by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Talk about an unconventional beauty secret!
Some women are relaxing their eyelashes to straighten and lengthen them! The practice is very popular in Japan, and seems to be making an impression here in the United States.
Below is a video of the procedure done by African American vlogger Lily Seymour. In an accompanying blog post she explains:
I have really curly eyelashes and it’s no secret that curls and coils are part of my heritage and its something i’m really proud of. But my curly eyelashes really bother me sometimes so straightening them has become a permanent part of my beauty routine. I have been straightening my eyelashes for almost 20yrs now off and on and it makes me very happy!
Wow! Ladies what are your thoughts?
139 Responses
They do the opposite in japan. They perm their eyelashes because usually they are straight. What everyone with straight eyelashes wants is curled eyelashes like we naturally have
My goodness. All of the emotions are intense. Can we stop using terms like “crazy” and “out of her mind” as an insult? It’s really ableist, and I don’t think it helps anyone’s argument. I encourage those of you using the phase to research it.
My goodness. All of the emotions
LADIES. CAN WE JUST BE HAPPY WITH WHAT WE HAVE?!! Other women would MASSACRE an ENTIRE VILLAGE to have curly lashes. Have you ever heard of EYELASH CURLERS!? This is just downright disgusting. The same relaxers that burn the very skin off of your scalp if left on too long, the same relaxers that can melt through METAL. The same relaxers that you cant give to little kids at a certain age you are putting on your EYES?! This is just plain ridiculous.
They really do have the best prices and quality of lashes online in my opinion!
So you telling me, that she is risking the health of her eyes just to put some falsies on?? She crazy
all i can say is… WHAT THE HELL?! people have gone cray cray!
While I admit this is a very dangerous practice, I will also admit that I do my own lashes every 6 weeks and have for the last 15 or so years. I have not blinded myself or lost any lashes. I am regularly asked “What kind of mascara do you use?” and “What brand of false lashes do you recommend” as people assume that mine are false because they are so long and thick. To each his own I say.
@ miles of lashes….a person could use castor oil to grow their own lashes vice applying creamy crack to eyelashes….you have to keep applying it to get the same results. This price for longer lashes and beauty is too high of a risk to pay…a better fix is grow your own lashes long not a temporary fix.
what the hell? is she for real? is this s joke?
OK, when she burns her retinas or cornea and becomes one-eyed jane, she’ll learn whats important. Of all the studpid, dangerous beauty tricks ive heard, this is just plain dumb! I hope she doesnt have any kids or small children around her bc this shows a lack of common sense. My momma said you can have all the book sense in the world, but if you aint got no common sense…you lost! And clearly shes lost! using latisse or other eyelash growth products is risky enough but lye chemicals? really? smh
I have eyelashes so curly that they curl all the way back to my lid. I even had a white makeup artist who was applying false lashes refer to them as “coarse”. I just deal with them, because I am not about to put chemicals anywhere near organs that I need to function in everyday life.
100% #notonmyeyelashes
This reminds me of that super gorgeous Asian model that injected vegetable oil into her face and permanently jacked it up. certifiable.
yes.. i saw that article about the woman injecting herself with cooking oil. She has to be mentally unstable. just like this woman relaxing her eyelashes. Now she has made her video private because of all the attention.. SMH! I hope she has no daughters or nieces that look up to her!
hhhHHell to the naw.
This is a joke y’all… truly a joke. Because we know no one would put a product containing lye on their eyelash. She just wanted to be the recipient of the most comments for the week/month/year??? Perhaps she just wanted attention – like some of the stars who have their dresses fall down while they are singing on stage so onlookers can think they are naked because they wore nude colored under garments. Besides, if she had really been applying lye for 20 years, she certainly would have been blind, probably dead or out of her mind, by now.
I have truly seen it all. Nothing about relaxing your eyelashes sounds safe.
she is out of her mind. That’s a sensitive area she is playing with and once its gone, its gone. As my Jamaican mother would say “eye nuh sell ah shop”…
No! No! No!
I agree this is extremely dangerous, but there is no difference between what she’s doing and eyelash perming (chemical process to curl eyelashes). I personally do not think she’s any less vain than other women who use latisse, eyelash perming or professional individual eyelash extensions because they all have the same risks. Using any chemical or glue is risky because the eye area is just sensitive overall. As long as she’s super cautious and is content with HER eyelashes, who’s to put her down? We all have vain characteristics so let’s not point our fingers.
I hate when people go on like that. Just because people are warning her it’s dangerous doesn’t mean we’re putting her down. Yes, it is crazy. Why? Because the dangers and risk exceed the benefits.
We’re not calling her any more vain than even those who use mascara. But her vanity has taken over her priorities. The chance of beauty over the risk of sight. Not saying she’s more vain but that is really crazy. And sad.
You would want me to tell you if you’re heading towards a crashing car. I’m not putting you down. I’m telling you because I care.
That is soooo sad to watch and see women like that. that do not like what they are blessed with!!!!!
So she risks burning her eyes out and going blind, for eye lashes that no one pays attention to, JUST TO PUT FAKE EYE LASHES ON TOP ON THEM!!???!!!
This is crazy! What about the chemicals that were not washed out with neutralizing shampoo to stop the chemical process? omg! You’re asking for problems!
This is stupid..This is 2013 no excuse for not being educated about what is safe or not.Beauty comes in ALL forms and if you are smart you will slowly realise that.
It’s depressing what lengths (no pun intended) women will go to for the sake of perceived beauty.
It was a long time coming for me to get a grip on the fact that my hair is kinky and curly and hates perms! After years of seeing my hair suffer so much damage, I said enough is enough! I have my rough days, I wont lie. But, its all been worth it. Threes just no way I’m putting something so dangerous around my EYES. I mean, no one can see their eyelashes unless they are looking in a mirror…..
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She’s…not well. She’s just not well. She’s a candidate for the Darwin Awards. Don’t people usually want curled lashes? Too put caustic chemicals so close to your eyes because the lashes are too curly is not the sign of a mentally healthy women. She should be pitied and ignored.
I agree with the commenter who said common sense is not comment.
God no, just get fake eyelashes! Or use mascara. Nobody’s checking for eyelash length.
Didn’t you know the eye lash police are on patrol with tape measure judging us all!!! Joking
She needs to fix that broken fake nail!
This is insane… risking blindness for something that almost no one will notice.
Relaxer chemicals (usually lye, but can be ammonium thioglycolate, or any of a number of other CAUSTIC chemicals), and eyes…a recipe for disaster…I don’t care if she’s been doing it off & on for 20 years, or for her entire life…it’s still dangerous, and unnecessary. I left the cosmetology industry because of chemical exposure which included relaxers, those chemicals are dangerous enough on hair and anything else they touch without putting it near an eye. Worse still she mentioned in the original video (she later edited it and added a disclaimer) that she was wearing contact lenses-it may still be in the edited version. Can anyone imagine if the relaxer dropped in her eye and her body heat caused the cream to melt and get under a contact lens? recipe for disaster, don’t try it at home folks.
I understand everyone is welcome to try every beauty tip they deem necessary but this sounds dangerous and really unnecessary. To each HER own but really?
I normally don’t say negative things on comments…. but this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. We as women seem to go through so much lengths to better ourselves that we pinpoint things that don’t even matter at all. Who cares about eyelashes? Seriously, for years I haven’t worn mascara because eyelashes just seem so insignificant to put time into. I just got some to see if it made any difference… not really. I thought those 5″ long fake eyelashes were disturbing enough… but this?!?! Chile’ please.
This is absurd!
I don’t think I would follow suit. There doesn’t seem to be that much of a difference to me. Plus, I wonder what happened to her eyebrows. :/
Flat ironing them would be so much quicker though….
You could save so much time!
Now there’s a thought #DEAD#
I know you’re joking (right?), but it’s been done,kind of. Some peaople use an eyelash curler, and warm it up with a hair dryer before they put it on their lashes, which is sort of the equivalent of flat ironing.
Lmbo!!!!
No lets make it old school turn on the stove and get the hot comb lol
It’s that serious….smh
If leaving a relaxer on my scalp burns my skin off, I KNOW I don’t want it anywhere near my EYE!!! Geez, this is really dangerous. Just goes to show that everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side! Other ethnicities want curly eyelashes, and some of us want ours straighter… I’ll be keeping my curly eyelashes AND MY EYES!!!
I flagged this video. I’m all for self improvement but this is just dangerous. If she wants to damage her own body, fine. But I worry for the gullible young women out there. She should have kept this to herself.
What they said about common sense is so true — it’s not so common after all.
apparently not. it’s a shame. omg.
Has anyone ever gotten perm in their eye?? I have and it was some of the WORST PAIN EVER!!!!! Sad to say at the time I didn’t go to the doctor and I had my boyfriend finish my perm. SMH. Sad I know. I could of went blind. If I recall the chemicals in perm or not FDA approved (I could be wrong. I just hope her eye health does suffer. I hope no one experiences what I did.
My mom got some in her eye too once. She went to the doctor and he gave her some eye drops, but I think she had trouble with her eye for years after. I don’t know what the long term effects are, but she could have went blind.
Glad to hear your mom didn’t go blind
oh I meant to say I hope her eye health doesn’t suffer 🙂
My thoughts are something along the lines of whaaaaa?? We all know about pressure to have a particular hair texture but this is a new one on me. I’ve always received compliments on my curly lashes and was grateful I would never tempted to use an eyelash curler (those things look like little torture devices to me). I just…don’t…under…stand…
this is the weirdest thing i ever heard about… what if u make a mistake and you became blind for the rest of your life?
This is a recipe for eye cancer. Not good at all! The eyes are so sensitive, what person in their right mind would risk going blind for straighter eyelashes? This is why I’m a psych major because health & wellness is not enough. We must get to the root of why we sacrifice ourselves and our health just to be accepted.
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My husband may not like this, but im seriously thinking about leaving him for your fro.
Love your hair
it goes deeper. i watched another of her videos. shes admitted to liposuction, and shows pics of a tummy tuck, and sexy lingerie photoshoot……way 2 much info. It’s nothing wrong with wanting to be and feel gorgeous I think its past that point…IDK, eyelash thing is the icing…….your hair is the truth, beautiful!!!
oh…my…berries! I LOVE YOUR HAIR!
If you don’t mind could you list your hair regimen. You fro is gorgeous.
Hella thirsty
That fro, though.
I wouldn’t try this or advise anyone else to. But it would have been nice if she said she “relaxes” her eyelashes and not “perms” them. Perming is to add curl, and there is a legitimate process for that.
The NEXT trend will be relaxing the COOTER…SMDH!
Oh my god, please don’t even put that out there as a joke!
She a damn fool.
If shes gonna be on that OTHER level like that with colored contact lenses no eyebrows and probably no hair, could she at least focus on what people would probably notice. LOL @ Them skintags though, and those sun spots though! Lash perming is just nuts.
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BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA at that picture though, lol. Not Fire Marshall Bill! hahahaha
So… Does she not have eyebrows cause she tried to straighten those too?
The level of absurdity is unreal.
Pfftt my sister’s eyelashes are curlier. What happened to using plain old mascara?
I assume she isn’t even natural on her head too.
In the name of all that is common sense, this is highly stupid. And those eyelashes are not even “super super curly” as she puts it!!!!
WOW, really, Mascara wouldn’t do. Some people are just toooo far gone!
Now I’ve heard it all…smh
I am not sure if anyone every saw how the Japanese do the whole eyelash thing but it is completed different from how the lady did hers with the relaxer. From from what I gathered from a video I saw on youtube the Japanese aren’t trying to straighten there lashes but rather to curl them. Look at the before and after pictures of the pictures posted of the Japanese woman. In the first picture her eyelashes was bone straight and in the after picture they were all curled up. Plus in the same video I watched they placed these things under here eye and they used neutralizer on the Japanese ladies eyelash. I think the whole idea is ridiculous though especially when considering that it can blind you.
Wow, this is on a whole ‘nother level. I keep thinking of all of the scabs and pain I had on my scalp over my relaxed years. Like, a burned eyelid would kill!
This is insane…What makes someone do something so ridiculous? If it is damaging to your head why in the hell would you put near your eyes? Nobody notices either way…This lady truly needs to love her self more.
olive oil does wonders to lengthen and strengthen eyelashes. I would never put blinding chemical on my face! Yikes!
Shea butter @ night helped me to naturally grow and mainitain my eyelashes
I think this should be filed under crazy, dangerous and in need of serious help. Slapping on a disclaimer on the video really but going ahead to place a very caustic chemical in the vicinity of what is a very delicate and vulnerable part of your anatomy is a true demonstration of poor judgement.
Common sense is really not that common any more.
and who is taking advice from someone with NO eyebrows???
the isht that women put themselves through. I know she does this for herself because how many guys notice if your eyelashes are long or curly that a mascara wand can’t fix. People that do things like this baffle me. is it really worth it
I hope she puts up a video when her eyelashes fall out or when she damages her eyes too!!
Why would you risk your eye lids and sight for an extra nanometer of lash length?? Just glue some fake ones on, get some mascara or even rub some JBCO on them.
Dang lady :
I apologize if I sound harsh but putting harsh chemicals near your eyes for vanity is simply foolish. Vanity is a sin because it drives people to do such harmful things to themselves. God tells us things for our own good because he knows best. Obey God. Love God.
While I agree that this practice is highly risky and should be avoided, it truly irks me when people use God to make their point without considering their own behavior. This is a website dedicated to hair. A large portion of this site is dedicated to styling the hair. Is that not vanity? If vanity is a sin then we are all committing that sin. What gives you the authority to call her our as a sinner? What makes you assume that she doesn’t love God? Or that your idea of what it is to love God is applicable to her. I for one believe that all things are in Divine Order, even things I don’t agree with. When I see a post like this it makes me grateful that I have come to a point of self acceptance in my life. I am in position to judge where she is in her life and the choices she makes. “He without sin cast the first stone”. All others…
She putting relaxer on her eyelashes to make them look longer, but if that lye goes in her eyes she wont be seeing her eyelashes anyway becuase she will be BLIND!!
All jokes aside, this woman clearly knows what she is doing is dangerous and discourages viewers from doing this at home BUT yet she is putting it on Youtube for the whole world to access and see. Obviously there is going to be someone who desires “straighter” or “longer” eyelashes that is gonna follow her. If it was something that she did not encourage why not just keep it to herself? Fair enough if she wants to put herself at risk but I’m worried about the mass of young, teenage girls who might see this and follow her STUPIDITY!!
Ahhhh….going blind, eye damage vs. straight lashes..cray, cray.just wear faux lashes if its that serious. The results are not even that noticeable..just strange.
Putting relaxer on your goddamn eyelashes? All women, not just black women, need to get their priorities sorted out.
Also, there is something called “false lashes”-invest in them if you’re so bloody thirsty for long lashes. Don’t mimic this fool, please.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you really haven’t!! This has gone too far. SMH…
No thanks, a few layers of mascara and I’m good. I don’t even wear falsies. I don’t like the look they give. Relaxer should be nowhere near your eyes and it doesn’t make much of a difference going by the above.
I saw some regrowth she missed LOL. What a silly woman. I wonder if she flat irons them too? Lmao
dwlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll…she probably does…an gives herself a hot oil treatment
Using castor oil CAN help grow eyelashes and eyebrows!
I wouldn’t mind having longer or more visible eyelashes, but is this the only way?! This is just too dangerous! We know or should what relaxers do to the hair, and now we add it to the eyelashes?! One application too far in,left,or right and it’s good-bye eyeballs! Lashing out has a WHOLE new meaning now, huh? #notworthablink
All of that to better wear FAKE lashes? The things us women put ourselves through…. Where do we draw the line? Not worth the risk at all!!!!
This really is a step too far… Its scary that women are going to such lengths to achieve a certain look. Relaxers specifically say “avoid contact with eyes” I’m pretty sure that would mean keep them away from your eyes or anything close to your eyes…
This is just plain STUPID!!!
This is nuts.
W h a t t h e f & * %.
And what happens if it gets into your eyes?
A fourth addition to the blind mice
BWAHAHAHAHA! Thank you for making me laugh out loud.
no!!!!!!!!! lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is crazy,a beauty fad that is a step too far and something I won’t be doing.
I like how when you go to the video on youtube the comments are disabled..
I can’t speak for everyone, but I just got through with the idea of putting obviously dangerous chemicals in my hair (anything that can give you chemical burns/perm burns I’m calling dangerous)…
WHY would you put them near your EYES?!?!?
I’m just…I can’t even…
Don’t people normally use eyelash curlers??!
Does she not worry about going blind??!
Why is this necessary?
I know I sound judgmental, but we have to straighten our lashes now?
Maybe there is a niche market & she should create a tool that straightens lashes without using chemicals…the reverse eyelash curler??
This. Is. Bad!
I cringed the entire video…although I’m not surprised. She already has no eyebrows, now she workin on having no eyelashes. Then she applies it with a toothpick, foreal….one false move. it will never be that serious…..what bothers me somewhat is that she makes a video about it, like she going teach others about this beauty trend…well, I’m straight. that was the best kept secret!
I was cringing the whole time, too. I can’t imagine the type of inconspicuous damage practicing something like this does to one’s eyes/vision over the years.
you have to be incredibly self-absorbed to relax your eyebrows.
Jesus take the wheel…
Is this serious? Wow, women around the whole world need to learn their self worth NOW! No amount of physical altercations will change your personality.
alterations*
Disturbing and sad.
I watched the video! Did this stupid hoe just say I have contacts in too??? I’m done! The buffonary needs to stop! Gone mess around and have alopecia of the eyelash and cornea abrasions!!!!
Blindness….that is my thought! No thank you!
I cannnot believe this!! Who does this? Why would anyone be so crazy as to put relaxer on your eye lashes? This is the most insane, unsafe, ignorant thing I have ever seen. Shame and sadness is the only word that comes to mind.
I didn’t even watch the feed. What the heck is she doing?! The stupidity and vanity is just plain nuts. Whoever does this is asking for blindness, straight out. It’s like teaching people to cut themselves! Shame.
vertmoot.blogspot.com
I just about fell out laughing when I saw that video. Most women attempt to curl their lashes not straighten them. Now you have to have serious issues if you are willing to put a substance that can eat through metal on your eyelashes all for the sake of beauty. What if it had gotten into her eyes and blinded her? I bet you your mother’s last breath of oxygen that she would of lawyered up and attempted to sue whichever company she purchased the relaxer from talking about these bastards are marketing dangerous chemicals to us. Yet no one ever said put it on your eyelashes. STUPES.
What the f*ck?!!??!!
That’s all I’ve got.
The Japanese are nuts!!!!!!
The Japanese aren’t the only ones doing this, fyi.
OMG. She doesn’t even have any eyebrows. Wonder what happened to THEM o_O
They went where her eyelashes are currently going lol!
BIG LOL!!! Lord Jesus you need to come down now and save this woman!!!!!!!!!!
I have “curly” eyelashes too so they don’t always fan out straight but I’d like to not burn my eyeballs out of my head!! Serious chemicals near your EYE. No. And no, contacts will not be enough to protect your eye if this falls in. This might take the cake for craziness people commit for “beauty” #givemestrength
I think having the contact in might be worse. The chemicals will burn through that too, super scary.
This is way too dangerous and I pray that young girls don’t see this video and try to relax their lashes. There are safer ways such as lash extension powder to get longer looking lashes. Glamstripes is one of the companies that sells it.
This ish right here is some pure tomfoolery!! No thank you!
Jesus be a fence…
That is INSANE!!! That stuff would burn like h***, if it fell into your eye!
wth???? and shes still going to put false lashes on?? Be thankful that you even have eyes to see and do not take them for granted!
Okay so I don’t usually post comments. However this one is something that I had to say something about. It’s a miracle these women even still has eyelashes! If we know what lye does to our scalp and how it can damage our scalp follicles and the hair will never grow back from a damage scalp follicle, it makes me wonder why are they not afraid that the hair of their eyelashes won’t go back because of the damage to the follicle with this chemical! Lol! Well to each their own, and if it makes them happy I’m happy for them! I hope they don’t get any chemical burns ouch! What’s next…relaxing our pubic hair! LOL =~D
LOL about relaxing pubic hair. Sadly, I am sure somebody already does it.
Girl no, the next hot trend will be to get that arm pit hair straight. *sigh* Keep up with the trend hunty. The pub hair was last year!! LOL
Yeah girl! That’s old! On to the arm pit hairs! Lol!!
Even being a woman, I’m still amazed (though not shocked) at the lengths we go to – for “length”, mixed with the extremes we go to… for “extreme length!” LOL! It’s ironically funny and sad at the same time.
Oh Ladies…
lol. pun intended?
The disclaimer at the beginning of the video says the lye is unsafe to use on your face and can cause blindness and it is not recommended and then she proceeds to relax her curly eyelashes. So risk blindness for some straight lashes….She says she has her contacts in so her eyeball is protected lol. But I saw no difference in her eyelashes which she will then apply false eyelashes to. She says relaxing her eyelashes makes it easier to apply the false ones.
Right! So if you’re just gonna put false lashes on anyway…why take the risk? ????
If you look close she has like 1/2in of eyebrows as well the rest is penciled in, sometimes leaving well enough alone is best.
I agree! Plus, having contacts is in no way some sort of protection! With/Without contacts in if I get even just a regular eyelash in them, I’m blinded and my contacts roll off into my eye! Lol dramatic, but I mean you get the point…contacts aren’t goggles..if anything I feel it would react with the chemicals and burn onto your eye but, I’m not a scientist and reserve the right to be wrong! Lol
Wow. Ummm…so many words escape me. I can see how that’s an appealing process, methinks. But personally, I don’t think I’d do it. I can’t imagine having a relaxer that close to my eyes! It seems a little too risky. But hey, whatever floats your boat…
No thanks I like being able to see…Ill stick to curling them chemical free. Their eyelashes were hardly straight and they could get the same effect by warming an eyelash curler and then applying mascara and they stay curled until u wash it off. Perming them is seriously just overkill and unwise. I no longer want relaxer in my scalp, I can’t imagine your eye is any better