Why Does Crying Make Your Eyelashes Longer?

Crying is considered one of the most intense expressions. Usually, the reason behind crying is extreme sadness, sometimes joy. When we feel sad, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps manage stress, and crying supports this event. 

While crying is completely a biological response, there are many myths about it, too, one of which is that crying makes eyelashes longer. 

If you have heard about the same and are wondering does crying makes your eyelashes longer, continue reading to get the answer. We will bust this misconception and learn about the science behind crying and the ways that actually make eyelashes longer.

Impact of Crying on Eyelashes 

One of the many beauty myths that people swear by is that crying will lengthen the eyelashes. On the contrary, there is no scientific evidence to support this. 

Tears are fluids secreted by the lacrimal glands, located in the upper outer region of the eyes (1). As you feel an intense emotion, these glands contract, releasing tears. The glands also secrete tears to keep the eyes moist and protect them from potential infections. You also get teary eyes in response to foreign particles. 

Tears contain various compounds, including water, salt, lysozymes, antioxidants and lipids (2). These nutrients protect the eyes from infections and keep the eyelashes healthy. 

The length, thickness, and density of your eyelashes depend upon the following-

• Age
• Genetics
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Hormonal changes
• Overall health condition 
• Eye makeup

Can Crying Make the Eyelashes Longer?

The straight answer to the question is NO. There is no link between the length of your eyelashes and the frequency of your crying. Whether you cry out of stress, joy, or sadness or get tears due to some foreign material has nothing to do with the length of your eyelashes.

Eyelashes length depends upon the genes you carry. Later, it may slightly get influenced by nutrition and age. 

Crying will neither increase your hair follicles nor change the natural growth cycle of eyelashes. However, as you sob, the eyelashes will get wet, which makes them look dark temporarily. 

Here, it is important to know crying can negatively impact your eyelashes in the following ways-

• Rubbing eyes while crying can damage the eyelashes, causing them to break and shed.
• Excessive rubbing can inflame the hair follicles, resulting in slowing down the growth of eyelashes.

Ways to Lengthen the Eyelashes 

Now that you know crying doesn’t make eyelashes longer, below are some proven ways to get dense and long eyelashes-

1. Use Natural Remedies

Mother Nature has blessed us with multiple things that can improve how we look. Some of these products are readily available at every home, such as coconut oil, castor oil, argon oil, almond oil, etc. All these oils are rich in healthy fats that hydrate and moisturize the eyelashes and promote their growth (3). 

You can dip a cotton swab in the oil and apply it generously over eyelashes for 2-3 weeks to get the desired result. 

2. Apply Serums 

You can find lash serums from different skincare brands that promise to promote the growth of eyelashes. Usually, these serums contain ingredients that promote hair growth, such as biotin, peptides, green tea extracts, etc. 

Always buy lash serum from a reliable brand to achieve healthier and lengthier eyelashes.

3. Adopt Artificial Ways

If you are looking for an instant solution, artificial methods are your last resort. Below are some trending methods to make your eyelashes appear lengthy-

1. Lash Extensions: In this method, synthetic eyelashes are applied over natural eyelashes to make them look thicker and lengthier. Lash extensions may stay for around 2-3 weeks when taken care of. You should always get lash extensions from an experienced technician for the best results.
2. False Eyelashes: You need glue to apply false eyelashes over the natural ones to get an instant longer and fuller look. False eyelashes are readily available, easy to apply and remove, and can be used multiple times.
3. Mascara: One of the popular eye makeup product, mascara is often used by beauticians and makeup enthusiasts to give a lengthening effect to the eyelashes. You can find mascaras with ‘long lash’ and instant lengthening’ formulas to get an immediate result.  

Conclusion 

Does crying make your eyelashes longer? Absolutely NO. 

The connection between tears and eyelashes doesn’t seem logical; additionally, no research proves it. It is completely a myth that we have busted in this article. Even though our tears contain certain nutrients but they have nothing to do with the hair follicles and hair growth cycle. In fact, it is your genes, age and nutrition that can tell how long your eyelashes could be. 

So, instead of crying to get longer eyes, concentrate on getting good nutrition for healthier eyelashes. You can also try beauty techniques such as applying mascara or getting last extensions or fake eyelashes to get an instant length and fuller appearance.

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