A common messages most lash techs will be faced with especially at the start of their career is “my lashes haven’t lasted” or “my lashes started falling off the day after” if this has happened to you, do not worry - believe it or not its quite normal.
Retention is the make or break of a lash tech and getting this right will play a big part in seeing repeat bookings and keeping hold of clients but many factors play into it and sometimes it can take a little while to get it all figured out.
It’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s usually not your adhesive that’s the issue, lash adhesive is so advanced and always serves its main purpose, to physically stick an artificial lash to a natural lash. How you are using your adhesive and how your applying the lash is a whole other topic and usually where things go wrong.
When it comes to retention, there are factors beyond the appointment that are out of our control as a lash tech, we cannot physically monitor how the client follows aftercare but we can control what happens before and during the appointment.
The main checklist to promote good retention for us would be
- Have the lashes been prepared for treatment? This would include ensuring we advise our clients to arrive at their appointment free from makeup on and around the eye area, ensuring we thoroughly cleanse the lashes prior to treatment and assessing if the client will need any additional prep such as a primer (not every client will need this extra step and its for us to use our professional judgement) for example, a client with naturally oily skin and lashes would be a perfect candidate for a primer
- Am i confident i have stored and prepared the adhesive correctly prior to treatment? Lash adhesives like to be stored in cool, dry environments so its our responsibility to ensure we follow manufacturers guidelines on how to store, other checks would include shaking the adhesive prior to treatment, ensuring the nozzle is clean and free from residual adhesive.
- Is my attachment clean and precise? Another main reason retention can suffer is how we are applying the lashes, our bases need to be secure and snug and we need to consider how much adhesive we are using when applying, we definitely don’t want to see any balls of adhesive on the lash but we also need to be confident there is enough to hold the lash in place.
- Am I working with the correct speed adhesive? It is so so important that we choose an adhesive that is right for us and not purchase just because it was a recommendation from someone else, every lash tech works at different speeds and its so important your adhesive is on the same page as you with this, if your using an adhesive that sets within 0.5 seconds but its taking you 2-3 seconds to isolate and apply the lash, the adhesive will have cured prior to you getting there in time, causing a fragile bond to start with.