How to Clean Lash Extensions

How to Clean Eyelash Extensions | How to Take Care of Lash Extensions | Questions Your Clients Might be Asking and How You Can Help Them!

Throughout your career as a Lash Technician, you’re going to have all sorts of clients coming to you, from those who have been having lash extensions for years, to those who have only recently heard of them and haven’t had them at all yet. Regardless of how long someone has been having eyelash extensions, they may have all sorts of questions about how to look after eyelash extensions, how to clean lash extensions, and how long they might last. Just to help you know how to answer right then and there, we’ve rounded up the most frequently asked questions that your clients might be asking about extensions and have answered them for you! 

How Long Do Lash Extensions Last? 

Like with so many other eyelash extensions related questions, the answer to this one begins with ‘this depends on…’

Generally speaking, eyelash extensions can last on the natural lashes for as long as the natural lash lasts before falling out at the end of its lifespan. What we need to consider though, is that each individual eyelash is on its own timeline, so a full set will only look fresh and full for around 3 weeks as more and more lashes begin to fall out, and new baby lashes take their place. 

Of course, there are so many other factors which might come into play to make your lashes last more or less time, such as what kind of pretreatment was carried out, how the lashes are looked after once the client leaves the salon, if the glue was being used in the correct room conditions, etc., etc., etc. 

How do you Clean Lash Extensions?

When it comes to how to clean lash extensions you need only one product (two, if you count a brush). A simple lash shampoo will keep your lashes fresh, clean and healthy as it is able to completely cleanse around the lashes all the way into the lash line, with minimal rubbing and leaving behind no residue, as long as you rinse it off properly. 

Any Lash Tech should be able to tell their clients how to clean lash extensions – it’s retention 102, after all (assuming that pretreatment is Retention 101) – but it’s really important that we tell each and every client. New clients may not even know they need to clean their lashes, and older clients may have been having lashes for so long that they were having lashes prior to it being very normal to be told how to clean lash extensions; remember that back in the day, common advice was to not get lashes wet at all, so it’s still important to explain aftercare to clients who say they’ve had lashes before. 

Do Lash Extensions Damage Your Lashes?

Not if they’re done properly! Any eyelash extensions treatment involves applying a classic eyelash extension or a volume fan to a single natural lash. Damage can occur – and in the past has occurred – due to either overloading the natural lashes with extensions that are too heavy to support them, or from stickies. 

Lashes that are too heavy are sort of a thing of the past – of course you might be making fans that are too large with extensions that are too big for fans of that size so it’s well worth looking into the best volume education possible to ensure you are not causing damage in this way. When it comes to classic lashes, though, it’s really important to check the client’s natural lashes 0.15 is the maximum thickness you’d be using for the vast majority of clients, unless they have super thick natural lashes, in which case you could go up to a 0.18 or 0.20 Generally speaking, if someone wants classic lashes thicker than that, they’d be better off with Flat Lashes instead. 

Stickie is a lash industry slang term which refers to one or more lashes being stuck together. The reason that these are very damaging is that they can result in younger lashes being pulled out prematurely, which is super uncomfortable, but can also damage the bulb and prevent new hairs from growing there again. 

How Do You Remove Lash Extensions

The only way to remove eyelash extensions is to have a professional do it for you. When removing eyelash extensions, a specific product must be used to dissolve the eyelash extensions glue, which is strictly for professional use by qualified eyelash extensions technicians. In short, eyelash extensions cannot be removed at home. 

But what about oils? Oil won’t break down eyelash extensions glue, the only thing that can do that is eyelash extensions remover. What oil can do over time is get in between the glue bond and the natural lash, and cause the extensions to slide off. A lash tech is the only person who knows exactly how to remove lash extensions, and the only one who should be doing so. 

Can You Wear Mascara With Eyelash Extensions?

Why would you want to? Eyelash extensions enhance your lashes already, and if you’re frequently finding that you’re wanting them to stand out more it might be that you need a more dramatic volume set if you’re currently having light volume, or hybrids/flat lashes if you’re currently having classic lashes. 

Aside from that though, there are a couple of reasons that using mascara with eyelash extensions isn’t a great idea, the first being that mascaras tend to contain oils which makes them less than ideal for use with lash extensions. They also mean that you have to rub harder to get your lashes clean, which weakens the glue bond and can cause your lashes to fall off prematurely. If you have volume lashes, they will clump the fans together and make them look not so good, too. All in all, even mascaras which are marketed as being safe to use with lash extensions aren’t really going to do you any favors where your retention is concerned. 

The same goes for wearing eyeliner with eyelash extensions, and strip lashes – anything that requires more thorough cleansing than your usual foam cleanser and a gentle brush is going to wreak havoc on your eyelash extensions retention.  

Check out how to wear makeup without damaging eyelash extensions here!

There will always be a question that you haven’t prepared for, such is the nature of working with the public, but hopefully this gets you off to a good start where answering your clients’ questions is concerned!