How to Use an Eyelash Curler Properly

Check the pad and fit

Set the curler on a table where you can see its whole head. Inspect the cushion first. A split, a displaced edge or a missing pad is a reason to set that tool aside, and the upper bar should meet the cushion evenly when you close it away from your face.

Close the handles once while the tool is still on the table, noticing any stiffness, wobble or change from its usual movement. If it has been crushed in a makeup bag or dropped onto the bathroom floor, look carefully for a bend in the frame before using it again.

Bring the open curler toward your upper lashes at the mirror. Notice whether one end arrives at your eyelid while another remains too far away to catch the hairs, and take that mismatch as a reason to reassess placement before applying pressure.

Eye-shape descriptions can help you compare curlers, but check the actual width and curve against your lash line. A head that touches the outer corner of your eyelid before the middle lashes reach the pad is a poor fit in that position. Check each eye separately, since the same hand position may not give you the same clear view on both sides.

Before buying a replacement, check whether your current curler needs a manufacturer-approved pad. Compare the model name and replacement instructions rather than assuming any loose pad will fit. A new cushion won't straighten a bent frame, so replace the whole tool if the head is damaged or closes unevenly.

How to use an eyelash curler, step by step

Set up in good light with a mirror you can see without leaning awkwardly over a sink. Stay still. The FDA's eye-cosmetic precautions call for clean hands and clean instruments, and warn against applying eye products in a moving vehicle, a sensible boundary for a curler too.

1. Begin with bare, dry lashes

Remove yesterday's mascara with an eye-area remover used according to its directions, and let the lashes dry before bringing out the curler. Keep the pressure light. A coating that remains on the lashes can make the curler stick, which is why the manual-tool sequence starts before mascara rather than using the clamp as a finishing touch.

Do a quick mirror check for mascara residue along the lashes. Wash your hands. If your eye is irritated, infected or the surrounding skin is inflamed, skip eye makeup and curling until it has settled, following medical advice where needed.

If you are practicing for an event, try handling the curler on a quiet day first. With the tool away from your face, notice how far the handles need to open to leave a clear gap above the pad. You can rehearse that movement without touching your lashes, then put the tool down until you feel ready to place it.

Keep the curler within easy reach of the mirror, with the mascara closed until you finish. A stable setup helps you avoid reaching across the sink while holding the tool near your eye. If you need to change your seat or move the mirror, remove the open curler first and reset your position.

2. Position the open curler

Look down slightly. With the handles open, guide your upper lashes onto the cushion, keeping your eyelid skin outside the gap. You should be able to see what the tool is capturing before you start to close it, without pushing the frame hard against your face.

Work near the base of the visible lashes only as far as the tool can sit comfortably. Don't chase the roots. If you cannot distinguish lashes from skin in the opening, pull the open tool away and change the mirror position before trying again.

3. Close gently and hold briefly

Bring the handles together slowly, keeping your hand steady and using the gentle pressure and hold time in your tool's instructions.

If you feel pinching or pulling, release the pressure immediately. Open the jaws fully. Check that the lashes are free before moving the curler away. If the pad catches, keep the handles open and release the lashes without tugging.

4. Release before shaping farther out

For a gradual curve, some manual-curler instructions suggest another gentle press farther along the lashes after the first has been released. If your lashes are long enough to position comfortably, open completely, move toward the middle, and make a lighter press without dragging the pad along trapped hairs.

A further press toward the tips is unnecessary when there is too little lash length to work with comfortably. Leave short lashes alone. The aim is to distribute the bend where placement is easy, and a beginner does not need to reproduce every position shown on longer lashes in a demonstration.

5. Finish with mascara, if you want it

Open fully and withdraw the tool before judging the result with your face relaxed. If you like the bare-lash effect, you can stop there, or apply mascara afterward according to its directions without returning to the clamp once the lashes are coated.

Repeat the positioning check on the other eye rather than copying your hand movements automatically, especially if the mirror now makes it harder to see the gap above the pad. Adjust the mirror as needed. You can aim for a similar finish without insisting on an identical grip or number of presses.

When the curl looks wrong

If the lashes have an angular crease, put the curler down for this session instead of trying to iron it out with repeated squeezes. Next time, try gentle shaping at separate positions, opening fully whenever you move along the lashes.

The outer lashes keep escaping

Look at the missed corner with the tool open: perhaps its outer end touches your eyelid before the inner lashes have settled on the cushion. Stop before closing. Repositioning may help, but you can also leave those hairs as they are if including them means pressing the frame into your skin or losing sight of the gap.

Even if your eyes look similar to someone else's, their curler may sit differently along your lash line. Notice the particular point where the tool becomes awkward and use that observation when deciding whether to try a different shape.

The lashes barely bend

Check for a pad that has shifted or worn down, leftover mascara and a position too far from the part of the lashes you meant to shape. Change one thing at a time. If you alter the pad, grip and mirror angle together, it becomes difficult to understand which adjustment helped when you next use the curler.

Some lashes settle back toward their original direction after curling. If the pad is intact and placement feels comfortable, accept the softer result for the day. You can apply mascara afterward if you want definition, but leave the clamp put away once the lashes are coated.

It pinches even after repositioning

Open the tool fully and remove it. Stop curling for that session, and check whether the discomfort settles. If the same spot keeps getting caught whenever you use this curler, its width or curve may be a poor match for that part of your lash line.

Leave heat out of the beginner routine

Keep hairdryers and other heat sources away from this manual-curler routine. For a beginner, adding heat makes it harder to judge what needs changing when the curl disappoints. Check the pad and placement first, and leave lashes alone if you can't get a comfortable result.

Save the curler for occasional use. In Cleveland Clinic's guidance on eyelash loss, ophthalmologist Nicole Bajic explains that curlers can bend and break lashes and advises avoiding heated curlers. You can wear mascara on its own or leave your lashes bare between occasions when you curl.

Unexplained thinning or a persistent bare patch deserves a conversation with a clinician. Pause the curler meanwhile. Avoid trying to correct the appearance by curling the remaining lashes repeatedly, or assuming that every lost lash came from the tool when other causes are possible.

Clean the tool and notice when to stop

After use, clean the contact surfaces as the manufacturer directs and allow them to dry before storage. Check the pad again. Cleaning methods vary between tools, so advice to use a particular solvent on one manufacturer's curler should not be treated as a universal instruction for every cushion or finish.

Keep the tool somewhere its head will not be crushed beneath the contents of a makeup bag. If the pad is damaged or the frame no longer closes evenly, replace the appropriate part or tool according to its instructions instead of extending its life through a harder squeeze.

Itching or a rash where the curler touches your skin also deserves attention. Stop using that tool. A 2023 TFOS review of cosmetics and the eye describes contact reactions involving curler metals and pad materials, although case reports cannot tell us how frequently those reactions occur.

If discomfort persists, seek medical advice, and tell the clinician which tool or product was in contact with the area. Don't rub an injured eye. Severe eye pain or a change in vision after an injury needs urgent medical attention rather than another attempt at your makeup.

Before bed, remove mascara gently so the next curling session starts with clean lashes. For a water-resistant formula, follow our guide to removing waterproof mascara without scrubbing. Let the remover do its work according to the label instead of repeatedly rubbing along the lash line.

Eyelash-curler questions