I can’t remember the first time I ever wore makeup, but I do remember when I started wearing it regularly. A friend did my face for me, showing me different techniques, and she commented on how thick my lashes were. I remember the compliment all these years later, because once I started wearing mascara almost daily, those thick lashes disappeared.
I knew hair loss was a symptom of postpartum, but I didn’t think I’d even notice it. My hair is thick enough that I lose a ton regularly anyway. I was wrong. Not only did I start losing a scary amount of hair in the shower, but my lashes, already lackluster, started to shed as well. My right eye, in particular, had two very thin spots that I couldn’t stop staring at every time I looked in the mirror. It was almost like a chunk of lashes were cut in the middle. If I didn’t curl them, you could barely tell lashes were there, but the more I curled them, the more they fell out.
I was desperate, but not desperate enough to try lash serums with prostaglandin. Those ones usually give shockingly beautiful results, but can end in discoloration of your skin or iris. I have very dark circles as it is, and am running on two-hour blocks of sleep most days. I couldn’t afford to look any more tired and discolored, solving one problem and making another even worse.
Instead, I bought The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum. It’s prostaglandin-free, so there’s no risk of discoloration. And while the brand promises results in four weeks, it’s unlikely you’ll see extreme length and volume like you might with other formulas. It’s more of a lash (or brow) conditioner that helps your existing lashes stick around longer, gaining length before the natural shedding cycle. Basically, they have time to grow to their full potential.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did see results in less than a month. They’re not noticeably longer overall, but those sparse spots on my right eye are almost completely filled in. If not luscious, they are at least normal-looking.
My lashes will likely never return to their thick, naturally curled state that they once were before I damaged them again and again with curlers and waterproof mascara. But The Ordinary’s inexpensive serum has worked enough already that I’m going to continue using it to see just what it can do. Now, if I could just get the hair on my head to look as good as it did while I was pregnant.