Lash extensions are a godsend for those who want the quickest and surefire way to look put together, even on a rushed morning. Despite being a luxurious beauty treatment, eyelash extensions are growing in popularity, and the desire to have them is becoming a practical solution to feeling confident and beautiful every day. However, it is the aftercare that can be the real catch that many need to be made aware of.
Not wanting to spend extra money to buy the right products on top of the price of lash extensions can be the usual dilemma many faces. The repercussions of this decision can be the classic case of "Penny wise pound foolish." Settling in with baby shampoo to wash your lashes can be more detrimental to your lashes than you can imagine. Here are a few facts you ought to know about baby shampoos and their effects on your lashes.
The Prolong Lash team recently attended a talk by Tussanee Luebbers from Lashcast, Dr. Warren Stout, an Ophthalmologist, and Dr. Elizabeth A Kiracofe, a Dermatologist.
Dr. Stout stated in this talk that "in the past, unscented baby shampoo was often recommended because there simply were no other options available." However, nowhere on the baby shampoo does it state that it is for use on or around the eye area. He stated that lash artists "should tell their clients not to use regular shampoos or soap as a blanket statement and to get a product specifically for the eyes."
So right there, you have some important advice from an expert in eye health.
To take things a step further, Prolong Lash reached out to Johnsons and asked them directly if their baby shampoo was safe to use to wash eyelash extensions and the eye area…Their response on its intended use: "Use JOHNSON'S® baby shampoo during bathtime to gently clean your baby's hair and scalp," not on eyes or eyelashes.
Baby Shampoos' Ingredients
So let's be clear, baby shampoos are for babies to wash their hair; THAT'S IT. Baby shampoos contain a numbing agent to reduce eye irritations that cause tearing, but they are also not meant to go in or anywhere around the eyes.
Because the ingredients used to formulate baby shampoo were chosen for their ability to clean a baby's head, hair, and scalp, this product is unsuitable for use on the eyes. Although many baby shampoos are hypoallergenic, they are not Ophthalmologically tested and approved.
What is Ophthalmological testing, and why is it important?
When a product is ophthalmologically tested, it has been tested, cleared, and given the OK by a team of professional eye doctors. This testing is usually completed with a test group of healthy adult volunteers who use the product and report on all symptoms of use and partaking in eye assessments. Ophthalmologist-tested and approved products will keep your eyes and skin around the eye area safe from irritation and damage.
Is Prolong Lash Cleanser Ophthalmologically tested?
Yes, it is. That's right, we talk the talk, but we also walk the walk.
Prolong Lash Cleanser underwent rigorous and multi-stage testing within an official testing facility to prove its safety for use on eyes.
Now we will get into some serious detail here, but we want you to know ALL of the facts! So here goes.
Officially our testing was named: EVALUATION OF TOPICAL PRODUCT FOR PERIOCULAR AND OCULAR SAFETY IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT CONTACT LENSES AND WITH AND WITHOUT SELF-PERCEIVED SENSITIVE EYES.
During the testing, Prolong Lash Cleanser underwent the following:
- STEP ONE: Initial Optisafe testing - to detect ocular (eye) irritants/corrosives. This testing does not involve any human or animal tissues or cells.
- STEP TWO: RIPT testing, also known as patch testing, was performed on voluntary human participants on the skin of their backs.
- STEP THREE: Finally, a clinical study was undertaken. This involved 30 healthy human volunteers with/without contact lenses and with/without self-perceived sensitive eyes between the ages of 20-63 years and was undertaken over a 14-day period.
The test concluded that there were NO statistically significant reports of stinging, burning, itching, dryness, foreign body sensations, observations of redness, edema, dryness, peeling, lacrimation, palpebral conjunctiva, or bulbar conjunctiva after 14 days of treatment with the test product.
So that was a bit of a complicated way of saying that there were NO ADVERSE REACTIONS of any kind and that Prolong Lash Cleanser is certified as Ophthalmologist tested and safe for use around eyes, including safe for those with contact lenses and/or sensitive eyes.
Why is it so common for baby shampoo to be recommended by lash artists?
Have you heard of the saying, "old habits die hard"? it means that when something has been done a certain way or particular advice has been given for so long, it's challenging for people to break that cycle.
There are tonnes of comments out there like "baby shampoo is what I was taught to use when I started out lashing", "well, I use baby shampoo, and my lashes are fine", and "I heard somewhere that baby shampoo is the best thing to use."
It's true. There was a time when perhaps baby shampoo was the best option we had, and that was because there were no other products available on the market to fill the job of a lash cleanser. But times change, products evolve, and knowledge is more accessible than ever!
We mean…do you not use a washing machine to wash your clothes because people always used to wash them by hand, and that worked just fine? Maybe you do still wash your clothes by hand, and power to you, but there is a better way! Make the most of it!
The cold hard truth is that if you recommend baby shampoo to your clients or use baby shampoo on your lashes, you are not doing the best thing by your or their eyes. It might be "fine," but do you want "fine" for your eye health? Or do you want the best?
The truth is, if you can take this information back to your clients, they will understand how much you care about their eye health and think twice about using baby shampoo as a lash cleanser alternative. Knowledge is power!
