Dear Megan,
Do eyelashes grow back?
– Anonymous (answer requested via Quora)
Ahhh.. Bad habits. We all have them. Especially when it comes to hygiene and cosmetics. How many of us actually clean our brushes as often as we’re supposed to? And honestly, sometimes it’s too much effort to wash our faces at the end of the night. These are all well and good but there is one habit that I really need to break: pulling at my eyelashes.
Sometimes my mascara gets a bit clumpy, so I pinch my lashes between my pointer finger and thumb and gently tug at my lashes to pull off the clumps, often thoughtlessly while I’m thinking or scrolling through articles online. Occasionally in this process, a lash will come out into my fingers. This usually induces mild panic, “oh my god, what have I done?!”
Do eyelashes even grow back? Am I forever doomed to a life of short, stubby lashes?!
DO EYELASHES GROW BACK?
In most cases, yes! However, if the eyelash has been forcefully removed, it will take much longer as the growth cycle is forced to start over prematurely. Repeatedly plucking out your eyelashes, or causing damage to the hair follicles in other ways, can extend the growth time considerably. Damaged hair follicles can also stunt growth permanently or cause your eyelashes to grow back smaller or misshapen. (Trichstop)
So, unless there’s serious damage done to the hair follicle, your eyelashes will indeed grow back. Overall it will take about 1-6 months for your eyelashes to grow back, depending on if they fell out naturally or were plucked out prematurely. For the average person, who’s eyelashes fell out naturally, regrowth will take about 6 weeks.
If tugging, pulling and bad hygeine aren’t the reason why your lashes fell out, check out our article on the causes ofmadarosis (lash loss) and what to do about it, here. Madarosis can happen for a number of reasons, so it’s important to know what you’re treating first before you start treating it!
IS THERE ANY WAY TO SPEED UP LASH GROWTH?
To speed up the process of regrowing your lashes, first of all stop tugging or pulling at them (if you were doing that) and just follow these three simple steps:
1. Put Yourself on a Lash Diet
Also yes! One of the keys to speeding up the growth process is diet. Experts agree that a balanced diet can help overall health and aid in the growth of your hair. You’ll need to get a good mix of protein, iron, and other nutrients–including Omega 3 and 9 fatty acids and a good balance–4:1 or lower of Omega 6 to Omega 3 (read more here)–if you want those eyelashes to be long and strong. Your hair is made up primarily of protein, so it is essential that you include protein or its building blocks in your diet if you want your eyelashes to grow.
Start incorporating more lean meats into your diet like poultry, and for those who don’t eat meat, beans and tofu are fantastic sources of protein! For the Omega 3s and EFAs, stock up on flax seed and chia seed for your smoothies and salads, and when you’re dining out, try to order salmon or roe more frequently for better lashes. But hey, you don’t need to give us an excuse to eat more sushi!
2. Bring Blood to the Area
Another great way to help stimulate hair growth? An eyelid massage! Start by washing and drying your hands to avoid the spread of bacteria. If you don’t feel comfortable using your hands, a hot compress works just as well. Run your finger or the compress along your eyelash line and begin applying pressure in downward motions. Avoid applying too much pressure or you could irritate your eye. Be very gentle as this is a delicate area. A gentle massage of the eyelids will stimulate blood flow and encourage eyelash growth. Do this two or three times weekly for 1 to 2 minutes per eye. If you want to amp it up, you can add a small amount of castor oil or an essential fatty acid blend like WINK (here) to the eyelid while you massage. Just be sure you avoid getting any oil in your eye.
3. Supply the Lashes with EFAs
Of course, if you are having trouble with regrowth, you can always use a serum like WINK (here) to help. WINK provides a unique, crafted mix of essential fatty acids, which have been found to stimulate your eyelashes and encourage them to enter the anagen (growth) phase (source). WINK also contains a number of oils, like castor oil, himalayan cherry oil and argan oil, which have been proven to help your eyelashes grow and also keep them nourished and hydrated. Your eyelashes will definitely thank you!
Do you need help with your lost lashes? Improve the health, condition and appearance of lashes today with WINK:
