Beyond hair and makeup, it has become increasingly trendy for celebrities to enhance their natural look with eyelash extensions. Whether your salon clients want the look of thicker, fuller lashes often found through natural materials such as mink or human hair, or just want a fun, synthetic glam extension for a special event, you can be sure there is a product out there to achieve the look your client desires. These fun and sometimes funky makeup marvels are proving to be a boon to studio and professional makeup artists, salons, and aestheticians everywhere.
Understanding the Eyelash Life Cycle
Each human eye has about 200 lashes. The lashes usually grow in 3 rows and have a lifespan of 60 to 90 days.
Extensions can last 3 to 6 weeks, following the lashes’ natural cycle, and are easily touched up. With proper care, the lashes should last an average of 4 weeks, and possibly longer depending on the adhesive. To maintain the lashes, clients need to return every 3 to 6 weeks for touch-ups to replace lashes lost in the natural growth cycle.
Natural eyelashes grow in three stages: the Baby (short) stage, the Teenage (medium) stage, and the Mature (long) stage. You will want to attach the extensions to the Teenage medium lashes. They’re stronger than the Baby ones, and won’t fall out as soon as the Mature ones at the end of the growth cycle. If you want to apply eyelash extensions, you will do increase the lifespan of the extensions by isolating lashes that are in the middle stage of their growth cycle.
Types of Eyelash Extensions
There are many options in eyelash extensions, but the most common are more natural in appearance, though colors vary widely. The standard color is black, but there colors to match the rainbow on the market, including purple, pink, green and red as well as lash crystals for extra glam. Brown is available. However, it does not provide the contrast that clients are seeking.
Short lashes are 6 and 8 mm; medium are 10 and 12 mm; and long are 13, 14, and 15 mm. The medium lashes are the most popular lengths. Lashes also vary in thickness from.10 mm which is thin to.15 mm which is thick and point.020 which is very thick.
The curl of the extensions falls into a couple of categories. Narrow or J curls are shaped to look like natural lashes with a slight lift. The B curl has a slight curve, and the C curl has an exaggerated curve for a more dramatic effect. There is even a Y curl for special applications.
The number of lash extensions you’ll use will depend on what type of look you’re creating. It will also depend on the quality and quantity of your client’s natural lashes.
Obviously, the more lashes you use, the longer your service, so you can charge accordingly. A complete or full set for a first-time client can take up to 1.5 to 2 hours. A partial set is approximately one hour, and touch-ups and fills are from half-hour to an hour.
