Mascara
Eyelash serum is relatively new to the market and has been available for only a few years. Before eyelash serum, it was impossible to grow long, full, thick and silky eyelashes, you were either born blessed with them or not. So, as previously discussed, most women used mascara to lengthen and thicken lashes (and many still do) but as us women know, using mascara often results in lots of ugly clumps, bits of mascara flying into the eye and never delivers a completely “ natural” look.
False Eyelashes
The alternative to mascara used to only be fiddly false eyelashes on strips or fixed as singles. False eyelashes just don’t look natural either and the fiddliness means lots of glue going everywhere but along the lash line, false lashes falling off in the middle of the day or just not getting a neat, precise finish.
Eyelash Extensions
Extensions were next to appear on the market and millions of women worldwide rushed out to get a set of falsies that lasted longer than 12 hour strips of false eyelashes. There are lots of negatives when it comes to eyelash extensions, they can be damaging, need lots of care and upkeep and they definitely don’t look as natural as real eyelashes.
Eyelash Serum
The next big thing to hit the market place was eyelash serum, but does it work? Our team says yes, there are some serums that work, some that don’t and some that are absolutely fantastic – developing the best looking long, thick and full lashes in a matter of weeks.
What is Eyelash Serum?
Eyelash serum was developed to promote better eyelash growth naturally. The serums are made using fatty acids and conditioning peptides with a variety of nutrients and vitamins to boost eyelash growth. They are generally easy to use, simply sweep the gel along the edge of your eyelashes (close to the eyelid) using the brush supplied, go to sleep and let the serum do its work. Most require once-a-day application that encourages eyelashes to max-out. Don’t expect any serums to work overnight though. Like everything, the serum needs to build up but after a couple of weeks, with the right serum, you should start to see your eyelashes growing and thickening all at the same time.
Here’s how your eyelashes grow naturally:
- Each upper eye lid has approximately 180 lashes with a further 85 lashes on the lower lid (average number).
- Every hair on the body (regardless of type of hair) experiences three growth phases, angen (the growth phase), catagen (the resting phase) and telogen (the shedding phase). Full eyelash growth takes up to 15 weeks.
- Healthy lashes grow for up to 200 days before shedding but unhealthy lashes shed far quicker, around 90 days. That’s down to the aging process, genetics, lack of nutrients, medication, chemical treatments and prolonged heat exposure, all of which affect the growth phase of lashes. When lashes are damaged, they don’t grow as long as they can and they shed before they should. That’s when lashes look short or sparse.
So, what can you do to encourage better eyelash growth? Apart from taking care with your diet and making sure you ingest the right nutrients, you can use an eyelash serum, designed to provide lashes with the right nutrients and moisturise from the follicle. The serum connects with your eyelash follicles and feeds them so they grow longer, thicker and shinier than ever before and that’s because they have the right active nutrients to work hard with your natural growth system.
Don’t Rush Out Yet…
Before you rush out and buy the first eyelash serum that you see, be careful not to get taken in by the jargon you read. The name, price tag and description doesn’t necessarily mean anything. You need to look past the cost, the package and the important-sounding wording. You need to think carefully about the ingredients too, some are known irritants and frankly, you’d rather have short eyelashes than itchy, red eyes. Look for bioactive phytomelcules and natural rich botanicals (good for eyebrows too). Avoid anything with parabens, anything with sulfate and any synthetic unfriendly ingredients especially if you have sensitive skin. You should also look for a money back guarantee, this gives you peace of mind that the manufacturer is confident in results and prepared to refund you if you don’t experience the positive benefits. Pricing is key, you don’t need to spend a ridiculous amount on a serum, it’s about ingredients, not cost. It’s also useful to choose something that deals with eyebrows too, why not enhance them at the same time? HD brows are really fashionable so having a durable product gives you double usage!
Now you’ve read up on eyelash serum, you’ll want to know what we recommend, here’s what our beauty panel reviewed, what we think about each, and more importanty, the results.