Lash extension retention killers to avoid

One of the hallmarks of a good lash set is lasting eyelash extensions. We as lash artists are always striving to keep our clients' sets as long-lasting as possible! Unfortunately, sometimes we have a client that comes back within a week or two and already missing a lot of her set! What happened? Well, a number of things could have gone wrong, so let's go over what could have happened that led to poor retention and how we can change it so that those lashes stay on as long as possible!

Using too much adhesive

One of the things that we do when we start our career is using too much glue when applying for our lash extensions. We think that using more glue will form a stronger bond and lead to longer-lasting retention right? Wrong. This is a common mistake beginner make and it is undermining your lash retention. Using too much adhesive will lead to weak and brittle lash attachment due to the inability of the natural lash to bond with your extension. Instead, what happens is that the glue forms a crust over the natural lash and your extensions.

Adding too much glue will also add weight to the natural lashes. We usually should be careful when it comes to choosing the right length and diameter so that the natural lashes stay healthy, but adding too much glue is also another important aspect to consider. Adding weight to the natural lash can damage and provoke early shedding, which means the natural lash will fall way earlier than when it should, depending on where the lash is at in its cycle.

Lastly, the more glue you add, the more time it will take for the adhesive to dry. That can lead to stickiness between the lashes. When isolation is not properly done, it can give uncomfortable feelings to the client. It might hurt and what they will try to do is to rub their eyes and pull off the eyelashes. When the client will brush the eyelash, it could also pull and pull off a lot of lashes instead of only one at a time.

To prevent this, make sure that you use the least amount of glue possible while selecting a glue that has a drying speed matching your lashing speed. This will form a much better bond and increase your retention!

Using expired adhesives

Did you know that adhesives lose their strength over time? Even if you kept it in an airtight container or did not open it, the chemicals in the glue will get weaker and weaker. A good rule of thumb is to replace your glue once every three months, and once opened replace them after a month or so of use. A good trick is to write the date on your glue as soon as you get them so you can keep track of how long you have left before your glue expires!

Using the wrong adhesive

So you bought that fast-curing glue thinking it would speed up your lashing time. But a week later your client comes back with patches of missing extensions! This can happen when you are using the wrong glue based on your skill or environment. If you are a new lash artist, don’t rush into the glues that cure in 0.5-1 seconds. Chances are they are curing far faster than you can apply them, drastically reducing retention. Stick to glues that have a 2-3 second drying time.

Not measuring your environment 

Did you know that your environment can affect retention? Indeed! Your room temperature and humidity will affect your adhesive. Always make sure to stay in the ideal conditions which are 20-23 degrees celsius, 45-60% humidity. 

If your humidity is low, we suggest you get a humidifier, and if it is too high, we suggest you get a dehumidifier. Sometimes we just can’t control our environment and the humidity is out of the desired range. In such cases, you can have two types of glue, one that cures faster and one that cures slower. For example, if your lashing environment has less than 45% humidity, you can use a glue as our Speedy as the faster curing time will compensate for the lower humidity. If your environment is over 60% humidity, you can use La Magnétique to compensate.

Make sure to measure your environment, so that the adhesive will still work in the ideal conditions and won’t affect the glue drying time. You can get a hydrometer at our site.

Not preparing the lashes

Have you noticed that some clients arrive with dirty lashes, oily skin, or makeup? As you probably know, lashes don’t stick to dirty lashes! Some will think that using a primer for priming will solve this issue, but… 

Priming won’t fix that issue. 

Primers are used to help the natural lash balance the pH, and while it contains alcohol, we do not suggest using it on every client, since it can damage the natural lash.

Instead, we suggest cleaning properly the lashes with a lash shampoo before you begin eyelash extensions application. That way, you make sure there aren’t oil particles around the eye area giving you trouble while lashing. 

These are the biggest lash extension retention killers that you should avoid at all costs in order to produce a long-lasting lash set.