What your clients should do at home for good retention

To have great retention on our eyelash extension set, we have to also get our clients to buy in and commit to taking care of their lashes. You can do the best job possible on the set but if your clients do any of the things mentioned below then your retention will be reduced. 

Here is what you can do as a lash professional to educate your clients and help them keep those gorgeous lashes for longer! 

WASH LASHES DAILY WITH LASH CLEANSER

It is important to have your clients keep their lashes clean when they are at home. As oil and dirt build up over time it weakens the bond between your natural lashes and your extensions. It also provides a breeding ground for lash mites to multiply (gross). It is important to educate your clients on how to properly clean their lashes with a lash shampoo to ensure that this does not happen. Our lash shampoo has been formulated specifically by lash technicians with years of experience, you can find them here.

AVOID OIL BASED MAKEUP

Just like how our natural oils can cause poor retention, so will oil-based makeup as well. Oils break down the bond of the glue to the natural lash so it's important for you to find out what makeup your clients are using and suggest water-soluble or non-oil-based products as substitutes. 

AVOID EYE RUBBING

One of the easiest ways to lose retention is your clients rubbing their eyes inadvertently. Whenever Your clients need to rub their eyes, they should instead consider eye drops if their eyes are dry or rubbing their inner eyes with their index fingers instead of rubbing their entire eyes. They can also consider using a wet cloth and gently wiping their eyes while avoiding their lashes each morning to get a fresh feeling.

AVOID HEAT

Another thing that ruins your lashes is exposing your eyes to hot or humid conditions. If your lashes get too close to an oven, fire, stove, or even a blow dryer, you could easily cause your extensions to melt and clump together. This will cause them to fuse to your natural lashes and can cause them to look clumpy (not pretty) or lose them altogether!

AVOID MASCARA

It is generally not recommended to use mascara with eyelash extensions. This is because it can cause your extensions to clump together and stick, possibly causing your lashes to shed earlier when you try to spool them. A properly applied set of eyelash extensions should not need mascara at all!. If your client insists on using mascara on their lower lashes, make sure they use an oil-free mascara to preserve their eyelash extensions.

AVOID PRODUCTS CONTAINING GLYCOL

Glycol, specifically polyethylene glycol (P.E.G) is found in many cosmetic products, oral hygiene, and food items because it is used to preserve the ingredients, keeps them from separating into their individual ingredients, and acts to retain moisture. It also negatively affects the adhesiveness of the glue. The compound reacts with cyanoacrylate-based glues and breaks it down, which will cause your eyelash extensions to lose their stick.  Make sure to check the ingredients in your products so that you avoid this retention-killing ingredient!

KEEP SWEAT OFF YOUR BROW

 When we work out, our sweat can cause poor retention if it gets on our extensions. This is because sweat has salt and this salt can cause our glue to become brittle and break off. Make sure to have your clients wear a headband to catch that sweat before they ruin those precious lashes.

SWIMMING

Another retention killer is swimming in public pools. In order to keep the pool clean chemicals such as chlorine are added into these pools. Chlorine is highly reactive and you will lose those precious extensions guaranteed! It is best to avoid swimming in these pools if you wish to maximize your retention period.

SUNSCREEN

 Sunscreen may protect our skin but the chemicals in them will HARM your retention. Make sure to apply sunscreen with care and avoid spray-on sunscreen as those chemicals will likely get on your eyelash extensions and ruin retention.

SLEEPING POSTURE IS IMPORTANT

Yes, even sleeping the wrong way might cause serious retention issues! Inform your clients about this and that sleeping on their backs is more proper.

Sleeping on the sides or the fronts can cause accidental lash loss, and in fact, clients do report that they lose their lashes the most upon waking up. That is caused by friction. Lash falls when they are rubbed against something. 

Advise them to invest in a satin pillowcase (a very soft material), as there will be less friction when sleeping on one. 

You can always keep silk eye masks for retail in stock. That way, if they prefer getting an eye mask, they can purchase it directly from you.

To avoid unhappy customers, make sure to let them know of all these retention killers so that everyone is satisfied and has the best eyelash extensions retention!