Update Your Pretreatment for Lash Extensions This Summer

As Lash Techs you are all aware of how oils, especially around the eyes can affect the retention of Lash Glue and Eyelash Extensions. Unfortunately with rising temperatures and humidity levels during the summer months, it is difficult to control when your clients are producing extra sweat. Sweat is completely natural, and when your client arrives at your salon during a particularly hot and humid day, they may have excess oils and impurities caused by sweat. What can we do to tackle this using Pretreatment products and how will they help your client’s lash retention this summer?

What Is Wrong With My Current Pretreatment Routine?

The short answer is, nothing! In fact, our blog post on How to Perfect Pretreatment does suggest a thorough 3-Step Pretreatment routine which we have found to be effective and nourishing for your client’s lashes. However, in those 3-Steps we discuss only cleansing and priming the lashes, which during the summer months may not be enough for the perfect retention. With excess sweat and oils comes retention issues, we want to get rid of absolutely every single impurity and create the ultimate base for the Eyelash Glue to adhere to. 

Follow a 5-Step Pretreatment Routine

Our comprehensive 5-Step Pretreatment for Lash Extensions is developed with every potential issue in mind. The London Lash Pretreatment line carries products with specific jobs to make sure your client’s lashes are completely clean, primed and ready for the perfect eyelash set. Each step is necessary to follow, especially during the summer so that you can achieve the perfect adhesion between your Lash Glue, Eyelash Extensions and the client’s own natural lashes.

• Step One: Lash Shampoo

A foam cleansing Lash Shampoo used in conjunction with a Cleansing Brush will cleanse the client’s lashes and get rid of oils, sebum, makeup residue and any stubborn sunscreen which the client may have used. It contains antibacterial Tea Tree extract which protects the client from any infections and overall promotes the health of the natural lashes. An important first step to get rid of all those summer impurities.

• Step Two: Protein Removing Pads

This step is one which will provide the deepest clean. Protein Removing Pads are cleansing and work to remove all excess oils, makeup and proteins around the natural lashes. Any excess oils or makeup which were not cleaned by the Lash Shampoo don’t stand a chance against Protein Removing Pads. For a very deep and thorough cleanse, read our blog here on lash hacks using Protein Removing Pads to find out how to not only save product, but get into those hard to see sections of the lashes. 

• Step Three: Cleanser

Cleanser is the third and final lash cleaning product. Our specially formulated Cleanser will get rid of any residue of dirt, moisture and oils, especially if the client has used any heavy moisturisers or sunscreen, this product will neutralise all the leftover oils and residue after your first two steps. Taking two Micro Fibre Brushes, add a little of the Cleanser on them and sandwich the natural lashes between the two brushes and work the product upwards from root to tip to allow all of the product to coat and seep through the lashes.

• Step Four: Primer

An important step after a very thorough clean. Once your client’s lashes are perfectly cleaned, they need to be primed. With the first three steps you have stripped away all of the impurities from the natural lashes, but also all of the moisture. Primer will hydrate the natural lash and reintroduce the essential moisture necessary for a perfect bond between the natural lashes and Lash Glue. Not only will Primer promote the ideal adhesion but it will speed up drying time too as Lash Glue needs a good level of moisture to cure. 

• Step Five: Booster

The London Lash Retention and Speed Booster is our final step. With the summer humidity causing havoc, we want the lash extensions to be perfectly adhered to the natural lash. Booster opens up the natural eyelash cuticles ever so slightly creating more surface area for the Lash Glue to bond between the lash extension and natural eyelash.

The Best Products for After the Lash Treatment

Of course by now you know how much we adore  Superbonder Sealant. Using Superbonder will cure the lash glue instantly and prevent any shock polymerisation (this is when the glue cures far too quickly as a result of coming into contact with water and turns white instead of drying black or clear as it’s supposed to), and will prevent the glue from becoming brittle.

This is especially important if your client is prone to sweating around the forehead and eyes, but also means that it's better able to cope with higher humidity in the summer, and will cure the glue ready for your client to head to the pool or the beach.

☀️HOT TIP☀️ During the summer clients might be more likely to head to the sauna or steam room after a refreshing dip in the pool. It's worth mentioning, that they should try not to stay in for too long as the heat will affect their glue bonds. The sauna has a dry heat which will soften the glue bond and will cause fumes to be emitted like it is with fresh glue – this can cause chemical burns in the eyes, and can even lead to allergic reactions. Steam rooms are similar, however you're less likely to have the issue with fumes as the high levels of moisture will be curing the glue at the same time. Due to this, steam rooms can lead to brittle glue as it's softening and being re-cured very quickly if our client's stay there for a long time.

Without Superbonder being used, clients are advised to avoid water around the eyelash extensions for 24 hours to ensure that their lash adhesive cures properly. If the client sweats during a particularly hot day straight after their treatment, this could cause the glue to become brittle as it will dry a little too fast. But, with Superbonder all that is avoided.

Not only will Superbonder cure the glue instantly, it will add elasticity to the lash glue, lock away any excess lash glue fumes and allow your clients to get their lashes wet in a shower or swimming pool right away! You can read more about Superbonder in this blog post.

The last little tip we’d suggest is offering your clients the chance to purchase Lash Shampoo, directly from you. With the Clean Lashes Duo you clients can take home a bottle of Lash Shampoo and a Cleansing Brush which is perfect for their daily facial routine. Cleaning the lashes daily with a foam cleanser will boost their retention by getting rid of dirt, oils and sunscreen residues and will promote the health of their natural lashes. Aftercare for lash extensions is especially important during the summer as we naturally produce excess oils and sweat therefore having a handy aftercare kit will help your clients help you for when they return for an infill session in the future.