How to solve retention issues

There is nothing worse to a lash artist than your client coming in for a touchup with barely any extensions left. It causes so much stress to try and catch up getting your clients lashes full again. But mainly, we worry about WHY is this happening? We are here to show you how to troubleshoot this issue and get the best eyelash extension retention.

It can be a tricky subject to broach with your client and needs to be done with care so they don’t feel like they are being blamed.

Before getting to the bottom of this an important question to ask when your client is not having good retention: Is the extension attached to the natural lash when it comes off? If so, provided you are using the appropriate length & weight to not stress the natural lash, this is good. It means the extensions are lasting until the natural lash sheds. In this case, nothing can be done as the artist because their lashes are shedding and the extensions will shed with them.

But, if not, that means something is either breaking the bond of the adhesive (client), or there is something during the application process that needs to be improved (artist). Before blaming the client, go over this checklist of the most common application problems that can cause retention:

• Not enough adhesive used

• Adhesive drying on the extension before you get it placed on the natural lash- this can happen commonly on the eye that is farthest from your pick up hand. Often called pop-offs (see more below about this).

• Touching the extension multiple times to the natural lash before fully attaching.

• Lifted base; not having adhesive bead fully at the base of the extension.

• Wiping excess adhesive on gel pad or tape.

• Not properly cleansing and prepping the lashes before application.

• Not changing adhesive frequently enough during application.

Go through this checklist and examine if any of these could be happening during your application. If none of the above application issues apply to your client’s situation, they may be doing something in their aftercare to cause the bond of the adhesive to break down:

• Not thoroughly cleansing the root of their lashes daily. Make sure you’re providing a top of the line lash care cleanser and instructions on how to care for their lashes. Here is our guide on how to get your clients to cleanse their lashes.

• Using waterproof eyeliners or mascaras

• Using gel liners.

• Rubbing, touching, picking, or pulling lashes.

• Sleeping very hard on their lashes.

• Using steam rooms or doing hot yoga, getting sweat onto their lashes.

Sometimes it appears the extensions are bonded strongly, but the adhesive has actually started to cure on the extension before we get a perfect bond to the natural lash. This can cause a common retention issue called “pop offs”. If you check for pop offs about 10 minutes into your appointment, you can adjust your adhesive usage to avoid this problem.

You don’t want to wait until the end of your appointment to realize all your freshly applied lashes are not going to last.

To check for pop offs, simply massage the extensions between two lint-free wands, or brush thoroughly with a mascara wand to see if any extensions come off.

Many lash artists know that humidity plays a role in eyelash extension adhesive performance. Too high humidity (or heat) can cause pop offs depending on the adhesive you are using.

Now that clients are wearing masks during their lash appointments, you may find pop offs, or retention to become an issue. What can happen is heat and humidity from your client is funneled right up to the lash line due to the angle of their mask. This can cause your adhesive to cure more quickly and not get an optimal bond. Some ways to solve this are:

• Try very gently taping along the upper edge of your clients mask to vent the air from under her mask to go downwards, instead of up towards the lashes.

• Try using a slightly larger bead of your adhesive on your extension. This will give you an extra .5-1 second of curing time.

• Work as quickly as possible.

• Change to a slightly slower curing adhesive.