Removing lash extensions is not such a big of a quest if a professional lash artist does it. At LivBay Lash, we always recommend our clients to get their lashes off at the salon if they want to minimize the possibility of damaging their precious natural lashes. However, we don’t live in the perfect world, and therefore, not everyone has time to go to the beautician for expert assistance.
So when a client calls and tells you that she can’t make it to removal, you need to give them tips for removing lash extensions at home. It is never guaranteed that DIY methods are going to work as well as certified estheticians’ work; however, there are some ways to make it happen.
LivBay Lash’s artists have put together a few tips that’ll help customers remove lash extensions safely at home.
1. If Possible, Wait It Out
If the client can’t make it to the lash extension removal appointment, the best possible solution is to let the extensions come off on their own. Every other way that you can try at home puts your natural lashes at risk. We know that plucking those worn out lash extensions one by one is super tempting, but trust us, you’ll regret it in the future. You may be super careful but still, force the eyelash out of a hair follicle and possibly cause some long term damage. So if your client has time and patience, advise them to wait until their lash extensions shed on their own. It can take up to 8 weeks for every single lash extension to come off.
While waiting is the safest way of removing lash extensions, without getting touch-ups, lashes may start to look a little weird and uneven. That’s why waiting it out is never an ultimate solution for those who can’t get their falsies removed at the salon.
2. Steam It Up
When you’re trying to care for your lash extensions, you need to keep them away from heat exposure. So when you have the opposite goal, you need to bring the heat on! Don’t get us wrong though - No blow-drying or setting your lashes on fire! Just start getting long, hot showers. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? While you’ll enjoy a warm stream of water, the steam will loosen the lash glue.
Note that taking a single hot shower won’t necessarily break the strong bond that lash adhesive provides. So don’t start pulling the extensions right after you come out of the bathroom. Just swirl the towel around the eye area gently. It will be enough to slide off the extensions that got loose enough. If some stubborn falsies remain steady, move on to the next step.
3. Bring Back Oils
The number one rule of lash extension maintenance is keeping the eye area as far from oil-based profusely as possible. The thing is, lash glue that adheres extensions to natural lashes, starts to dissolve when it interacts with oils. That’s why we tell our customers to switch to non-oily skincare products after getting their lashes done. So when you’re eager to remove lash extensions at home, you can bring oil-based stuff back into your routine.
Delicately rubbing your lashes with natural oils (coconut oil, olive oil) can help speed up the process even more. In our experience, two-phased eye make up removers work just as fine. Oh, and if you’ve been avoiding using your favorite oil-based eye cream, you can start applying generously. It’ll help loosen up the extensions and moisturize the hell out of your eyes at the same time.
4. Get Lash Glue Remover
Nothing works better for removing lash extensions than the substance that’s been made for this purpose! Lash artists use lash glue removers for getting the extensions off the lids. Special glue removers take up to 10 minutes to fully dissolve the adhesive without leaving the trace of lash extensions. So the best, most effective way of lash extension removal is the professional remover. However, it consists of strong fumes that should not get into the eye or preferably, not even the skin. We are usually very cautious with advising to use lash glue remover at home, but if the client needs to get lashes off as soon as possible, we make sure they follow these steps:
- Choose cream remover over gel remover. Even though gel remover works much faster than the cream one, it’s a low viscosity that makes it a little inconvenient to use, especially if you’re using it on yourself. Cream remover is of a thicker viscosity, and therefore, it is easy to scoop, apply, and distribute on the lashes. Another great benefit that cream remover has is that it is a safer option for sensitive clients. So for DIY, at-home lash extension removal, cream one is the best option.
- Don’t forget to cover the under-eye area with medical tape or hydrogel pads, just like your artist would during the appointment. It’ll secure your skin from possible irritation from the lash glue remover.
- Apply the lash glue remover on your extensions. Removing lash extensions at home using professional adhesive remover can be a bit tricky because while you wait for it to work, you need to keep your eyes closed to avoid getting it in the eye. So for god’s sake, if you’re doing it all by yourself, do one eye at a time. This way, the removal will take twice as long as it would usually would at the salon, however, you’ll be more in control of the process.
- Don’t forget to give your eyes a gentle bath after the extensions are off. You can use a special lash bath to make sure that your natural lashes are fully remover free.
Tip From LivBay Lash Artists: Note that even lash glue remover can fail to loosen all the lash extensions at one go, especially if you have the volume or mega volume set. So if you notice that some falsies have maintained a strong bond after applying one layer of glue remover, don’t force them off. The best solution is to repeat the process one more time to ensure the maximum safety of your natural lashes.
Removing Lash Extensions At Home - Final Words
As you can see, removing lash extensions at home is not an impossible mission, however, it does put natural lashes at risk. Only certified lash artist an ensure the safe lash extension removal. So if your client can’t make it to the salon for removal, advise them to avoid harsh methods. Tell them to wait it out, start using oil-based products a bit by bit, and the lash extensions will come off on their own at some point.