Why Your Eyelash Extensions Don't Last!

Why Are Your Clients' Eyelash Extensions Falling Out?

How often do you get clients complaining about their lash extensions not lasting? Are you wondering 'What is the best eyelash glue for lash extensions?' 'How can I make my eyelash extensions last longer?' or 'Why are my eyelash extensions falling out?' This is a common issue for many Lash Techs when they first start out. Are you using all the best pretreatment products for great lash retention and following all the correct procedures, but still have clients losing lashes? WE FEEL YOUR PAIN! So here are a few reasons you might not have thought of that can result in poor retention for your eyelash extensions, as well as a few tips and tricks to help extend the lives of those lashes!

A Faster Growth Cycle For Natural Eyelashes

Throughout your career as a Lash Tech, you'll notice that some clients’ natural lashes are growing much faster than others - that’s completely normal. Let’s take it back to basics and look at the growth cycle of natural eyelashes. There are 3 main stages of hair growth:

• Anagen: The active growing stage, which for eyelashes lasts approximately 30 days. 

• Catagen: The changing stage where the lashes stop growing. The dermal papilla detaches from the blood supply and the follicle shrinks back. This stage lasts approximately 2-3 weeks.

• Telogen: The resting stage in which the eyelashes can stay in the follicles for up to 100 days before falling out.

Some clients will go through this growth cycle much quicker than others, meaning they will naturally need infills for their eyelash extensions more frequently to keep on top of their lash sets. Don’t be afraid to explain to them why they need more frequent lash appointments. It is also worth introducing shorter infill appointments for them (30 mins-1 hour), so they can get their lashes topped up without needing to book a longer slot. 

London Lash Top Tip: Encourage clients with natural eyelashes that have a fast growth cycle to opt for Russian Volume lashes, instead of Classic lashes. That way, if individual lashes do fall out, the gaps will be much less obvious!

Is It Your Fault As A Lash Tech?

Some Lash Techs may think their eyelash extensions don’t last because of a faulty lash glue or a client's poor aftercare routine for their lashes, when in reality it could actually be the Lash Tech’s fault! After all, if you're using the best supplies for your eyelash extensions, and the best lash glue, why else would your clients be losing their lash extensions? It's easy to pass the buck on poor eyelash extension retention. Have a closer look at your treatment procedure to ensure you eliminate anything that can be influencing your lash retention.

How To Stop Your Clients From Losing Eyelash Extensions

1. Are the natural lashes clean? Remember, the presence of ANY makeup, oils, dirt, and sebum will result in bad lash retention. Your client's eyelash extensions will fall off if they were attached to the dirt and NOT the natural lashes!

2. Do you control your beauty room's conditions? Keeping an eye on the temperature and humidity levels within your beauty room will ensure that your eyelash glue is working properly! Remember that the vast majority of lash glues are happiest in temperatures between 20 - 22 Celcius (68 - 72 Fahrenheit) and humidity levels between 45-65%. A good hygrometer will be a life-saver for this!

3. Does your lash glue suit you? Is it drying too fast to form a proper bond between the eyelash extensions and natural lashes? Remember, strong eyelash glue doesn’t always equal the best eyelash glue for you.

4. Bad placement - are the eyelash extensions properly adhered to the natural lashes? Have you got a good attachment area of at least 2mm, or it is a bit wonky and not attached too well? Using the best lash tweezers for eyelash extensions will help a lot with this as it will allow you to perfectly isolate the individual lashes.

5. Are you using enough eyelash glue? Always ensure you have enough lash glue on your lash extensions for it to wrap around the eyelash extensions and the natural lashes. You can read more about how to dip your eyelash extensions in lash glue to pick up the perfect amount of adhesive in our blog post here.

6. Is your eyelash extension glue fresh? You'll also need to make sure your eyelash glue is fresh by storing it correctly in an Air Tight Container at the right temperature and humidity levels. Using lash glue that has been stored incorrectly and experienced shock polymerisation will lead to major problems with lash retention.

London Lash Top Tip: When using a little more lash glue, you'll want to make sure you're taking those tweezers and really isolating those individual lashes well to avoid any dreaded stickies! 

How Oily Skin Impacts the Retention of Eyelash Extensions

Some things are just out of your hands! Once the client has left you to enjoy their gorgeous new set of lashes (that took you hours!) it is their responsibility to keep them looking fluffy and full. We cannot stress enough how important aftercare is for making their eyelash extensions last longer! Clients with a naturally oily skin type in particular run the risk of their lash extensions just sliding right off their natural lashes, so it's very important they clean their lashes often if they want amazing lash retention.

Why would you pay £££ for lash extensions and not look after them?! To help encourage your clients to clean their lashes, we suggest retailing lash kits in your beauty room that includes essentials like a lash shampoo, cleansing lash brush, mascara wand, and an aftercare leaflet to keep their lashes squeaky clean. This will not only ensure long-lasting lashes, but also keep their eyes healthy. You also need to make sure that you show your clients how to use the lash shampoo and how to properly clean their eyelash extensions - don’t assume they know how to do it!  

Go The Extra Mile for Those Lashes…

There are some extra steps you can take to nail your eyelash extension retention. Our Retention & Speed Booster will be your BFF! It's a multi-functioning product that increases retention AND the speed of your work. Due to the alkalinity of Booster, it opens up the lash hair cuticles and gives the eyelash glue a better surface area to adhere to! 

Ever since we started using Booster, we've seen an amazing increase in lash retention, even for clients with oilier skin, and would definitely recommend it as a must-have for every Lash Tech's lash extension kit! 

Another product worth mentioning is Superbonder which is loved not only by Lash Techs, but also by clients! After applying it on a finished set of eyelash extensions, it reduces the lash glue fumes so that your client can open their eyes without any irritation. Superbonder also helps to polymerise the eyelash glue quicker, therefore your clients can get their lashes wet immediately after the treatment! Thanks to increased flexibility of the bonding after using this lash sealant, your retention is improved as lashes are not snapping off in the coming weeks.

As a UK based Lash Tech, ensuring that you're specifically searching for professional lash products UK will mean that you are going to get quality lash products time and time again. There are no dupes, no fakes, just the best lash glue, the best lash tweezers, and the best pretreatment products for eyelash extensions there can possibly be!

We hope that we've helped shine some light on a few reasons you may not have considered that are having a big impact on the retention of your eyelash extensions, and that you've found these tips as useful as we have. Keep up the amazing work! 

Written by Guest Blogger Georgia Duke - Lash Expert and London Lash Ambassador. Give her a follow on Instagram! @bespoke_lash