Summer Lash Retention Guide: Lash Extension Prep

Summer Lovin’, Why Your Lashes Don’t Last. Why You Should Think About Switching Up Your Lash Extension Prep for the Best Summer Lash Retention

For many, the summer is a time of getting out and about, soaking up the sun and maybe heading off for a vacation or two! While the summer months can bring about a lot of extra business for Lash Technicians who are being sought out for vacation lashes or for a new trending summer lash style, the changes in the weather (and a whole host of other factors) can seriously affect your lash retention. The good news is that there’s plenty that you can do to counteract the effects of summer and everything that goes with it. 

Firstly, Why is Lash Extension Prep Important?

If you don’t do any lash prep at all, you simply won’t have any kind of lash retention. If there is anything on the natural lashes or around their roots, the lash glue will bond with that instead of with the natural lashes. You may be able to brush through the lash set without losing any, but the moment your client washes their lashes or comes into contact with steam in the shower, those extensions are going to slide right off. That’s the last thing they want if they’re getting ready to go out for the night or head off on vacation, but the messages you’ll receive from them will be the last thing you want!

Even lashes that appear to be clean will need to be prepped, as makeup is only one small part of what can interrupt lash glue bonding with the natural lashes, it just so happens that makeup is pretty much the only thing that we can see on the lashes before we carry out our lash extension prep, but the biggest culprit of poor retention (where prep is being discussed, at least) is skincare, as we can't see the residue on the lashes. With that in mind, as well as removing makeup, we need to ensure that we remove any and all oils on the lashes are completely gone – oil is the natural enemy of glue and will think nothing of saying goodbye to it within a few short days (that’s if you’re lucky!).

⭐️ DID YOU KNOW ⭐️ It’s a really common misconception that oil breaks down eyelash extensions glue but this simply isn’t the case. The reason that we advise against using oily products when you have lash extensions is because the oil can get in between the glue bonds and the natural lashes, causing the extensions to slide right off. Keeping lashes clean between lash fills is essential, so consider having some bottles of lash shampoo available to retail to clients so that you know they are carrying out the best aftercare!

Why Would You Do Different Lash Extension Prep in the Summer?

The air in the summer is a lot different to the air in the winter in terms of temperature and humidity, which has an effect on your skin – we’re more likely to wear more sunscreen in the summer, for example (though you should be using SPF every single day – face and neck!), and might even swap out our whole skincare routine to combat the additional blemishes we might be getting due to sweating more during the summer. 

Changes to our clients’ skin and/or them using additional or different products mean that retention might be impacted if we don’t make any changes to our lash extension prep routine. If you typically only use Lash Shampoo for pre-treatment, it’s well worth adding at least Lash Cleanser into your routine to really make sure you’re getting the lashes stripped of oils, followed by Lash Primer which will rehydrate the lashes after the use of Cleanser, providing the ideal surface for your lash glue. Ideally though, consider using the whole 5-step routine – the protein remover and cleansing pads will provide a super deep clean for the lash line and will help your eye patches to stay in place, and the Booster will help to extend your retention times, by making the lashes more rough and giving the lash glue more surface area to bond with as a result. You can read more about Booster in this blog post! 

And that’s pretty much it when it comes to lash extension prep for summer lash retention. If you’re already a certified champ when it comes to lash extension prep, give yourself a pat on the back! The most important thing for you to do is to ensure that you keep track of your room conditions (temperature and humidity levels) so that you can ensure that your glue will be able to work as it’s supposed to while you work.