Eyelash Extensions

Ever since learning about them in beauty school seven years ago, I've always been intrigued with eyelash extensions. Unfortunately I never learned how to apply them because I didn't have the extra money for the certification required. It's something I may still look into one day, but at the least I wanted to get them done for myself. Again, the expense always held me back. Then I learned of a girl in my ward who did them for a reasonable price. I had some birthday money and felt it was a good time to finally fulfill my dream. Jay has been cutting my hair for the last two years, I don't spend money on color for my hair, and I hardly spend money on the rest of my beauty regiment. $75 for eyelash extensions was justified.

September 19th

The actual process of getting the extensions put on wasn't at all painful. The most uncomfortable part was putting up with the tape applied underneath my eyes to serve as a protection to my skin during the process. The tape was irritating and made my eyes water uncontrollably. Megan (girl applying them) was done within an hour which is considerably quick, and Evelyn was an angel sitting beside me watching her shows and eating snacks while I laid there with my eyes closed.

I was thrilled with the results. Absolutely thrilled! And this was another reason I held off on doing this- I knew once I started I would be hooked. I couldn't believe how light and comfortable the false lashes were, how natural they looked, the way the brought out my eyes, how well they held their shape and saved me a good ten minutes at least when applying my makeup every day. The only con was that washing my face in the shower was not the same- I didn't feel like I could really rub my eyes, mostly for fear of ripping off the lashes. But that was such a small thing I could get used to.

before | after

September 26th

Each false lash is glued to one of my real eyelashes. The glue is made to hold up to six weeks but because eyelashes naturally shed every three or so weeks, the extensions technically aren't permanent and will slowly fall out with each real eyelash. 

While visiting Jess in San Diego my eyelids started feeling dry and very mildly itchy. The weather was hot and dry and I figured it was allergies. I was so determined to make these lash extensions last as long as possible and did my best to ignore the itchiness and leave the lashes alone. The irritation slowly got worse.

October 3rd 

Two weeks after getting the extensions, my left eye was pretty swollen. I reached out to Megan and asked if this could be related to the eyelash extensions. She assured me if an allergic reaction were to occur, symptoms start 24-48 hours after having the extensions applied. Since I hadn't been washing eyes with anything besides warm water, Megan suggested the irritation would improve after gently washing them with Johnson's baby shampoo. After doing this for a couple of days I saw no improvement and needed a second opinion. Kenzi (a fellow ward member and friend who also does eyelash extensions) offered me a topical steroid which she uses with all of her clients. The cream is meant to be applied right at the start of getting extensions which meant there was no guarantee this steriod would work for me but it was certainly worth a try. Within 24 hours I finally experienced some relief as the swelling and itching subsided for a few days. By the weekend things went south.

October 8th 

The steroid cream Kenzi gave me had worn off and it was pretty clear this whole thing was an allergic reaction. But it wasn't clear as to what exactly was causing it. According to Megan and Kenzi an allergic reaction to the eyelash extensions would have been pretty immediate. But I didn't start experiencing symptoms until after a full week. I considered seeing a doctor but it was rotten timing as I was in between health insurance. Come to find out the only help a doctor could offer would be a perscription for a topical steroid. After all kinds of research and updating Megan on the situation, it was best to assume the eyelash extensions were the cause of the problem, and thus the problem needed to be removed if I wanted any relief from the itching and swelling. As I mentioned, the eyelash glue is meant to last up to six weeks. By this point it had been three weeks and that stuff is basically cement. (So at the least I'll give it that much credit- these lashes WILL last!)

The next three days were dedicated to removing the lashes. Once in the morning and then again in the shower at night I spent nearly an hour soaking my eyelids with a hot rag, drenching my lashes in baby oil, gently scrubbing and then watching as one false lash at a time slowly fell down the drain. Along with that I was taking Benadryl regularly, icing my eyes frequently, and trying out all kinds of different anti-itch creams. Jay was wonderfully patient with me through this process and made a few trips to the pharmacy on my behalf. 

October 11th

After a very helpful phone conversation with a salon worker who specializes in eyelash extensions it was confirmed that the eyelash extensions (specifically the glue) was the cause for my allergic reaction. I also learned that it was not at all rare for the symptoms to occur later than 24 or 48 hours, contrary to what Megan said. Apparently it's a very common thing- some women are able to successfully sport eyelash extensions one time around, and then the next time around or even a few months later, an allergic reaction occurs. 

After three days of diligently scrubbing, every false lash had been removed (tragically, along with quite a few of my real lashes). It was uncomfortable and horribly tedious but what other choice did I have? Thanks to all the soaking and rubbing my eyes never looked worse. The last two weeks had been physically and emotionally traumatic. I went from feeling confident and beautiful with my thick eyelash extensions to feeling like a monster. At this point the lashes didn't matter. I was SO over it. I just wanted normal-looking eyes. During all this discomfort I was basically hibernating- avoided leaving the house and when I did I was sure to wear sunglasses the entire time out.

October 12th

 The lash extensions were gone which meant we were on the mend. So I began wearing makeup again and tried to move past this whole fiasco.

October 16th

My skin was looking better and with makeup looked completely normal. 

But I wasn't at 100%. My eyelids were covered in dry patches, there were bald spots where eyelashes were trying to grow back but instead kept producing this nasty yellow puss that would dry up and then flake off. Over the next few days things went south, once again. I took more Benadryl, applied Vaseline several times a day in between applying topical Benadryl several times a day, and gave up makeup for a week. WHEN was this going to end?? 

October 25th

This was all so very frustrating but when I took this picture, a total of five weeks after all this started, I felt a sincere appreciation for my skin, even without any makeup.

October 26th

The Benadryl and topical creams were working and thankfully I saw a lot of improvement within a few days.

November 10th

Here we are, a total of 8 weeks after getting eyelash extensions and besides waiting on a few more stubby lashes to grow back to their normal length, I'm feeling and looking 99% better.
During one of my prenatal visits I asked my doctor about this experience. She said, "If anything bad is going to happen to your skin, it's going to happen while you're pregnant. I would try the extensions again after your pregnancy!" I'm not surprised as my skin has definitely been more sensitive during this pregnancy. But after this experience I don't know that I'll be trying extensions again. At least not anytime soon and definitely not unless I take precautions by making sure the technician uses hypoallergenic products.

Don't get me wrong, eyelash extensions are a fabulous trend. I fully support and totally envy those who are able to keep up with it. But this was a wretched experience physically, and pretty emotional for this already sensitive pregnant girl. This is something I have always wanted to try for myself. So in the end I honestly have no regrets. And I'm taking away a valuable lesson, not just having to do with my lashes but a bigger idea of accepting and appreciating my body. Especially when it's not red, swollen, and oh so itchy.