The good, the bad and the ugly! We spend most of our time focusing on beautiful lash sets but, lets be honest, we’ve all had to help with a lash rehab or two in our careers. I’ve had more and more people come to me recently in desperate need of help with their lashes. Again, this is why going to a qualified and experience lash artist is essential but we’ll save that for another post. Here are three common lash problems I’ve seen and some tips that will you fix them.
1. Extensions are glued/twisted together
The Cause: Most likely, poor isolation. Isolation is often one of the hardest skills to learn when you are starting out so it’s no wonder this is a common problem. Inexperienced lash artists should learn to master basic isolation before moving on to advanced techniques.
The Solution: This is an error caused by a prior technician, not the client. It’s likely you’ll want to scale back the length of the extensions if they are getting tangled. A fresh start is always best! You’ll probably want to remove all of the tangled and twisted lashes and start over. Don’t forget to isolate properly so multiple lashes don’t become adhered. When it comes time to restyle the lashes, use the 90 degree angle rule. The eyelash should be placed at a 90 degree angle. Focus on attaching the extension to the base of the lash. Remember, you don’t always have to follow the growth pattern of the natural lash. Sometimes natural lashes can to grow in different directions. Be sure to work back and forth between the eyes gives the adhesive time to set. This will prevent lashes from sticking together as you sift through looking for natural lashes around the area you just lashed
2. Red, swollen lids
The Cause: Allergies or irritation. To start, it’s important to determine the root of the cause. Redness and swelling caused by an allergy will subside once the allergen is removed. Clients can experience an allergy for a number of different reasons. Typically, if an allergy has presented itself within the first 24-48 hours, the cause could be an allergy to the adhesive.
The Solution: Once a client experiences an allergy to adhesive, removing the lashes will NOT make the allergic reaction subside. Unfortunately, the clients body has to respond and swelling and/or redness will subside once the body fully heals itself. A lash artist is not a doctor, however, you could recommend the client take Benadryl or use a warm compress to help with swelling. Once the swelling has subsided removing the lashes is safe. If a lash artist tries to remove the lashes while the client is experiencing redness and swelling, the chemical remover solution could irritate the client more and cause more damage.
3. Using the wrong lashes
The Cause: There are a variety of reasons a client could have damaged natural lashes. If they’ve had lash extensions before, it could be that the lash tech put too much stress on the lash line by using the wrong size or thickness in the extension. It could also be because some people might insist on using longer lengths or fullness which can cause damage in the long run.
The Solution: The key to having beautiful lash extensions is having a solid base. If a client’s natural lashes aren’t healthy, then it’s likely they won’t support extensions. We recommend Grande Lash Serum. It’s a win-win for everyone! You’ll have the opportunity to retail products to clients and your clients will have beautiful, healthy lashes.
