Lashes and brows in heating season: why they shed and how to care for them

By mid-autumn many people notice more lashes left on the pillow and brows that look duller than in summer. In Tashkent, the seasonal renewal of hairs comes on top of dry air, central heating and hard water. Here is what counts as normal, which habits do the damage and how to look after your lashes and brows until spring.

How many lashes you normally lose

Every lash goes through a cycle: it grows, rests and falls out, and a new one takes its place. Losing one to five lashes a day is normal and nobody else will notice. Hairs renew more actively in spring and autumn, so in October and November you may lose slightly more than usual. Brows work the same way, only their cycle is longer.

See an ophthalmologist or dermatologist if gaps appear along the lash line, if there is redness, itching or crusting, or if your brows or scalp hair are thinning at the same time. That is no longer a matter of care but of diagnosis.

What dries lashes and brows in Tashkent

• Heating. Radiators and heaters dry out the air at home and in the office. Hairs become stiffer and break more often.
• Hard water. Calcium and magnesium salts settle on the hairs when you wash your face, brows lose their sheen and the skin beneath them flakes.
• Temperature swings. A cold wind in the morning and a warm room during the day make mascara flake, your eyes water and you are tempted to rub them.
• Friction. Scarves, hoods, sleeping face down and rubbing your eyes are common reasons lashes fall out before their time.

Home care: five simple rules

1. Remove make-up every evening with a gentle, alcohol-free and fragrance-free product. Do not rub: hold a cotton pad in place for 20–30 seconds and the mascara will come away on its own.
2. Save waterproof mascara for special occasions: it is harder to remove, and the extra rubbing does your lashes no good.
3. Once or twice a week, apply a little castor or almond oil to lashes and brows. It is not a treatment, just protection from dryness.
4. Put a humidifier in the bedroom if the radiators run hot.
5. Wash with filtered water, or wipe your brows with micellar water after your usual face wash.

Lamination and tinting in autumn

Heating season is no reason to give up treatments, but it does matter that you leave a break between them. Lamination and tinting work on your own hairs, so tell your technician in advance if your lashes are brittle or shedding more than usual right now. At BOSCO they will look at the condition of your lashes and suggest a gentler option or advise letting the hairs recover first.

Current prices are on the brows and lashes page, and for how the treatment works and how long the result lasts, see our article on lash and brow lamination.