How to Safely Remove Eyelash Extensions At Home Without Damaging Your Natural Lashes
Eyelash extensions can instantly transform your entire beauty routine, giving you an enviable, zero-effort glam that lasts for weeks without the need to apply falsies on a daily basis. Fast-forward about a month later and your fluttering fringe may not look as polished as it did when you stepped out of the salon. In fact, as your eyelash extensions start falling out, you’ll probably be left with a few stubborn stragglers.
Whether you don’t have time to make an appointment with an eyelash technician for a fill-in or you simply want to give yourself a break from your lash routine, we’re here to help. Read on for eyelash extension removal tips from top lash experts if you’re ready to bid goodbye to your false lashes.
But first: should you remove your lash extensions at home?
Now that you’ve figured out how to cut your own hair and how to master the art of the DIY pedicure, you might be feeling brave enough to tackle the eyelash removal process on your own—but removing eyelash extensions is best left to the pros, as it involves stripping away surgical-grade glue. Not only do you lack the experience and tools a lash expert will use during the process, but you can easily contaminate the eye area with bacteria and wind up with an infection. “For the safety of your eyes and the health of your natural lashes, you should always wait for an expert to remove your eyelash extensions,” says Andra Ciulei Marin, eyelash extension stylist and Artistic Director at Courtney Akai Lash Boutique in NYC.
Although you might be desperate to remove all of the remaining lashes at once, it’s impossible to do on your own, and the last thing you should do is take out the tweezer. “Pulling out lashes that are in the early stages of growth might cause gaps that take a long time to regenerate,” says Ciulei Marin.
The good news? Although you can’t perform a professional-style removal in the comfort of your own home, there are steps you can take and products you probably already have handy that can help speed up the removal process, but don’t be surprised if it takes a few days or weeks for them all to eventually all come off. “The removing stragglers will fall off much faster if you ignore all the regular persuasions,” says Clementina Richardson, celebrity lash expert and founder of Envious Lashes in NYC.
Here’s how to remove eyelash extensions
1. Use an oil-based makeup remover.
When it comes to removing eyelash extensions, most of the “dont’s” your lash technician shared with you after your application are now encouraged, and that includes using an oil-based makeup remover. If you don’t have one handy, try IPSY-fave SUNDAY RILEY C.E.O. C + E Micro-Dissolve Cleansing Oil, which is tough enough to break down makeup and waterproof mascara while also delivering a nourishing dose of vitamin C and vitamin E that offers much-needed protection. “Glycols, which are used in cosmetics as solvents, have been shown to dissolve adhesive bonds,” says Ciulei Marin. Daily use of an oil-based cleanser can help weaken the bonds of the eyelash glue.
2. Take a hot shower.
Another major no-no when a new set of lashes is applied? Hot water. While hitting the showers might not be as effective as it would be when the lash adhesive is still setting, a long, steamy shower can help loosen the eyelash extension glue. “Two known enemies of lash adhesives are heat and moisture,” says Ciulei Marin. “Alone, and especially together, these elements can dissolve cyanoacrylate when applied in large enough and intense enough quantities.”
Just like using an oil-based cleanser, you shouldn’t expect to see all of your lashes fall off after one hot shower. “If a good quality adhesive is used, it will take a lot of steam and hot water to affect the lifespan of the eyelash extensions,” says Ciulei Marin.
3. Try using castor oil.
If you’re desperate to get your lashes off, you can use castor oil as an overnight treatment to dissolve the bonds as you sleep. “Oils that have been shown to weaken extension adhesives are mineral oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, canola oil, and castor oil,” says Ciulei Marin.
After you remove all your eye makeup, coat a spoolie or a q-tip in castor oil and brush it on your lashes during your evening skincare routine. “Rub the swab or spoolie along the top of your lash line where the extensions are bonded, taking great care to not allow any of the oil into your eye,” says Ciulei Marin. If oil does enter the eye, be sure to wash it out immediately with water. While castor oil is generally safe, it’s best to do a spot test on your skin before applying it to your face.
4. Don’t pick or pull at your lashes (fake or real).
Even if you’ve tried the above tips and are still stuck with one random lash, resist the urge to reach for the tweezer, because you could wind up leaving your natural lashes severely damaged. “Picking at your lashes would be the worst possible thing you can do,” says Richardson. “This will result in bald spots throughout the lash line. The extensions are attached to the natural lashes, therefore picking on the extensions will take the natural lashes along with them.”
Not only can pulling and picking leave you with sparse lashes, but repeatedly doing so could be extremely detrimental. “Constantly pulling off your eyelashes could result in extreme follicle damage, which could result in irreversible damage,” says Ciulei Marin.
5. More mascara.
Instead of picking or pulling, you can try to conceal remaining lash extensions with lengthening mascara and eyeliner. “Using a good black liner on your upper lid will mask those stragglers right up,” says Ciulei Marin. Not only can mascara help blend stubborn extensions that seem to be holding on for dear life, but using mascara on a daily basis can also help weaken the adhesive keeping the extensions attached to your actual lashes. “I know that bras and mascara are the two most unused things in this lockdown, but my tip would be to put mascara on every day,” says Ciulei Marin. “Most mascaras are loaded with waxes and oils so it should make them come right off in about a week of using it.” To really speed up the process, reach for an oil-based makeup remover to gently remove your mascara at night.
6. Be gentle.
Once your extensions have fallen out, be gentle to your natural eyelashes--especially when applying or removing makeup. “Try not to put too much pressure on the lashes or eye area and avoid vigorously rubbing,” says Ciulei Marin. Instead, nourish and strengthen the hair with an eyelash serum and try these tips if you want your natural lashes to look longer.
Although waiting for eyelash extensions to grow out isn’t ideal, these expert tips can help fake lashes fall out faster on their own without damaging your real lashes until you can make it to the salon.
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