Retention 102: Getting The BEST Out Of Your Eyelash Extension Glue!

How To Get The Best Eyelash Extension Retention With Your Lash Glue

Lash glue is the lifeblood of your work, so understanding how to use it is paramount to your success! Finding your perfect eyelash glue is a bit like when Prince Charming slid the glass slipper onto Cinderella’s foot after trying it on every woman in the kingdom – it just fits. Sometimes though, your lash extension glue will start to misbehave. Is it you, or the glue? And how can you fix it?

There are a few things you can do to make your life easier, and to make your client’s lash extension retention amazing. Some might seem very obvious, but the obvious is often one of the easiest things to overlook, so stick with us!

Don't Buy Too Many Lash Glue Friends!

The most common mistake we make is overstocking our glue! Who doesn’t like a bargain? But think, how many clients do you lash in a month? And are you changing your lash extension glue every 3 or 4 weeks? This will help you to plan your shop and stock up on the exact amount of lash glues you need! You only need to buy what you can use in about 4 months. It’s never good to open a bottle of lash glue to find that it’s gone gloopy because you bulk bought 10 in a sale and then it sat in the back of a drawer for 8 months.

The money you saved on the eyelash glues will either be spent on more glues to replace those bottles, or it’ll go towards infilling your clients’ lashes for free. It’s harsh, but it’s the truth! From experience, we recommend having a maximum of 2 unopened lash glue bottles in stock, as it means you will always have a backup!

The Shelf Life of Eyelash Glues

This is one that sounds obvious. We’re all aware that before opening, lash glue has a shelf life of 6 months from the date on the bottom of the bottle or on the thermo pack the glue comes in. This is the lash extension glue’s DOP – the date of production. It also doubles up as the batch number, so if you ever need to contact us about your glue, we’ll ask about this so that we know which batch the glue was from.

We order a fresh batch of eyelash glue every 1–2 months, so that when it gets to you, you’ve got plenty of time to get the most out of it. We also go to great lengths to ensure that the lash glues are kept away from moisture and are temperature controlled – you all deserve the very best! Once the glue gets to you though, how can you ensure it stays perfect?

After opening, your eyelash glue has a shelf life of up to 2 months. However, for the best retention, it is worth changing it every 4 weeks. It can be difficult to keep track of this, especially in a busy salon or even just going from one client to the next – days merge into weeks, weeks into months and suddenly your lash glue is gloopy – but when did you open it? To make keeping track of this easier, take a small piece of your lash tape and write the date on it. Stick it to the bottom of your lash extension glue and hey presto! Your very own reminder to check when your next bottle will be needed. Plan your replacement in advance so you have time for ordering a new bottle.

Your Lash Room Conditions!

Summer, the time of year we start to look forward to the moment it ends. However, there are some drawbacks to the rising temperatures and humidity we will experience. The main problem we'll face when it comes to lashing in the summer is that our lash extension glue suddenly forgets how to behave!

Your beauty room conditions are one of the biggest factors that can affect your eyelash glue. Fluctuations in the temperature and humidity can be the difference between a great set of lashes and a set that makes you never want to look at a single eyelash ever again.

Fluctuations in our salon's temperature are the more obvious of these two factors since we’re more likely to notice if the temperature has changed by two degrees than if the humidity changes by 5%. Our natural reaction to an increase in temperature is cooling our lash room down, which is all well and good, but it can also have a knock-on effect on the humidity levels in your beauty room.

For example, opening a window can change your room’s humidity depending on the conditions outside, while air conditioning can remove moisture from the air. These changes can affect your eyelash glue’s drying speed. To help you keep track of the temperature and humidity levels in your beauty room, make sure you add a hygrometer to your lash extension kit if you don’t have one already!

Top Tips: How to Increase Humidity!

• Place a damp towel over a suitable radiator, following the radiator manufacturer’s guidance – not really ideal in the summer, of course!
• Get a humidifier – you can pick one up online for a reasonable price. Make sure it is suitable for the size of your lash room and changes the room’s humidity, rather than just the reading near your hygrometer.
• Keep monitoring the conditions around your workstation and aim for the working range recommended for your adhesive.

Dispensing and Using Your Lash Glue

As a general rule, you're going to want to refresh your glue drop every 15–20 minutes during a treatment. Each time you do so, you need to give your eyelash glue a good shake to make sure all the ingredients are properly mixed together. What will happen if you don’t shake your lash extension glue correctly? The ingredients may remain separated, affecting how the adhesive performs.

What is the easiest way to spot that you haven't shaken your black lash glue enough? Your glue drop may look a bit transparent, compared to a completely black drop when well shaken. This check doesn’t apply to clear adhesives.

To ensure your glue is mixed well, use a glue shaker before you dispense each drop. Fifteen seconds in a glue shaker will save you almost a full minute of manual shaking, which will give you extra time for lashing!

Keep Your Lash Glue Nozzles Clean!

You shake your eyelash glue, dispense it, give it a small wipe and replace the lid. What could possibly go wrong? Well, lash glue nozzles like to ‘burp’. They release air left in the nozzle and can send out remnants of glue with it, which causes the nozzle to get stuck to your glue's lid. To avoid this, try the following:

• When shaking manually, follow the instructions for your adhesive. If instructed to remove the lid, cover the nozzle securely with a suitable biodegradable glue nozzle wipe before shaking.
• Any lash glue that burps out can be wiped away before you dispense. If you are using a lash glue shaker, follow its instructions for securing the bottle.
• Don’t squeeze unnecessarily! Tip the bottle and let gravity help dispense the glue, following the bottle’s instructions.
• Before you pop the lid back on after dispensing your glue dot, gently tap the bottle on your lash trolley to encourage any trapped air to leave the nozzle. Wipe away any glue and replace the lid securely.
• You should also have a lash glue rescue kit as backup. Despite your best efforts, sometimes the nozzle and lid just want to be together forever. Having some spares in your kit will SAVE YOUR GLUE!

Storing Lash Extension Glue

Proper lash glue storage is so unbelievably important! If you follow all of the above advice but store your eyelash glue incorrectly, you might as well just be keeping it in a bowl of water for how effective it’s going to stay!

Glue should always be kept:

• Upright
• Somewhere cool and dry
• Away from sources of heat
• Away from direct sunlight

For even better results, keep your glue in either:

• An airtight thermo pack
• An airtight container

It's also worth mentioning that you should never keep opened lash extension glue in a refrigerator! Temperature changes can introduce condensation, and moisture can cause your adhesive to cure prematurely.

A drawer or cupboard is ideal for storing your lash glue, so long as it’s not pressed up against a radiator or beside a window where the sun beats in.

How about unopened eyelash glue in the fridge? Follow the storage instructions for your adhesive. If refrigerated storage is permitted, allow the sealed bottle to return fully to room temperature before opening it.

Not sure about the perfect glue for you? We’ve made a handy glue chart with a summary of all our adhesives. We’re also happy to help you find your perfect match! Just pop an email over to info@londonlashpro.com.