Kajal is a traditional Indian beauty product which is loved as daily makeup product by many ladies till date. Traditionally, Kajal was more about treatment for many eye infections and diseases and you must have heard about this from your grandmothers as well. As that time, only natural ingredients were used to prepare it. But now when lead and many other chemicals have become the ingredients of today’s Kajal, it is not at all safe to use.

You can use it as a beauty product once in a while, but regular use can damage your eyes greatly. And applying it and removing it safely is the key to keep your eyes healthy.

What are the adverse effects of using Kajal daily?

Conjunctivitis – Using the product regularly on your eyes could result in the eye disease called conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is an eye disease in which the eye swells up with redness. It is often called the “pink eye” disease and can be contagious. This disease can either be caused by bacteria’s or allergy to foreign substances like pollen, dust, mites or mold. Since our eyes are a highly sensitive part of the body, kajal containing even the slightest amount of dirt or bacteria’s could cause conjunctivitis. 

Allergies – Kajal is made by mixing lead sulfide with other ingredients to get the rich black color that it has. Lead can be injurious or allergic to your eyes. However, kajal is manufactured and prepared under good supervision of experts with proper care taken about it, but a few cheaper company products could still damage your eyes or cause redness in them making it allergic for your use. The daily application could result in itchiness and inflammation of your eyes. 

Dry Eyes – The daily use of Kajal in your eye could scar your tear glands resulting in dry eyes. This condition is called the dry syndrome and is caused due to a defect in the Lacrimal glands responsible for keeping your eyes moist. The eye needs regular lubrication and nourishment to clean off the dust particles and provide a clear vision. 

Stye or hordeolum – This infection causes the eyelid margins to swell up including the follicles of the eyelashes resulting in an inflamed eyeball. These are generally caused by obstructions or oil in your eyes. Kajal can be one such obstruction in your eye if it is not applied carefully. Although Kajal is applied outside the eye at the edges of the eye, regular closing of the lid or smudges could result in the kajal particles to go into your eyes causing this disease. This is why it is suggested to use kajal only on special occasions and avoid using it daily to lower the chances of acquiring such diseases. 

Uveitis – Another eye disease which affects the middle layer of the eyewall and results in eye inflammation. They could result in itchy eyes, redness, pain and blurred vision. Moreover, during such conditions the tear glands shed water in the eyes to clean up the dirt particles resulting in an obscure vision. This eye disease can be caused by a few chemicals present inside the Kajal we are using. 

Kajal can give you fake beauty for some time but can harm your eyes in the long run. Your eyes are precious than anything in this world. This it is recommended to use Kajal only for special occasions and events to reduce the chances of getting eye diseases.