Do lash extensions damage your lashes?

An oh, so popular question about a still very much trending service: lash extensions. Do they damage your natural lashes?! Keep on reading, I promise you will love the answer.

I’m sure you’ve heard of lash extensions by now, but if you haven’t, let’s do some quick learning. Lash extensions are the act, or art as I like to call it, of taking synthetic fibers that very accurately mimic a perfectly curled natural lash, and applying them one by one to your natural lashes using a medical-grade adhesive. Sounds simple enough, so where does this process get complicated to the point that it can cause damage to the natural lashes? It’s all in the application. 

A little more on natural lashes: we shed about 3-5 lashes per eye, per day because each hair has its own growth cycle. The anagen phase: brand new, baby lash. The catagen phase: mid-cycle where you will see the most growth. Telagen phase: resting phase, then shed. 

What that means in regards to lash extensions is that they need to be applied in a way that allows for this growth cycle to continue as it would normally. So, the main cause of damage to natural lashes is when the extensions are applied in such a way that inhibits this cycle, more specifically, the extensions, along with the natural lashes get stuck together… When this happens, the lash that is in its active growing phase will do just that, continue to grow, while pulling the neighboring lashes along for the ride and, as you can probably guess, pull them right out of the follicle. If you’ve experienced this, you know this can not only be aesthetically displeasing but also painful. Repeated stress on the follicle can also cause long-term damage.

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, that lash extensions can cause damage to the natural lashes…if done poorly! Just like any service. But there is such a thing as a skilled, and proper application that ensures that your natural lashes can experience their growth cycles uninterruptedly even with lash extensions. I won’t get into all of the specifics and technicalities of adhesive and application, but essentially, the artist needs to understand the way the adhesive works for proper curing to prevent lashes from sticking together, as well as knowing which extensions to use when it comes to length and diameter. This avoids adding excess weight to the natural lash and follicle. 

So what does that mean for the client? How do you find a lash artist that is highly skilled in the art of applying lashes that don’t damage the natural lashes? 

I have a few pointers for you: 

Avoid chain studios: Sometimes you can find a one-in-a-million lash artist who knows what they’re doing, but odds are in a setting like a chain studio, they are focused on quantity and not quality. So this will significantly decrease your odds of finding a highly skilled artist, and increase them for running into issues with your service down the line. Which brings me to my next tip: 

Price Points: Higher prices can be a great way to filter out less experienced artists if you’re someone who really wants that elevated set of skills and experience. Typically a more seasoned artist will have graduated from the more common chain setting to a higher-end lash studio and will have most likely increased their prices to reflect their greater knowledge and experience. 

Social Image: Take a look at your potential prospect’s social platforms. Here you will be able to see exactly how they feel about their work. I can tell how much an artist cares about their work based on whether or not they call themselves a tech or an artist, if they are educating clients on their platform, how much attention goes into the details, and the way they showcase their work. You want good angles, minimal editing, clean, high-quality images, and cohesiveness just to name a few. When it comes to their work, pay attention to things like symmetry in the lashes, and styling, are the lashes all applied in the same direction or are there lashes crossing over each other? Is the set flattering to the client's face? Overall, does the work look neat? 

To wrap this up, as a lash artist who cares deeply about my work and the integrity of my clients' natural lashes and overall experience, I hope that I have left you with some helpful tips to find a great lash artist near you, and have hopefully quelled if not totally removed any fears around the glorious art of lash extensions.