How To Ensure Strong Retention - Don’t Make These Mistakes!

 

Retention, retention, retention! Lash artist’s life is a neverending cycle of trying to make the lash extensions last as long as possible. We get bombarded with questions about retention from our clients and fellow lash artists every single day. The thing is, ensuring strong retention of lash extensions is a very tricky business.

There are numerous things you need to consider when you are working on a fresh lash set. One mistake and the retention is ruined! Which, in some cases, may end in a tragic Yelp review from the client. So LivBay Lash has decided to gather all of its knowledge about the matter and dedicate one big article to lash retention. So buckle up and get ready to soak up some major knowledge. 

Starting From a Clean Slate 

Nothing metaphorical about this headline, guys! You literally need to clean up things before you pop out your gorgeous tray of fluffy lashes. It is a well-known fact that oil is the deadliest enemy of eyelash extension glue and if the two have frequent contact, all the work done for retention’s sake goes down the drain. No oil rule is very important during lash extension aftercare and it is even more significant before the procedure. Meaning that the lash artist should clean natural lashes before the lash application starts to make sure that adhesive is attached to the clean base. 

We recommend you to give your client a proper lash bath using a quality cleanser and lash brush (to get all the way into the base and in-between the lashes). In our experience, the best option is a foamy lash cleanser because it doesn’t require much rubbing to get activated, which makes the process swifter and more comfortable for the client. 

Prime, Prime, Prime! 

Many lash artists underestimate the importance of using lash primer prior to lash application. You may think that a lash bath is enough to get the set ready to go. However, some cleansers leave the lashes a little stripped. So it is a good idea to use a product that balances PH levels and creates an optimal environment for a lash adhesive that’s about to get on the lashes. 

Primer is a great way to prevent slippery lashes. You know when you try to isolate but stubborn baby lashes somehow still poke through? This happens because some clients have super oily, slippery lashes that make your job much harder. Once the primer balances out PH levels, this issue won’t pop-up during the application.

Mind Your Environment

Have you noticed that we’re in the middle of the article and haven’t gotten to the actual lash application process? Yup! Most of what matters for ensuring strong retention of lash extensions are the things you do during the preparation. So, yeah, let’s get back to the business and talk about how the temperature and humidity can play an important role in determining the durability of the lash extensions. 

As you’ve probably gotten by now, lash adhesive is a very complicated thing. But did you know that it acts out in certain humidity and temperature? Yup, each lash glue has a certain humidity range that is necessary to get the most out of the product. If your environment is of higher humidity than your glue can handle, adhesive starts to cure much faster. This results in weak retention. So, it is important to measure the humidity of your workplace and buy the glue that is suitable for those conditions. Additionally, you need to take into account that humidity can change throughout the day. We recommend you to have a humidity measurer handy all the time to make sure that your adhesive has all it takes to perform at its best. 

Control Shelf Life

Never ever forget that every single lash glue has an expiration date. For most adhesives used in lash extensions this time ranges from 3 to 6 months (if the bottle has never been open). Once you start using the glue, you have one month and one month only to use it. After that, the adhesive loses its initial powers. Apart from bad retention, expired lash glue can cause some major complications such as irritation or worse - allergies. And believe us, nothing is worse than seeing how your client’s eyes start to swell up under your tweezers! 

So go and check your glue’s packaging right now and if it turns out to be expired, throw it out for everyone’s sake! 

 

Use Bonder For Better… Well… Bond 

Lash bonder is a relatively new product in the lashing game. If you haven’t heard about it it’s fine because you’re about to get familiar with this glorious product. It is made to get the most out of your lash adhesive. Bonder is used after you’re fully done with placing lash extensions. The product is applied right where the adhesive is, so you don’t need to soak the lashes in it. What it does is a lock in all the fumes that come out of the glue. This way, nothing goes to waste and you get the most out of your adhesive. Bonder also creates a protective layer that makes the adhesive cure much, much faster (so fast that it’s possible to wet the lash extensions right after the procedure). 

The great thing about bonder is that it is beneficial for sensitive clients as well. After all, fumes are the main reason behind common irritation and allergic reactions that happen due to lash extensions. When applied, lash bonder gets rid of most of the allergens, therefore, chances of complications go down drastically. 

Beware Of The Cleaning Products (You Definitely Didn’t Know About This!) 

We live in a time when frequent cleaning and sanitizing of our surroundings is the must. Especially, if you work in a place that’s open for the public, such as a lash salon. I’m sure you’re trying to soak everything around you with Lysol before and after each appointment. But did you know that the chemicals that are included in popular all-purpose cleaners can ruin the retention of lash extensions? The thing is, these products are high in PH levels, which makes the glue cure much faster. For example, if your glue is supposed to dry in 2 seconds, the high PH that’s circling in the air will cause it to cure in under 1 second. If you’re not aware of that, you’ll be attaching lash extensions with the weak-ass adhesive that won’t be as durable as it should have been. 

What’s the solution? Just ventilate the hell out of your workplace! Open the windows after each cleaning session and PH levels in the air will go back to normal. 

LivBay Supplies For Killer Retention

All the things that we’ve talked about above determine the strength of your client’s lash extensions. However, no precautions are going to give you the ultimate results if you don’t invest in quality products. If you’re searching for a top-notch glue, super bonder, or anything else related to lash extensions, you definitely need to check out our website. We swear by these products because we use them on a daily basis in our salons! 

That was all for today! We hope you got some value out of this article. May the lashes you work on last for a long long time!

 

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