Storing Bottles and Cleaning Nozzles: Why Taking Care of Your Lash Extension Glue Removes the Risk of a Complete Glue Disaster
Whether you’re a brand new Lash Tech or you’ve been giving your clients the gift of fluffy, glamorous and wispy lashes for years now, you’ll undoubtedly have experienced at least some trouble with your lash extension glue.
If you’ve found the perfect glue for you and you know what your room conditions should be to accommodate your lash extension glue, you might think your troubles are over. Alas, calamity can still befall us all if we don’t take extra care of our glue’s nozzle between uses! Here are our top tips for lash extension glue nozzle care so that you can avoid a whole host of sticky situations!
Tip 1: Put the Lid Back On Properly
If this sounds like a super obvious step to take, we applaud you! You’re one step closer to not having any glue issues. Just to be on the safe side though, let’s have a quick look at what we mean by that and why it’s so important to make sure your lid is replaced properly.
Firstly, if you’ve purchased a London Lash Glue before, you’ll know that they arrive in a sealed aluminum pouch with a silica gel packet to absorb moisture, plus a red pin. It’s not exactly common, but it’s not unheard of that someone new to lashing thinks that the red pin is for sealing your lash glue between uses – it’s not. That pin is there for emergencies if your nozzle should become blocked, and should never be used just for when you’re storing the glue.
The nozzle itself also isn’t sealed, and you don’t need to pierce it – if you take a look inside the glue lid, you’ll see that there’s a little nib. This nib sits inside the nozzle’s opening and keeps the bottle airtight between uses, which is why you need to…
Tip 2: Keep the Nozzle Clean
Again, this might sound obvious to you. Again, if it does, good job! It’s so important to take extra care to keep your glue’s nozzle clean because any residue left on the nozzle will either make it so that you’re not able to close your glue’s lid as tightly as you need to, or will result in your glue becoming stuck to the nozzle, which is probably the least convenient way to start your day as a Lash Technician.
To clean your nozzle, you’ll need something which won’t stick to it (of course), and something which doesn’t leave fibers behind. We have Lint Free Nozzle Wipes for exactly this reason, but you’ll be okay to use a small piece of foil if you have that handy from doing other treatments.
It’s all well and good giving you two examples of what you can use, but just to be on the safe side, here are some things you should never use and the reasons not to use them:
Tissue. Yes, tissue is absorbent, and given that you most likely have an abundance of tissue in your workspace, it seems like an obvious choice. Tissue in any form can and will get stuck to the glue’s nozzle, which will interfere with that airtight seal we spoke so highly of. It will also attract more glue residue there, so it becomes a terrible cycle of glue build-up.
Cotton Pads. Cotton and glue get on like a house on fire. Literally. As you’ll more than likely know by now, the main ingredient in lash extension glue is cyanoacrylate, and cyanoacrylate has the bonding abilities that we all know and love in our lash glue. When it reacts with fibers in cotton, it produces an exothermic reaction, which – if you weren’t quite as much of a nerd in chemistry as some of our team were – means that it produces heat.
While this reaction won’t lead to fires in such small quantities as a little bit of glue being cleaned from the nozzle (if it sounds like we’re being weirdly specific there, it’s because an uncured glue drop in a glue ring or on a jade stone can absolutely cause fires and small explosions if it lands on a cotton bud or cotton pad in the trash can), and it will produce additional fumes, which isn’t good for you or for your clients.
Clothing. You’ll never get the glue out, plus you’ll have that exothermic reaction to consider that we discussed above, so just don’t. The same goes for your bed cover – why ruin perfectly lovely salon decor when you could just use a glue nozzle wipe?
Wet Wipes. Anything wet, actually. Be it a moist towelette, a Protein Remover and Cleansing Pad, water added to anything dry, whatever – moisture is NOT EVER your friend when it comes to keeping your glue happy, so if you ever want to use your glue again, don’t let water near the nozzle, even in small quantities.
Fingers. It might seem tempting to just clean up your nozzle with your fingers, but it’s not a good idea. Firstly, again, heat reaction. Secondly, you’ll be surprised how difficult it can be to use your tweezers accurately when the feeling in your fingertips is obstructed. Thirdly, you know well enough that you shouldn’t be applying lash glue to your skin in any capacity. Lastly, there is moisture in your skin, which, though significantly less than anything with added liquid, can affect your glue’s behavior.
The long and short of it is simply to wipe the nozzle every time you’ve dispensed a new drop of glue.
Tip 3: Burping the Bottle
This point might sound kind of weird. Stick with us – we’ve found that using visuals that people can relate to is helpful for driving the point home.
Burping your glue is a bit like burping a baby after a feed, except that babies are cuter than lash extension glue, and they don’t get stuck to themselves if you don’t clean them up properly after burping them. We digress, but the theory is similar – when a baby is sucking in milk from a bottle, they’re also taking in air. After they’ve finished, you need to help them get the air out of their tummy so that they feel comfortable. Sometimes, along with that air, they might bring up a little bit of the milk. Something similar happens with our lash glue.
When you dispense glue, it’s best to let gravity do the majority of the work so that you don’t suck too much air into the bottle when you release your squeeze. This is easier said than done if you use a glue ring (which, by the way, we don’t really advise – you’ll be doing yourself a big favor if you opt for a Jade Stone instead!), but if you’re dispensing your glue onto a Jade Stone or straight onto your lash tile (for easy cleanup, use a Jade Stone sticker or a few pieces of 3M micropore tape!) you can let it come out more gradually.
After you dispense your glue, even if you’re careful to let it come out slowly, there will still be some air that gets into the bottle. This air will want to leave the bottle, and will take some glue with it. Give the glue a little tap on your trolley, or very gently squeeze the bottle to help this air escape before wiping it with a nozzle wipe and replacing the lid nice and tight. If you don’t wipe the nozzle, you’ll get glue build up, and if you replace the lid before it burps, there’s every chance it will burp into the lid and will get your lid stuck to your nozzle.
Want some more glue care tips? Check out this blog post all about Glue Accessories!
Bonus Tip: How to Replace a Stuck Nozzle:
Despite your best efforts, nozzle clogs can still occur from time to time. Sometimes, there’s little else we can do but swap the nozzle for a new one. We do stock packs of spare glue nozzles, but if you have a situation where the tip of your glue nozzle gets stuck inside the lid, you’ll need a new lid as well. Lucky for you, we have glue rescue kits to help you deal with this exact eventuality!
Removing your nozzle isn’t as easy as it sounds, and that’s because the nozzle has to be nice and tight in the bottle so that it doesn’t just fall out and spill your lash glue everywhere. Before you remove your nozzle – or even your lid, assuming you haven’t already – get your tools ready so that you can make a really quick swap, and then your glue isn’t exposed to moisture for longer than it absolutely has to be.
If you don’t have a glue nozzle opener, it’s good to have one on hand – they seem like something you don’t really need in your lash kit until you need to swap a nozzle, and then they’re the best thing that’s ever been invented. Insert the right sized opening under the nozzle and use a very gentle lever motion to remove the nozzle. We highly recommend doing this over a (dry) sink while wearing gloves, just in case it comes out a little bit too fast and the glue is spilled.
Once the nozzle is out, pop the brand new one in, making sure it securely clicks into place, and then screw on your new lid nice and tightly.
Taking proper care of your lash extension glue is essential for delivering consistent and high-quality results to your clients. By preventing nozzle clogs and addressing nozzle issues before they even arise, you'll ensure that your glue is just as great on the day you swap it out for a fresh bottle as it was on the day you opened it!
