Choosing Wisely: Silk vs. Mink Lashes for a Gorgeous Flutter
Faux lashes give you the added volume and length you crave, and tons of options are available so you can get the exact look you want. From the tightness of the curl to the style of the lash, you can get looks that are subtle and understated to bold and dramatic.
One option is the lash fiber material. Lash extensions are available in different types of fibers, and some work better for certain looks.
There’s also a matter of weight and comfort. Some materials are heavier and can be uncomfortable resting on your lash line.
There are three common types of lash fibers: silk, mink, and synthetic. Silk and mink are the two most popular, so we’ll help you decide which to choose.
Lash Extension Fibers 101
The Lash pros at Lashify® have tried practically all the faux lashes on the planet. Here’s what we learned and why we created our Gossamer® lashes.
Mink Lashes
Lashes that are 100% mink are made from mink fur. If you aren’t familiar with a mink, it’s a small, furry animal that resembles a weasel. Minks have incredibly soft fur that makes them very valuable and highly sought after.
Minks are often captured so their fur can be harvested for products like mink coats and lashes. Mink lash companies might say that their mink fibers are harvested humanely.
This usually means that the lash fibers are taken from the mink hair that falls from the animals when they’ve been brushed or combed. Unfortunately, minks aren’t designed to live in captivity, so breeding them in captivity for eyelash fibers, according to PETA, is never truly humane.
These animals are often kept in deplorable conditions and never experience life in the wild. That’s the bad news about mink, and it probably has you thinking that silk is a better option. Not so fast: not all silk is created equally.
Silk Lashes
Once you know the truth about mink, silk seems like the cruelty-free no-brainer. However, silk isn’t actually considered 100% cruelty-free. Silk is produced by silkworms.
These fragile insects need the silk to form their cocoons. Inside the cocoons, they develop from silkworms to moths. However, silkworms bred in captivity for their silk cocoons can never blossom into moths. Instead, the cocoons are harvested (in a pretty violent way), and the insects are killed.
Don’t worry. If you are looking for cruelty-free lashes that still feel and look as wispy as mink and silk, there is a solution: Korean PBT Silk.
Korean PBT Silk
Korean PBT silk, also known as vegan silk, is the closest in texture to mink, and producing it requires zero animal or insect involvement. Korean PBT silk is actually a type of plastic, but don’t confuse it with polyester. It’s ultra-lightweight, comfortable, and effortlessly wispy.
Creating Korean PBT Silk lashes are incredibly durable (unlike mink or real silk) and more resistant to moisture than other types of lash fibers. They’re great at retaining their shape and give you the look and luxe of mink or silk lashes with the benefit of a completely clear conscience, knowing you’re letting minks and silkworms live their best lives.
Lashify Gossamer® lashes are all crafted from Korean PBT silk, making them cruelty-free and giving them long-lasting durability. If it’s a gorgeous fluttery lash line you want, Gossamer lashes are your go-to.
Flirty, Fluttery, and Free From Cruelty
Most of the time, mink lashes are used to achieve volume. Fluffy, flutter lashes require thin fibers that remain lightweight when bundled together because volume eyelash extensions are typically applied in a “several to one” ratio.
That means a bundle of several lash fibers is attached to one individual, natural eyelash. If the fibers are heavy, the fringe will be uncomfortable and weigh down the lids.
Korean PBT Silk is just as lightweight as mink fur, and Gossamer lashes combat weight and discomfort with a few extra important features.
- Cluster style lashes. Gossamer lashes are created in small clusters. Each cluster contains about 20-30 lash fibers attached to a weightless spine. This helps ensure that the weight of the lashes is evenly distributed across several lashes, not just one, and makes Gossamer lashes much more comfortable.
- Underlash Technology™. Unlike most lash extensions, Gossamer lashes are applied underneath the natural lash line, just above the water line. This makes application incredibly easy, gives you a more natural look, and helps Gossamer lashes wear more comfortably.
If you’ve been a salon lash devotee, you’ll love Lashify. You’ll get the same looks you love from the salon lash application but in a completely weightless, comfortable, and always cruelty-free format.
Lashify is the only DIY Lash Extension™ system that gives you salon-quality results without ever leaving your home. And it’s not just animals we’re keeping safe; it’s your eyes and natural lashes, too.
How Do I Keep Lash Extensions Safe?
You’ve probably seen lash extensions horror stories, or maybe you’ve even had a bad experience with lash extensions yourself. The most common reasons why salon lash extensions can go wrong have to do with application and glue.
Application
It’s incredibly important that the lash pro you see is professional and keeps their tools clean. If your lashes are applied incorrectly, or if your lash tech uses dirty tools, you can develop eye infections and even risk damage to the delicate skin on your eyelids and loss of your natural lashes.
Glue
Salon lash glue (and most lash glue you find with drugstore lashes) contains the same ingredients as super glue, like cyanoacrylates and formaldehyde. These chemicals cause your natural lashes to become brittle and weak, which can lead to breakage.
The glue used might also cause skin and/or eye sensitivity, making lash extensions a non-viable option for people who have extremely sensitive eyes or skin.
Lashify solves both the application and glue problem with an at-home solution that keeps your eyes and lashes safe and actually supports them as they grow.
Lashify Application
Applying lash extensions can be tricky, but we developed the Fuse Control® Wand to simplify your application experience. The Fuse Control Wand is an ergonomically developed tool that fits perfectly in your hand and hugs the curve of your eyelid to make applying your Gossamer lashes easy and quick. The Petit Curve Wand is a good solution if you have smaller hands and eyes.
Underlash Technology makes application safer for your natural lashes and easier than attempting to apply single eyelash extensions at home.
Lashify Bonds
The Lashify System doesn’t use lash glue to keep your Gossamer lashes attached. Instead, we use Bonds that work more like eyelash serums. Our Bonds are formulated with biotin and lavender, two ingredients that help support your natural lashes as they grow.
Lashify Bonds never fully cure, which means they don’t harden. When lash glue hardens, it causes your natural lash to become brittle, which makes it super easy for your lashes to break off (taking the extension with them). Our flexible bonds keep your natural lashes and your Gossamers safe.
Getting started with Lashify is easy. You just need to grab the Control Kit™.
Control Over Cruelty
Having control over humanitarian decisions and your lashes? It starts with the Lashify Control Kit. Each kit gives you the tools to get started with the Lashify system.
- Two sets of Gossamer lashes. Pick two sets of Gossamer lashes from our Curl, Amplify, and Bold collections.
- Fuse Control Wand. Pick the original Fuse Control Wand or the Petit Curve Wand.
- One set of Wandoms®. Don’t be a fool, wrap your tool! Because Lashify Bonds never fully cure, they get tacky during application. Wandoms help prevent Gossamer lashes from sticking to your Fuse Control Wand.
- Whisper Light Bond™. Our dual-sided bond that features Micro-Flex technology. It’s our most popular Bond and comes in black and clear.
- Glass Finishing Coat. This finishing coat helps you get long-term wear out of every Gossamer application.
- Samples. Each Control Kit contains two samples. You’ll get a sample of Pre Cleanse, our Japanese Cleansing Water that helps prep your lashes and lids for Gossamer application and Melt Away, our dual-phase, oil-based makeup remover that helps you easily remove your Gossamer lashes when it’s time to take them off.
Everything comes in a protective hard case to ensure you always have your lash tools when you need them.
Ditch the Mink and Silk
You can have great lashes and avoid animal cruelty at the same time. Lashify makes it possible to get great lashes without compromising your style or your conscience.
Sources:
Mink Eyelashes Exposed: What Salons Won't Tell You | PETA
Is Silk Vegan? For Every Pound, 3,000 Animals Are Killed | PETA
Eyelash Extension Facts and Safety | American Academy of Ophthalmology
