onecrazyhouse.com | appalachianwild.org

Your Old Mascara Wands Can Help Animals In Need

Here’s what you need to know about donating used mascara wands.

Mascara does more than improve the condition of your eyelashes — it can also improve the quality of an animal’s life. Appalachian Wildlife Refuge — a nonprofit organization that helps rehabilitate wildlife in western North Carolina — uses the wands to remove unwanted pests from animal fur.

Savannah Trantham/Facebook

Recently, Appalachian Wildlife Refuge co-founder, Savannah Trantham, posted a message to Facebook explaining how expired beauty products can help improve an animal’s life. “Did you know something as simple as an old mascara wand can help wildlife?” she writes in a status update that has since been shared nearly 60,000 times. She adds:

“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! Do you have old mascara just lying around in a drawer? Know a makeup artist? Clean off those old wands in hot soapy water and we can put them to good use!”

Thanks to that post, Appalachian Wildlife Refuge expects to receive thousands of mascara wand donations

“We are stunned at the outpouring of support,” says Kimberly Brewster, who coordinates public outreach efforts for the group. “I was brought to tears by the messages thanking us for saving wild animals.”

Donations are already rolling in | Appalachian Wildlife Refuge

Here’s how you can get involved!

• Mail your old mascara wands (along with this form) to Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1211, Skyland, NC 28776. Make sure to thoroughly wash your wands before sending them in — mascara is not safe for animals.
• Take it one step further by hosting what the nonprofit calls a “Wands for Wildlife Wandraiser.” Invite all of your besties over for a mascara wand cleaning party.
• If you don’t use mascara, you can still get involved. Make a cash donation to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge or purchase a few things off the organization’s Amazon Wish List.
• Donate your time: The group is looking for volunteers to lend a hand at their facility in Western North Carolina. The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge website reports that the organization is growing rapidly, so if you aren’t located in North Carolina, contact the non-profit and ask what you can do to help out in your area.

Beauty experts estimate that mascara expires six months after its first use, so crack open a tube and help an animal in need.