Eyelash extensions are the ideal, low-maintenance complement to any beauty regimen; they eliminate the need for mascara and false eyelashes for a smooth morning routine. That dream, though, can turn into a bit of a nightmare a few weeks later when those gorgeous extensions start to fall out. There are a few things you can do to help with the removal process, whether you simply don’t have time to see an eyelash technician right now or you just want to give your lashes a little vacation.
How to remove eyelash extensions at home without harming the thin, natural lashes underneath can be found here.
Is Removing Eyelash Extensions at Home Safe?
When at all possible, have professional remove eyelash extensions for the safety of your lashes and eyes. Because they possess the necessary equipment and knowledge to complete the task safely, doing it yourself could contaminate your eyes with dangerous bacteria.
Thankfully, an in-depth eyelash extension course will teach you the safest techniques for professionally removing eyelashes at home. There are things you can do to expedite the removal process, though, if you lack the tools necessary to perform a professional removal at home.
Since at-home extension removals can take several days or longer to remove all the lashes, patience is unfortunately necessary.
The Home Method for Removing Eyelash Extensions
When figuring out how to remove eyelash extensions at home, you need to exercise extreme caution because you’re dealing with the sensitive area around your eyes. It can be difficult to distinguish between the good and bad beauty hacks when it comes to the delicate skin around your eyes and face. There are some beauty hacks that you should never try. Thus, these are seven tried-and-true methods for the safest removal of eyelash extensions at home.
1. Avoid Picking Your Eyelashes
You should never pick at your lashes, real or fake, no matter how much you want to take out your eyelash extensions. Although it might not seem like a big deal, using a tweezer on a few random lashes could seriously harm your natural lashes. Furthermore, harming your natural lashes, especially when they are still growing, can result in lash loss and possibly irreversible harm.
In addition, tugging or picking at your lashes could throw off your lash cycle. There’s a possibility that your eyelashes won’t grow back at all if your fidgeting damages the lash follicles.
Thus, despite the strong temptation, refrain from picking at your eyelash extensions!
2. Apply An Oil-Based Remover
The most powerful tool against eyelash extensions is oil. Many oils contain chemicals that aid in the breakdown of lash adhesive; additionally, makeup removers based on oils contain additional ingredients that may aid in this process. For this reason, technicians typically advise against using oil-based cosmetics with eyelash extensions.
All you have to do is soak a cotton pad in an oil-based remover solution and place it over your eye for a few minutes to remove your extensions. After your lashes have had time to soak up the remover, gently wipe the area. Continue doing this until your extensions come off.
3. Create a Natural Remover for Lash Glue
Of course, the best method for taking out lash extensions is to have a lash technician use a professional eyelash glue remover. However, you can make an extension removal solution on the fly. And it’s very easy!
To loosen lash adhesive, first fill a bowl with hot water and add a small amount of soap, liquid makeup remover, or oil (olive or coconut oil work best). After that, gently apply the mixture to your eyelashes using a cotton wool pad or ball. Continue doing this until your eyelashes fall out on their own.
But keep in mind don’t pick at your eyelashes! This do-it-yourself method will eventually loosen the lash adhesive enough for the lashes to fall off on their own, though it might require multiple reapplications.
You can also use this mixture of eyelash remover to get rid of the glue from fake eyelashes that you’ve already removed. Just give the false lashes a minute or so in the solution, then gently rub them off to get rid of the adhesive and any makeup residue.
4. Use Castor Oil as a Nightly Treatment
A beauty routine is never complete without castor oil. Castor oil is a natural moisturizer that also has anti-aging, anti-acne, anti-sunburn, and anti-dry-lip properties[i]. Thankfully, in this instance, it’s also ideal for gently removing eyelash extensions.
The lash adhesive will dissolve with just a tiny bit of castor oil applied to your eyelashes each night as you sleep. The treatment should loosen the extensions enough after a few nights for them to come out naturally. Applying the oil with your fingers is still an option, but a q-tip will help guarantee that the oil reaches the eyelash adhesive without getting in your eyes. In the event that oil does get in your eye, rinse it out right away with cold water.
The lashes won’t come off in one piece, just like with any other at-home extension removal. But if you do this every night for a few days, the adhesive bond will eventually be broken enough that the extensions will come off by themselves without harming your natural lashes.
If you haven’t already, it’s worthwhile to keep applying castor oil to your natural lashes after you’ve successfully removed your lash extensions. By doing this, you can promote healthier growth and strengthen your lashes[ii].
While castor oil is the recommended treatment, there are a few other oils that can also weaken extension adhesives. Among them are:
- Oil made from vegetables
- Coconut lubricant
- Mineral oil Canola oil
- Infant oil
5. Check out Steam
If you want to remove extensions in a natural way, steam is the ideal method. When applying your extensions, many eyelash technicians will advise you to stay out of the heat or steam for as long as possible because this will cause the lash adhesive to become weakened. A hot shower or steam treatment can help dissolve the adhesive used in eyelash extensions, though this works best when the glue is still setting.
Although taking a steamy shower is a great way to encourage eyelash extensions to fall off, direct steaming of your face will yield the best results. Fortunately, steaming your face at home is simple!
- First, give your face a gentle wash to get rid of all makeup.
- Next, pour boiling hot water into a bowl. With your face about 12 inches from the water, lean over the bowl and cover your head with a large towel.
- To loosen the eyelash glue, sit in this position for ten to fifteen minutes.
- Finally, use a fresh towel to pat dry your face.
To further benefit your skin, you can add some herbs or essential oils to the steaming water. Parsley, eucalyptus, lavender, chamomile, and mint all calm and detoxify the skin.
If you repeat this procedure, the adhesive should become sufficiently loosened for the eyelash extensions to come off on their own. To remove the extensions from the glue, a lot of steam will be needed if the lash glue is of good quality. As a result, the process of removing your lash extensions with steam or hot water may take several days. That being said, this is the safest way to take out all of your extensions without harming your own lashes.
6. Disguise The Extensions
While concealing eyelash extensions will help while you wait for a removal method to work, this isn’t exactly a way to remove them. The remaining lash extensions can be concealed with eyeliner and lengthening mascara, allowing you to temporarily put them out of your mind.
Using black eyeliner on your upper lid will help you seamlessly integrate any recalcitrant extensions. When combined with mascara, which, if applied frequently, can help weaken lash adhesive, any clinging-on extensions will be almost undetectable.
The waxes and oils in mascara should dissolve any glue left on your natural lashes and loosen any remaining lash extensions if you use it daily for about a week. Use an oil-based makeup remover to expedite the process of removing makeup.
7. Maintain Your Natural Eyelash Health
After you’ve succeeded in taking out your lash extensions, you should treat your natural eyelashes with extra care. The delicate hairs will require some TLC to heal from the removal techniques you employed as well as the adhesive glue. Thus, exercise extra caution when putting on or taking off makeup and refrain from using excessive pressure or rubbing.
To learn how to best nourish, strengthen, and take care of your natural lashes, check out our guide on eyelash care.
Expert Removal of Eyelash Extensions
While learning how to take out eyelash extensions at home might be useful, there are situations when it’s preferable to let the pros handle this task. By having your eyelash extensions professionally removed, you can guarantee that the procedure goes smoothly and maintain the health and integrity of your natural lashes.
While it’s usually fine to remove eyelash extensions on your own, there are some circumstances where a professional eyelash technician will need to help. For instance, a professional removal will be necessary to preserve your natural lashes if a new set of lashes irritates your eyes or if the lashes start to grow out in different directions. Try to see the lash artist who applied the set if at all possible, as they will be aware of the products they used.
How to Remove Lash Extensions at Home Using Vaseline
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