Nothing is more important to your facial beauty than having attractive eyes.

Therefore, you need clear, healthy eyes - but also longer, thicker eyelashes to draw attention to and complement those eyes.

Lashes that are thick, long, and beautiful attract attention, especially because they're usually in motion as you blink.

Why Do We Even Have Eyelashes

They help protect your eyes from dust and other debris in the air.

Therefore, protecting your eyelashes helps guard your eyes and eyesight.

Basic Eyelash Facts

Your lower eyelids normally have from 75 to 80 lashes, in four rows.

Your upper eyelids normally have from 90 to 160 lashes, in five or six rows.

That's probably a lot more than you would have guessed.

The number of eyelash bulbs, like hair follicles, remains fairly constant throughout your life.

They grow and fall out in cycles of 60 to 90 days. Normally, you'll lose from one to five lashes every day.

Like all hairs, each lash has a bulb and a root below the surface of your skin. They're connected to blood vessels. They last around four to eleven months.

The visible lash is the shaft. That's what draws attention to your face. 

Lashes grow to up to twelve millimeters in length and are usually slightly curved.

Like all hairs, lashes need good nutrition to be healthy and look their best.

So you look your best.

Increasing Blood Flow Benefits Your Eyelashes

Like all hairs, your eyelashes need nutrition from your blood. Therefore, as with all hairs, improving your blood circulation helps make your lashes longer and thicker.

However, there are obvious limitations. You can't apply creams or lotions to the skin below your lashes, as you can to your scalp.

You can't rub or massage them, as you can your scalp. And certainly can't roll over them with microneedles.

The safety of your eyes is most important.

So Many Women Mistreat Their Natural Lashes

They're not made to be coated every day with layers of mascara. Or false eyelashes - and certainly not glue (yes, some people do that - but not you, I hope).

The Most Common Eyelash Problems

* Brittleness

* Low or stunted growth

* Milphosis, or loss of eyelashes

* Dryness

* Blepharitis (infection caused by clogged oil glands inside your eyelashes)

Common Causes of These Problems

* Allergies to your makeup

* Eyelash curlers (they stress your lashes)

* Unskilled application of makeup

* Applying too much makeup too often

* Makeup ingredients that dry or irritate your lashes

* Using too much force to remove false eyelashes

Medical Issues That Can Damage Your Eyelashes

* Blepharitis

* Eczema

* Prescription medicines such as: cholesterol lowering drugs, blood thinners and thyroid drugs

* Stress

* A thyroid problem

* Alopecia (a form of hair loss)

Any Excessive Force May Damage Your Eyes

That includes rubbing your eyes. Don't.

That includes applying excessive mascara or other makeup - or using too much force to remove it.

That can include eyelash curlers. Experts say to use only professional quality equipment.

That includes putting eyelash extensions on incorrectly - and removing them incorrectly. Doing it yourself can permanently damage the follicles.

Improper removal of strip lashes can pull out your real lashes at the same time.

Suggestions to Prevente Eyelash Loss, and Promote Healthier, Shinier Lashes

1. Remove makeup and false eyelashes without excessive force, or stressing your lashes. When you can, give your lashes a break from these stressors.

2. Use an eyelash comb everyday. That removes dirt and debris from your lashes, keeping the follicles clear and unclogged.

3. Apply a moisturizer to your lashes, to keep them from drying out, losing their natural moistness. Try castor oil, Vitamin E or almond oil.

4. Apply an eyelash growth serum everyday, to keep them well-nourished so they remain strong, and have a shiny appearance. Clinical trials have proven the popular ingredient bimatoprost makes your lashes grow longer, thicker and darker.

5. Instead of wearing false eyelashes, try eyelash extensions. However, this obviously is a more expensive suggestion. 

6. Be kind and gentle to your lashes. That includes using mascara that's easy to rinse off and a gentle makeup remover.

7. Use only a qualified professional to remove extensions.

How to Nourish Your Eyelashes from the Inside

Remember: what slows down your blood circulation, slows the growth of lashes (and all your hair).

Nothing improves blood flow better than nitric oxide (NO). That relaxes your blood vessels, keeping them wider and more relaxed - more flexible.

Ways to Increase NO in your body:

1. Eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach. Beet roots - and leaves - are especially high in NO. You can simply drink beet juice.

2. Breathe through your nostrils, not your mouth. At night, keep your mouth closed with a small piece of skin-safe, allogenic clear tape (which you can get at Walgreen's and other drugstores) placed from above the center of your upper lip to below the bottom of your lower lip.

3 Hum a few bars.

Actually, hum for 10 to 15 minutes daily. Research verifies this increases NO.

(SIDE BENEFIT: By relaxing and widening your veins and arteries, NO lowers your blood pressure.)

Biotin is the Most Important Hair Nutrient

Therefore, experts often suggest taking biotin supplements.

But biotin is simply one more B vitamin. Foods rich in biotin include:

1. Avocado

2. Egg yolks

3. Sweet potatoes

4. Legumes (beans and lentils)

5. Almonds

6. Mushrooms

Conclusion

As with so many beauty-related issues, only healthy solutions have long-term sustainability. 

https://www.healthline.com/health/miosis

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-healthy-long-eyelashes

https://claribelskincare.com/blogs/natural-skin-care/what-helps-eyelashes-grow-5-sure-fire-actions-and-5-things-to-avoid

https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-get-longer-eyelashes-4846517

https://www.geisinger.org/health-and-wellness/wellness-articles/2022/07/27/18/20/biotin-foods