How to Help Make Those Eyelashes Thicker - Even as You Age
Eye lashes are as important as ever to enhance our eyes, our face and to help us feel and look good. Along with those well-defined eyebrows, the trend continues to place emphasis on long and full eyelashes.
But we are not all born with thick eyelashes and they may even get thinner and start falling out as we get older.
While some of the reasons for losing hair from your eyelashes may be temporary, others may be more permanent.
These reasons for eyelash thinning or loss can be due to:
- Hair removal
- Changes in metabolism
- The use of some medications and even suffering from certain medical conditions
- Stress or anxiety
- or natural hair loss from such conditions as alopecia.
More information on these causes
It is perfectly natural for eyelashes to shed as new ones grow in but if you feel that your old eyelashes are falling out faster than their replacements grow back, then you need to find out why and then take some steps to reverse that trend.
1. Excessive use of mascara or using poor quality eye make up can be a cause. Waterproof mascara is often the main culprit with the different chemicals in the products causing an allergic reaction. Avoid using mascara if you suffer from air borne allergens such as dust, dust mites and pet dander. Having a sensitive skin or being prone to skin allergies are other reasons for avoiding mascara. In addition, mascara and eye makeup should always be removed very carefully and thoroughly at the end of the day.
2. Stress will have an effect on your body, changing your metabolism and levels of cortisol. Such changes can affect how your body functions with any fluctuations leading to hair loss from your scalp, your lashes and your eyebrows.
3. The condition of trichotillomania may be new to you but it is associated with your psychological state, a disorder of impulse control. For example, you may start to pull out your own hair. While this is usually from the head, it can also be from eyelashes and eyebrows. Usually beginning in childhood or adolescence, it can often be resolved with therapy as otherwise it may well continue into adulthood.
4. An underactive or overactive thyroid can also lead to the loss of eyelashes. An overactive thyroid may cause the hair to break off and leave bald patches while an underactive thyroid can cause eyelashes and eyebrows to become less full as the hair becomes thin, brittle and dry.
5. Alopecia is an immune system disorder that causes hair loss. The body’s own immune cells start attacking the hair follicles, causing hair loss all over the body or just in one particular area such as the scalp, the eyelashes or the eyebrows.
6. If you suspect that any medications you are taking may be causing hair loss, consult your doctor about possible side effects.
7. Eczema causes itching, redness and discomfort of the skin and is also known to affect the eyelids - even causing hair loss from the eyebrows and eyelashes. Resist the urge to rub your eyes and eyelid area as this can lead to even more hair loss. The eczema should be treated as a matter of urgency.
How to help restore growth of your eyelashes
A healthy diet with plenty of good nutrition is key with specific nutrients helping including:
- Biotin which is responsible for keratin production, the basic material making up our hair and found in cauliflower, nuts, onions, broccoli, kale and whole grains.
- Protein which is a great building block for hair and which provides the correct amino acids for the production of keratin.
- Foods rich in iron will help eyelashes to grow while preventing breakage. Such foods include beans, dried fruit, poultry, dark leafy vegetables, cereals fortified with iron and seafood.
- Niacin is a form of vitamin B3, helping to improve the blood flow to the hair follicles to boost the growth of eyelashes too. Niacin is found in fish, chicken, turkey, green peas, avocados, beef, peanuts and more.
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Almond Oil is a rich source of vitamin E, magnesium and calcium and will provide nourishment and conditioning for the lashes. Use sparingly, taking care not to let the oil drip into the eyes.
At the same time, supplement a good diet with quality multivitamins especially when they are specific for promoting the growth of hair.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4300604/ .(Accessed May 20, 2021).
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/201807.0425/v1 .(Accessed May 20, 2021).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992143/ .(Accessed May 20, 2021).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0367326X12002791?via%3Dihub .(Accessed May 20, 2021).
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.