You only really need 2 natural ingredients —aloe vera and castor oil—to make your own lash conditioning serum. But vitamin E, coconut oil, and argan also make amazing lash moisturizers. Have you heard of lash conditioning serum? Commercial serums work to strengthen and enhance your lashes and brows, making them shinier and fuller looking. And, no surprise, they can be super pricey! Also not a surprise, you can make a super-easy version at home with just a few simple ingredients. Personally, I like to avoid Vaseline because its made from petroleum byproducts. But you're free to use it as a moisturizer if you like. Is olive oil good for lashes?

Many of the best lash serums also contain a supporting cast of nutrients and vitamins to condition the lashes. Biotin, which helps the body to metabolise protein, is a common addition, as is moisturising panthenol. Are lash serums really effective? Start by gently cleansing your eye area and removing all makeup, sunscreen, and other skincare residues. Gently pat your skin dry, and make sure it's entirely dry before beginning. Using the applicator wand, carefully glide the brush along your upper lash line to apply a thin layer of serum—almost like applying liquid eyeliner. Repeat the process on the lower lash line, and wait for the serum to dry completely before applying anything else. Dip a disposable mascara wand into the solution. Apply to clean lashes as you would mascara, concentrating at the lash roots. Apply nightly. Store in a cool, dark place. If you just know you can’t be held accountable to brush on an eyelash serum twice a day for six months, choose a serum that’s easier to incorporate consistently, like an eyelash-serum primer, a lash-conditioning mascara with moisturizing peptides, or one that’s already mixed into your eye serum at night. Although our tester loved that this affordable eyelash serum enhanced the shine of her lashes, she didn’t notice an improvement in their quality or length.Biotin, also known as vitamin H, is usually sufficiently found in the foods we eat, such as egg yolk, cauliflower, nut butters, mushrooms, and bananas, but we occasionally need additional biotin if we are deficient. The daily recommended allowance for adults is 30–100mcg, and if your body doesn’t need the extra, it just passes through and is expelled through urination. Lash Serum FAQs Do homemade eyelash serums actually work?

We updated this article in April 2022 to include additional information about lash growth serum safety following the settlement of three class-action lawsuits made against Rodan + Fields Lash Boost, and removed five products that contain isopropyl cloprostenate. The remaining lash growth serums below have been vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute's Health, Beauty & Environmental Sciences Lab. Yes! Olive oil is amazing for hair and lashes. You can use it in place of coconut, argan, or castor oil in any of these recipes. Can I add essential oils to my eyelash serum? That being said, if you get oil in your eyes, it might sting. So it's best to apply serum sparingly, and try to keep it out of your eyes if you can. Can I use Vaseline to help my lashes grow? In a clean glass container, add castor and coconut oil. Pierce and drain the vitamin E capsules into the container and mix well by shaking.

3 Ways to Make Eyelash Serum

Left and right, beauty products are promising consumers the natural lashes of their dreams, but the truth is that most of those products won't work in the long-run or even at all unless you use a prescription product.

Carefully following the directions is crucial when using a lash growth serum. Some formulas are meant to be used daily, while others might call for twice-daily use. As always, you don't need to follow these recipes to a T. Go ahead and mix and match these ingredients to create your own serum. 1. Aloe and Castor Oil SerumAlthough the pump applicator might be hard to control (it can dispense too much product), the results make using the serum well worth the inconvenience. After the full ten-week testing period, we saw a real improvement in the strength and fullness of our lashes. We also love that the formula helps reduce the number of lashes that fall out during makeup removal. Biotin: You’re probably already familiar with biotin in supplement form, which is great for helping the hair and nails grow strong and healthy. Imani recommends looking for lash growth serums that also contain this powerful ingredient to help your lashes grow long and strong, too. Both RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum and RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner contain growth-promoting blends of biotin, peptides, and amino acids.

The conditioning treatments in lash serums contain ingredients like peptides to promote healthy hair follicles, vitamins like biotin to strengthen lashes, and amino acids, plant extracts, and oils (such as pumpkin seed extract and castor oil) that may prevent existing lash hair from falling out. These ingredients work by moisturizing and strengthening existing lashes and the surrounding skin, which in turn helps promote healthier and fuller-looking lashes. Combine the ingredients in a clean jar or empty mascara tube. Apply nightly with a cotton-tipped swab or mascara wand. Use daily and you’ll see improvement in 2–4 weeks. Our tester liked the applicator on this popular lash serum, and while she felt that her lashes were slightly stronger after using it, she didn’t notice much improvement in terms of length or volume. Independent studies into the effectiveness of eyelash growth serums are sparse, however anecdotal approval is widespread. Many users report visible improvement in the density of their lash line after around four weeks of daily (or nightly) use. Are lash serums safe?The only eyelash serum that “works” for growth is Latisse, which is the one FDA-approved eyelash serum that has been scientifically proven to encourage eyelash growth. It works by enhancing the growth phase of your lashes (FYI: hair has a growth phase, a resting phase, and a shedding phase), says dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. What Latisse does—or, specifically, what its active ingredient called bimatoprost does—is help stretch the timeline of the growth phase, so your lashes can grow longer before they naturally fall out (the shedding phase). Caitlyn Martyn is a commerce writer on staff at Byrdie, where she covers beauty and style. She gathered insights and testimonials from our experienced team of editors and in-house lab testers to curate this list of eyelash growth serums. An eyelash growth product should help stimulate the growth of hair of the eyelash," explains Birnur Aral, Ph.D., director of the Beauty Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. "For hair growth, a product’s actives must reach the hair follicle, and as such ... should be regulated as a drug." The FDA allows lash growth products to be marketed as both a drug and a cosmetic as long as they comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) requirements for both. Are eyelash growth serums safe?