Tips and Tricks for Acing Your Lash Fill Appointments
As Lash Technicians, we all know that lash fills are necessary if our client wants to keep their eyelash extensions looking fresh and full. We’ve put together all of the things you need to know about lash fills, and some of our top tips for being an absolute lash fill legend!
What’s the Difference Between a Lash Fill and a Full Set?
It may sound obvious, but put simply, a full set of lashes is basically starting from scratch and applying extensions to each natural lash, and a lash fill is done every 2-3 weeks after a full set to keep the lashes looking full.
During both, you’ll need to complete a full pre-treatment routine to ensure good retention and eye health, but you will need to slightly adapt your pretreatment during a lash fill, as you’ll need to take the glue bonds into account where you don’t during a full set.
During a full set, the natural lashes are not covered by extensions, so you can use all of your pre-treatment products as normal. That being said, during a lash fill, the only product you really need to use any differently is your Protein Remover Pads, which you just need to be careful to avoid the glue bonds, as the fibers from the pads can become caught around the glue bonds.
LASH PRO TIP: you can still get amazing cleaning results with protein pads during a lash fill by using the pads in a slightly different way to how you usually might. Use the pads around your finger as usual to cleanse the eyelid area both above and below the eye to help your eyepatches stay in place, and then to get that nice clean lash line cleanse, take a microfiber brush or a cleansing wand and dip it into the top of the protein pads to pick up some product before using the brush to cleanse the lash line. You can also do this during full sets – you’ll be surprised how much makeup and skincare residue can collect there!
Why Do You Need Lash Fills?
Lash fills are necessary simply because they keep your eyelash extensions looking fresh and full. Lash extensions fall out because the natural lash is each in its own growth cycle, which is why an older set of lashes looks sparse and has gaps. While tiny baby lashes can’t be lashed, we are able to cover lashes either side and above or below the baby lash so that the gap is covered, and that lash will have grown enough to be extended by the next lash fill appointment.
Similarly, if lashes have grown a lot since the last lash fill or the full set, the extension will need to be replaced. The longer a natural lash gets with an extension applied to it, the more weight is on the end of the lashes which can lead to the natural lash twisting, and/or damaging the hair follicle.
Mapping During Lash Fills
You might think that mapping during a lash fill is unnecessary as there are already lashes to go by, but if you want your sets to look great at all times, you should still use a lash map, especially if you’re filling a set of Manga Lashes or another set that relies heavily on specific styling.
The best thing to do to help you remember where you added specific lengths and mixed certain curls for your client is to keep their eyepatch and draw the map out onto their client record card so that you can replicate it at their lash fill appointments.
Can You Change Your Lash Mapping Style With Lash Fills?
Yes you can, but it’s worth booking your client in for a little longer, as you may need to remove a few more of the existing lashes than just those that have grown out, so that you can alter the shape or add in spikes where there weren’t any before, for example.
Of course, the likelihood is that your client may ask as they arrive for their appointment that you change their style to something different, in which case there’s not much you can really do about the timing. In those cases all you can really do is explain that you will do what you can, but it may take a couple of appointments to really make the difference that they want, as it takes a little longer than a standard fill.
If they want a complete change, then you might want to book them in for a removal and a fresh set. Be sure to have a proper consultation with them to make sure you’re on the same page, and that you’ll be able to give them the lashes they really want.
Lash Fills are an essential part of lash extension maintenance, so it’s well worth getting your client booked in for their lash fill at the end of each appointment with you – this ensures that their lashes will always look super fresh, and keeps them coming back to you so is a certifiable win-win situation! Lastly (it would be remiss of us not to mention this), ensure you still set aside time at the end of a lash fill appointment to check for stickies in your set, and separate any that you find so that you avoid damage to the natural lashes, and discomfort for your client.
