Old Mascara Wands Can Help Animals In Need
Since its creation—some estimate around the turn of the century—mascara was a lash-enhancer and nothing more—until now. We’ve recently learned that old mascara wands can help animals in need, thanks to list of donations posted by a wildlife refuge.
By Chantel Morel. Photos: Courtesy of Facebook.
As Good Housekeeping.com reports, Savannah Trantham, co-founder of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina shared a post on Facebook last Friday, explaining how old mascara wands could double as a furry-friend friendly tool. “Did you know something as simple as an old mascara wand can help wildlife?!? We use mascara brushes to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of animals. They work great because the bristles are so close together,” she wrote in the caption. Trantham’s post instantly caught the attention of animal and beauty lovers near and far, gaining over 50,000 shares at time of publication. Trantham even shared a follow-up post from Appalachian Wildlife's account displaying her gratitude for groundswell of support they've already received. In just a few days, the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge has already reported receipt of packages containing old mascara wands.
While, as we've learned today from Trantham, mascara wands are an ace tool for removing tiny insects and eggs—which can lead to harmful skin irritations and infections—the actual formula, as most of us know it, is absolutely not animal-friendly. If you are interested in donating, be sure to thoroughly clean your wands with soap and water before shipping them off.
Don't let that little cleansing step stop you: As a nonprofit who focuses on saving the lives of animals, donations make an astronomical difference. Next time you're faced with a mascara empty, instead of simply tossing it out, send the clean wands over to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge to help out our furry pals. I personally couldn't think of a better time to clean out my 20 plus collection of old mascaras. For more information on where to send donations, visit appalachianwild.org.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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