What Does Lash Sealant Do? Everything You Need to Know About London Lash Superbonder
Superbonder launched back in 2018 and quickly became a must-have in a lot of technicians' lash kits. If you haven't used Superbonder before, allow us to introduce you...
What is Superbonder?
To put it simply, Superbonder is a lash sealant. it's used at the end of your eyelash extensions treatment to cure the glue instantly whilst keeping the bond flexible. This improves your lash extensions retention and helps to reduce client discomfort from chemical burns.
Do You Need to Cure Lash Glue?
Technically you don't have to as it does of course cure by itself, however lash extensions glue forms a strong bond between the eyelash extensions and the natural lashes (as long as you're using the best lash glue for you, and you've completed your lash extensions pre-treatment properly), and while it has a drying time anywhere between 3 and 0.5 seconds (generally speaking), it actually takes around 8 hours to completely cure. What this means is that any time it comes into contact with water within 8-10 hours of the treatment, it's going to become brittle due to the water causing it to polymerize too quickly, which in turn will lead to poor retention times.
DID YOU KNOW: This is why we tell our clients to avoid getting their lashes wet for 24 hours after treatment. 24 hours is significantly longer than 8, but who among us doesn't hedge their bets with these things? If you tell a client 8 hours and they get them wet in 6 because it's 'close enough' to 8, their retention will be impacted. If we say 24 hours, then even if they halve that and get them wet after 12 hours, their retention will be fine.
On the other hand, uncured lash glue emits fumes. This is most obvious straight after treatment when we feel that stinging sensation as we open our eyes (this is caused by the cyanoacrylate fumes which is present in all lash extensions glues, you can learn more about chemical burns and allergic reactions in this blog post), but the fumes do linger.
By using Superbonder Lash Sealant you're locking in glue fumes which at the very least means that your client will have an easier time opening their eyes for the after pictures you're going to take for your Instagram. They'll also be able to get back to their normal routine much faster as they won't have to wait out that curing period.
How To Use Lash Sealant
Once you've completed your lash set and have gone through to check for stickies, apply a drop of Superbonder to a microfiber brush, dabbing off the excess like you do with your lash cleanser and lash primer, then just brush it along the glue bonds to instantly cure them.
Could You Use A Nanomister Instead?
Nanomisters certainly have a similar role, and have been quite commonly used to seal lash extensions for the last ten years at least. Nanomisters aren't exactly the best thing to use on your lash glue though, as nanomisters are filled with water.
Moisture is what makes our lash glue cure, which is why we have to pay such close attention to our humidity levels when choosing, and later using, our lash glue. Too much moisture and your glue cures too quickly, resulting in very stiff and brittle bonds.
Brittle lash glue isn't dangerous, but it is more likely to snap than glue that hasn't cured too quickly which means that your client's lash extensions can just snap right off of their natural lashes.
Superbonder contains some stabilizers which maintain a flexible glue bond as the liquid content of Superbonder cure the glue. This means that the glue bonds move with the natural lashes and extensions instead of snapping or crumbling, prolonging retention times.
Can You Use Superbonder in a Nanomister?
NO.
This might seem like a lash hack but Superbonder was developed to be used in a specific way and shouldn't be applied to the skin. Adding Superbonder to a nanomister will get it all over the skin, and while it's not super likely to cause any terrible reactions, we haven't tested it in this way simply because it's not supposed to be applied in this way. If your client did have a reaction to is and decided to take legal action, you would not be covered by insurance and you would lose the claim because you were using the product in a way that it's not intended to be used.
Nanomisters also disperse the liquid over a wider surface area, so isn't anywhere near as effective at allowing Superbonder to do its job as simply applying it in the way that you're supposed to.
Could You Use Superbonder Alongside a Nanomister?
You can, but you don't need to. Superbonder does the same job, and it does it better, so you may as well just cut out a step and get a better result for doing so.
That’s it! Superbonder might seem like just another lash product, but it can make a big difference to your lash extensions retention and to your client's experience. If you're not sure if it's something you want to add to your lash kit, grab a sample and try it out before committing to a full-sized bottle!
