When it comes to lengthening the time between your weekly fills, it takes more than just a bit of maintenance, but more attentiveness to what conditions can be most useful to keeping the lashes on. Here in this article I discuss some of the steps you can take to get the most out of lengthening your treatment times & cycles.
Weather
Living in the Pacific Northwest has its benefits, where we may have the most kindest and warmest weather conditions Canada wide, but when it comes to the glue that binds our lashes together, rainy, humid and wet conditions don't help with maintainability.
At most, 2 weeks is the normal and average fill time between sessions, especially when we are living in moist climates. But when weather is a bit more dry, we can get a good use of maybe 3 weeks, before we have to climb back onto the table for another hour long session of fill time.
Good new is there is some knowledgeable things to take into consideration if you happen to be the one to wonder why your routine of lash maintainability goes awry.
FACTS:
1) First 24 hours after your lash extension treatment, it is VITAL to avoid any moisture contamination. That means no hot tubs, steamy hot showers, swimming, and outdoor activities in wet conditions. Its important to understand that on a molecular level, their is always moisture in the air. You may not see it or feel it, but on damp wet days, it is in the air and will bind to your lashes and break the glue bond.
2) Avoid outdoor activities and sweaty workouts for the next 48 hours after application.
3) After 48 hours, take into consideration, that you can do almost anything with your lashes, steamy showers are not a problem. But consistent moisture does have its wear and tear.
4) All things come with oil. Hair Shampoos and Conditioners have some kind of oil content for maximizing hair's moisturizing capabilities. Avoid getting these products into your lashes during a shower. Instead keep your face away from the shower nozzle and wash your face separately from your shower time.
5) Makeup and makeup removers contains oil, that is known to break the glue bond. Instead use non oil based products.
6) Eyes tend to water during the night, so if your sleeping on one side, you can expect that one eye your sleeping on, to take a knocking.
7) Lashes shed every 28 days on average, but never on both eyes. Sometimes its one eye that shows it before the other. After your fills, you can never determine when that time is. It could be 5 days after, 14 days after or 21 days after. So expect that lashes fall out each day but more on one eye than the other. To maintain full lashes, your fills can change its routine from time to time based on this shedding phenomenon.
8) Colds and illness: yes its an ugly experience, but very few times have I ever seen a person recover from a flu, cold or allergy condition with lots of lashes left over.
9) Outdoor camping and sports activities. Yes the weather has a lot to do with maintainability. Most active people, come in more often for fills. Not sure as to what is in the air, but when we get smoky days in the summer from all the forest fires, something in that smoke effects longevity... Sorry for the bad news!
10) Some lashes that are longer or have more volume, can be too weighing on the natural lash, so if they pop off a little too soon, the solution could be to go a bit less in size. Remember less size, less weight and each natural lash has its own strength to what it can carry. Just let your lash technician know so she can alter her fills with you in the next appointment.
TIPS TO LASTING LASHES:
1) Avoid all moisture within 48 hour period. Avoid dampness from steamy showers, hot tubs, steamy kitchens, and damp/wet weather conditions.
2) Avoid working out after your lash extensions. The steam and sweat from your body can impact lashes in the first 24 hours guaranteed. Instead, come in for your fills on days that your not planning to work out.
3) Bath it or shower with the door open if you like hot showers. That way the steam doesn't get trapped.
4) Avoid oily products, eye creams, makeup, makeup removers. Use oil free. No need to use mascara, but keep in mind, anything that is a liquid or cream base will have oil in it.
Makeup also builds up into the lashes, so wash them thoroughly with an oil free makeup remover.
5) Wash face away from a hot steamy shower head. After the 48 hours, cleanse the face with cool water and splash away.
6) Avoid lathering products running into your eyes such as soap, hair shampoos and conditioners.
7) Avoid touching lashes with fingers. I know sometimes it's almost automatic to want to touch them, but oil comes from our hands and gets onto the lashes when we want to play.
8) After a good cry or watering of the eyes, gently pat the eyes with a cotton pad or cloth as soon as possible. Make sure to comb the lashes to unstick them, otherwise they will dry stuck together.
9) Avoid using lash curlers, they will only pull them out and damage the natural lash.
10) Don't wear goggles in the shower. Might seem like a great idea, but it actually traps the moisture in and soon after you will see why.
11) Comb your lashes but don't overcome them. This just keeps them from getting tangled and clustered. Glue is always got a stick to it, so in time, lashes can stick together and with each appointment, there is always one or two that needs to be pulled apart by your lash technician. Beauty can be a pain!
12) On the day of your lash appointment, check to see if the weather forecasts rain. If so, wear a hoodie. baseball cap or sunglasses to avoid moisture contaminating the lashes after your appointment.
13) Avoid outdoor activities for the first 24 hrs. Not sure why, but anyone that works outside or likes to go for their morning walks especially in the first 24 hours of a lash treatment loses their lashes a lot faster than those that work indoors.
14) For those that want to maximize their lashes without all the fuss. There is a solution: SEALERS. Applying a sealer after the 48 hour period, will help to seal in the lash extension and natural lash together by coating a light application of this clear fluid overtop. You can apply every 2nd or 3rd day for stronger bonding. Make sure not to over use the product, since it does dry and can result in stiff lashes. All professional lash technicians should have this on hand for purchase.