Do Eyelash Extensions Damage Your Eyelashes? Three Ways to Avoid Damage 

When you’re a beginner lash tech, it can seem like there are so many things to remember, that it may feel a bit overwhelming! It’s also worth taking another look at your best practices if you’ve been doing lashes for a while. The industry changes, and if we’re honest it’s quite easy to start cutting corners, or using lashes that aren’t ideal for your client if they’re keen on having bigger and bigger lashes! 

‘Do eyelash extensions damage your eyelashes?’ is a question that is searched on Google hundreds of times per month! The simple answer, is ‘not if they’re done properly’. So how can you avoid damaging the natural lashes with eyelash extensions? 

We’ve put together a list of our top tips to help you keep your clients’ lashes safe and happy! 

 How to Prevent Damage:

1. Picking the Right Lashes - Thickness

Did you know that when you choose the right lashes for the set you’re doing, you can apply fans of 30D+ without causing any damage! How? Surely that would weigh down your lashes? Well of course, if you’re using the wrong thickness you will absolutely cause damage in the long run! 

You should pick your lashes based on the client’s natural lashes. If they are very thick and strong, you can get away with thicker extensions. However, you should still try to use thinner lash extensions to provide extra protection for those natural lashes! 

•  Generally speaking, 0.25 will be too heavy for the vast majority of clients, but they do come as flat lashes, which means that they only weigh around half as much as a standard classic lash! 
•  The same applies for 0.20 lashes - they’re pretty heavy, so it’s better to err on the side of caution! 
•  0.18 are the thickest we would advise for your average classic set. They still give a full, dark mascara effect, while being safe for the vast majority of clients. 
•  0.15 will have a pretty mascara effect, and still be safe for everyone! That being said, if your client has EXTREMELY fine lashes, they still might be a little too heavy. 
• 0.12 will give a lighter finish to your lash set. They’re perfect for adding a little bit of extra density, without too much extra weight.  
• 0.10 lashes are classic lashes for all intents and purposes. If someone has very strong natural lashes and would like a lighter volume set, you can use 0.10s for 2D fans. 
•  0.07 lashes can be used for fans up to 6D. 
•  0.06 lashes are similar to 0.07, but can be used for fans up to 8D.
•  0.05 lashes sit comfortably between volume and mega volume lashes, so they can be used for fans up to 12D.
•  0.04 lashes can be used for fans up to 19D.
•  0.03 lashes can be used for fans up to a massive 35D! 

These fan sizes are worked out on a basis of how many individual lashes in that thickness would be equal to one 0.18 classic lash. We’ve used volumetric calculations to do this - S = 𝜋 x R. It’s a long and technical explanation, but what it basically means, is that you’re working out how many lashes would ‘fit into’ a larger lash. It’s quite easy to assume that 1 x 0.15 lash = 3 x 0.05 lashes if we are simply dividing. What we actually need to do, is look at the diameter of the base (that’s the lash thickness, 0.05 in this case) and work out how many of those fit into a 0.15 diameter. There’s your almost-equivalent weight! 

2. Picking the Right Lashes - Length

As a general rule, the longest length you will use, should only be 3mm longer than the natural lashes. Any longer, and the natural lashes can twist or sit at a lower angle than they should, which could result in the lashes coming out prematurely. This might also affect the root in the long run, causing the lashes could grow back finer, or sometimes not at all! 

If your client REALLY wants super long lashes and won’t take ‘it’s not the best idea’ for an answer, you can drop down a thickness or two so that at least in one aspect, the lashes are protected! 

3. Avoid Stickies

Stickies should be avoided at all costs. Not only do they cause damage, but they’re painful for the client, too. While using lashes that are too heavy may be a silent killer, stickies will let your client know for a fact that their lashes are being damaged! 

We have a more in-depth post about stickies and how to avoid them if you have time for a deep-dive.

In general, you need to make sure you’re isolating the lashes perfectly, not picking up too much glue on your extension, and you’re working across both eyes evenly, giving the freshly applied extension a chance to dry a bit before you squash other lashes against it. 

Even if you’re very careful, you’re still highly likely to end up with at least a couple of stickies, so make sure you set aside 10-15 minutes at the end of each treatment to check for stickies and separate them!

Avoiding lash damage will mean that you always have an excellent reputation among your clients, which means that they'll tell their friends how great you are, and your business will continue to grow! The more of us that ensure we're lashing with our clients' lash health in mind, the more the eyelash extensions industry will come to be known as safe!