From a young age, girls typically want to start wearing mascara for many reasons. Maybe they want to be like their friends with long, dark lashes, look more mature, or get a boy’s attention. This starts to happen around middle school – the prime age when they want to grow up quickly, whereas Mom would prefer they stay little forever!
Remember sneaking into mom’s makeup bag and trying her makeup on to go to school for the first time? You probably felt like a new person – more confident, put-together, noticed. After that it was time to have the makeup talk with Mom, and the rest is history. Now you probably never leave the house without it!🏡
Pre-teen Thoughts
As a preteen, were you thinking about whether mascara is bad for your eyelashes?
Probably not. The short-term effects were just too good! By now you might have found a combination of volume, length, and definition that works for you, but trending looks change over time. Maybe it’s time to update your mascara routine to rediscover a look you love while making sure you are not harming your lashes.
The potentially negative effects of routine mascara use start with the components used to make it.
Some Ingredients to Avoid When Choosing Mascara
- Color additives like kohl. Kohl was first used as a makeup in Ancient Egypt to darken the eyes. It is traditionally made of poisonous ingredients including lead and antimony. You can learn a little more about the history of makeup.
- Chemical preservatives like parabens, BHA, an BHT. Preservatives are used to extend the shelf-life of your mascara. However, they can have some harmful effects to your health when they cause irritation and rashes, or even absorb into your skin and stay in your body. The FDA continues to review research on cosmetic preservatives related to human health, including potential links to cancer, but it’s important to be an informed buyer in your own right as well.
The most common parabens will be disclosed on your mascara label as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben; and the full names of BHA and BHT are butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene.
- Propylene Glycol is used in waterproof mascaras to absorb water so that your makeup doesn’t run, but a lot of times this ingredient makes eyelashes dry up and fall out or may even cause an allergic reaction.
If you want to learn more about the safety of cosmetics, the FDA has an entire web page dedicated to informing you – the consumer – about the products out there and best practices to purchase and use them wisely.
Now that we are aware of some common ingredients to avoid in mascara that are bad for your eyelashes, let’s talk about what to seek out in a mascara.
Natural Mascaras Are The Healthiest
In this day and age, companies are making to become more socially responsible and create sustainable products. Our company in particular, My Little Mascara Club, creates products with the promise of clean cosmetics that are vegan, cruelty free, and don’t contain those harmful ingredients we just learned about.
Just like those young girls figuring out what they want in a mascara brand for the first time, our lovely founder Christie Kerner tried every one she could find. From there, she set out to create a new formula with all of the best qualities of the popular commercial brands, made from 90% natural ingredients. Amazing!
The Best Little Mascara Ever: Length + Definition Formula doesn’t clump or smudge, and it stays on throughout your busiest days. What’s more, it comes in a smaller tube with a wand that mimics the shape of your eye – this not only gives you more control and coverage as you apply your mascara, it also means you’ll be able to use the whole tube before the recommended 3-month expiration! And our subscription is perfect because the next one will be at your door right when you need it.
Practice Good Habits
In addition to being conscientious of the ingredients in your mascara, it’s also important to practice good habits when applying and removing your mascara.
Ladies, this is a big one. Are you guilty of packing on multiple layers of mascara for special occasions – and then forgetting (or being too exhausted) to take it off after a long day?💤
Sleeping with your mascara on is a bad idea. Literally overnight, your eyelashes can dry out and become brittle making it even harder to remove your mascara, especially without plucking out a few lashes. Just like your skin and hair, SleepSugar says your lashes need to breathe and stay moisturized to remain healthy.
And when you are removing your mascara, be patient. Most products will come off with a generous amount of water and a gentle wipe. In a continued effort towards sustainability, I recommend our reusable makeup wipes because they are gentle on your skin and don’t stain because they are black like your mascara!
So, Is Mascara Bad For Your Eyelashes?
In some cases, yes. If you go for commercial brands that use harmful dyes and preservatives, you don’t have to have an immediate and physically visible reaction for your mascara to be harmful in the long run. Leaving mascara on your lashes while you sleep or rubbing it off aggressively in a hurry can also be damaging.
But these negatives can be easily avoided by switching to our natural mascara and being patient and consistent with your makeup removal and skin care routine.
Wearing our natural mascara can make you feel even more confident in yourself, and in the product you are using because you are well-informed. At My Little Mascara Club, we want you to feel good about the way you look and the way you are working towards a more sustainable lifestyle. What’s not to love? 💖
Switch To Natural Mascara Today
Natural mascara does what all the drug store and department store brands do without the harsh additives and without testing on animals. It’s also far more gentle on lashes and can even improve lashes over time thanks to moisturizing ingredients.
After learning all of these benefits of natural mascaras, don’t you want to switch? If you haven’t tried it before, now’s a perfect time to try one out and add it to your daily makeup routine.
Want a natural mascara that defines and lengthens, stays on all day (even during exercise💪), and is easy to remove, too? Check out our Clean Cosmetics Trio and find a mascara you can feel great about today!
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