Lash Kit Essentials: Glues & Liquids
In our Part 1 of the Lash Kit Essentials mini-series, we talked you through four of our all time bestsellers in our eyelash extensions and lash accessories collections. Today, we would like to give you a little information on the glues and other liquids that consistently make it into the kits and collections of Lash Techs all over the world.
Lash Extensions Glue
Lady Bond lash adhesive has been part of the London Lash glue collection from the very beginning, it's one of our original lash glues! With a 1-2 second drying time and quite a runny consistency, it’s very user friendly and appeals to Lash Techs of most levels. We advise Lady Bond for our respected beginners to start off with this glue.
Flexie was a fast favourite when it launched in 2018, its name comes from its ability to maintain a very flexible bond, owing to its slightly more syrup-like consistency. Add to that the fact that Flexie maintains its 1 second drying time in a wider range of humidity levels than some of our other glues, and you’re onto a winner. Flexie is best used by more advanced Lash Techs due to its 1 second drying time.
Like Lady Bond, Power Bond has been with us from the very beginning, as is a firm favourite for Lash Techs all over the world. Power Bond has a super fast 0.5-1 second drying time so we advise it for those very experienced Lash Techs who are fast at placing extensions on the natural lashes.
If you’re not sure which glue will be the best fit for you, we have a handy and super simple Glue Quiz which will help you to find your perfect match!
Pretreatment Products
Good Pretreatment is the difference between a couple of days of lash retention, and a few weeks of retention. In order for the glue to bond perfectly with the natural lashes, those lashes have to be completely free from oils, makeup and skincare residue, dust, dirt, and whatever else might have gathered on the lashes.
We recommend our 5-Step Pretreatment routine for the ultimate cleanse, which also cleans the skin around the eyes to minimise the presence of any oils from the skin making their way onto the lashes, but it also helps your eyepatches and tape to stay in place during the treatment.
Booster
True, Booster is by and large a pretreatment product, but it’s so well loved that we had to put it in its own spotlight for a second.
Booster has an alkaline pH, so it slightly lifts the cuticles of the natural lash hairs making them more rough, and giving the glue more surface area to grip onto. In doing this, Booster increases your retention time significantly so if you use it once, you’re sure to want to use it forever. That being said, if you’re newer to lashing it’s worth keeping in mind that Booster does speed up the bonding time of your glue, so may cause your glue to cure rapidly and thus will not actually form a strong bond, so we only really recommend it for intermediate to advanced techs, just while you get your placement speed up.
Superbonder
Superbonder is a lash sealant, to put it simply. All you need to do is add it to the glue bonds at the end of your set and the glue will be instantly cured, meaning no fumes hanging around the eyes after treatment, and better retention times too.
Typically, after a lash set, you would advise your clients to avoid water for 24 hours while the glue completely polymerises. With Superbonder though, your clients can wash their face, go swimming and shower after treatment. By curing the glue you’re also locking in the fumes which could cause irritation, so no more pink, watery eyes spoiling those after photos, and the chances of allergic reactions is significantly reduced too (that’s not to say that if someone is allergic to the glue they can now have them so long as you use Superbonder, that simply wouldn’t be safe – always be careful with allergies).
The best part is that Superbonder keeps your glue bonds nice and flexible, so it is better to use than a nanomister which cures the glue with a fine mist of water. Yes, water is what causes glue to cure, but curing it too quickly shocks the glue making it brittle, and can also leave behind white residue if a lot of moisture comes in contact with it.
