Across the country people are dealing with the harshest weather conditions we’ve seen in decades, with temperatures plummeting to ungodly, life-threatening numbers like minus 45 degrees and worse in parts of the midwest. Not only is weather literally colder in Chicago than Antarctica right now, the results of stepping outside for a few minutes to shovel snow or walk the dog are like out of movie. It’s so frigid, people’s eyelashes are freezing.
People on social media are posting commentary and photos of themselves turning into Elsa from Frozen simply by going about their lives in a polar vortex. While it does look kind of cool, it shouldn’t go without saying that you really shouldn’t try it just for the ‘gram, given that this polar vortex shit is dangerous. (And honestly, Kylie Jenner will probably turn frosted lashes into a thing for Kylie Cosmetics before those IRL lashes even melt anyway. So maybe just wait for that?)
“Depending on how cold it is you can feel them freeze right away,” says Ashley Sullivan of Duluth, MN. “It doesn’t hurt and doesn’t affect your eyesight, but by the end of a hike, you get the pretty frost. The aftermath isn’t so pretty as the ice melts and mascara runs down your face. But it’s like Mother Nature’s art on while you’re outside, if you think about it. It’s like you’re your own snowflake with the frost vibrating to your own energy.”
“I was just out there with my dog and we weren’t going to be out for long, but I made sure to bundle up anyway,” says Isabella Raymundo of Bloomington-Normal, IL. “All I remember is watching my dog sniff around, blinking, and then all of a sudden I noticed little icicles hanging off of my lashes. It was like they came out of nowhere!”
“Friends, it was COLD. Cold like I’ve never felt,” wrote Cynthia Wheeler, who went outside for a jog in Chicago. “I felt like I was in the movie Day After Tomorrow. I will tell you, I wasn’t the only runner out there.”
“It felt like my eyes were going to freeze together,” says Liz Stangel from Green Bay, WI. “I had my face completely in my scarf, but the moisture from me breathing kept blowing up into my eyes. The longer I was out the more I was worried my eyes would stick together.”
As for why this phenomenon occurs, we asked New York dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., to explain. “If it is cold enough, water will freeze whether it’s on the ground or on your body,” he says. “Generally speaking, our body temperature prevents water on our skin from freezing, which is why your water-based moisturizers don’t freeze on your skin. However, when it comes to hair and eyelashes, if there is water on them and they are not warmed by direct contact to our bodies, they can freeze.”
While frosted tips may look cool, they’re also an important reminder to take extra special care of your skin in general during harsh winter weather. One way to update your regular routine in below-freezing temperatures is to switch to a heavier moisturizer, says dermatologist Annie Chiu, M.D. “It’s all about protecting your skin barrier,” she says. As for the recent viral tip going around that says to switch to oil over water-based products because they’ll freeze, she says while it makes sense in theory, it’s not quite true in practice. “Recent studies have shown that oils don’t necessarily moisturize your skin better. It’s really all about water retention. So whether you’re using an oil, lotion, or cream base, I think it’s more about the ingredients that build a healthy skin barrier.” (A few we love? Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion, $18, and Higher Education Cram Session, $33, for day and SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Dry, $61, for night. Balm cleansers are also less stripping and more emollient in the winter.)