#33 - WASHING LASHES AFTER APPLICATION
Remember how we always ask our clients not to get their lashes wet for 24-48 hours after application?!
Now, this is not entirely incorrect, BUT it isn’t fully correct either...
As we learnt in our other blog, HOW TO GET A LONGER LIFE FROM YOUR GLUE, the eyelash adhesive cures by absorbing an exact amount of the hydrogen bonds in water.
It doesn’t dry like paint and other ‘normal glue’ which dries through the water evaporating leaving the molecules to stick together.
It cures by absorbing.
Lash Extension Adhesive cures/hardens/dries by polymerisation which is the process of the molecules (little tiny particles) in the glue mixing or connecting together with the molecules in the water. This process hardens the glue.
Shock polymerisation is when too much water / moisture is around the glue and the outside of the adhesive cures (dries) before the inside which can lead to;
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Bad Retention
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Irritation
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Stinging when later they may cry or have a shower
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Vapours/fumes being emitted later when exposed to water / moisture
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Lash extension does not stick to the natural lash upon application & ‘slides’ easily off.
Too much moisture (or water) can lead to shock polymerisation.
Ways to prevent Shock Polymerisation;
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Make sure that when beginning application that the lashes are fully dried
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Have your humidity level below 80%
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Don’t over use a nano-mister during application or have it too close to the eyelid when misting.
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Priming with an alcohol based primer (sometimes, not always).
So what's the deal?
If the client, after their appointment was to shower within a couple of hours, the quantity of water would dramatically effect the bond in the glue and the above symptoms can occur. This is why we have had the rule not to get lashes wet for 24-48 hours after application.
HOWEVER (BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...)
We can use Polymerisation to our advantage, by encouraging it during and immediately after application.
Using a Nano Mister with a very fine layer of moisture over your clients eyes periodically during application and immediately after will help to encourage polymerisation of the adhesive - dry the adhesive from the inside out.
It also helps dramatically with clients who are sensitive to adhesive.
(CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOURS)
Washing Lashes After Application:
During application the fumes and residue from the glue can stick to the skin and eye area regardless of how careful you are.
This can produce irritation and contribute to allergic reactions.
By cleansing immediately after application with a foaming lash cleanser, we are removing any potential irritants, and reduce the likelihood of a reaction.
(CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOURS)
You would ONLY do this step (cleaning lashes after application) if you have used a nano-mister during application. If you haven’t and then clean, it can lead to shock polymerisation.
It is also vital that you don’t over mist throughout the application and get the lashes wet. Hold your nano-mister 20-30cm away from the clients face, and one spray of mist over each eye is enough.
It is also important that you do not use tap water when cleansing or rinsing the eye area, as the water contains many potential irritants, chemicals and too much alkaline which can react with the chemicals in the glue and cause irritation and bad retention.
As an added little foot note…we at Locks Lash still recommend that you advise clients to not get their lashes wet for 24 - 48 hours after application, despite if you have done the above.
The main reason for this is the lashes are still fragile for 24-48 hours, and you don’t want clients going swimming and roughly washing their lashes. Not so much because of the contact with water, but more that people have a tendency to rub/wipe their lashes roughly when they submerge from water. It is that roughness that can damage the extensions too.
HAPPY LASHING AND HAPPY LONG LASTING RETENTION,
Love from your Locks Lash fam 😘
