How To
How to make your lashes and brows grow thicker and healthier
Everything you need to know to achieve fuller brows and luscious lashes with tips and tricks by the experts
Your lashes and brows really do take the brunt of makeup removal. While the rest of your face makeup may come off easily, brow and lash makeup usually needs heavy duty cleansers and a bit of effort for the formulas to melt away. We don’t blame you if you worry every time you spot a couple of lashes or brow hair on your cotton pad—we would too. But that doesn’t mean you need to give up on using your favourite products; all your brows and lashes need is some love and attention. Here’s your guide to achieving healthier brows and eyelashes while you work from home—from treatments to massages, we’ve got you covered.
How to grow fuller, thicker brows
We’re glad to report the skinny ’90s brows are a definite thing of the past—thicker, healthier brows are here to stay. If the tweezer was your best friend for a long time or your neighbourhood parlour lady always took one too many hair off, there’s a good chance you’re waiting for them to grow back again. Jared Bailey, global brow artist, Benefit Cosmetics tells us all that you need to know to achieve fuller arches.
The best ways to promote brow growth
Bailey suggests that a combination of the right products and massages can help push your brow growth in the right direction. “Apply topical products to the brows that contain ingredients that are known to promote hair growth. Other than looking for known active ingredients, you should also look for products that fit into your lifestyle. There are some products on the market that call for several applications per day which may not be practical for the way you live. For me, I use the Benefit Cosmetics Browvo! Conditioning Eyebrow Primer and I keep it beside my toothbrush, so I remember to use a pea-sized amount, twice a day. It contains soy and keratin proteins that are both know to promote thicker, fuller, healthier looking hair.”
Giving your brow and eye area a relaxing massage helps too. “For healthy hair growth, you have to have healthy blood flow. Every hair is connected to a tiny blood vessel that needs a heathy amount of blood flow. To encourage blood to that area, gently massage in a serum in that area each night with your fingertips. Try a soft tapping motion along the brow bone for 30-45 seconds. Your brows will thank you,” he suggests.
How brow products impact the quality of your hair
For brow makeup, everything from the formula to application and removal techniques can affect your hair quality and density. “If you’re using high quality brow products you don’t need to really worry about them damaging your brow hair or affecting the growth pattern. When you start getting creative and using products that aren’t designed for the brows in the hair, like eyeshadows, lip liners and eyeliners, you may experience some problems,” says Bailey. The way you remove your brow makeup is the most important. “When it comes to removing your brow makeup, be gentle with those beauties. I always recommend using a makeup remover to take off your products vs going straight in with a cleanser. Depending on what you used to fill your brows, your makeup remover may vary. If you're using waterproof products, look for a remover that contains oil, so a lot of scrubbing isn't required.” And lastly, be mindful of the direction your hair grows in. “No matter which type of remover you use, remove your brow makeup in the same direction your hair grows. If you rub too hard in the opposite direction, you can lose quite a bit of hair in the process.”
How to get thicker and longer eyelashes
We quizzed London-based celebrity lash extension expert Camilla Kirk-Reynolds of Camilla Lashes about everything we should know when it comes to lash care. Here’s what we learned.
Leave your lashes alone
When it comes to lashes, the best way to bring them back to health is to simply let them be. “[This] is something that nobody wants to hear. The more your lashes are left alone and the better your diet and lifestyle, the better your lashes will be. You will find that children always tend to have better lashes than adults. This is because they don’t tamper with them,” says Kirk-Reynolds. Rubbing your eyes too much or being very harsh with your makeup remover doesn’t do your lashes any good. “The wear and tear that applying or removing make up has on the eyes and lashes, due to the extra rubbing or just generally fiddling with the lashes, the weaker the natural lashes will be."
Be mindful of home remedies…
Products like petroleum jelly and castor oil have often been touted to be ideal for lash growth, Kirk-Reynolds thinks otherwise due to their density. “They are barrier products which suffocate your lash follicles, making it almost impossible for new lashes to grow without air.” While trimming your hair helps reduce split ends and keeps it healthy, this isn’t the case for your lashes. "Trimming lashes just makes them shorter as you are constantly trimming off the split ends. The more frequently you have it done the less the split ends will split up the hair shaft, which is what enables us to maintain better hair health at a longer hair length,” says the lash expert.
…and lash growth serums
Some lash growth serums are known to often cause damage to your lash line and sometimes even alter your eye colour. “I prefer healthier, more natural ways to improve your natural lashes. My advice is a healthy diet as it will always help hair and lash growth and supplements such as biotin, selenium and horse tail.” Also, if you’ve got lash extensions on, definitely stay away from growth treatments. “Lash growth serums should never be used with extensions as they change the growth cycle and can create obvious gaps within your lashes,” she suggests.
How lash makeup and treatments impact the quality of your lashes
While the process of wearing and removing mascara on a daily basis can impact your lashes, using quality products can reduce the detrimental effect. When treatments are in question, “you must always make sure the lash technicians are fully qualified, insured and have lash health as one of their core values.” Not every lash treatment has the same impact on them. “Lash perming can be more damaging than lash lifts, however they are both are chemical treatments which can change the makeup and shape of the lash hair. As long as the solution is kept on for the correct amount of time and you do not have the treatment too often, your lashes should maintain a healthy status. But it is important to know that as a worst-case scenario, if the treatment is left on for too long, your lashes can become singed and break off,” suggests Kirk-Reynolds. If you’re getting lash extensions, it’s important that your technician considers your lash health and then suggests the right ones for you. One size doesn’t fit all—weighty lashes applied to weak natural ones can further cause a hindrance to their natural growth.
Also read:
The mistakes you’re probably making when applying false eyelashes
Will castor oil really leave you with longer eyelashes and thicker brows?
