Our eyes are small yet extremely delicate organs with a very complex anatomy. They are sensitive to light and foreign particles such as dirt, makeup and soap. Lash stylists devote their entire careers to these delicate organs preforming what is also a very complex and sensitive beauty procedure. No matter how skilled the lash stylist, using a poor quality glue can render less than perfect results. We’ve broken down the anatomy behind industry lash adhesives to help you better understand what’s really holding it all together.
A key component to any lash glue is cyanoacrylate which is a strong, fast-acting adhesive that is also commonly used in the medical field. It has been approved for safe use by the United States National Toxicology Program is it’s not a component that should cause worry. In fact, cyanoacrylate is an essential and safe component of any lash adhesive but it does have a short shelf life. Lash stylists should pay careful attention to the way adhesives are handled and stored. Certain elements like light exposure and temperature can greatly affect the life and quality of the adhesives.
Another component of glue is formaldehyde. It is a colorless, pungent gas commonly used to help preserve glue and extend its shelf life. Unlike cyanoacrylate, formaldehyde is an ingredient that should have you raising your brows…no pun intended! As we said before, formaldehyde is an essential part of glue but, in the case of lash adhesives, it’s the quantity that matters. A quality glue will have small concentrations of formaldehyde so do your research! Be very careful when using strip lash glues available at common big-name stores as many of those glues contain higher concentrations of formaldehyde…seriously, throw away those strip lashes and cheap glue and come see us at iLashCharlotte!
Is your head spinning with all of this technical information? Let’s break it down into a more relatable scenario…food. We all know that when it comes to our food, the more natural the better! Some foods have a lot of preservatives that help prolong their shelf lives just like formaldehyde helps prolong the shelf life of glue. The higher quality, organic foods have less preservatives just like the higher quality lash glues contains less formaldehyde. Better food with less preservatives results in strong, healthy bodies just as better quality glue with less preservatives results in strong, healthy lash extensions.
iLashCharlotte only uses quality lash adhesives that have great staying power, natural flexibility and low concentrations of formaldehyde. We use quality glue that doesn’t leave remnants behind when the extension lifts from the natural lash which is important in the long term care of your lashes. Simply put, if our lash adhesives were food, they would fall into the organic, low-preservative category. iLashCharlotte currently uses and highly recommends NovaLash Platinum Bond Adhesive but, with the upcoming introduction of volume lashes, we are expanding and researching different glues that are safe and effective in applying volume lashes.
Now that you better understand what’s holding your lashes together, rest assured that iLashCharlotte will continue to use only the best quality lash adhesives on the market. Still have questions? Contact us!! We love meeting and educating new clients.
