from oily skin. If they are allowed to remain unattended, these types of parasites will cause itchiness, rashes and skin problems. Facial skin is commonly very sensitive and needs to be looked after in order for it to remain healthy and glowing rather that itchy and sore.

As our eyelashes are so close to our eyes, as well as being attached to a very delicate area of skin, they need to be kept very clean and hygienic at all times to avoid infection. It is often a good idea to purchase mascaras that are suitable for sensitive skin and try it out on your skin before applying it directly to your lashes; this will ensure that you are not going to get any irritation or unwanted reaction to the product.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure that you remove all the mascara after use, so investing in a good quality eye makeup remover and thoroughly washing your face at the end of the day is a sure fire way of ensuring that you will remain irritation and infection free while, at the same time, having beautiful long and curly lashes.

Things You Can Do For Healthier, Stronger Eyelashes

Human eyelashes do so much more than just make your eyes look prettier; they provide the eyes with vital protection against dust, ultraviolet light, sweat, and other debris in the air. Eyelashes also play a role in giving sensory information to the brain, alerting it to objects that come too close to the eyeball. In fact, eyelashes are the driving force behind your blink response when something gets in the danger zone.

Of course, eyelashes are better known for their aesthetic importance, since they are also designed to provide a frame around the eyes. Subconsciously, they can even act as a cue to potential suitors that a particular woman is in good health. Typically, the fuller, thicker, and denser the lashes, the healthier the woman is perceived to be. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with gorgeous, naturally thick lashes.

Sparse, thin eyelashes may be caused by many factors, including allergies, nutritional deficiencies, and overall poor health. In some cases, even lashes that are quite thick can look thinner if they are light in colour. For example, women with blonde hair tend to have to work much harder to play up their lashes than those with dark hair, even though they may have perfectly luscious lashes.

Mascara is the most common way to achieve the illusion of thick lashes, with a whopping 65 percent of all women claiming to use it on at least a somewhat regular basis. The reason for its popularity is easy to understand: it's fairly inexpensive depending on the brand, and takes less than a few seconds to swipe across the lashes. It comes in three forms, with liquid being the most common, followed by cream and cake. While most women rely on black mascara, there are many other colors for those who enjoy experimenting a bit.

After mascara, false eyelashes are also a popular choice for those looking to plump up their lashes. Women can get them in both temporary and semi-permanent forms, which are similar to hair extensions. False eyelashes are applied using special glue, and are attached close to the natural lash line so that they look more natural. While false lashes are effective, they can fall off at the most inopportune time, and should not be worn overnight or in the shower.

Those who want to go a more natural and enduring route can opt for eyelash growth serums. While these do not provide immediate results, over time they can actually increase the overall thickness and plushness of lashes. The serums have an interesting history: they were developed after people who used special eye-drops to treat glaucoma notices that the drops were making their lashes grow thicker. Unfortunately, those first serums caused unwanted side effects, including hair growth in areas that came into contact with the solution, irritation around the eyes, and in some cases, even complete changes to the colors of the irises. Imagine having your entire eye color altered simply because you were trying to achieve prettier lashes!

How to Make Eyelashes Bigger

Long and thick eyelashes are natural protection for eyes; lashes protect eyes from sun rays, dust, perspiration and small particles. The lashes act as a sort of dust collector that protects the eyes. Human eyelashes perform the same function as cat's whiskers - warning of environmental hazards. Lashes, just like whiskers, are sensitive and help an eye to react quickly to any unexpected dirt, small particles and sand.

Eyelashes are frames for the eyes, that make eyes look beautiful and healthy. These luscious eye frames considered to be one of the marks of physical beauty for women. But not everyone has long and thick lashes.

There are many reasons why someone may have sparse, short or not enough eyelashes. Vitamin and nutrition deficiency, genetics, hormonal changes, aging, cancer therapy are, among others, most common reasons for not having enough eyelashes. Loss of eyelashes called ciliary madarosis or milphosis. Hypotrichosis is a condition of not having enough lashes. Allergies and irritation are often reasons for losing lashes.

Long, thick, luscious eyelashes have been a sign of health and beauty for ages. Long and thick lashes, just like long, thick and shiny hair mean that body gets enough nutrients and vitamins, because nails, hair and eyelashes get their portion of nutrition last, after vital body organs are nourished. Women have been trying to improve appearance of their eyelashes for years. False lashes, extensions, primers, eyelash clusters, mascara with fiber and so on.

Some women apply Vaseline, castor oil and almond oil to try to grow eyelashes. While moisturising lashes and eyebrows helps to stimulate growth, but impaired vision or possible eye infections may accompany these results. Lash conditioners or lash growth serums became very popular within last 5 years because women prefer to grow their own eyelashes instead of applying layers of mascara or using false lashes or extensions, because overuse of mascara, false lashes and extensions may cause eyelash loss.

Lash conditioners had been designed to moisturise lashes from roots to ends of eyelashes and usually applied with mascara wand. Eyelash conditioner should have vitamins and nutrients that promote eyelash growth, moisturise eyelashes and protect from UV damage. Lash conditioners help to moisturise existing lashes, make them longer, but not very effective in growing new lashes. Eyelash serums proved to be more efficient for growing more eyelashes, new eyelashes, thicker eyelashes.

Lash growth serums help to grow new eyelashes and make existing eyelashes longer. There are few great products on the market helping women to grow new eyelashes if they experienced sudden or continuous eyelash loss, or even have never had long eyelashes.

There are also several tricks to make eyelashes look bigger using makeup. Best start with eyelash primer or booster, like Lancome Cils Booster XXL. This white solution need to be applied to eyelashes from bottom to ends. After it is fully dry, lash curler comes to play. First application of lash curler is done as close to roots as possible without pinching the skin. For next application curler need to be moved only for couple millimeters, so as the following application. It usually takes 5-6 applications of eyelash curler to get perfect curl.

Causes of Eyelash Loss

Eyelash loss may not be the most common form of hair loss, but it can still be a pretty stressful problem. Eyelashes are defiantly considered a sign of beauty in most cultures, enough so that cosmetic companies have entire lines of eyelash products. Lashes are, as has been proven, big business.
The thinning or loss of lashes can come as a result of many factors, including improper care, allergic reaction and illness. If the loss is minor, you may be able to discover the problem yourself. If the eyelash loss is severe or sudden, it may be best to contact your doctor.

• Age can easily cause slight eyelash loss. As you age hair all over your body looses width, strength and color. This natural process can happen to your eyelashes exactly the same way it happens to the hair on your head.

• Allergies can sometimes cause eyelash loss. If your eyes are irritated as well as experiencing eyelash loss, it's time to stop using any beauty products on your eyes. This means forgoing mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner or any other cosmetic that may rub onto your eyelashes until the problem has been identified.

• Alopcia areata is a medical condition where your body's immune system starts attacking your hair follicles, causing hair loss. This problem will affect hair on your entire body, not just your eyelashes.

• Blepharitis is a particular type of repeating infection that can cause eyelash loss. It causes swelling and itching on the eyelid due to excessive bacteria growth in tiny oil glands. This will not cause general hair loss, but it will cause loss of eyelashes, especially if it goes untreated.

• Demodex folliculorum is a type of mite than exists naturally in skin pores and hair follicles. An excess collection of these mites in a single follicle can cause the hair to fall out, particularly delicate hair, such as eyelashes.

• General infection can swell the eyelid, sometimes forcing the eyelash to fall out. An infection in the eyelid can be caused by a variety of reasons, so it's best to consult a doctor if you suspect any type of eye infection.

• Hypothyroidism can mean an overactive or underactive thyroid. Either way, it can cause areas of hair to thin or fall out, including your eyelashes.

• Improper care can cause your eyelashes to be plain unhealthy. Unhealthy means dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Using harsh cosmetics or forgetting to remove your eye makeup before bed can cause your eyelashes to simply become extremely damaged, and thus they break or fall out.

• Poor diet is always a possible cause for general hair thinning or hair loss. Eyelash loss can be due to just a mildly poor diet that weakens the hair to something as serious as bulimia, which wreaks havoc on the entire body.

• Trauma to the eyelid can result is loss of eyelashes. Trauma includes something as silly as accidently ripping the eyelashes out to something as serious as burning the eyelashes off. Usually, though, eyelash trauma means the eye was being repeatedly rubbed and scratched until the eyelash was inadvertently pulled loose.

Your Eyelashes as You Age

Is it normal for my eyelashes to thin as I age?

Unfortunately, thinning eyelashes are part of the aging process. So, if your lashes don't seem to have the same length and fullness they once did, don't worry, in most cases, there's no reason for alarm. Still, you should share any concerns with your health care provider.

Eyelash growth has four stages: growth, resting, shedding and re-growth. Your lashes continuously cycle through these four stages. As we age, eyelash follicles (the openings in the skin through which the lash grows) can slow or stop producing new lashes altogether.

Aside from age, there are other reasons someone might not have enough lashes. These may include:

• Scrubbing or rubbing eyelashes too hard, which can damage the skin and cause delicate eyelashes to fall out
• Heredity
• Medical conditions
• Some medications and treatments

Talk with your health care provider about your concerns; he or she can help get to the root of the problem.

Is there anything I can do about it?

The good news is there are a number of options to help give the appearance of fuller, longer lashes. Many of them are temporary fixes, but they can help you feel better about your appearance. And let’s face it, aside from helping to protect our eyes from debris, wind and sunlight, long thick lashes have always been a sign of beauty.

Some of the possible options include:

• Make-up. Many women turn to make-up, most commonly mascara, which comes in lash extending or thickening formulations. Be sure to replace your mascara every three months to avoid infection.
• Over-the-counter cosmetic products and lash-boosting serums. These have vitamins and moisturizers to enhance lashes.
• False eyelashes. Available as long strips to be placed on your eyelid or as single hairs, these are often affixed with glue to supplement existing lashes and can often cause trauma to the eyelashes that can result in even thinner lashes.
• Speak with your dermatologist. If you’ve noticed that your eyelashes have thinned over time, talk to your dermatologist to see which treatments might be right for you.
• Eyelash transplants. This surgical procedure actually transfers scalp follicles onto the eyelid, and is generally used in extreme cases.

As always, talk with your health care provider and make sure to weigh the pros and cons of all options.