Myths and Misconceptions: The Truth About Lash Extensions

Making the Lash Industry Better One Busted Lash Myth at a Time

Ahh, misinformation. It’s rare to read a forum post or even an article in a fashion and beauty publication that doesn’t have at least one instance of outdated lash advice, whether that be relating to what lash extensions are made from, or how to look after your lash extensions. The trouble with lash extension misconceptions is that they can actually be really damaging, both to the reputation of the lash industry as a whole, and to your clients’ health. Just to save you some time delving into what is actually good lash extension advice and wading through lash myths of days gone by, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most widely held misconceptions, along with where they stemmed from and what the truth actually is. 

You Can’t Get Lash Extensions Wet

When lash extensions were a newly emerging treatment, they were seen as luxurious, using materials such as mink fur, silk, or cashmere. Those materials aren’t synthetic, which means that if they are exposed to water or heat, they would lose their curl and would look pretty terrible. Thanks to a rise in consumers and providers taking a firmer stance on products being animal friendly, those days are long behind us. Eyelash extensions these days – by and large – are made from a synthetic fiber called PBT, which is a really flexible and durable type of plastic that is typically used in wiring.

The lash extensions of today are sometimes called mink, silk, or cashmere, but this is simply to differentiate them from one another. If you’ve been with us for a long time, you may remember that our Chelsea and Mayfair variants were once called Chelsea Silk and Mayfair Mink, and our Flat Lashes were called Cashmere Lashes. This is simply to let shoppers know that they are different – Chelsea Lashes have a semi-matte finish, Mayfair Lashes are very shiny, and our Flat Lashes are almost completely matte, as well as having their fair share of interesting little quirks! You can find out more about all of the different types of lash extensions we have on offer here if you’re having trouble getting to grips with their little differences, and you can find out more about lash mapping styles using flat lashes in this article. 

Taking a little step back, you might have picked up on the part where we mentioned those non-synthetic fibers losing their curl and looking bad when they came into contact with water. This is where the myth that you can’t get eyelash extensions wet came from, and although the vast majority of clients and lash technicians are at least aware that extensions are no longer of animal origin, there is still a pretty big demographic who believes that lashes shouldn’t get wet. 

The Truth

You can get lashes wet. The general advice is to wait for 24 hours after the treatment to start washing them as this gives the lash glue enough time to cure completely; but if you’re using a lash sealant like Superbonder at the end of treatment, your clients can get their lashes wet 5 minutes after treatment so can get back to swimming, taking long, pampering self-care showers, or crying at those rom coms that they love as soon as they like. 

Further to that, you should get lash extensions wet. Lash extensions should be cleaned properly on a daily basis otherwise you risk your eye health. We’ll talk about that a bit more in the next point, though…

You Can Wash Lash Extensions With Baby Shampoo

As the industry evolved, so too did lash education! Lash extensions training courses began being taught to aspiring Lash Technicians by those who were working Lash Techs, meaning that they saw the effects of outdated advice such as not getting your extensions wet at all in real-time, and were able to provide extremely valuable insight into how lash extensions should actually be cared for. 

Knowledge coming a long way doesn’t always lead to products coming a long way though, at least not initially. They knew that lashes should be clean in order to prolong lash extension retention and to protect their clients’ eye health. They knew that in order to do that without causing any irritation, the cleanser they used needed to be gentle and safe to use on hair and skin. That’s where baby shampoo came in. 

Even as recently as 6 years ago, this was THE lash extensions aftercare advice – you’d send your client away with a mascara wand and instructions to get a bottle of baby shampoo from the drugstore on their way home. 

The Truth

Okay, as outdated advice goes this isn’t the most damaging for the client, and at least it set a precedent of them actually being advised to wash their lashes. The misinformed part of this particular piece of advice is simply that there now exists a product specific to cleansing lash extensions. 

Lash Shampoo doesn’t just exist so that Lash Techs and lash suppliers can make some extra money; it’s been formulated specifically to cleanse eyelash extensions thoroughly whilst caring for the skin. As an example, our particular lash shampoo contains tea tree extract which is a natural antibacterial, helping to keep eyes, eyelids, and lashes healthy.

The point is that a foaming lash cleanser is able to envelop the lashes, the glue bonds, and the roots in the way that baby shampoo can’t do quite as well, and it’s also lightweight enough that it can be rinsed away thoroughly without leaving any residue behind, which is another pitfall of using baby shampoo. 

Oils Break Down Lash Glue

We will preface this by saying that we do not recommend using oils or oil-based products on lash extensions, but not for the reason you might think. 

There’s a common misconception that lash extensions can be removed by soaking them with olive oil or coconut oil. This simply isn’t true and the reason that it can lead to damage is because your clients might begin pulling at their lashes, thinking that the glue has been broken down and their lashes will come off easily. Pulling at lashes can pull them out from the root prematurely, which can in turn lead to irreversible damage to the hair follicles. 

The Truth

Oils can come between the glue bond and the natural lash, causing the extensions to slide off. This won’t happen immediately, so you might find that clients get away with using oily products for a week or so, and then will complain about their lash retention. 

Lash extension glue can keep a lash extension in place for the whole growth cycle if you’re carrying out the right pre-treatment and are using the right glue for you – you need to schedule regular lash fills to replace lashes that have fallen out due to their age, not because the extensions are falling off by themselves. 

If your client is using oily products or has very oily skin, advise them to avoid said products near the lashes, and ensure that they are cleaning their lashes at least once per day to keep the glue bonds clean and free from oils. When you come to do your pre-treatment, make sure you’re being thorough, and try using Booster if you’re often seeing bare lashes during their lash fill appointments.

In any industry there is bound to be misinformation. In ours though, we can all do our part to reduce that as much as possible so that we can put our clients’ health at the forefront of everything we do as Lash Technicians. This is just a small selection of the myths and misconceptions that float around the lash industry, so we’re sure we’ll be back with part two one day!