Does Faster Lash Glue = Better Lash Glue?
Faster Better: Faster Stronger? Why Fast Lash Glue is Only as Strong as Your Application Speed
You don’t need to have been in the lash industry for a long time to have seen someone ask for the fastest drying, strongest eyelash extension glue believing that it will be the key to fast lash sets that last for longer than ever before. You can imagine then, how many times we’ve been asked this, given that we’ve not long celebrated London Lash’s tenth birthday!
No matter how many times we’re asked, our answer will be the same: the fastest glue doesn’t always mean the strongest bond. Here’s why:
Faster = Stronger
It’s true that what makes a glue fast and what makes a glue strong is the same thing. Cyanoacrylate in your lash extensions glue is what makes it stick, so the more cyanoacrylate present in a glue, the faster it will dry and the stronger the bond will be. Technically.
A Note About Humidity
Cyanoacrylate reacts with the moisture in the air, which is why it cures more quickly when there is more of it in your lash extensions glue’s makeup. Temperature also plays a part, but the likelihood is that you’ll be more aware when your temperature rises than you will if your humidity increases.
Very high levels of cyanoacrylate + very high moisture levels means that your glue will be curing SUPER rapidly, which is why we will always check with you what your room’s temperature and humidity levels are when you ask what the best lash extensions glue for you is, and why we will not budge from our advice on having a Digital Hygrometer in your lash extensions set as soon as you start your career.
Each eyelash extension glue you can buy will have a certain temperature and humidity range in which it works best, which is to say that it will dry at the advertised speed. If your humidity is too high for the glue you’re using it will cause it to dry more quickly.
Faster ≠ Stronger
In actual fact, the more cyanoacrylate any glue has in it, the faster it will react with the moisture in the air, and the faster it will cure. This is all so well and good but the faster a cyanoacrylate based glue dries, the more brittle the bond is. If it comes into direct contact with moisture it can even shock polymerize, which is what has happened if you ever get white residue on your eyelash extension glue.
Let’s assume for a moment that your humidity level is perfect for your lash extensions glue is drying exactly as it’s supposed to. All good, right? Not necessarily.
Using glue that’s too fast for your placement speed means that the glue will begin to cure on the way between the glue drop and the natural lash, meaning that it won’t be able to form a strong bond between the natural lashes and the extensions, even if your room conditions are perfect, and even if you’ve done your lash extensions prep absolutely flawlessly.
Instead, actually time yourself dipping and placing an eyelash extension so that you know which glue you actually need.
The strongest glue, and by extension the best eyelash extensions glue you can ever use is the one that’s going to form a strong bond between the lash extensions and the natural lashes in your room conditions and at your placement speed. As popular as it is to want to use the fastest, strongest lash extensions glue, it’s not worth losing clients over if the glue you choose is too fast for you.
