Lash extension aftercare

How long your lashes last is roughly half application and half what you do at home. The most common reason a set drops early is not the adhesive, it is what was on the lashes when we started and what happens to them afterwards.

Arrive with properly clean lashes

This is the single biggest thing you control, and it matters at every appointment, not just the first. Come with your lashes cleaned using an approved lash cleanser, and cleaned that day.

To be clear about what we do not do: we do not remove mascara or strip lash glue for you. That is not us being unhelpful. Taking either of those off requires an oil based remover, and oil leaves a film on the lash that adhesive will not bond through. If we clean mascara off at the start of your appointment, we have guaranteed poor retention before we have applied a single extension. So it needs to be done at home, properly, and then the lashes washed again before you come in to take off that day’s natural oil.

Think of it like painting. If you paint over dust and grease it lifts and peels, however good the paint is. Lash adhesive is exactly the same. It needs a clean, dry surface to bond to fully. Clients who wash their lashes close to their appointment get noticeably better retention than those who do not, and it is consistent enough that I can usually tell which is which before I start.

And we can tell when lashes are not being cleaned between appointments. It is not pleasant to look at, it shortens the life of the set, and over time it irritates the lash line.

Wash them from day one

You may have been told to keep them dry for twenty four hours. That advice belongs to adhesives we no longer use. Modern adhesive cures in minutes, so you can cleanse them the same day, and you should. A lash safe foaming cleanser daily, worked gently through the lash line and rinsed properly. Unwashed extensions collect oil, makeup and skin debris at the base, which loosens the bond and irritates the lash line.

Brush them

A clean spoolie each morning, once they are dry. Ten seconds.

What to keep away from them

Oil based cleansers, oil based SPF and eye creams. Waterproof mascara, which cannot be removed without also removing your extensions. Lash curlers. Picking, pulling and rubbing, which takes your own lashes with it.

Infills

Two to three weeks. Leave it longer and there is not enough left to work with, which means paying for a full set instead of an infill.