Debunking the Myth of Lash Shedding

Let’s take a moment of silence for all of the fallen lashes that left us too soon this season. Gone, but never forgotten.

As soon as the clock strikes 12 on Sept 1st, many artists gear their clients up for what we jokingly like to refer to as the “lash apocalypse”. But this is just another one of those archaic urban legends side by side with “Don’t get your lashes wet for 24 hrs”.

Though this has been disproved by the dermatologists that many have taken the time to consult, it seems the lash industry is still not convinced that fall shed is in fact just a myth. The main reason behind this ingrained belief is that this continues to be pushed in most training to the point that it’s become a “fact” within the industry even though medical experts have repeatedly told us otherwise.

So let’s break it down — shall we?

The average lash cycle ranges from 120-185 days. Meaning, the average person will experience a higher rate of telogenic shed between 2-3x a year. This, in turn, indicates that the average person will go through a “heavier” shed 2-3x a year.

What we need to note is that this in no way happens in conjunction with the seasons, but rather to each individual's usual cycle. It is cyclical, not seasonal. So, if you have 10 clients shedding heavily in the month of Oct and 10 in Dec, those same clients will be shedding heavily once again in the months of Feb and Apr, respectively. Do you see where we’re going with this? The point is, we go through the shed every 3-4 months. For some, it happens to be in the fall, for others in the summer months. This is why not one lash artist can say that every client experiences fall shed.

Hormonal changes, serums, meds, supplements, stress, diet, etc are all factors that could absolutely cause a disturbance or acceleration/deceleration of your cycle.

So no, there is no fall shed that plague lashes around the globe. So let’s acknowledge the facts, do our research, and educate our clients with info that has scientific backing!