Top 3 Lash Retention Tips

I have a client that scheduled a fill… it’s been 5 weeks!
Did she mean to schedule a full set?


Do I wait till her appointment to see how here lashes are? or do I text and ask her now?


I texted her…
She said she just needs a fill. Dang. I wonder…
I wonder if she says fill because she only wants to pay for a fill, though she actually needs a full set?
​Hmm I’m nervous!


This client came to her appointment with this…

Her growth cycle was slow and because I was able to get every lash at the last fill appointment and many other variables her retention was great!


When I first started in my lash career I had zero knowledge of lash adhesive. Adhesive knowledge was not something that was taught in lash trainings in 2013. I used to order a different glue bottle every time I needed to order a lash glue. My retention wasn’t as amazing as I thought it could be. So I must have had the wrong glue. What is the best adhesive?!


Every 2 weeks I had clients coming back with less than 40% or coming back with gaps. What were they doing wrong at home?! (This is what I used to think).


Now my clients come at 2 weeks like this

Or come at 3.5 weeks like this:

Great lash retention doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Over the past 8 years of hands on experience, lash trainings and working with manufacturers, I’ve learned so much about glues and retention. I’m sorry, but if the lash retention is not the best it’s because of you, the lash artist.

Let’s talk about glue knowledge

Are you using a beginner glue or an experienced glue? Each glue drys differently. I’ve gotten to the point where it honestly doesn’t matter what kind of glue I’m working with as long as I know which glue I’m working with and what my room temperature and humidity is. How much glue you pick up on the extension matters for retention. You want to pick up a descent amount of glue. If you pick up too much glue, you either need to re dip to wipe off the excess glue or you need to hold isolation longer to ensure you don’t get stickies.

Room

Humidity and temperature will make or break your glue and how much you pick up. If you don’t know your room humidity and temperature then you can forget about the glue information above. You truly need to know your glue bottle information and your lash room to have great retention.


Example 1:
My glue bottle says: Dry time .5sec Humidity 65% Temp 73
My lash Room is: Humidity 20% Temp 73*
When I use the glue, I pick up a small bead on the extension. I place the lash extensions on the lash and it’s not drying in .5 secs. This is because the humidity is not what is recommended for the best results from the adhesive. Instead of expecting .5seconds, I should actually expect 1-3sec because my humidity is low at 20%. I will still get amazing retention with this small bead of glue. It will just take me slightly longer for the appointment because I will be holding isolation longer or I get an even smaller amount of glue on the extension.


Example 2: My glue bottle says: Dry time .5 sec Humidity 20-50% Temp 73
My Lash Room is: Humidity 60% temp 75*
When I use my glue this time I pick up a small bead. I place the lash extensions on the lash and it stuck right away. Perfect! (I think) so I move on to the next lashes. It’s 2 weeks and my client is back for a fill. Her retention is not the best. She has gaps that need to be filled.

This poor retention is because of 2 reasons:

1. Your glue dried too fast.
   
2. You didn’t have enough glue on your extension during placement for your lash room environment. You need glue to cure/dry all around the natural lash to have great retention, not just where the extension and natural lash first touch.

Placement

Have you ever painted your nails with the paint being 2-3mm away from the cuticle? They look slightly grown out, if you’ve tried this look. Well let’s apply this to lashes. If we are placing the extensions 2-3mm away from the skin then the retention won’t last as long because in 2 weeks if the lash grew even the slightest then it would be a “grown out lash”. Instead place the lash extension as close as possible to the skin(like the very root where the natural lash comes out of- you need to be able to see it) without the glue wicking down. This takes practice! This! This will make your retention be a whole week longer.


Did you already know these tips?
Want more Retention tips? Then download my free ebook, “How To Get The Best Retention From Your Lash Glue”