After your lash extensions have been successfully removed, Richardson suggests continuing to use castor oil on your natural lashes before bedtime to help strengthen your natural lashes again. “Castor oil has traditionally been used as a natural remedy for thinning hair and eyelashes,” says Joshua Zeichner, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, who agrees with Richardson’s tip. “Similar to hair conditioners, it forms a protective coating over the hair shaft itself to literally thicken it and enhance healthy growth.”
5. Use Vaseline
Vaseline is a god send in our beauty regimes and you can use it to remove your eyelash extensions quickly and easily by using a q-tip to apply a small amount of Vaseline to the glue on your lash line. Apply it in a swift sweeping motion. Although this is not a reliable way of breaking down eyelash extensions glue, it should help some loose lashes fall quicker without tugging naturally. Beware that vaseline in the eye area can cause irritation. Be sure to patch-test.
6. Use coconut oil
Likewise, coconut oil is a great natural remedy for our at-home beauty woes, it carries low risk of irritation and allergy as it’s well-tolerated by most skin types. In a similar way to the Vaseline method, saturate a cotton pad in coconut oil and place it on your eye for three minutes. Gently rub in a circular motion until the eyelashes and glue have come off. Top tip: use lukewarm (never hot) oil to speed up the process. Avoid spreading the coconut oil across the rest of the face as it’s a product that can clog pores which can result in skin breakouts.
7. Go to a professional
Sorry we had to plug this one in. Since this process requires a delicate touch and a lot patience, if that’s not you, then the best tip here really is to go through a professional. If you also encounter resistance or discomfort, or if your extensions were applied with strong adhesive, it’s best to stop and seek professional assistance for removal to prevent damage to your natural lashes.
What not to do when removing eyelash extensions:
1. Pick at them
Do not, and we repeat do not, start pulling, tugging or plucking at the faux lashes that are still attached — no matter how silly they may look. “Removing them yourself, by picking and pulling, can actually pull out your actual lashes since the extensions are attached strand by strand,” says Clementina Richardson, founder of Envious Lashes in New York City. “This can lead to bald spots that may never grow back.”
2. Use harsh chemicals
Do not feel temped to use harsh chemicals in order to make removal faster. So keep solvents, acetone, or any other harsh chemicals near your eyes. These can be harmful and irritating to the delicate eye area.
3. Overuse eyelash curler
Clementina also recommends staying away from mechanical eyelash curlers, as they can damage your natural lashes in many ways, including pulling lashes out at the root or breaking them in half. Instead add some mascara to disguise the length retention in the gaps of the lash line.
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona