How to Get Eyelash Glue off Your Eyes

Removing false lashes in one clean sweep is a rare beauty miracle. It has only happened for me maybe twice—the other 200 times were fraught with painful yanking of hair with a trail of lash glue left behind.

At the beginning of my weeklong lash-wearing journey, I would foolishly rip off my lashes as soon as I’d get home and proceed to pick off the excess glue with a pair of tweezers. And guess what? I’d still have residual stickiness the next day even after washing my eyes.

I learned pretty quickly that my age-old technique of hacking away at leftover glue with sharp objects was not going to fly for seven days straight (please don’t ever try it). Instead I came up with a three-step strategy for removing falsies without irritating your delicate eye skin or pulling out your natural lashes. Plus, I discovered an unlikely ingredient that completely rids eyes of the gluey aftermath in seconds.

STEP #1: Steam until you’re clean.

Two ways to do this:

For synthetic lashes:

Wet a microfiber towel with warm water and place it over your face. Gently press the cloth over your eyes. Repeat this step 3-4 times to loosen up the eyelash glue. Depending on how much glue you’re using, your lashes should lift off easily with little to no tugging—they might even completely separate from your lash line for pain-free removal.

For high-end lashes:

Do not submerge high-end lashes with a sopping washcloth, as this will harm the design. Instead, run a warm, damp cotton swab along the lash band a few times to help loosen the glue. Gently remove your lashes by carefully lifting off from the outer edge.

STEP #2: Grab a strong makeup remover.

Once your lashes have been removed, set them aside for cleaning and storage. Apply a waterproof eye makeup remover to a cotton pad and carefully remove residual makeup and glue from your eyes without rubbing.

STEP #3: Run to the kitchen and get some extra virgin olive oil.

Honestly, any type of oil is adequate in removing residual lash glue, with the fan favorite being coconut oil. However, extra virgin olive oil was my glue-removing savior during my week-long journey. I put a teaspoon’s worth in a cup, dipped a cotton swab in the oil, and lightly nudged off the stubborn glue that was lodged between my lashes. When met with oil, the glue slides off your lashes and lid in a matter of seconds. Plus, EVOO has hair-conditioning and thickening properties (hello, voluminous lashes!). Although the oil never irritated my eyes, be sure to splash on some water to cleanse the area.