What are eyelash serums?

What are eyelash serums?  And do they work?

Every woman wants longer, thicker, fuller, more luscious lashes! Unfortunately, the average eyelash growth cycle is 3 months and this means that whatever you do to your lashes, the effects will only last as long as the growth cycle. Once each lash reaches the end of its cycle, it naturally falls out and a new one begins to grow.

Now this is where these so-called miracle products called eyelash serums come in. I’m sure you’ve heard of them being advertised or seen one in a magazine or store; Elizabeth Arden Prevage Lash and Brow, L’Oreal Renewal Lash Serum, RevitaLash and Uberlash, just to name a few.

These are nightly treatments that are applied along the lash line to nourish, condition and encourage your eyelashes to grow. Most lash treatments or serums come in a three month supply, equivalent to the average growth cycle, and the active ingredients vary.

Lash serums containing Biotin (a vitamin) and/or Arginine (an Amino Acid) help you grow stronger, thicker lashes that will last a little longer through the growth cycle. Serums containing Biotin include RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum, Body Merry Lash and Brow Elixir, Billion Dollar Brows Serum and Metics RenewLash Eyelash Stimulator.

Lash treatments containing Keratin help strengthen your existing lashes by conditioning them and this results in less breakage during the daily routines of applying and removing make-up.

Natural Oil lash treatments work in the same way as oil treatments for your hair. The natural oils help retain moisture inside the eyelash, leaving you with conditioned, healthy looking lashes.

Prostaglandin based serums stimulate hair follicles to grow faster, thereby lengthening the growth period of the eyelash cycle. A side effect of prostaglandin-based serums can be pigmentation changes along the lash line, however these should be light enough to hide under makeup. Serums containing Prostaglandin include fLash Amplifying Lash Serum, LiLash Lash Growth Serum and LiBrow Serum (for eyebrows), MD Lash Factor, Rapid Lash Eyelash Renewal Serum and Revitalash.

No matter how miraculous these products claim to be, you’re only going to achieve the results that you want if you apply your lash serum religiously, every single night! The lash serum will only work when the hair follicles are being nourished on a daily basis and once you stop using the serum, the effects of the serum stop working and your lashes will return to their normal state during the next growth cycle. It’s kind of like when you perm you hair, it doesn’t grow out curly after one perm, but rather reverts back to its natural state.

I’ve read many fantastic reviews and amazing success stories (as well as many bad reviews and horror stories) but I’m still a little skeptical. I tried an eyelash serum for 3 months and didn’t really see any amazing difference, other than a little less cash in my pocket at the end of the first month. I couldn’t really tell if my lashes were longer or if it was all in my imagination, that wonderful little thing call the placebo effect!

Being one of those products that you have to use on an on-going basis, I guess it’s up to you whether you choose to buy and use eyelash serum on a daily basis. Personally, I think I’ll stick to using volumising mascara!