Eyelash tinting is the fastest way of achieving fuller, darker lashes that need no makeup for accentuating. It’s effectively a dye for the lashes that can either enhance or transform, depending on your natural lash color. While we think it’s always better to get an eyelash tint done at the salon, there are kits you can purchase for doing it at home.
Below, find the best eyelash tinting kits and accessories that you can use at home! Whether you’d like to buy a full kit for a budget-friendly price or just a few lash tinting essentials from reputable brands, we’ve got you covered with some amazing options. Then, we included a quick guide with some of the things you should consider when shopping for a lash tint.
This is a professional-grade lash tint that’s often used in salons. It’s our top choice for lash tinting because it comes from a reputable brand that promises transparency and quality. The color of this tint is a deep, dark black that makes the lashes dark and prominent.
The formula is free of paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is an allergen that’s often used in dyes. This means that it has lower risks of causing allergy or irritation, though you’ll still need to patch-test it.
The main drawback is that the color is sold on its own, even though it can’t be used like that. You’ll have to buy the hydrogen peroxide developer separately. The developer also comes with a brush and a mixing glass, and the price of everything purchased together is still perfectly reasonable. You can order the color from Amazon.
What’s Included: Color (developer sold separately)
This complete kit has almost everything you need to tint your lashes. It comes with a color and developer, as well as a wide range of applicators. It’s enough for multiple uses, so you can tint your lashes again and again! The price itself is fairly reasonable, even if it’s not super cheap.
The shade of this tint is a soft black, so while it certainly darkens and emphasizes the lashes, it’s not extremely dramatic or stark. As with many other beauty products sold on Amazon, the retailer doesn’t disclose the ingredients in this tinting kit, so we do recommend being a little extra cautious before applying this to the eyes. Order it from Amazon!
What’s Included: Color, developer, mixing spoon, various disposable applicators
While most people prefer black for their lash tint, some might find that brown looks more natural. We like this eyelash tint kit from BioTouch, which is available in either black or brown!
The color comes in a simple set with a developer and a cotton bud, and you can use the actual plastic holder as a mixing dish. It also features eye pads for protecting the eye area, which most other kits do not. It’s not the cheapest kit on the market, though, so we would have liked to see some nicer added accessories beyond the cotton pads.
The main drawback to this kit is that it’s very hard to find the full ingredient list, and from what we’ve discovered, it seems that the tint does contain PPD. It’s available on Amazon.
This unusual eyelash tint formula is the only option we’ve seen without peroxide. Instead, it relies on a vitamin C liquid and silver nitrate-based gel that work together to tint the brows and lashes. It’s an unusual option, but it works. The process of using it is a little complicated since you first have to melt a vitamin C tab into a solution, then apply it to the lashes, and then follow it up with a separate gel.
Doing your own eyelash tint is already complicated, but with this set, roping in a friend to help is practically mandatory. If the formula gets on the skin, it can tint it, and if it gets in the eyes, it will sting quite a bit. It’s available on Amazon in brown or black.
If you don’t love the colors you’ve seen so far, you might like this range of lash tints from Estel Only. They come in black, brown, blue-black, and the unique graphite, which is a deep gray that would be nice for those with very pale skin and hair.
The kit includes a color and developer, so you will need to procure the rest of the accessories yourself, but the price is reasonable considering that. As far as use goes, this formula has one of the best textures for a precise application. The only two drawbacks are that the product sometimes leaks during shipment and that the formula itself does include the potentially irritating PPD. It’s sold on Amazon.
What’s Included: Color, developer, and instructions
Pros
Wide range of shades
Reasonably priced
Excellent texture for application
Cons
May leak
Contains PPD
Eyelash Tinting Equipment
Here, you can also find some additional tools and accessories to make the tinting process easier.
While plain old Vaseline can definitely work when you’re tinting the lashes, if you don’t have any on hand, then we recommend this jelly from Alba Botanica. It has a similar texture to regular petroleum jelly, but it’s made with castor and sunflower oils, which are wonderfully moisturizing and loaded with antioxidants. A thin layer over the lids will prevent the tint from staining your skin and will leave your eye area feeling nourished. Buy it on Amazon!
To be quite honest, we prefer cotton pads for protecting the skin around the eyes from the tint. However, if you’d like to feel more like a pro, you might like these silicone pads. They’re reusable and self-adhesive, so they’re eco-friendlier. They cover the skin to ensure that the lash tint doesn’t stain it, and they also act as a good base for applying the tint in a downward motion while the eyes are closed. Get it from Amazon!
This itty-bitty synthetic brush is our favorite for applying lash tint. It’s exactly the right size for covering the lashes thoroughly without losing control or making a mess. Once you’re done, you can just wash it and use it again next time you need to tint your lashes. It’s very affordable and even comes with a resealable plastic baggie so you can keep it clean when you don’t need it. Pick it up on Amazon!
What to Look for in the Perfect Lash Tinting Kits for You?
So, which will be the best eyelash tinting kit for you? That depends, so here are the basic elements you should consider.
Color
Black is the traditional color for eyelash tinting, which is why it’s the main color that shows up on our list! No matter your hair color, black lashes always stand out, emphasizing the eyes.
With that said, for some, black can feel a little too dramatic and glamorous for day-to-day life. This is especially true for women with very light hair, where black lashes can feel a little too unnatural. In that case, you might prefer a dark brown or even a graphite shade to tint your lashes. Another option is to buy both a black and brown tint and to mix them together to create a soft black-brown hybrid.
Ingredients
Eyelash tints are basically permanent hair dyes, so they often include some heavy-duty ingredients. Most formulas rely on the dye itself, as well as a peroxide-based developer. Peroxide is mostly safe as used in eyelash tints, although it stings if it comes in contact with the eyes and may irritate very sensitive skin. If you’d rather avoid peroxide altogether, Swiss O Par is the only brand with a tint formula that doesn’t require it.
The main one we pay attention to is paraphenylenediamine, which is shortened to PPD. This ingredient is a common allergen that can cause skin irritation. The skin around the eyes is very sensitive, so those with PPD allergies can end up with some severe rashes. There aren’t many eyelash tints that are free from PPD, which is why RefectoCil really stands out as a special option, especially for those with sensitive skin.
What’s Included
Are you the kind of person who always has beauty tools sitting around, so you just need the basics, or do you like to buy a full set that includes everything? Eyelash tinting products come as sets or sold alone, so it’s totally up to you.
In general, to tint your lashes, you’ll need the color and developer at the bare minimum. Beyond that, a set that comes with an applicator might be helpful if you don’t have small makeup brushes lying around, or you might prefer a set with eyelash pads if you don’t tend to keep cotton pads handy.
Is Eyelash Tinting Safe?
There are real safety and health risks to tinting your eyelashes, especially if you attempt to do it by yourself at home. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tint your lashes, but it does mean that you need to take the potential risks seriously. Even PPD-free eyelash tints can still irritate your skin or your eyes.
Most people won’t suffer any side effects, and of those who do, minor reactions like slight stinging or irritation are the most common. However, in the worst-case scenarios, a severe allergic or contact irritant reaction can lead to long-term damage to the eyes or the skin around them.
Because of that, it’s important to patch-test the tint on your skin before applying it near the eyes and to be very careful not to let any of it actually get in your eyes when you do it. Have some cold water on hand, so if any tint does get in your eyes, you can flush it out.