Everything, and we mean everything, has a life cycle. From electronics to butterflies to empires that rule the land, literally everything has it’s time in the sun before it begins its decline. Even eyelashes.

This is an important thing to realize when it comes to lash extensions. Because lash extensions, and the natural lashes they are adhered to, simply don’t and won’t last forever. Lashes shed and it’s perfectly natural that they do.

Lashes and their shedding cycles are actually pretty fascinating. Did you know that:

Each top eyelid holds between 150-200 eyelashes! And our lower lashes come in at somewhere between 75-100 lashes per eye.

The average person loses around 20 percent of the their natural lashes every 2 weeks. That might sound like a lot but new lashes are constantly growing in and growing longer at the same time. All of our lashes are at different stages in the growth phase.

Eyelashes, and any hair on our body, for that matter, grow in three phases:

1. Eyelashes growth phase
2. Eyelashes transition phase
3. Eyelashes shedding phase. 

The length of the growth phase varies depending on a person’s sex and genes. Lasting somewhere between 30-45 days, this phase sees the beginnings of new lashes as they emerge through the follicle and out of the skin, and then continue to lengthen. Around 40 percent of the upper lashes are at some point of the growth phase at any given time.

The transition phase follows, and happens when the lash follicle begins to move up towards the surface of the skin in preparation for the next phase. If a lash falls out during this transition, it won’t grow again until this phase has completed its course.

The shedding phase means that the lash is fully grown and is slowly being replaced by its successor. A new lash has already begun its growth phase in the same follicle, as the old one is getting ready to shed.

From start to finish, a lash cycle lasts around 90-100 days.

Lash cycles often get shorter as people get older. Lashes can also get shorter and thinner as people age.

A person can improve the quality of their lashes, just like the quality of the hair on their head, with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

With lash extensions, the lash shedding cycle might seem more prominent because each extension is affixed to a natural lash. Therefore, when you lose a natural lash, you might lose an extension, too.

And as mentioned, a cycle still has to complete itself before a new lash appears, which is why it’s important to treat your lashes, and lash extensions, with care. Pulling and tugging or rubbing your lash line can cause premature shedding.


Fascinating, right?

Remember: each and every eyelash on every living thing eventually sheds, so don’t mourn your lashes — just make a wish and wait for new ones to grow.