After using mascara once or twice a day, for most of my adult life, I looked into eyelash tinting. There are many at-home kits you can order online for under of course, but I found some scary stuff online too: bad reactions, horror stories, you name it. I am no fan of fear-mongering, but I do want give a concise account of why to leave lash tinting to the professionals.
If you go to a salon or day spa to get your eyelashes tinted, you are going to pay twice as much as doing it yourself. But think of it this way: If you pay a professional to do your nails, how much more important are your eyes? If you mess up in a finger nail at home, it can hurt or look all jagged or scary. But you really don't want to risk allergic reactions, pain, or even (some have claimed) blindness over bucks.
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Eyelash Tinting at Home:
It might seem funny, but some women try to tint their own lashes at home - By themselves. This means they prepare one eye, keep it closed for the entire 15-20 waiting time (looking and watching with the other eye), clean that first eye off, and then do the same for the other eye. I have never worn an eye patch, but I personally wouldn't want to do a process using only one eye. It seems like it would ache and strain from the over-use and concentration.
Like many beauty processes, girlfriends often do each other up. Sometimes they make an evening of it with wine; sometimes that can be a bad idea. No judgement being passed here... just don't leave that perm activator or hair color in too long ladies!
Some at-home eyelash tinting kits come with little paper slips used to protect the eyelid skin from the tint. Several consumers report those slips being hard to cut to exactly the right shape.
I found a big selling, brand-name kit online whose first direction said: "For Professional Use Only". Really?
One big question you should ask yourself before trying this at home is: Will I be prepared for what to do in case I or my girlfriend have an allergic reaction to the tint? Sometimes just flushing the eye out doesn't do it. More on this next.
Eyelash Tint Allergic Reactions:
Most day spas or salons use gentle, vegetable dye when tinting lashes and eyebrows (same as the at-home kits). The reasoning is obvious: they want to avoid using ammonia or harsh chemicals right on the eyes. This does also result in the dye only lasting for about 4-6 weeks. But even vegetable-based tints/dyes can cause allergic reactions.
Symptoms can be stinging, swelling, pain, and the inability to open the eye until the reaction is over. For this reason your salon esthetician will give you a patch test, to test for an allergy to the tint-used.
Here's an example of a woman whose reaction was so bad, that she thought she had been blinded.
Best Eyelash Tinting Practices:
These are similar to any service you're looking at having done, with a few exceptions. Please go to a professional, just like the on the online kit's directions recommends. Make sure to look for online reviews about the salon you are considering. Don't go for an eyelash tint if you are agitated or in a rush; it will make it harder to relax and keep your eyes closed. Talk to the clients in the waiting room about their experiences. Get the name of your esthetician for future reference (good or bad). Let others know about your eyelash tinting experience, from the salon's staff, to your friends, to online reviews.
Eyelash Tinting - Why to Go to a Professional Salon or Day Spa
For professional eyelash tinting in San Diego for a fair price, visit http://www.sandiegoeyelashtinting.com