Your guide to lash extensions.

I've thought about creating a blog about extensions for a while now and decided its time! I will go through everything about lash extensions that I as a lash tech, want my potential (and existing) clients to know about. There is a LOT of information so I will be slowly updating this over time so keep an eye out! Even those of you who are long time wearers may still benefit if you didn't know about the existing different styles.

Some topics I plan to cover:

Allergies Poor application Lash Curls Fan Sizes Basic Lash Sets

Lash Set Shapes/Mapping Lash Set Styles Natural Lash Cycle

Fill Requirements

Allergies

The most common lash allergy comes from a sensitivity to the cyanoacrylate which is found in all lash glues. The unfortunately fact is that even if you have been having lashes done for 10 years, you can suddenly develop an allergy. This applies even to lash techs and most of the time, ones you begin to have a reaction, you will ALWAYS have a reaction. Even the sensitive glues will likely cause a reaction if it is that main ingredient. But once in a while the allergy is from something else like the carbon black which not all glues contain. So once you begin to have reactions, its still possible to have your lash tech try another adhesive. You can request a patch test to see if you are still a candidate with another adhesive.

Lash allergies will typically present 24-48 hours after application with swelling of the lid, redness of the lid and eye and itchiness. You should have your lashes removed immediately.

However, at this point I would like to point out that almost ALL of my clients that have come from other lash techs and stated they had reactions in the past, didn't have true reactions, just poor application of lash extensions.

Improper Application

After just a few questions most of these instances of "allergic reactions" were in fact cases of poor application, so its very important to do your research! In these cases the reaction was a result of poor natural lash isolation, causing multiple lash extensions to be stuck together. This is an issue because as the 2 lashes begin to grow out, if one is growing more quickly than the other, the slower moving lash is slowly be ripped from the root! This will absolutely cause irritation!

Another common issue I see with poor lash extension application is when lash extensions are placed too closely to the lash line and sometimes even TOUCHING the lash line. Lash adhesive should absolutely never touch the skin. Lash extensions should be placed about 0.5mm from the base and never closer.

Yet another very common issue I have seen is with the lash tape and pad being place too high, or not adjusted as it has shifted upward. This can cause cornea/sclera abrasions or scratches. Even if they cannot be seen by the naked eye, a sure sign is if the "reaction" is in one eye only or if only the eyeball is reacting. real allergic reactions usually present in both eyes and will affect the lids and eyeball. A scratch will usually only be on the eyeball itself.

Sometimes I have also seen and heard clients recount the taping application and can tell the "reaction" was again due to improper taping. Sometimes we place pieces of tape on the top eyelids to pull the lid taught to enable a clear view. However, if the lid is pulled too tightly resulting in the eye being open even a little, this will cause chemical burns. The adhesive reacts to moisture and your eye is super moist!

The final issue I would like to present is lash extensions that are entirely too heavy for the natural lash. Those of use who are not self taught and who have taken courses from reputable sources know there is much more to how thick or long an extension can be than just guessing. There is literally a mathematical formula taking each individual natural lash into account along with the target lash extension length, diameter and number of lashes in that fan. We also know that every single natural lash must be considered on an individual basis which is why some of us are so against pre-made fans. You cannot customize how many lashes is in each fan, where with hand made lash extensions, I can put as few or many lashes in each fan as needed dependent on each natural lashes health.

Curls

The curl of the lash refers to how curly or straight the lash is. C curl is the most common and natural while DD is the curliest.

D curl is usually the best option hooded