How to Clean False Lashes

False lashes have a love hate relationship with loads of people, including myself. Many can’t live without them, and many despise dealing with them whether they do it or decide to stay away completely. Both are perfectly fine conclusions and understandable on both sides! However, I think everyone can agree that cleaning eyelashes is never a fun experience. 

I am with ya, babes. However, for those of us that do use them, it is a necessary evil, and it can be easier than we have made it! I am going to let you in on the most effective way how to clean false eyelashes for longevity and ease. So take a seat, grab a pen, and start taking notes! I promise you don’t want to miss this! 

False Lashes Etiquette

First things first, we need to know about false lash standards. Maybe you didn’t even realize you could reuse false eyelashes. The answer to that question is YES. You most definitely can and should! Those babies cost money! Lots of money if you invest in high quality ones. Might as well get the most use out of them. 

Now that we know we can reuse them, how many times is too much? Once, twice, fifty times? Okay, so maybe not fifty. However, depending on the type of false lashes, you can use them up to 20 times when cleaned properly! That’s quite a bit of use out of one pair. 

The less expensive and low quality of lashes, the less use you will get out of them, so consider this when struggling to hand over that extra dollar or two on your lashes. It may be worth making the investment when you end up dropping just as much money replenishing your fake eyelash stock in your makeup drawer. 

Cleaning your False Eyelashes

So now, how do I clean them? I am so glad you asked, love. There are three main steps to clean false eyelashes:

1. 1. 1. Remove the glue

         The most tedious step in my opinion is removing the glue from your last use of your lashes. You will need tweezers and a bit of patience. One is a bit more difficult to come by than the other. However, I can’t lie that pulling the glue off in one swipe is one of the most satisfying feelings and makes the tedious process worth it. In most cases, the dried glue should be stuck together, so a few good tweezes should get it all off! 
         
         

      2. Clean the Lashes:

         We know. Isn’t the whole process cleaning the lashes? Yes, however, by cleaning the lashes, we are talking about removing any mascara or dirt that is on the lashes themselves aside from the glue we just removed. This is where the bacteria and major headaches can occur down the road if not stopped with the cleaning step, so don’t look over this one! Trust me, you do not want an eye infection from unclean lashes!
         
         This is best done with eye makeup remover such as a micellar water and somethings to swipe across the lashes to get every bit of dirt and grime off the lashes. I would suggest a reusable makeup babe rather than a cotton ball to help reduce any cotton strings ending up on your lashes and to be more environmentally friendly. 
         
         

      3. Dry the Lashes

         Lastly, let your lashes fully dry before using them again. Grab a towel or other means of drying them that will not rub off onto the lashes. Depending on the person, some will suggest gently pressing down on the lashes and others swear by air drying your lashes only. Regardless of what you decide, be as gentle as possible to help keep them from bending. 

   You should also set them back into their original lash box if at all possible. This is not only the best method to know where and what lashes they are, but it allows for the lashes to stay in their desired shape for the next use. 

   Stick to these three simple steps, and you can look like you have brand new lashes for quite some time! Not to mention reusing your lashes is a huge money saver and better for pulling back on personal waste. 

   Tips and Tricks

   It is also a good idea to figure out what type of false lashes you have, as synthetic lashes will not laste near as long as non synthetic lashes. However, I highly recommend staying away from animal lashes. While they might last longer, there are loads of other means of lashes including human lashes that do not require getting animals involved in our beauty supplies. 

   Doctors also recommend spraying alcohol on your synthetic lashes before they dry to help remove any bacteria and disinfect them before reuse. Obviously, be careful when doing this as we do not want to irritate our eyes or even worse seriously damage them. As a gal who has torn her cornea before, I would not wish that upon anyone! 

   Synthetics are said to last around 5 uses max while nonsynthetic can last up to 20 times if used properly. Regardless of the direction, there is a decent amount of turnaround per lashes.