How to Clean Your Fake Eyelashes the Right Way
I’m going to humble brag for a minute! I have naturally very long eyelashes and have only work fake eyelashes twice in my life. A couple of coats of mascara is all I really need! My biggest issue is that my eyelashes leave little smudges of mascara on my brow bones, but that’s a very first world problem and I understand completely if you hate me for it. But, I get for the short-lashed people, fake eyelashes are a huge draw. I’ve always been fascinated by people who wear them everyday. I always assumed that you had to use a new set every time you wore them, which just seemed unnecessarily expensive. But as it turns out, you can clean falsies. Not only will cleaning fake eyelashes save you money, it could also spare you a nasty eye infection. Seems like a win-win, so here’s how to do it.
Cleaning fake eyelashes can extend the life of your set, and protect your eyes from bacteria and stuff. There are a couple of tried-and-true ways to keep your falsies looking fresh.
First off all, make sure you’re removing them correctly. You shouldn’t be taking them off with tweezers or yanking at them with an eyelash curler. Wash your hands well, then grip the outer corner and gently pull away from your eye. If you use individual bunches instead of a strip, use your fingers to remove each bunch one by one.
Time to move onto to cleaning! Cleaning fake eyelashes doesn’t require much: rubbing alcohol or oil-free makeup remover, q-tips, and either paper towels or cotton rounds. Lay your lashes down on a paper towel, then use a q-tip soaked in alcohol or makeup remover to GENTLY rub away makeup and glue from the lashes. If you use mascara on your lashes, you may need to use a couple of q-tips to remove it all. But pay special attention to the lash band, where all the glue and gross eye gunk builds up. Use another q-tip soaked in warm water to “rinse” them, then allow them to air dry on a clean paper towel.
You could do all that, OR, you could try this hack for cleaning fake eyelashes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWMclG2AgEU/?utm_source=ig_embed
Skip the q-tip altogether and instead, place the lashes on a cotton round. Douse them with alcohol or makeup remover, then cover it with another cotton round and let sit for about 30 seconds. Once time is up, wipe away any remaining residue with another cotton round or q-tip. Voila! Perfectly good reusable fake eyelashes. You can use the same strip 2-3 times, as long as you clean them well and regularly. One thing to note: this only applies to synthetic lashes. Mink or other natural fiber lashes lashes shouldn’t be cleaned, as the water and cleaners could cause them to lose their shape.
So there you have it! A really simple trick for cleaning fake eyelashes. Get your money’s worth out of every set!
(Image: iStock / AndreyPopov)
