HOW TO SAVE MONEY AS A LASH TECH

It is something which gets proven time and time again … there is money to be made in the lash and beauty industry! Look around, and yearly you will see more and more people with lash extensions and receiving fast beauty services (like nails, spray tans etc). 

 

Despite any economic strain a family or country may be having, there has always and will always be a demand for women to look beautiful. 

 

So how and where can you cut some costs on your training and getting set up so you can start to make some money as a lash technician?

 

How to save money on Training:

Yes it is tempting to go onto You Tube or Social Media, watch a few videos and then start doing lashes. 

However let me give this to you straight… you are working with very toxic and dangerous chemicals around an extremely sensitive body part (the eyes) and you simply can not afford mistakes. Not only is it not moral, but you also run the risk of getting sued and seriously injuring others & yourself. 

Lash extensions have a very exact science around the products and you NEED to know this to do lash extensions - this data is not taught on You Tube. 

Incorrectly applied lash extensions will;

A: Damage the natural lash

B: Fall off 

C: Be painful & harmful to the client

D: Can be harmful to you

 

You also want to make money doing lash extensions and an essential part of this is having customers not just coming to you once, but continuously. If you don’t have returning customers you will not have a business for very long. 

Customers come back because their lash extensions are good. 

Learn off You Tube and I can 100% guarantee your lash extensions will be crap.

 

So get professionally trained through a well established institution. Read their reviews, see how many students they teach, go and check out some of their students work - do your research. 

 

Overall training is not unfortunately, where you can save money - however there are a few ways within your training to save some. 

1. Often training companies will do a package deal - buy more than one course at a time and save money. You are going to want to do extra courses in the future so you can add more services to your salon menu, so why not buy in bulk and save. (Just make sure your courses do not expire).
2. Look out for sales and specials from your chosen company
3. Ask for a discount - you won’t always get one, but its always worth a shot!
4. Make sure your course comes with a kit. Usually kits are much much cheaper than buying products individually, so this is a great way to save money. Buy the biggest kit, because usually that has the biggest discount. 
5. Use your trainer & training company not only during the course but also after. They are a wealth of knowledge and help which will save you money in the future. 
6. Follow lots of different lash artists and companies on socials. They will often give you amazing tips and tricks

 

How to save money on Product:

As above, it is wise to get training that includes good quantity of product which will save you money on product. 

 

There are some products in the lash industry you can shop around for and get the cheapest option available, and there are some when you don’t. 

Here is a list of products that quality does not matter at all, so get it for as cheap as you can find;

• Disposables; glue rings, mascara wands, tapes, micro sticks, jade stones etc
• Eye gel pads 
• Some tweezers 
• Tweezer sterilisation/cleaning liquids (get the cheapest brand on this!)
• Fan, head lamp, glue shaker etc 

You can save yourself hundreds a month by shopping round on the above items. 

 

Products you DON’T skimp on;

• Glue
• Glue
• Did I say glue already?
• Lashes - quality does matter and will effect your retention, style etc see this blog for more science information on this! (CLICK here to read more on this)
• Most liquids like primer, super bonder etc 
• Lighting - but certainly wait till the one you like is on special / sale!

 

More ways to save money on Product:

• Buy lashes in bulk - often companies will offer bulk discounts and lashes will last for well over a year (if stored correctly out of heat and sunlight etc).
• Buy concentrate foaming lash cleanser and then make up your own bottles by just adding distilled water - a much cheaper option! 
• Store your tweezers correctly so you don’t damage the tips (once the tips are damaged they are no good to you). 
• Use disposable foam tape as a replacement to eye gel pads. (Don’t however use Medical tape as a replacement as this can react with glue causing flames.) 
• When tinting - it really does not matter what brand of hydrogen peroxide you use. Choose the cheapest option. 
• Buy your disposables in bulk when on sale. They don’t have an expiration date, so you can store them until you need them. 

 

How to save money on Glue:

Glue is undoubtedly the most expensive product (and the most important) plus it doesn’t keep for very long, so you will continually have to be throwing away 1/2 full bottles despite how many clients you do each day. This is just a reality you face as a lash technician. 

 

However there are some ways you can save money on glue;

1. Buy in bulk when a sale is on. Store them UNOPENED in the freezer until you need to use them. They will last and be good for well over a year like this. 
2. Buy smaller bottles. Its unlikely you will get to the bottom of your glue bottle and smaller bottles are often the cheaper option. Buy 'sample size' ones here
3. Store your glue correctly, then it will last that little bit longer. 
4. Use glue dot holders - each dot of glue lasts longer, so you won’t be using as much glue per client. 
5. Change out your glue nozzle often.
6. Look out for discount codes for your favourite glue brand

 

How to save money on getting clients / marketing:

Marketing, in it’s most simplest form is getting others to know about your business. If you have that as your basic motivation to any marketing action you do, then you will get rather creative on how to market your business and get people to know that you exist. 

 

1. Have a referral system - word of mouth is your best form of marketing and is free BUT you have to encourage your clients to tell others about you, and that comes about from a good referral system 
2. Be active on socials
3. Before you venture into paying for social media adverts, learn how to do it so you don’t waste money. In our Marketing 101 course we go over how to make a basic ad and avoid pitfalls
4. Survey your customers to see what they need and want and deliver that and market those services. 
5. Advertise in Buy Sell Swaps, FB Market Place etc - as listings are usually free 
6. Set up a Google Business Account (this means when people search for a lash business in your area, you have a higher chance of popping up)
7. Sign up to a lot of review websites and get reviews on them
8. Get your business name on other peoples websites
9. Put up a flyer in your local coffee shop, super market, hairdressers etc 
10. Trade lash sets with influencers 
11. Get your clients to talk about you on their social media 
12. Get your clients email and address details and send out regular communications to them
13. Tell people about what you do, even if they would not be your usual customer - you never know who they know
14. Make sure all your neighbours, local shops, local hairdressers etc know who you are and where you are. They all talk to people and will tell people about your business.
15. Get creative about social media groups you join - figure out what your potential clients interests are and join those groups (mothers groups, gardening groups, fashion groups etc). Don’t advertise yourself directly in those groups, just become an active member and you’ll find you can slip it into conversation somehow. 
16. Remember clients birthdays and important events. This will make them feel special and gain their loyalty and recommendations. 

Hope this helps! Good luck!