Ok, this is a big one.  There are a lot of important factors that go into Lashing properly, and believe it or not, a lot of science behind the skill.  There are a lot of amazingly talented Lash Artists out there today, however not all lash artists are aware of the proper techniques and standards.  This may stem from a lack of training, or you may run into someone who just likes to cut corners – either way it will unfortunately be at your expense.  Lashing is an art so there is a ton of room for creativity in this industry, but there are certain rules that should be followed in order to maintain the client’s safety and produce superior results.  So let’s talk about said rules.  The first responsibility of your lash artist should be to maintain the health of their clients lashes as well as educate you as the client about proper home care.  During the initial appointment and at each refill appt, the artist should assess your natural lash length, diameter and overall health, to determine what size of extension or how many extensions each natural lash can hold.  This is taught in most reputable Lash training courses and is also learned over time from experience.  Another key factor in proper lashing, is isolation.  This is just as important as sizing, because even if your lash artist is using the correct length of extension, but gluing all of your lashes together, there’s gonna be some major issues, not to mention discomfort for you.  Isolating each natural lash from one another takes time, and cannot be rushed.  So if your lash artist is getting your full set done in an hour or less, chances are she isn’t taking the time to separate all your lashes.  “Speed lashing” is not a thing.  This isn’t waxing, people!  The importance of isolation is not only for the client’s comfort, but it allows the lashes to shed individually, as opposed to shedding in clumps.  Ouch!  Our lashes grow and shed just like any other hair on our body, and it is our job to make sure your extensions are not getting in the way of your natural lash cycle.  It is also up to us to determine which lashes are ready to be lashed and which should be left alone to grow out more.  All of our lashes are at different growth stages, (without getting too technical we’ll just call them 1-4), and when a lash is in stage 1, the baby lash phase, it is not strong or long enough to support an extension, of any length.  These baby lashes will continue to grow and after a few weeks, when you’re ready for your refill, they will hopefully be ready to be lashed.  During the 2nd & 3rd phases your lashes will be growing and the hair itself will be slowly separating from the root, and creating a new hair in the follicle.  These are the best lashes to lash.  Finally in the last stage, the lash will shed out, ideally with the extension still attached to it.  It is very important that your Lash Artist has a full understanding of the lash cycle so she is lashing safely and can properly educate you on what to expect while wearing lash extensions.   That brings us to the next important part of proper lashing, educating clients on proper home care.  Most lash artists will go over how to clean and care for your lashes, during your appointment, and some may even send you home with a Lash Care card to refer back to.  There are specific products and activities to avoid while wearing lash extensions, in order to get them most life out of them, and these should be discussed with you.  If you leave your lash appointment confused, without any idea about home care or that lashes even need caring for, the artist has not done her job.  Educating you as the client means setting you up for success, and is just as important as the lashing itself.  😉

Volume lash extensions are extremely fine lashes that are grouped together to form a “fan” shape, and that fan is then applied to each natural lash.  This gives the illusion of more lashes, thus resulting in a darker, more dense lash line, creating your very own custom strip lash.  A volume “fan” can actually weigh less than 1 classic lash.  A few years ago, the gold standard of lash extensions were thick, heavy, plastic looking lashes that offered a fuller look, but weighed down the natural lashes, breaking them in half.  Needless to say, these were not sustainable.  Volume lashes came in to play and have changed the lash industry forever.  For Classic individual style lash extensions, the extension applied should never be more than twice as long as the natural lash and the diameter should not be thicker than the natural lash itself.   By following this concept, you as the client will get extra length & more curl for what I like to call, an “enhanced mascara look.”  Some people may not love this option, as it may not add enough volume for them, which is why many get eyelash extensions in the first place.  I get the same question from many clients – “can we make the lashes thicker & more full?”  I have 2 words for these clients – VOLUME LASHES.  This glorious technique will give you the extra volume you’re looking for, without the unnecessary weight bogging down your lashes.  We still need to be aware of sizing here, but there is a little more wiggle room with Volumes. Another style of lash extensions you may see on menus is the Hybrid style.  This is a blend of both Volume & Classics.  This is a great place to start if you are new to wearing eyelash extensions, and aren’t sure if Classics or Volumes are right for you.  Hybrids give you the best of both worlds.  The length of Classics as well as the fullness of Volumes will give you a subtle, yet noticeable permanent eyeliner look.  This will free up a lot of time for you in the morning otherwise spent on applying eye makeup.  😉

Given that the purpose of eyelash extensions are to brighten your eyes, to take the place of makeup and save you time getting ready every morning, wearing makeup with them seems a little counterproductive, but that’s just my humble opinion.  That being said, there are makeup products designed to be worn with eyelash extensions, and many that can be destructive, so it is important to know which are which.  #1 rule of thumb when choosing the right makeup to wear with extensions:  Avoid anything oil-based or waterPROOF.  Waterproof means that products is chock full of oil and wax so it doesn’t come off the skin when wet.  The only way to remove it is more oil, which is death for your lash extensions.  Eyeliner is the most important product to look at, being that it is applied directly to the lash line.  Most pencil and gel eyeliners are oil based, (especially MAC products), and one swipe of that across the base of the lashes will slowly but surely start eating away at the adhesive, causing those little pretties to come shedding right off onto your cheeks.  We want to keep them on the eyes wear they belong.  Typically liquid eyeliners are the safest liners to use, as they are usually water-based and can easily be cleansed away with your lash cleanser.  The key word here is “usually” so it is important to check the ingredients on every product before applying it to your eyes.  A little trick to avoided liner while still getting a darker lash line, is to wet an angled eyeshadow brush, dip it in a dark powder shadow, and fill in your lash line with shadow.  This will create the same look as liner and is much nicer on the lashes given that it just a powder.  Powder can also help to soak up excess oil on the lids throughout the day, thus lengthening the life of your extensions.  As always though, make sure it is still being washed off completely at night.  The same idea goes for mascaras.  Mascara should never be applied to eyelash extensions, especially Volume lash extensions, but some still like to wear it on their bottom lashes to balance out the look.  Even if you are just putting mascara on your bottom lashes, it still needs to be water based.  Think about every time you blink, (which is like a million times a day), some of that residue is being transferred to your upper lashes, wreaking havoc on your extensions.  Most mascaras & lash primers are loaded with oil and beeswax which hardens onto the lash, however there are a lot of water based mascaras now being produced.  The best option is to avoid makeup altogether, but in the event that you need a little extra oomph to your eyes, make sure you are using water based or powder products only.  😉

Cleansing your lashes is the easiest, and most important thing you can do for not only the hygiene of your eye area, but for optimal lash retention as well.  Why, you ask?  Our eyelashes are there for the purpose of catching any dirt, dust, & debris we may come in contact with, and keeping it from getting into the eye.  Therefore, adding extensions to our eyelashes increases the amount of debris that settles onto our lashes or is caught between them.  Aside from the exterior nasties, our skin produces oil that gets soaked up by our hair follicles and down into the hair shaft throughout the day and night.  The eyelids are the oiliest part of the body, thus making our eyelashes susceptible to more oil than any other hair on our body.  It is important to cleanse this oil away on a daily basis, to avoid it from settling into the lash line and growing bacteria which can cause irritation and/or infection.  Makeup residue is also crucial to remove every night before bed, as to avoid similar infections.  Oil is also the #1 cause for early loss of extensions and poor retention.  If not washed away completely, excess oil/oily products will settle onto the lashes and break down the adhesive, causing the extensions to come off prematurely.  This is why lash cleansers are a must-have for anyone wearing lash extensions. Lash safe cleansers are water-based lathers that are specifically formulated for the lashes, lash extensions and the eye area itself.  They are designed to cleanse off all debris, remove makeup, kill bacteria, without drying out the skin and breaking down the lash adhesive.  Cleansing your lash line is absolutely necessary for getting the most life out of your extensions while keeping your lashes and skin healthy too.  You are investing time & money into your lashes, so take the extra 10 seconds each day to care for them properly.  😉

This is my most favorite topic to talk about and is what I consider to be the backbone of what my business represents. First, I would like to address the number question I get asked by clients or potential clients which is, “Do eyelash extensions ruin the natural lashes?”  The answer is complex because the answer can be both yes or no.  Damage to the natural lashes is dependent on both how the lash artist applies the extensions, as well as how the client cares for them.  Lash extensions are designed to be worn indefinitely with absolutely zero damage done to the natural lashes and lash line, however not everyone follows the lash rules and this can lead to some serious disappointment for both parties.  So let’s discuss what we should both be doing in order to keep your lashes healthy.  The nice thing about having eyelash extensions is that they really don’t require a ton of work – I always tell my clients the less you mess with them, the better.  However, the few things that they do require are absolutely crucial and it is up to you, the lashee, to take care of them when you leave your appointment.  We as the lash artist can only control what happens during your appt while you are in our chair.  The rest of the time, it is the client’s responsibility to be following care instructions and take care of their own lashes.  Cleansing is numero uno.  By not cleansing your lashes, your lash line is a petrie dish for all kinds of debris and bacteria to harbor, and this can lead to irritation, allergic reactions and even infections or lash mites.  Yes lash mites.  If you don’t believe me, google them.  I guarantee you will never go a day without washing your lashes again!  You might even be recommended a lash growing serum if your artist feels like the health of your natural lashes are not up to par or is declining for some reason.  There are a million factors that can affect our hair growth & health, and your lashes will be first to see the changes.  Certain medications and supplements can thin the blood, resulting in less blood flow to the hair follicles, which can cause the hair to thin or grow slower than usual.  This can be a major cause in lash loss.  Rubbing the eyes or picking at your lashes can cause premature shedding of the natural lashes, resulting in sparse areas in the lash line.  Think about what happens to our brows when we tweeze.  Those hairs are being pulled out before they’re ready to shed, which causes those areas to produce less hair over time and become thinner than the rest of our eyebrow.  In this case we don’t mind because that is what we intend to do, but for our eyelashes, every lash is precious.  This can also happen depending on how you sleep.  If you’re a face sleeper, chances are those poor little babies are being pulled out left and right, without you even knowing it.  If you’re a side sleeper, you may notice that you have longer lashes on one side over the other, or that your lashes shed faster on the side you sleep on.   This too plays a big part in the overall health of your lashes.  Brushing your lashes to aggressively can also lead to premature shedding.  Make sure you are only brushing the ends of your lashes, and avoid the base where the extensions are attached.  If the brush catches on the base of the extension, it can pull it out which will probably hurt a bit.  That being said, if you notice lashes are shedding when you brush or cleanse them, this could just be the lashes in their final stage of life, which is fallout.  I promise, this is normal.  As long as you don’t see that little white bulb attached to the end of the hair when it comes out, that means it has ran its course and is shedding naturally.  Another big factor that will cause deterioration of your lash health is stress.  Stress is the #1 cause of hair fallout and is a huge sign that the overall health of the body is declining.  If you are noticing your extensions falling out at a more rapid rate than usual, ask yourself if you’re dealing with more stress in your life than usual.  This isn’t always something that can be controlled, but unfortunately your lash health will take the brunt of it.  While there are many things you can do to keep your lashes in good health, there are many things we as the lash artist must ensure as well.  Using proper lash length and weights and isolating each lash during application is the best way we can avoid any damage from occurring.  Making sure the right amount of adhesive is used in order to hold the extension in place, while also letting the hair move and bend like it is supposed to, will also factor in to natural lash health.  Maintaining healthy lashes while wearing extensions is a joint effort.  If you and your lash artist are taking all the necessary steps to maintaining lash health, you should be able to enjoy your extensions as long as you would like, without compromising your natural lashes in any way.  😉