DID YOU KNOW?
Even though eyelashes are often regarded as an emphasis of beauty, their primary function is to reduce the airflow over the eyeball (dry eyes from too much air is the enemy of eyeballs) and then to also protect the eyes from small particles such as dust and debris from entering and harming them.
Lashes are also very clever and have a sensory system which tells the eyelid to close if there is ‘danger’ to protect them.
The average human has between 150-200 upper lid eyelashes and between 70-100 lower lid lashes and these lashes will replace themselves over a 60-90 day cycle time period. When one lash falls out, another is waiting to take its place.
Depending on the lash cycle, it is generally estimated that the average human will lose between 1 to 7 natural lashes per day.
So it is ‘normal’ for your client to lose 1 to 7 of their extensions per day too.
WHAT CAN EFFECT SHEDDING?
❖ EACH HUMAN BODY IS DIFFERENT: Because each human body is generally different in it’s own unique way, you will have different clients who have faster and slower shedding cycles. This will cause a variety of results in the longevity of extensions in your clients.
❖ SEASONS OF THE YEAR: As a lash technician, it is important to know that there are also seasons of the year which the human body will shed more hair (including lashes) which is during Spring & Autumn (Spring in Southern Hemisphere - Sept, Oct & Nov and Autumn is March, April & May), this is called ‘Seasonal Moulting’. So if you get a client coming back saying they have lost a lot of lashes since their last visit, then you can look at this as one cause of what may be happening. It is a great idea to educate your clients in Spring & Autumn about Seasonal Moulting.
❖ AGE: Age can also play a part in the shedding cycle; ageing and menopause often result in hormonal imbalances that thin the hair follicles. The lash follicles (the opening on the skin through which the lash grows) can slow or stop producing new lashes.
❖ GENERAL HEALTH: Life style, general health of body and eating habits can also effect this too.
❖ MEDICATION: Numerous medications can effect the shedding and growth cycle of the natural lash. Most common ones are thyroid and hormonal medications.
❖ VITAMINS DEFICIENCY: Vitamin deficiencies; namely in Vit C, Vit B, Vit D and in Zinc, Iron and Protein.
❖ DON'T TOUCH: Rubbing or tugging at the eyelashes.
❖ MEDICAL CONDITIONS: Some medical conditions will effect the shedding cycle dramatically and you may notice these clients lose their extensions faster than normal.
Here are some examples: (please note this is not a complete list, just the more common ones.)
- Overactive and underachieve thyroid glads.
- Alopecia Areata - a disorder of the immune system causing hair loss.
- Madarosis / Milphosis - a condition which results in loss of lashes & brows.
- Recently undergone Chemotherapy.
- Viral infections such as herpes.
- Eczema.
So before blaming your application or the glue itself, check through these points to double check it's not just a casual shed.
If you're having retention issues, we have NUMEROUS blogs on this that can help you.