Why Do I Need To Wash My Lashes?
Well there are a few reasons
• To keep them full and fluffy
• To avoid itchiness
• To avoid Lash Mites
• To help them last longer- protecting your investment
In this blog we will go through all these items in detail, to help you get the longest period out of your lashes and keep them looking fresh.
Full and Fluffy
Don’t you love that fresh lash feeling? You go to order your coffee and the barista and waitresses are all taking sneaky glances at your lashes;
“Excuse me, can I ask you where you got your lashes? They look amazing!”
But as time goes on the fluffiness fades? Ill go into how to cleanse them properly to keep that fresh lash feeling later in the blog but first lets talk about why they look so amazing?
Of course they have just been done so there is more of them than there will be in 3 weeks due to your natural lashes shed cycle (you loose 1-5 natural lashes per eye, per day! That’s a lot), But they are all open fans in the Russian Volume technique, meaning each natural lash has a glorious fan on it.
Over time our body creates oils to moisturise the skin, those oils (if not properly cleansed) will stick those gorgeous little fans together, meaning your investment doesn’t look as good long term as it should.
To keep that full and fluffy feeling- a new daily ritual must be created.
Washing- Avoiding Lash Mites
By far the most important factor in keeping lashes lasting for a long time is your cleaning regime.
We ALWAYS recommend you cleanse your lashes thoroughly before every appointment at our salon. When you come to your appointment without cleansing they will be covered in your bodies natural oils, plus loose skin cells and debris from makeup, cleansing products, moisturisers, dust etc etc. This all a natural thing, however cleansing regularly removes all of these items, meaning when we are lashing you our adhesive is free to connect directly with the hair follicle, not the muck on top of it. If we are attaching to dirty lashes its like putting tape on a dusty surface, the dust adheres to the sticky tape, meaning the tape cant actually attach itself to the surface it was intended for.
The best way to cleanse lashes is by using a lash shampoo designed for eye usage. At Lashes On Point we stock foaming lash cleansers and give them to every new client with their full set appointments.
The idea of the foaming cleanser is to gently remove the build up, debris, oils and skin cells from your eye area, keeping it clean, comfortable and healthy. We find itchiness and visible build up at the roots our your lashes is the first sign that your lashes need a good cleanse.
Lashes that are not cleansed regularly run the risk of developing a lash-mite infestation. These little darlings live on your lashes and get the skin cells/oil/debris mixture on your lashes for dinner, then get romantic with each other after a hearty meal! These mites cause damage to the hair follicle of your natural lashes, leading to inflammation, itchiness and eventual lash loss.
Proper cleansing routines keep these bad boys at bay and not fornicating on your face…. Gross.
Pic from heydoctor.org
So not only does a proper cleaning regime assist your lash tech in giving you longer lasting healthier extensions, it also stops gross bugs and discomfort. Win-Win? I think so.
The best way I have found to cleanse your natural lashes is to do it in the shower, firstly moisten your face, then dispense a walnut sized amount of foaming lash cleanser to your hand and place directly on your CLOSED eyes, let this sit for a minute then using a lash cleansing brush (or eyeshadow brush) gently brush the foam onto your lashes in a downward motion. Finally give your lashes a good rinse.
I have very oily skin, so I cleanse my lashes morning and night in the shower. Some people have very dry skin, so hey can get away with once a day, but make sure you always wash them every day. This keeps your peepers healthy and the extensions fluffy.
After a good cleanse I like to blow-wave my lashes with my hairdryer on COLD, then give them a brush.
Voilà! Perfectly cleansed and fluffy lashes.
Makeup is a Girls Best Friend
Oil free is the way to go here sister, we love the Mary Kay Oil Free makeup remover to remove makeup at the end of a busy day. Remember to cleanse the extensions with ONLY the lash shampoo. Avoid micellar water etc as these are full of oils unfortunately.
Sleeping
I sleep on my face… I also am known to drool but that’s another story altogether.
Face and side sleeping is the bane of every lash techs life, the reason for this is all our beautiful work gets crushed like a bug.
If you sleep on your face and don’t move all night you will have lashes on the outer corner of that eye bent inwards where the pillow crushed them.
If you get restless in the night you can also rub off your extensions on the pillow case, leading to loosing your extensions and needing a refill earlier, or even damaging your natural lashes!
We always recommend sleeping on your back with extensions, but if you cannot help it, then definitely invest in a silk pillow case. This will allow your eyes to slide over the pillow instead of catching and potentially pulling off your extensions.
Brushing
Treat your lashes like the prized poodle they are, give them a brush with a clean mascara spoolie after you have cleansed your lashes, or when you wake up. Being gentle is the key here, just like when you used to apply mascara- gently stroke the lashes with the brush.
This will keep them sitting well and looking polished.
At lashes on Point we like to provide mascara spoolies in containers which keep them clean- lets face it, they mostly roll around our bags when we are not using them so can get abit gross- be sure to cleanse your mascara wand regularly.
Be Kind
Finally, be gentle. Your natural lashes are just a single follicle of hair, that we are applying extensions too. This weight distribution is the technician’s responsibility- a well-trained technician will be able to judge how full/long we can go to give you the look you desire, without putting too much weight on the natural lash.
Not everyone can wear long think full extension, some people have short lashes- this means short extensions. Some people have sparse natural lashes- which means they wont be able to achieve a look that is as full as their best friend. As lash technicians we have a duty of care and must work within your natural lashes limits, meaning sometimes we will say no if you want to go longer or fuller.
Not only is it the technician’s responsibility to protect your natural lashes but also your own. Picking is the devil. I get anxiety occasionally- I’m basically a big ball of nerves, it’s a blessing and a curse lol. But when I’m anxious I chew my nails and pick my lashes- at one point I damaged by left eyes natural lashes so much that I had to remove my extensions and wait for 3 months for them to grow back with the help of a lash growth serum!!! Naughty I know, but I couldn’t help myself.
So find a new habit, picking at your lashes will damage them and mean you have to be lash free like me for 3 months while they regenerate- I looked like garden gnome. It was gross.
Follow all these steps and you will have full fluffy lashes for longer. Which is the goal isn’t it?
Aftercare kits are available in the salon containing everything you need to properly look after your lashes 🙂 Happy washing. Love from Nina xx
