Dangerous Tiktok hype blow-drying eyelashes: This beauty trend can even blind you

It all started with a video of a TikToker who showed her trick for the perfect curl of eyelashes: Simply set the hair dryer to cold air and hold it on the damp eyelashes from below, then apply mascara and “fix” it with the hair dryer again.

Thousands of users are still following her and giving ophthalmologists and beauty experts a big headache, because the supposedly simple trick can literally catch your eye.

The Trier ophthalmologist Dr. Leonie Troeber.

Blow-dry your eyelashes?!

According to the motto “There is nothing that does not exist”, TikTok user @mirandaalynnn uploaded a video in 2020 in which she demonstrates her hair dryer trick: she uses the cold air function of her hair dryer to blow her damp eyelashes off with the air jet Blow down into shape, apply a primer (a kind of gel that sets the lashes in place), blow again, apply her mascara and blow one last time.

The video went under for a while but was picked up again earlier this year and widely copied. So many things can go wrong…

The numerous risks

The original video suggests doing the trick with cold blow-dry air, but that’s also problematic, says Dr. Leonie Troeber, head of the Smile Eyes Clinic in Trier. “There is a risk that the constant wind will dry out your eyes or cause corneal abrasions,” she says.

︎”This can lead to infections, pain and, in severe cases, loss of vision,” says the expert.

But the risks for curious beauty fans don’t stop there, because not every hair dryer has this cold air function and a hot hair dryer can still injure eyelids and burn eyelashes, says Dr. Troeber: “If the eyelashes burn and we lose them, it affects our eye health. They keep dust, dirt particles and foreign bodies away from our conjunctiva and keep our eyes from drying out.”

You should also be particularly careful with eyelash extensions, because in the worst case they can melt from the heat!

Gentle alternatives

There are much gentler means for full, curved eyelashes. dr Troeber recommends the classics: “You can do a lot of tricks with mascara and usually get great lashes, despite short, straight lashes.”

The tried and tested eyelash curler can also work small miracles, but please always use it with unwashed eyelashes, says the expert: “Otherwise they could break off or stick to the eyelash curler and tear out.”

▶︎ By the way: There is now a wealth of heated eyelash curlers, from cheap models to luxury models.

Please do not forget the care!

Not only the hair dryer can stress lids and eyelashes. Anyone who wears eye make-up a lot, has to stare at screens a lot or just doesn’t get enough sleep could use some care.

dr Troeber recommends gentle cleaning: “Soap-free solutions work best. For example, lipid-containing (oil-based) or aqueous cleaning solutions can be used.”

▶︎ And for the care? “Oils are very good for caring for the eyelashes, for example natural coconut oil. The oil nourishes the lashes, conditions them, makes them shinier and smoother,” says Dr. Troeber.