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11 Amazing and Fascinating Facts About Eyelashes You Never Knew Before

illustration of eyelashes
"Let's bat our eyes at these quirky and fascinating tidbits about eyelashes, the unsung heroes of facial charm!"

1. Mite Roommates

Don't lash out at these microscopic roommates: Eyelashes naturally harbor Demodex mites, tiny inhabitants that aid in cleaning dead skin cells and excess oils, while maintaining healthy hair follicles and preventing blockages.
Source => uclahealth.org

2. Medieval Lash FOMO

Do your brows and lashes have medieval FOMO? Turns out, less was more in the Middle Ages: During this period, women plucked their eyebrows and eyelashes to achieve facial symmetry and a larger-looking forehead, making sparse and thin eyelashes quite the en vogue trend.
Source => bllashes.com

3. Eyelash Farmers

Don't lash out, but did you know you're a fabulous eyelash farmer? That's right, every time you blink, you're nurturing a lush lash landscape that's constantly growing and evolving: On average, a person loses 20% of their natural lashes every two weeks, while a new set of lashes grow and fall out every 60 to 90 days, resulting in a daily shedding of several to dozens of lashes, depending on individual growth cycles.
Source => thelashlounge.com

4. Blink Car Wash

We're all familiar with the phrase "blink and you'll miss it," but did you know that every time you blink, your eyes are actually hosting a microscopic car wash to keep your peepers squeaky clean? Buckle up for the "serious reveal": each time you blink, your trusty eyelashes help spread a thin layer of tear film across the cornea, effortlessly clearing away irritating particles and debris, all while keeping your eyes moist and delightfully shiny. Now that's one eye-opening fact you won't want to blink past!
Source => wytheeyeassociates.com

Dust-Busting Lashes

5. Dust-Busting Lashes

While not quite the luscious, camel-fluttering variety, our humble eyelashes still manage to pack quite the dust-busting punch in their petite, eye-framing forms: These unassuming heroes boast a robust 100-150 members on each upper eyelid and 50-75 on each lower eyelid, diligently protecting our precious peepers from intrusive debris and the tyranny of dust particles.
Source => byjus.com

6. Forehead Beauty Hack

Forget contouring and highlighting, here's a medieval beauty hack for that perfect forehead glow: Back in the day, women would pluck or shave off their eyelashes and eyebrows, believing that a larger forehead was the epitome of beauty and eroticism.
Source => marieclaire.com

7. Lash Waltz Cycle

Next time you're up-close and personal in a staring contest with yourself in the mirror, don't be too alarmed if any of your lash-gang decides to jump ship: the life of an eyelash is a beautifully orchestrated waltz of growth, transition, and shedding! They'll grow back thanks to a 3-phase cycle: anagen (active growth for 4-10 weeks), catagen (transition), and telogen (resting and shedding for 3-4 months); always ensuring you have a fresh flow of lashes to flutter.
Source => starseedmakeup.com

8. Eye Bouncers

Meet the eyelashes: starring in mascara commercials, acing the butterfly kiss game, and always ready to act as the eyes' personal bouncers! Here's the scoop: not only do they beautify your blinkers, but lashes have also an essential role in eye protection. They're hooked up with two major glands, Zeis (which keeps them moisturized) and Moll (which sweats so the eyes stay cool). But, beware - if left unclean, these gland buddies could become a wee bit troublesome, causing styes or folliculitis.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Gender Lash Norms

Breaking the great "lash" frontier, seeking longer lashes in the feminine and less lengthy ones in the masculine realms: A study on the effect of eyelash length on attractiveness revealed that people generally prefer slightly longer eyelashes on women and shorter on men, highlighting cultural gender norms in perceived attractiveness, and debunking the longstanding myth that women naturally have longer and thicker eyelashes than men.
Source => psypost.org

Record-Breaking Lashes

10. Record-Breaking Lashes

If Rapunzel had a rather patchy hair day, she might've ended up with You Jianxia's lashes: You Jianxia of China boasts a Guinness World Record for the longest eyelash, measured at 20.5 cm (8.0 in) on her left upper lid as of May 20, 2021. This impressive length surpasses her previous record-breaking 12.40 cm lash from 2016 by a spectacular 8.10 cm!
Source => guinnessworldrecords.com

11. Fabulous Debris Defenders

Lashes and the City: a tale of fabulous follicles doubling as dashing debris defenders! In a surprising plot twist, these natural beauty queens weren't just born for the spotlight, but for shielding our peepers from the perils of dust, dirt, and other pesky particles while ensuring that our eyes the grand ballroom of tears to waltz in, without going dry due to evaporation.
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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