I have some more great information on eyelash extensions.
I have been so pleased with the salon I go to, Entice Lashes!
This information is from Kyla, who is the ARTIST behind mine……
The low down on lash extensions…..
I bet you’ve always wanted to know the real, factual truth about eye lash extensions, haven’t you? Well I am here to inform you of the facts, what to look for, what to ask when exploring studio/salon options, and what you should expect from an artist and the outcome of your appointment.
Do eye lash extensions damage your natural eye lashes?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! If and when eye lash extensions are properly applied, they do not cause any damage to the natural lash. The lash extension should only come out when your natural lash has completed its growth cycle. The average person has around 90-120 lashes per upper eye lid. On average, a person sheds 2-5 lashes per eye in one day. The shedding of the natural growth cycle is the reason why you hear women with eye lash extensions say they need to go in for a refill. After 2-3 weeks, a person has usually shed 40-60 lashes, because the natural lash has gone from its anagen stage (early growth) to the catagen stage (hair root starts to degenerate) to its telogen stage (where growth has stopped completely, shedding the natural lash because there is another lash underneath it starting in the anagen stage over again). If extensions are applied incorrectly, yes, they can cause damage to your natural lashes, and in extreme cases, permanent damage.
How do I choose the right place/artist for me?
When looking to get eye lash extensions, price is probably one of your first indicators. If a place is offering a full set of extensions for $35, DO NOT go there. I am a bargain shopper myself, but trust me on this one, this is definitely not something you want a deal on. With extensions, it is “you get what you pay for”. A full set should cost no less than $75. Ask the place when calling and/or visiting if their artists have either a cosmetology or esthetics license. Ask to see the artist’s credentials, trust me, ask to see the license because you’d be surprised how many people answer yes and they have a nail technician’s license and they ARE NOT licensed to perform eye lash extensions. Another good thing to ask them is how long was their training and/or how many hours have they had lashing? Believe it or not, a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician can go to a one day training and receive a certification stating they are certified to perform these extensions! Would you want to go to a hairdresser who had one day of haircut training? Me, no thanks! They should have at least 100 hours of “practice” before performing on a paying client.
Ask your artist the diameter of lashes they use. If an artist uses anything with a diameter over .15mm, that is too much. I personally use a .15mm on all of my clients (even thinner diameter on volume clients but we’ll get to that in a minute). I would say that 90 out of 100 women’s lashes cannot support a .20mm or higher. Next, ask them about the length, they aren’t going to be able to tell you (nor should they be able to) by just looking at you, they would have to lay you down and get a close look or even measure your natural lash. I do not apply anything that is longer than 3mm past the natural lash. So if you naturally have in length, a 10mm lash, I would not put an extension longer than a 13mm in length on you. This is why damage to the natural lash is sometimes caused, artists will apply a 14mm lash extension on a client who has a natural lash length of 8mm, it will prematurely collapse those natural lashes (i.e. rip them out). Another thing to be concerned about is the application. Your eye lash extensions should never cause you any pain. In classic lashes, one natural lash should be adhered to one lash extension. If an artist doesn’t know how to properly isolate the natural lash in application, they could potentially adhere multiple natural lashes to one extension causing damage. Next, volume lashes, these are extremely thin lashes that are built by the artist and applied to one natural lash, these volumes are from 2D-15D (D is dimension) the thinner the lash diameter, the safer it is to apply more lashes. At a .07mm in diameter, safely I could probably only apply 2D-6D. If I have a thinner lash than that, say a .05mm or a .03mm, I’d be able to apply more dimension in the fan. When I stated earlier that an artist builds a fan, they adhere those extremely thin lashes together at the base. This is where I have honestly seen the most damage in my career. I have had clients come in with what we refer to as clusters (thinking they are receiving volume lashes). They are a “pre-made” fan and they are too heavy, too stiff, and generally applied with too much adhesive.
An artist who is knowledgeable in their craft should also ask you what type of look you are going for, what type of shape, and curl. Do you want a natural look, or do you want a dramatic look? Do you like a natural curl or do you like a dramatic curl? I like to give a client a shape that is going to enhance their natural eye shape. If a client has wide set eyes, I would steer clear of a cat eye shape because that is just going to pull their eyes even farther apart, I would give a cat eye shape to someone with close set eyes to space the eyes apart. If I have a client with droopy eye lids or deep set eyes, they need a more curled lash to open that eye up, otherwise that sagging skin will lay on top of that natural curl and it will make the extension disappear. Putting the longer lengths in the arch of the eye brow can help open the eye up, and make it “pop” more as well.
Proper aftercare/cleansing
It is not an option to not care for your lash extensions. I have actually had clients that have come from a previous studio that they had been informed to not get their lashes wet. The first time I heard this, I thought they were referring to the 24 hour rule, which is we tell the client to wait 24 hours before moisture hits the extensions because it can take up to 24 hours for the adhesive to fully cure. Well, was I in for a surprise, she was not referring to that, she had been told to never get them wet! I was in disbelief! Not ever washing your eyes for months and months? Make up, oils, dead skin build up, how dangerous! There is specific cleanser designed just for eye lash extensions that I recommend everyone purchase and use 3-5 days a week. I have clients that prefer to use baby shampoo (which is safe for them but not as thorough in my opinion). I do not believe in brushing your extensions daily. I advise my clients to only brush through them when needed, otherwise your brushing and putting unnecessary stress on the lashes.
Outcome
You shouldn’t feel any itching, burning, or swelling after your appointment, if you do, something is not right and you should get them looked at immediately. As long as you ask the proper questions, look for a clean salon, and have an experienced and knowledgeable artist, eye lash extensions are such a wonderful thing! They can help women feel beautiful and it is so effortless! They save you so much time in your daily make up routine.
