Psst, have you been picking or tugging off your strip lashes at night? We won’t tell. If you’re looking for a gentle way to remove and clean false lashes, or you’re just new to wearing them, we’ve got the 411 right here.

Synthetic or Natural Fibers?

Before you get to cleaning and removing, it’s important to know how to handle different types of strip lashes. Mink, fox and other lashes made of natural fibers require more delicate care. They cannot be soaked or submerged in water for cleaning. This will ruin the curl or damage the fibers in your lashes. That’s unnecessary money down the drain.

You want to be delicate with all falsies, but synthetic fibers are a bit less fragile than their animal hair sisters. Whether you use Ardell Lashes or another brand of synthetic lashes, you’ll clean them the same way.

Step #1: Remove Your Eye Makeup

Why start here? Some makeup artists will tell you to remove your falsies first and then clean them. We have another way. BeautyGARDE has a unique tool that will help you get your false eyelashes extra clean. The BeautyGARDE oil-free lash & brow shampoo uses a unique anti-microbial charcoal brush head to gently clean between each of your lashes. It will remove all your brow and eye makeup first, and then you can remove your falsies. They won’t be all gross and covered in makeup when you take them off!

Step #2: Remove Your Lashes

After you’ve got your makeup off, saturate a cotton swab in oil-free makeup remover. Do not use any oil-based cleaning product. If you have good-quality lashes that you want to reuse, the lash glue will not adhere to the lashes again if there’s any oil on the band.

Run the cotton swab along the band of your lashes, and let it seep in a little bit. The glue should begin to dissolve, and you can use the swab to gently separate the falsies from your lash line. Be patient. Don’t be tempted to pull at them. Some glue might have stuck to your real lashes, and a few of them might come off with your false lashes.

Step #3: Remove the Glue from Your Eyelids

You can use a little more eye makeup remover, or even some coconut oil, olive oil or sweet almond oil to take off any leftover glue on your eyelid. Take your time. Just pulling the glue off your eyelid hurts! If you’re a false lash regular, you might want to consider a growth serum like BeautyGARDE lash & brow fortifier. It’s not just for lengthening lashes. Our proprietary formula uses a special peptide combination to promote healthy lash and brow growth, so you see healthy, dense lashes when you need a break from your falsies.

Step #4: Remove the Glue from Your Lashes

Once your lashes are off, use a pair of tweezers to delicately pull off all remaining glue from the band of your lashes. You don’t want any lumpy bits of leftover glue to build up on your lash bands.

Step #5: Rinse the False Lashes

You’re almost done! Now that the glue has been removed, you need to make sure that any little bit of residue comes off your lashes so they’re completely clean. Apply a small amount of oil-free cleanser to a new cotton swab. Put the lashes on a clean cotton pad and wipe them from band to lash tips. Do this a couple of times, until the cotton swab comes away clean. Even if the lash band is fairly wet, don’t try to squeeze them.

Step #6: Dry Your Lashes

Set your clean lashes on a paper towel to air dry. When they’re completely dry, put your falsies back in the storage box they came in. Properly cleaning and removing your false eyelashes with every use extends the wear time (and your investment)! This also ensures that no bacteria get built up on the lashes, exposing you to irritation or potential eye infection.

Want to learn more about how to protect and reuse false lashes?  In the following guides we answer the important questions we know people are asking: