If you have had a lash lift, you should consider using a serum afterwards. However, the most important serum to think about is not a growth treatment. It is a protective one.
A lash lift works by reshaping the lashes and usually tinting them as well. It changes the curve of the existing hairs so that they look longer, more lifted, darker, and ultimately more visible.
That is why aftercare matters so much. Once the lashes have been lifted and tinted, the aim is to keep that result looking good for as long as possible. In practice, that means protecting the treated hairs from the things that make the colour fade, the lashes dry out and lose condition.
At Opti Laboratories, we believe the most important serum to use after a lash lift is one that protects the lash itself. That is where the Sun Protect Serum comes in. It was developed as a world’s first to protect lashes and brows from sun damage. UV rays in sun light is not only the main causes of lash deterioration over time, but also the way that your lift and tint breaks down.
A lash lift is essentially a controlled reshaping treatment for your natural lashes. The lashes are first fixed onto a curved shield or rod so that they can be set into a new upward position.
The lifting solution then softens the lash structure by disrupting some of the disulphide bonds within the keratin of the hair. These bonds are part of what gives the lash its natural shape. Once the lashes have been moulded into the desired curve, a setting solution is applied to help set the structure in that new lifted position.
This is why a lash lift is often compared with a perm for the eyelashes.
In many cases a tint is added at the same time. This makes the lifted lashes look darker and more defined, which increases the cosmetic effect further.
The key point is that both the lift and the tint are acting on the existing lash hair. That means the quality and condition of that hair matters a great deal.
Once the lashes have been lifted and tinted, they are more dependent on good aftercare if you want the result to last well.
Ultraviolet light damages hair. It breaks down proteins within the lash shaft, oxidises surface lipids and contributes to dryness, brittleness and a loss of smoothness. In simple terms, sun exposure gradually makes the hair weaker and rougher.
This matters after a lash lift because the lifted lash is still just a hair fibre and the lift + tint will have left the hair slightly damaged. Even the most expert practitioner cannot help but cause a little bit of damage due to the nature of the procedure and the chemicals involved.
A hair has no built-in way of repairing itself. Any damage that happens to a hair simply accumulates.
If the lash becomes drier, rougher or more fragile, the result tends to look poorer more quickly. The lashes may lose some of their softness and gloss, and they can start to feel more tired in appearance before the lift itself has fully grown out.
As the UV rays in sunlight interact with the disulphide bonds between the keratin strands, it weakens the interconnections. This accelerates the return of the lash back to its original, natural curl.
If your lash lift was combined with a tint, UV protection becomes even more relevant.
The dye molecules used in lash and brow tinting are not permanently stable. Over time, ultraviolet light breaks them down. As this happens, the tint gradually loses intensity and the lashes begin to look lighter again.
This is one of the reasons tinted lashes often look most dramatic at first and then slowly lose some of their depth of colour over the following weeks.
It is particularly noticeable if exposed to a lot of sunlight, such as on holiday.
It is not only the tint that is being affected. UV exposure is also damaging the lash hair itself at the same time. That combination is one reason lifted and tinted lashes can begin to look less impressive sooner than people expect, particularly in summer months.
Many people search for a lash lift serum and assume the answer is some kind of growth product. In most cases, that is focusing on the wrong thing.
After a lash lift, the priority is usually not to force extra growth. The priority is to protect the lifted and tinted lashes you already have, keep them in better condition, and help the cosmetic result last longer.
This is where the Opti Laboratories Sun Protect Serum is different.
It was developed as a world’s first serum to help protect lashes and brows from sun damage. Rather than trying to do the job of a medical growth treatment, it is designed to preserve the quality of the lash hair and reduce one of the most common causes of ongoing damage.
In other words, it is the serum that makes the most sense after a lash lift.
The Sun Protect Serum was designed to do several useful things at once.
First, it helps shield the lashes and brows from UV-related damage.
Second, it conditions the hair so that it remains softer, smoother and less prone to feeling dry or rough.
Third, by reducing UV-related wear, it can help the cosmetic result of a tint and lift stay looking fresher for longer.
This is particularly important because lash lifts and tints are not cheap treatments. If the lifted appearance and the colour vibrancy can be preserved for longer, that can help clients get more from each appointment.
Some of our clients have told us that when they use the Sun Protect Serum after a lash lift, the tint remains more vibrant for longer, the lashes feel in better condition, and the overall look of the lift seems to stay fresher for a few more weeks. In practical terms, that can mean fewer appointments and better value over time.
At Opti Laboratories, we have spent years thinking about the science of lash and brow health rather than only the immediate beauty result.
We know that sun damage affects hair structure. We also know that lifted, tinted and otherwise processed lashes are not immune to that damage. That is why we developed the Sun Protect Serum as a world’s first protective serum for lashes and brows.
We also carried out our own research to prove that it worked. In our UV comparison work, pictured above, hair exposed to ultraviolet light without the Sun Protect Serum showed more visible surface damage while the hair protected with the serum maintained the smoother appearance of a healthy hair.
That matters because better preserved hair looks better, feels better, and is more likely to hold a good cosmetic result well.
Ideal for
✔ Prolonging results of a lash lift + tint
✔ Protecting eyelashes and eyebrows
✔ Daily use, gentle formula, hypoallergic
✔ Nourishes the follicle to support natural growth
✔ Use first thing – acts as a primer for mascara
There is still an important distinction to make here.
If somebody wants true lash growth, that is a different category of treatment. A true lash growth serum works at the follicle level and aims to prolong the active growth phase. That is not the same thing as preserving the quality of a lash lift.
After a lash lift, the most relevant serum is usually the one that protects and conditions the lashes you already have.
| Type of product | Main role | Best use after a lash lift |
|---|---|---|
| Growth treatment | Supports true lash growth at the follicle level | Useful if your aim is longer-term lash enhancement, but not the main priority for preserving the lift itself |
| Conditioning serum | Softens and smooths the existing lashes | Helpful, but does not specifically address sun damage |
| Sun Protect Serum | Protects against UV-related damage while also conditioning the lashes | The most logical serum for maintaining the appearance and quality of lifted and tinted lashes |
In practice, the benefits people care about are very straightforward.
They want their lash lift to go on looking good.
They want the tint to remain darker and more vibrant for longer.
They want the lashes to feel soft and healthy, rather than dry or tired.
They want to protect the money they have spent on the treatment.
That is exactly why a protective lash lift serum makes sense. It is not about promising unrealistic new growth from a cosmetic product. It is about preserving the look you have just paid for.
If you are looking for the best lash lift serum, it helps to be clear about the problem you are trying to solve.
After a lash lift, the most important issue is usually not growth. It is protection.
A lash lift reshapes the lashes you already have. A tint darkens them. Both of those effects can be undermined by ultraviolet light and ongoing wear. That is why the most useful serum after a lash lift is one that helps protect the hairs, maintain colour vibrancy, and keep the lashes in better condition.
The Opti Laboratories Sun Protect Serum was created for exactly that purpose. It is a world’s first for lash and brow sun protection, it is supported by our own research, and clients tell us that it helps their lift and tint stay looking fresher for longer.
For post-lift aftercare, that is the serum that matters most.
The growth treatment and the sun protect serum
£169.00
The ONLY clinically-proven growth treatment. Also available for brows.
£120.00 (3 month supply)
The world’s first lash and brow serum to protect from sun damage.
£59.00
Once any underlying medical or nutritional cause has been addressed, many people want to regrow their lashes and eyebrows.
Opti Laboratories are the eyelash and eyebrow growth experts. We believe that night time behaviours are under-recognised and that simple interventions can make a measurable difference.
Our clients include individuals recovering after:
▪️Thyroid related brow loss
▪️Chemotherapy related eyelash thinning
▪️Trichotillomania and related issues
▪️Cosmetic over plucking
▪️Eyelash and eyebrow loss from radiotherapy
▪️Thinning eyelashes due to medications
However, we also help a lot of people that simply want longer eyelashes and thicker eyebrows too.
Based in the UK and led by a team of British doctors, we have helped thousands of clients. since 2007 and we have been recognised in UK newspapers and magazines.
We continue to innovate. Our award-winning daytime lash and brow serum, the first in the world to offer UV protection for lashes and brows, supports growth and helps protect fragile follicles during your recovery.
This article is intended for educational purposes and does not replace individual medical assessment. Persistent or unexplained eyelash or eyebrow loss should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.
After a lash lift, the most useful serum is usually a protective one rather than a growth treatment. The aim is to preserve the lifted and often tinted lashes you already have, keep them in better condition, and reduce the damage that can make the result fade sooner.
A lash lift works by chemically reshaping your natural lashes. The lashes are fixed onto a curved shield, a lifting solution softens the structure of the hair, and a setting solution helps reform it in a new lifted position. The result is that your natural lashes look more curled, lifted and visible.
Yes. As the UV rays in sunlight interact with the disulphide bonds between the keratin strands, it weakens the interconnections. This accelerates the return of the lash back to its original, natural curl.
Yes. UV light gradually breaks down the dye molecules used in lash tinting. As that happens, the tint loses intensity and the lashes begin to look lighter again.
The Sun Protect Serum is designed to protect lashes and brows from sun-related damage while also conditioning the hairs. After a lash lift, its role is to help preserve the quality of the lashes, reduce dryness and wear, and help the tint and lift stay looking fresher for longer.
No. The Sun Protect Serum is primarily a protective and conditioning serum. Its main role is to reduce UV-related damage and support healthier lash and brow condition rather than to act as the primary lash growth serum.
People use this because they want their tint and lift to last longer, their lashes to stay in better condition, and the colour to remain more vibrant. Many find that the result stays fresher for a few extra weeks, which can also save money over time.
It can if it helps preserve the appearance of your tint and lift for longer. If the result stays looking good for longer, some clients feel they can stretch the time between appointments and get more value from each treatment.
