If you’re here looking for a guide on how to repair eyelashes after extensions, you’re definitely not alone.
Eyelash extensions promise to make your lashes look fab but unfortunately, sometimes they can leave your natural lashes looking ragged and damaged.
The sad truth of the matter is that not all lash technicians are stellar, and a bad application can, indeed, damage your lashes and even pull them out prematurely.
Which leaves many a poor soul wondering if the damage is permanent and whether lashes grow back after extensions as strong and lovely as they were before.
Rest assured – your lashes will grow back. But in the meantime, you can do a whole lot to help them grow back faster and better. Here’s how to repair your lashes after extensions!
Will My Damaged Lashes Grow Back?
Okay, so you’ve suffered an unfortunate lash extension “accident”, a chunk of your natural lashes fell out with the bad extensions, and now you’re freaking out a bit – will they grow back? Is the damage permanent?
Again, we’re happy to say that you can breathe easily: any damage your lashes may have suffered is not permanent, and they will grow back.
Of course, they’re a bit vulnerable right now, and they need some help getting back into shape – or even becoming more beautiful than they were before.
How to Repair Eyelashes After Extensions
Okay, now let’s talk business – how do you help a pair of lashes in crisis? Here are some things you can do to help repair damaged lashes, or help them grow back faster after being pulled out prematurely.
Use a Nourishing Eyelash Serum
If your lashes are left a bit worse for wear after your extensions are gone, you can help them out by using a lash serum that will nourish and strengthen them.
There are plenty of good eyelash serums on the market that can do miracles, so look for something with a variety of beneficial ingredients like peptides that will give your lashes the help they need.
Our favorite recommendation? COS Naturals’s Peptide Lash serum is the best in its game. Why? It contains a proprietary botanically-derived compound called Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 that stimulates the keratin genes that determine the length and thickness of your lashes.
Clinical trial have shown an increase of 25% in lash length when this peptide is used in eyelash serums. Not bad, we say. Not bad at all.
Or Make a DIY Lash Serum
If you’re looking to make a nourishing and strengthening primer to get your damaged lashes in better shape, you have to look for ingredients like argan oil, vitamin E oil, emu oil, or coconut oil.
Each and every one of these ingredients has incredible properties, so if you mix them together and put them in a tube, you should be able to use it every day.
Just apply this and massage it into your lashes, or coat your lashes with it using a clean spoolie.
Not sure what to mix and match – check out some of our favorite DIY lash serum recipes.
Use a Lash Growth Serum (aka with Prostaglandins)
If there are little to no lashes left to strengthen or you simply want to make your lashes as fabulous as they looked with extension – but without the actual extensions – then what you need is an eyelash growth serum.
Eyelash growth products have become very popular in recent years, and that’s because they actually work!
You can see a dramatic difference in length and density, and lashes propelled by growth serums tend to grow faster, too.
So what should you look for? Instead of just strengthening ingredients like peptide, look for lash serums that contain a prostaglandin analog.
The prostaglandin analog is the ingredient that gives lash serums like Latisse its famous reputation. And because there are so many Latisse alternatives these days, you don’t even need to bother with the rigamarole of getting a prescription.
Our favorite? It’s got to be GrandeLash MD’s serum – they’ve been around forever and it’s no wonder why. Their stuff works.
As long as the lash serum in question contains a prostaglandin analog in a good enough quantity, it’ll provide incredible results.
Can You Make Your Own Lash Growth Serum?
You can DIY a lash growth serum but keep in mind that without the magic ingredient, a prostaglandin analog, you’re not going to get the same kind of dramatic lash growth.
But you can definitely give your lashes a boost.
If you’re going to DIY your lash growth serum, there are some key ingredients you need to keep a look out for: castor oil and biotin. Both of these can go into your special serum that you need to apply every night and make sure you really coat those lashes.
Allow it to nourish your lashes overnight and then wipe it away in the morning.
Take a Hair Growth Supplement
Lash growth can also be aided by other products that are not specifically geared towards lashes or applied topically.
Biotin supplements are among the most effective on the market, and they can offer some pretty dramatic results when it comes to all things hair.
There are also other very effective hair growth supplements on the market. Some are aimed at hair loss and some at growth but they all work by supplying your body with a concentrated amount of the most beneficial vitamins and nutrients for hair growth.
These work wonderfully for lashes and eyebrows so feel free to add one to your diet to propel lash growth!
Protect Your Lashes as Much as Possible
A big part of repairing your lashes and helping them grow comes down to everyday maintenance and just the way you treat them over the next few weeks.
You’ll want to protect them as much as possible and make sure that you are gentle with your fragile lashes. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Don’t use waterproof products
Unfortunately, waterproof products can leave your lashes dry and dehydrated even when they’re healthy and luscious.
Not to mention what a pain it is to take waterproof mascara off and how much scrubbing it involves. Skip the waterproof products for a while and give your lashes a chance to grow stronger before coating them in waterproof products.
Don’t rub or pull at your lashes
This may seem like a “duh” moment, but it needs to be said – leave your eyelashes alone!
Don’t rub your eyes and try not to pull at your lashes. You want to be as gentle on your eyes as possible and allow your fragile lashes to chill, without being pulled around.
Don’t use eyelash curlers
Eyelash curlers make us pretty, but they’re really rough on the lashes. Think about how severe a mechanical eyelash curler can be and how we’re pressing on our poor lashes, occasionally pulling some of them out, and once in a while, accidentally slicing them in half because of faulty curlers.
They could use a rest, especially while they’re recovering. You don’t want to inhibit their growth.
Skip any procedures or chemical treatments
It goes without saying that now is not the time for any other treatments, whether that’s new lash extensions or something like a perm, a lift, a tint, etc.
Nothing overly harsh should be applied to your lashes in the next period, so as hard as it may be, you need to give those a rest for a while.
Perhaps you can pick your lips as the focal point and experiment with different lipsticks instead, while allowing your lashes to heal and regain their former strength and luscious glory.
An accident involving damaged or lost lashes is always a beauty tragedy, but not all is lost. You will get your lashes back, but in the meantime, there are things you can do to help them out and repair them so they’ll be back to their former glory – or even better – in no time!
