Petroleum Jelly, commonly known by its brand name, Vaseline, has found many practical and not-so-factual uses in health and beauty care. The latest headline involving Vaseline: Vaseline lengthens the eyelashes. If it was true that Vaseline could enhance eyelash length and thickness, many cosmeceutical companies marketing eyelash enhancers would be out of business by now as Vaseline will only cost a few bucks as compared to expensive eyelash brands that could run up to USD150 per bottle.

What’s fact and what’s not

Truth is, there is no absolute truth or falseness in statements claiming that Vaseline causes eyelashes to grow longer. In fact, just as hair on your head benefits from conditioning, so do your eyelashes. You know for a fact that when hair is damp and well-moisturized, hair becomes slightly longer than usual. The same goes for your eyelashes. When eyelashes are conditioned with Vaseline, they appear to be longer than normal because they’re moist, and that when the eyelashes are damp with Vaseline, the moisture tends to straighten out the eyelashes.

So, yes Vaseline does help lengthen the eyelashes slightly because it helps straighten out each strand. Technically, however, Vaseline does not add up any significant amount of length to eyelash strands that make them longer. Therefore, No, using Vaseline on your eyelashes will technically not make them longer—but will make them “appear” longer.

What’s in Vaseline that makes eyelashes appear longer than normal?

Vaseline, first discovered in 1800s by Robert Chesebrough who sought to find use for by-products resulting from processing petroleum, was originally marketed as treatment for burns and wounds. Soon after, Vaseline became a household staple used for almost any type of medical, beauty care, and household use.

Many traditional uses of Vaseline are myth, of course but, Vaseline is undeniably one of the greatest, if not already the best, moisturizers around. More specifically, Vaseline is an occlusive moisturizer. By occlusive, it means that Vaseline is very effective in trapping and locking in moisture, preventing moisture to escape skin or hair so as to prevent drying out. Most other skin and hair moisturizers are classified as humectants. Humectants, contrary to occlusive moisturizers, attract and draw in moisture from the surroundings to keep skin and hair surfaces moist.

Petroleum jelly that is fortified with vitamins that have extra-conditioning properties like Vitamin A and pro-Vitamin B5 are even more powerful hair conditioners and work wonders on your eyelashes as well.

If your objective is to simply keep your eyelashes well-conditioned so that they appear longer, a nightly application of Vaseline might suffice to meet your needs. However, if your perennial problem is having short and thin eyelashes, Vaseline might not be the best product to give you longer, fuller eyelashes.

What are the better alternatives to Vaseline to achieve longer eyelashes?

The good news is that there are now a number of ways by which you can grow your eyelashes—both naturally and artificially.

If you’re eyeing to achieve natural looking eyelashes that are mostly maintenance free, you might want to try eyelash enhancers. By prescription only products contain higher concentrations of active ingredients and are therefore offer more potential for your eyelashes to lengthen and thicken. Results become noticeable after at least four weeks of continued use. Once treatment is discontinued, eyelashes go back to their normal appearance.

However, if you want natural looking eyelashes instantly, you might want to explore getting an eyelash extension. These naturally fall off after four to a maximum of six months. Before they fall off, however, you get to sleep and wake up with thick, long lashes—very low maintenance required. A more extreme alternative is eyelash transplantation but, because it is relatively more invasive and therefore poses more health risks than other available alternatives, it is advisable that you consider transplantation if and only if you’ve tried out every other alternative there is.

You can always resort to cosmetics and fake eyelashes too. Mascara, when used properly and with the application of proper techniques, can dramatically increase the length and volume of your eyelashes instantly albeit temporarily. It could be time consuming, however, if you’re looking to have lengthier eyelashes everyday, then you will have to put on and take off your mascara daily.

Other tips you can try to grow and lengthen your eyelashes is to comb your eyelashes regularly and give your eyelids a gentle, daily massage. These techniques stimulate blood vessels underneath your eyelids so that blood and oxygen circulation are improved. A healthy diet that includes proteins is also a must to grow healthier eyelashes. Protein serve as building blocks of cell growth and repair, including hair. And, remember to always be gentle with your eyes and be extra gently when taking off your falsies and mascara, careful not to pull out your eyelashes unnecessarily.