Eyelash serum is another wonderful solution to get crazy long lashes, but the only one that can give off a permanent feeling- on a budget. A complete set of fluttering lashes that’s all your own- no falsies, no extensions, or lash lifts is undoubtedly a great deal but with the heavy price, so keep reading to know that.
Maximum critics lump all eyelash serums into one category and demonize them. This article also discusses the active ingredients that cause the side effects because not all lash serums use the same ones.
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WHAT IS AN EYELASH SERUM?
Eyelash serum is a formula with the capability to amplify natural lash hair growth and nourish and enhance them while it’s at it.
Eyelash serums are not a myth, in case you’re wondering. This single product helps the lashes grow to their maximum limit and stimulates the follicles to grow new lashes faster. That’s why the lashes look so full while on lash serums.
HOW DO EYELASH SERUMS WORK
All eyelash growth serum does is keep your lashes in the “Growth Phase” as long as possible.
Your lashes ‘Grow,’ ‘Shed,’ and ‘Rests.’ Synthetic Prostaglandins are the main ingredient in these lash serums, which hold the growth phase of your lashes. So if you are consistent with your serum, your lashes won’t move into the shedding phase as rapidly as they used to.
They’ll shed, obviously, but they’ll hold longer. Now the reason your lashes stop growing and go back to their previous state is that they ‘realize’ what phase they are supposed to be in.
Without the prostaglandins, the lashes won’t stay in the growth phase any longer and thus will cause rapid lash shedding and return to their original length and cycle.
EYELASH SERUM INGREDIENTS
Eyelash serum can be divided into two groups depending on whether it has prostaglandin analogues. Prostaglandin analogue is a synthetic compound that acts like a hormone and has some growth effects on tissues. Serums with this active ingredient may have –
Hydroxyethylcellulose: These are just artificial tears.
Keratin: Good for your hair.
Hydrolyzed keratin: A way of treating the keratin of your hair.
Sodium hyaluronate: Basically, hyaluronic acid is also used in cataract surgery.
Isopropyl cloprostenate: This is the prostaglandin analogue that causes rapid growth.
Serums excluding this ingredient are called natural lash serums. Most natural lash serums usually have the following ingredients:
Sodium hyaluronate: Sodium hyaluronate promotes microcirculation.
Grape seed: The grape seed is a potent antioxidant Bio-peptides help get rejuvenated and strong hairs.
Tocopheryl: A vitamin E that protects hair follicles from environmental damage.
Biotin: Conjectured to be helpful in eyelash growth.
Ginseng root extract: It’s anti-inflammatory and does an immune stimulatory activity.
Vitamin C: This antioxidant helps to improve collagen.
Pentapeptide-4: Helps follicles to reach their highest potential.
The above ingredients are some common ones found in different lash serums. Your lash serum may come with more flower extract or gums, but prostaglandins give effects, not flower extracts.
Also, note that the ingredient list won’t directly mention ‘prostaglandin analogue’; these active ingredients are hidden. The common active ingredient in maximum over-the-counter serums is “Isopropyl-cloprostenate.”
WHAT DOCTORS ARE SAYING ABOUT EYELASH SERUM
The journey of lash serums started basically as a Glaucoma drop. Board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Rupa Wong, while working as a resident ophthalmologist back in the early 2000s, used to use a class of prostaglandin analogues to cure glaucoma.
There were times when she and her fellow doctors had to start using these medications on one eye of the patient. But, then, they noticed that when those patients returned, they would have long lashes in one eye and nothing in the other.
So the doctors eventually figured out that these medicines cause rapid lash growth. So they reformulated these medicines and created lash serums, and got FDA approval.
The over-the-counter serums have many other ingredients added and are not FDA-approved. Thus they don’t directly promise to grow lashes; instead, they say lash conditioning or enhancing serums so that these products can be cosmetics rather than medicines.
ARE EYELASH SERUMS SAFE?
The common phrase regarding lash serums is – “Not worth the risk.” These serums with active ingredients are not safe at all.
While researching, I found out that a lot of eye doctors themselves stopped using this product for potential risks and made a lot of educational videos about why you should be careful about these products too.
Though the products never mention the dangerous side effects or add the word- ‘might’ before mentioning the side effects, the case studies say otherwise.
You can go for natural serums which do not have active ingredients like prostaglandin analogs and are just based on peptides. But note that they won’t make your lashes long, just nourishing and strengthening them.
ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS OF EYELASH SERUM?
- The most benign of those side effects are redness and irritation. These aren’t a big deal as they stop soon after you stop applying serums.
- Swelling on the eye’s inside is called Macular Edema. It’s rare, but it can happen.
- It Can mess up your tearing mechanism.
- Active ingredients cause blockages of the tiny glands that help lubricate eyelids. As a result, you’ll get styes- a very common side effect
- It may cause a type of eye inflammation known as Uveitis. Uveitis comes with decreased vision and light sensitivity. But, again, it’s rare.
- Darkening of the skin around the eye area. Which is typically temporary.
- Fat atrophy of the orbital area. In other words- makes the eye area look hollow. And doctors claim this side effect is irreversible. However, Prostaglandin analog lash lengtheners will definitely cause this in the long run, so this is not rare. PubMed covered this topic very well.
- Changes eye color. Changes green or hazel color into brown. It might even also darken brown eyes. This is irreversible as well.
Also, you can check out Dr. Anil Rajani’s explanation of different case studies done on these side effects
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU USE EYELASH SERUM?
Application frequency largely depends on the manufacturer’s user manual. However, in general, You must use eyelash serums consistently 2 to 3 times a day (preferably at night before hitting the bed) every day to see consistent results within 1 to 2 months.
Give the lash serum ample time to absorb (one hour is best), and avoid touching or rubbing the eyes. Also, make sure you’re applying lash serums without contacts.
After getting your desired length, you can go 3-4 times a week, but ultimately going off will make your eyelashes return to their previous state.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR EYELASHES TO GROW BACK?
- WITHOUT EYELASH SERUM – Depending on one’s metabolism, lashes take 30-50 days to grow back on their own.
Lash follicles don’t immediately regrow a new lash the next day after shedding a lash today. Instead, the new lash will grow after sufficient nutrients have been stored in that follicle. So some follicles recuperate while others grow lashes.
- WITH EYELASH SERUM – You’ll start to notice a slight change after 2 weeks and quite a bit of change right around 4 and a half weeks.
The lashes go all out and are very long after this time period and keep getting longer till 6 weeks! So the time frame is kind of the same, but the regrown lash quality is different.
Serums make the lashes look nourished and damage-free because they include amino acids, which act as a building block of protein.
EYELASH SERUM BEFORE AND AFTER
HOW TO APPLY EYELASH SERUM
THINGS YOU NEED –
- Micellar Water.
- Eyelash Serum.
- Applicator Brush.
- Cotton Swab.
STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –
1st STEP – Using micellar water, clean your face to remove makeup, dirt, or any oily substance from the skin. Also, put your contact lenses away before applying eyelash serum.
2nd STEP – Now, Close one eye and stroke the applicator on the top of your lashes. Then proceed with the other eye. Don’t apply the lash serum on your bottom lashes which can cause skin darkening.
CAUTION: Every lash serum comes with its own applicator. Don’t take that applicator and dip it in to get a bunch. Because it will bring out more products than you need.
3rd STEP – Wipe any of the excesses with a cotton swab from the corner of the eye or skin after application.
EXPERT TIPS FOR APPLYING EYELASH SERUM
EXPERT TIP#1 – USE YOUR OWN BRUSH TO AVOID RISKS.
The applicators that come with the serums usually bring out more products than you need from the serum tube. So, according to ophthalmologists, having your own brush and putting a drop of serum with your hand is the safe start.
EXPERT TIP#2 – USE VASELINE/EYE CREAM UNDERNEATH THE EYE.
While applying lash serums, Dr. Rupa Wong applied a thin layer of her eye cream directly underneath her eyes to prevent any possible overnight absorption of lash serums.
That way, vaseline can be a great option, too, as it is an excellent barrier to the skin.
EXPERT TIP#3 – SKIP LASH SERUMS WHEN IT’S NECESSARY.
If you get tiny bumps around the lash line (which may build up keratin under the skin) or redness/itchiness, just skip using it for 2-3 days, and your eyelids will be normal again.
Skipping lash serums here and there won’t affect natural lash growth negatively. It’s like getting the lash payoff but with minimized risk.
EXPERT TIP#4 – GIVE THE EYELASH SERUM ENOUGH TIME TO SOAK IN.
The serum needs to dry. If you use the eyelash serum in the morning, wait about five minutes for the product to dry before putting on makeup. If your lash line is wet, eye makeup, especially eyeliner, will not stick to it.
EXPERT TIP#5 – HAVE PATIENCE AND USE IT REGULARLY.
Use it over and over to get results. Eyelash serums don’t work right away. You might not see any changes for weeks or even months.
MISTAKES TO AVOID IN APPLYING EYELASH SERUM
MISTAKE #1 – The obvious one is not reading the instructions correctly.
MISTAKE #2 – You have to have clean lashes, to begin with.
MISTAKE #3 – Don’t wear contacts while applying these serums.
MISTAKE #4 – Not discontinuing lash serums even after having all kinds of side effects is the worst mistake.
MISTAKE #5 – Going to sleep after applying the lash serum is another careless mistake. Dry it out properly.
MISTAKE #6 – Try not to use lash serums when you’re pregnant. If in case, you need to use eyelash serums, make sure you’re consulting with your doctor before using them.
SHOULD YOU MONITOR THE EFFECTS OF EYELASH SERUM
You should monitor the effects of your lash serum besides the long lashes.
To avoid experiencing the aforementioned adverse effects, you must take extra precautions. Bad dark circles, drooping eyelids, hollowed-up eyes with fabulous long lashes ain’t that good looking. And these side effects may not show up immediately or for everyone, but once they show up, you’ll be in a great hustle to get rid of them.
So monitor! Take pictures of your eyes and keep track.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CAN I USE EYELASH SERUM with EYELASH EXTENSION?
ANSWER: I would research the company that makes the lash extension glue to see if they make a lash serum compatible with their glue. Your lash technician would be a great help too. Otherwise, just using any serum would also do more bad than good, the fact that serums can contain oil and the rest of the story- you know.
CAN I USE AN EYELASH SERUM AFTER AN EYELASH LIFT?
ANSWER: Lash lifts will take a 10 times worse toll on your lashes if you don’t do anything afterward to nourish them. To avoid experiencing the aforementioned adverse effects, you must take extra precautions.
All the chemicals used to raise the eyelashes cause them to become brittle lashes and thin. So lash serums can be a saver; just ensure you apply them after 24 hours of getting a lash lift.
CAN I USE EYELASH SERUM ON MY EYEBROWS AS A BROW SERUM?
ANSWER: Eyebrow serum and eyelash serum are basically the same; just make sure you’re switching the applicator brushes out. So if you want to undo a lousy threading job, go for it, and the side effects are surprisingly much less on eyebrows.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Some people start eyelash serums, some fall in love with them, and some regret it for years. Honestly, you would never know what category you are in if you’re fear-mongering and never try these serums out. But, of course, you’ll see how you’re doing with these products in two weeks.
