Young woman applying mascara
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Curling your lashes opens up your eyes, making them look bigger and bolder. Though nothing will keep your eyelashes permanently curled, these treatments and techniques can give them body and volume that lasts anywhere from hours to weeks.

Lash Perms

Just like perming your hair gives you curls on your head, perming your eyelashes can put curls where they weren't before. Eyelash perms last for as long as six weeks, and are the closest you’ll come to a permanent effect. Consult a trained professional at a reputable salon who will expertly wrap your lashes around a small rod, treat them with a perming chemical and cover them for 15 to 20 minutes with a cloth to trap heat and lock in curl. After the rod is removed, a conditioning moisturizer is applied to your newly curled lashes.

Curling with Heat

Heat up your eyelash curler using a blow dryer -- or use an electric eyelash curler -- to make your lashes stay curled for longer. The effect, however, isn't permanent. Hold a metal eyelash curler under a hairdryer for a few seconds to heat it up. Press it against your hand to make sure it’s not too hot, then gently clamp it over clean lashes. Pull them back toward your brow and hold for half a minute. Electric eyelash curlers warm up automatically, giving you the heat to create curls without any guesswork about the temperature. Apply mascara after curling to lock in the look.