“Lash adhesive” is an industry term for gluing one lash to a neighboring lash during an extension treatment. This is usually due to poor isolation, using an eyelash glue that sets too slowly, or applying too much glue to the eyelash extension.
Why are eyelash glues so bad?
Glues can be quite irritating to the client’s eyes and cause your client to involuntarily rub her eyes or touch the extensions more. This can lead to less retention which no one wants!
On a more serious note, if this happens often, it could adversely affect natural eyelash growth and cause permanent loss of natural eyelashes.
There are a few different types of eyelash glue
Baby eyelash that sticks to an extension
The first type of sticker is when a tiny eyelash is stuck to an extension. These are one of the most common types of stickies. Why;
Baby lashes are sometimes the trickiest as they are short and harder to isolate. Also, baby eyelashes grow much faster than a full eyelash that is in the “resting stage”.
If a baby eyelash gets stuck in an extension, it will continue to grow and could just push it to the side, creating a very flattering look. Never underestimate those tiny baby eyelashes.
An eyelash extension that sticks to another extension
This can happen when you use too much glue. Using too much glue can also slow the drying time of the glue, making the binding look lumpy!
This type of stickie can also make your in-fills really challenging. So make sure you use the right amount of glue for your sets and keep the isolation tweezer in place until the glue dries.
Example photo from bloom_beauty_bar.x (note: this is NOT her work)
The lower lash sticks to the upper lash
This can happen when the lower lashes are not held properly by the under eye pad (or tape). This can cause the lower lashes to pop out during the session and stick to the upper lash extensions.
When the set is complete, before asking clients to open their eyes, be sure to pull back their eyelids slightly and check that there are no upper and lower lashes stuck together.
Read more: How to use under eye pads 101
How to prevent stickiness of eyelashes
Choose the right eyelash extension glue
A glue that dries too slowly can contribute to sticking. Using a thin-textured, fast-drying adhesive BL Mach glue (1-2 second drying) is a great way to prevent stickiness of lashes. (Buy on Amazon US here)
If you are using a slower drying or thicker type of glue, hold the isolation tweezer in place for a few seconds to allow the glue to set properly. This is a great way to minimize the risk of lash sticking.
Read more: How to choose the best eyelash extension glue
Use the right amount of eyelash glue
You don’t want a ball of glue on the extension! More glue isn’t going to make for more retention. To make sure you use the right amount, dip the extension into the middle of the glue dot and slide out slowly. You want a small coating that covers 2mm from the bottom of the lash extension.
Pulling too quickly from the glue dot, removing the glue with the extension, or skimming the glue dot adds too much glue to the extension.
When you have too much glue on the extension, don’t wipe it on a glue or gel palette! Just dip the extension into the middle of the glue dot and slowly slide out. It will adjust to the correct amount of glue.
Improve your application methods
- Work in layers: When you separate your lashes into layers and work on each layer, isolation is much easier. In this way, you can minimize the risk of the eyelashes sticking as well as reduce the application time.
- Use a lash guide technique: Try working gluing lashes down the center lines (see image A below) instead of working in one direction.
For more information, we highly recommend reading this: Ways to improve your isolation skills
How to check your work
It’s worth taking a few minutes at the end of the treatment to do a final check to make sure you haven’t lost any eyelash adhesive.
Control each individual lash from root to tip with your tweezers. Separate the sticky ones if any. Ask your client to blink a few times, turn her eyes in different directions to see if there is any discomfort.
It may seem like controlling stickies is time consuming, but we guarantee you. Worth the time!
Customer safety is always the priority for their health, and for your career.
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