How To Reuse Your Dried And Flaky Mascara
Every woman dreams of having long and thick eyelashes. However, not everyone is blessed to have such eyelashes naturally. Mascara here acts as a very handy makeup product. Isn’t it amazing how just a swoosh of mascara can change your look entirely?
Mascara is one of my two absolute favorite makeup products. Whenever I have to head out and I am not in the mood or have no time for makeup, I just quickly swipe on mascara and lip tint and I am ready to go.
But isn’t it annoying when you grab your mascara and what you find is a lumpy black mess? The biggest problem with mascaras is they dry out very quickly. Most of the time you are not able to use even half of what was in that small tube before it turns flaky and useless.
What do you do then? Throw it away and buy a new one?
If you were throwing it away till now, stop !! You can still save your dying mascara. But first, make sure that it has not passed its expiration date. If your mascara dried out after 5-6 months then you need to seriously stop holding on to it. However, if it dried out after just 2-3 months there is still hope left.
Best Ways To Fix Dried Mascara
Before we start discussing how you can revive your mascara first know how it dried up in the first place so that you can avoid it in the future. If your mascara was more than 6 months old then probably nothing went wrong it just expired.
However, if it dried up unusually early maybe you were pumping it too many times. When you pump your mascara wand inside the tube, air enters along with the wand and that's the main reason your mascara dries up. Make sure you don’t overpump it next time.
Also never ever leave your mascara open, not even a little bit. Double check that it’s properly shut every time you use it. Air can enter inside if you leave your mascara open, which as I already told you is the reason your mascara dries.
Now let’s start and give your mascara a new birth.
Method 1: Eye Drops
This is the safest method to revive dried mascara. Eyedrops are pretty handy and using them minimises the risk of any infection. This method is effective if your mascara is waterproof. Don’t assume that you just need a liquid to moisturise the mascara.
Using water in place of eyedrops can increase the chances of infection because of the many microbes that might be present. Don’t even use filtered water.
Steps:
Add 10 drops of regularly used eye drops to the mascara tube.
Close the wand tightly and shake the mascara well. Roll it in your hands to thoroughly mix the eyedrops and mascara.
Now your mascara is ready for use.
Repeat this method to use it again whenever your it dries up.
Also Read: How to do your hair spa at home.
Method 2: Hot Water Trick
This one is another simple trick. You don’t need much for this method just water and a saucepan or cup.
Steps:
Start by pouring enough water into a saucepan.
Put the saucepan on the heat.
When the water starts boiling, place the mascara tube in the water.
Reduce the flame and wait for few minutes.
Use a tong to hold the mascara tube.
Check whether the mascara has loosened up or not.
If it’s still lumpy add a few drops of coconut oil or olive oil and roll the tube in our hands to mix thoroughly.
Your mascara is ready to use.
Method 3: Hot Water Trick-2
This one is used to maintain the quality of the mascara. The mascara wand needs to be cleaned from time to time to ensure proper application.
Steps:
Take out the wand and place it in hot water.
Let it stay for a few minutes and clean it properly.
Put the wand back into the mascara bottle.
Do not to pump the wand in the bottle, just close the bottle and roll it in your hands to loosen up the dried mascara.
Wait for a couple of minutes and use it again.
Also Read: How to create your perfect skincare routine.
Method 4: Contact Lens Solution
If you use contact lenses this trick is especially handy for you. Even if you don’t use lenses you can buy the lens solution at any drugstore. Use the saline solution, the one used to clean and soften contact lenses and see the magic.
Steps:
Open the mascara bottle and add 1-2 drops of the lens solution.
Now shake the bottle and roll it in your hands.
Check the consistency on by applying the mascara on your hand.
If it’s still dry add a few more drops.
Go 1 drop at a time. Adding too much solution can make the mascara runny.
Method 5: Aloe Vera Gel
You must be already aware of how beneficial aloe vera is. Aloe vera is widely used in beauty products and has a soothing effect. You can also use this natural ingredient to make you mascara reusable again.
Steps:
Open your mascara bottle and add 1-2 pea-sized shots of aloe vera gel into the bottle.
Close the bottle and shake well.
Use your new smoother mascara.
Method 6: Baby oil Or Vaseline
You can also use baby oil or vaseline to get a smooth mascara application.
Steps:
Add a few drops of baby oil or vaseline to the mascara tube.
Close the wand tightly and shake the mascara well. Roll it in your hands.
Now your mascara is ready for use. If you still think it’s dry add a few drops more.
Repeat this method to use it again whenever it dries up.
Also Read: How and why you should use a beauty blender sponge instead of makeup brushes and fingers.
Handy Tips:
Always store your mascara in a cool and dry place for longer life.
If you don’t get enough mascara on the wand don’t pump it multiple times, just close the bottle and roll it in your hand. Overpumping will push in more air into the bottle.
Never ever sleep with the mascara on. Always use a makeup remover to get the mascara completely off. Otherwise, your eyelashes will become weak after some time.
You can use more than one of the above mentioned methods to revive your mascara.
You can clean the mascara wand using Hot water trick-2 and use it as a eyelash conditioner, eyebrow brush, lip exfoliator, for taming baby hairs, and as a cuticle remover.
Castor oil can do wonders to the lashes. Use a clean mascara wand to apply the oil on eyelashes or eyebrows. You can also add Vitamin E to Castor oil for some additional benefits.
Use the mascara wand as an eyebrow brush. You can also use the wand to fill your brows. Just dip the wand in your matching eyeshadow and brush along the eyebrows.
After applying cuticle remover cream or olive oil for a few minutes, gently buff the nail base using the mascara wand. It works well as a cuticle remover too.
Just spray hairspray on the mascara wand and comb your baby hairs to get a sleek look. You can also replace the hairspray with petroleum jelly.
Dip the clean mascara wand in some sugar and vaseline mixture or lip scrub and exfoliate your lips gently. This removes all the dead skin from your chapped lips.
3 Must Try Mascaras
1. Nars Climax Mascara
This is by far the best mascara, it doesn’t smudge or get flaky but the only negative is it’s expensive !!! But then it’s Nars !!
2. L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Washable Mascara
The hourglass shape of the wand is perfect to customise how much product you want to apply. The longer bristles on the ends deposit more pigment onto the lash, while the smaller bristles deposit less. So, you can create the dramatic and the casual look just by this one mascara. Plus this one is not going to drill a hole in your pocket.
3. Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Push Up Mascara
So, this is the push-up bra for your lashes, this will act as your lash curler. So, go ahead and skip the lash curling step of your routine.
Browse through the beauty section to go through my simple beauty tips and tricks or follow me on Instagram to get your daily dose of beauty.
Have a suggestion? Please leave a comment.
