Does Coconut Oil Help Your Eyelashes Grow?
Coconut oil is a common ingredient in many different kinds of cosmetics. Around the world, coconut oil has been used as a hair and skin conditioner for centuries.
But we know that the area around our eyes and our eyelashes themselves are super delicate and sensitive, so it makes sense to ask if coconut oil is safe to use on our eyelashes.
Coconut Oil and Your Natural Lashes
Is Coconut Oil Safe for Eyelashes?
Coconut oil is safe to use around your eyes as long as it's used in moderation and in limited contact with the eye itself. Virgin coconut oil is the safest coconut oil choice for use around your eyes, but it’s still best to keep it out of your eye.
Oil blends, serums, or lower-quality coconut oils may include ingredients that might cause irritation, so using 100% organic virgin coconut oil is the safest choice. Always patch-test coconut oil and every new cosmetic you want to try on your arm to check for an allergy before applying it to your eyes.
You only need a little coconut oil to get its benefits. Try to avoid using excessive amounts of coconut oil. Excess coconut oil that your skin can’t absorb after becoming saturated can clog hair follicles. Clogged follicles may lead to breakage or bald patches along your lash line.
Coconut oil is a natural grease, so it will feel greasy on your eyes. Luckily, unlike other natural greases, coconut oil is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores. To reiterate that: it may clog hair follicles if used in excess, but it’s unlikely to clog your pores.
What Are the Benefits of Coconut Oil on Eyelashes?
Coconut oil has several benefits for your hair and eyelashes, including moisturizing, protecting, nourishing, and even preventing bacterial and fungal growth.
Here are the deets:
Moisture and Hydration
Coconut oil can provide hydration to the skin around your eyes as well as your lashes. Fatty acid in coconut oil can provide protection and hydration to your lashes and protect them from losing proteins. Hydrated lashes experience less breakage and less fallout than brittle lashes. Hydrated lashes can withstand greater manipulation from tools like lash curlers. When your lashes stay hydrated, they’re likely to look fuller and darker.
Nourishment
Coconut oil is rich in nutrients that can help strengthen and condition eyelashes, like vitamin E and lauric acid. Nourished lashes will be better able to withstand potential damage from washing, scrubbing, and general wear and tear. Lauric acid may even help to stimulate lash growth by improving blood circulation around the lash follicles.
Anti-Bacterial/Anti-Fungal
Your eyes have a very delicate ecosystem of microbial organisms, just like your gut does. However, things like touching your eyes and using mascara can put your eyes at greater risk of bacterial or fungal infections.
Seriously, your mascara may be hosting more than just volumizing fibers. If you’ve been using the same mascara for more than three months, toss it out. One study found that 36% of tubes tested at that age hosted microbial growths containing dozens of uninvited organisms, including Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus species, and fungi. Gross!
Coconut oil can help stop your mascara from passing these bacterial and fungal infections back to your eyes. Coconut oil is naturally antifungal and antibacterial. Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that gives coconut oil this superpower. Coconut oil may also help prevent infection, like folliculitis, in the skin surrounding your eyes. Folliculitis is the inflammation of hair follicles.
The Science
Let’s be clear, there’s no scientific evidence to suggest that coconut oil will make your lashes grow faster, longer, or thicker. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that paired with proper hygiene and a protein-rich diet, coconut oil can be a positive supplement to support lash health paired with proper hygiene and a protein-rich diet.
As we discussed above, coconut oil contains fatty acids, like lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid. Fatty acids help the lipids and proteins in the coconut oil be absorbed into the shaft of the hairs.
This acid makes coconut oil a more effective hair conditioner than other oils. Additionally, hair and lashes treated with coconut oil between washes are better protected from protein loss during routine washing.
How Do I Apply Coconut Oil to My Lashes?
There’s more than one way to get coconut oil into your lashes. It’s a common ingredient in many moisturizing cosmetics. For example, there are plenty of lash serums on the market that use coconut oil, among other beneficial ingredients like mineral oil, castor oil, or pumpkin seed extract.
To apply plain, 100% virgin coconut oil directly from the jar, there are two ways you could go about it:
With Your Fingers
- Wash your hands thoroughly so you don’t introduce new bacteria
- Use your index finger to scoop a little bit of the oil from the container
- With both hands, massage the oil between your index fingers
- Close your eyes and gently massage the oil along your lashes and lash line.
- Use a damp cotton swab to gently remove excess oil from your eye area
With a Brush or Spoolie
- Get a brand new or freshly cleaned brush or wand
- Dip the brush into the oil and tap off the excess
- Brush the oil through your lashes as you would with mascara, top and bottom lashes
- With eyes shut, gently brush along your lash line
- Use a damp cotton swab to gently remove excess oil from your eye area
No matter your application method, if you get oil in your eye, stop applying and flush your eye with water immediately. Always wipe away excess oil to prevent it from getting in your eye or clogging oversaturated follicles.
Coconut Oil and Lash Extensions
While coconut oil is generally recommended for natural lashes, we at Lashify would caution against mixing any oil with lash extensions. There’s a reason that so many makeup removers contain oil.
Oil will interrupt the bond between the false lash and the lash line. Our bond, Whisper Light, is water resistant after 24 hours from application, but it’s oil soluble. Our remover, Melt Away Remover, contains oil to break down the bond at the end of your lash wear.
Coconut oil will have a similar effect. If there is coconut oil, even a little bit, present in the lashes, the lash extensions won’t be able to bond to the lash line. You may end up with lifting extensions if they stick at all.
It’s best not to get coconut oil in your false lashes, even in the process of taking them off. Why? Because we presume you’d like to put them on again later, residual oil can still stop you from getting a strong bond. It can be difficult to remove the coconut oil from the fine fibers of the lash.
You never want to brush too hard or scrub at your false lashes since they’re likely to lose structure because of the friction. We’d all prefer to keep your lashes looking as like-new as possible with proper care.
Proper Lash Extension Care
We always recommend applying your Gossamers to freshly clean and dry lashes. This ensures no oil or debris is getting trapped under the Gossamer. You can always wash with simple soap and water, but we highly recommend using our Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Water on a saturated cotton swab. Run the saturated swab gently along your lash line, and then let your lash line dry before applying lashes.
After you apply your Gossamers, keep them away from water for a full 24 hours to ensure the bond can fully set. Whisper Light never fully cures (hardens) in order to create a soft cushion around your lash line to minimize breakage, but even soft, it will fully set after 24 hours.
Keep the lashes away from excess oil at all times. You can occasionally brush a dry spoolie brush through the lashes during wear to minimize and remove stray oil and debris from your lashes.
When it’s time to remove your Gossamers, use a dedicated remover, like Melt Away Remover. Do not just use any oil. Technically, it will break down the bond, but it will also have a negative impact on the overall longevity of your lashes. Remember, Gossamers are meant to be re-worn time and time again, so treat them with love and they’ll do the same for you!
Summary
Coconut oil for natural lash health and wellness? Resounding yes!
Coconut oil touching your Gossamers or other lash extensions? Resounding no!
It's just a matter of your goal. If you need big, lush lashes by next week, coconut oil probably won’t do much for you; however, if you want healthier lashes overall and you’re willing to wait a while to notice any results, coconut oil is a great choice.
If you need voluminous lashes on demand, though, lash extensions are a great choice. Especially Gossamers applied with Whisper Light since, unlike other adhesives, Whisper Light nourishes your natural lashes too!
Sources:
Coconut Oil for Eyelashes: Benefits and Precautions | Healthline
Microbial contamination associated with mascara use | Optometry (2001) via PubMed
