How to keep your lashes clean

After your beautiful set of eyelash extensions are applied, you will often hear your lash stylist telling you not to get them wet for 24 hours and to avoid touching them unnecessarily.  This is to allow enough time for the adhesive to fully dry/cure and to avoid premature fallouts.

However, some ladies take this advice too far and hardly ever get their lashes wet, nor wash them (yuk!)!

Dirty lashline! -  Photo courtesy of LashesbyMichelle

We often see clients with build up of glug (dead skin, oils, make up residue) on their lash line, which not only is unhygienic, but also takes away from your allocated appointment time for applying lashes as time is wasted cleaning your lashes instead. Clogged lash follicles can also mean weaker natural lashes growing through, higher risk of infections and sensitivities developing towards products, and shorter life of extensions as oil build up on the lashes causes the extensions to fall out sooner. With that, today’s post will be about how to clean your eyelashes properly and recommended cleansers for doing so.

At Tokyo Lashes, we strongly recommend foaming or lathering cleansers over wipes or liquid removers using cotton pads and tips. Why? The lint fibres from cotton tips and pads often get stuck in the lashes and can pull out the extensions. Using your hands and fingers will avoid this. Secondly, whilst they do a good job of removing the make up off the eyelid, they never get deep enough to cleanse the lashline thoroughly.

Some oil free foaming cleansers recommended are:

-Baby shampoo

-Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser

-Sterilid (available from pharmacists)

-QV wash

-Dermaveen

-Effaclar by La Roche-Posay (available from Priceline)

Method:

Wet your face with lukewarm water. Put a small dollop of the cleanser on your hand and work into a lather. Alternatively, use a foam pump (available from Daiso) with pre-diluted solution.

Using your fingertips, work the foam right into the lashline.

Rinse with lukewarm water.

Pat dry and allow lashes to dry naturally.

Once lashes are dry, the mascara wand given can be used to gently brush and groom the lashes.

This ‘washing of lashes’ does not need to be an added step in your skincare routine. If you are happy to use the products listed above on the rest of your face, this can be incorporated into your daily face wash routine. It can be done in the shower (just don’t put your face directly under the shower stream) or over a sink. Do this everyday or every second day at minimum, and always make sure they’re squeaky clean before every lash appointment. It really couldn't be any more simple.

Insight into long lasting lashes

Contrary to popular belief it is not solely up to your lash artist’s technique and their glue that determines the longevity of your lashes – long lasting and damage free lash extensions requires team work on the client’s part post treatment. Here are some factors that will influence the life of your new lashes:

Getting the lashes wet – lashes should not get wet for a minimum of 6 hours (preferably 24 hours) after each appointment. Showering and washing your hair beforehand is a good idea to eliminate the chances of wetting the lashes.

Active lifestyle – gym, hot yoga, and swimming enthusiasts are likely to lose their lashes faster due to the stress placed on the lashes from sweat, steam and water.

Work environment – someone with a highly active job or exposed to a humid environment such as chefs, are likely to lose their lashes faster as the adhesive doesn’t favour strong humidity.

Lash growth cycle – hormones, the stage of your lash growth cycle, and some medication may affect the state of your natural lashes, which will in turn affect how long the extensions will stay on. If your lashes are going through a weak/brittle lash stage, applying a lash serum may help.

Make up routine – if you cannot ditch the mascara, wear waterproof eye make up that is difficult to remove, or stiff lash line tugging eyeliner, chances are lashes will be lost every time you apply and try to remove these products from your eye area. Avoid mascara and waterproof eyeliner for cleaner longer lasting lashes.

Skin type and cleansing routine – the adhesive used for eyelash extensions does not react well with oils, which is why oil-free cleansers are always recommended. Oil blotting paper and powder may help those with naturally oily complexions that find the extensions aren’t lasting as long as they should.  Ensure the eye area is gently cleansed with a water-based cleanser daily; preferably a lathering type using your fingers to avoid getting any lint from cotton pads/tips caught in the lashes.

Other habits - Frequently touching the lashes, rubbing the eyes, sleeping on your face or on one side of the face will also affect how fast the lashes will shed.

Realistically, we can not expect you to change your lifestyle and habits for eyelash extensions, but please bear in mind that many factors outside of your lash stylist’s control affects the longevity of your lashes.

Remember to schedule an infill every 2-4 weeks to ensure your lashes always look full and lush!