As lash artists, we need clients coming back for treatments more than ever before, and for one reason or another, it looks like we’re all struggling with retention as if we’re back in our early lashing days! As if the autumn shed and changes in temperature + humidity during this time of the year were not enough of a headache, this time around we have the added challenge of face masks messing with our lash retention too! Of course we must adhere to the safety policies to keep the salons open and protect our industry but what to do with clients who are not happy with the retention? I want to share 3 tips with you that have helped me to reduce the retention problems during these times without jeopardising the safety of the treatment.
TAPE IT DOWN
The first thing you should do is to tackle the humidity and temperature increase coming from your customer. Wait, what? Yup - every time your customer wears a mask, their breath will travel up towards the lashes, making the dying time of your glue skyrocket due to the increased temperature and humidity! The poor retention is caused by the glue drying even before you have attached the extension to the natural lash. The first solution to this involves tape, tape, and more tape! As soon as you have finished the pretreatment, placed the eyepatches and taped down the bottom lashes, you should close any gaps between your clients face mask and their skin. Don’t be scared to use a lot of it - the more gaps you can close, the better for your retention. Just make sure you explain to your clients what you’re doing to avoid making them feel uncomfortable!
LESS CHATTING
I know that chatting and catching up with your clients is one of the nicest things about this job but the more your client chats, the more warm and moist air your client creates near the lashes. Yes, we have taped the mask down but the air will still be trying to find several ways out of the mask! This is the time to put on a nice relaxing playlist and give shorter replies to your clients’ chit chat. As a result, the treatment will be a nice lash nap for your client, and reduced distractions will help you get your job done quicker. All of that with a benefit of reduced risk of bad retention - it’s a WIN for everyone!
SWAP THE GLUE
Last but not least, a bit of an unpopular solution. I know we all hate to admit it but we may have become a little slower where application is concerned - that’s nothing to be ashamed about, at best we had to wait 5 months to lash again, some of those under local lockdowns are still waiting for that day to come! Don’t worry - the speed of your work will pick up soon but meanwhile you may benefit from switching your old favourite glue to a slightly slower drying one. After all, a great lash artist is one that knows WHEN and HOW to change the tools and products for the treatment.The decrease in drying time from the masks is making every glue work faster anyway, so temporarily changing your glue to a slower drying one is basically meeting your working conditions in the middle, and making everything a little bit easier for everyone involved! If you are still new to the industry and are looking for a slightly slower drying glue, I would recommend trying ourVelvet. If you’re at the top of the game, try our Flexie, which has a creamier consistency, helping you to control the amount of glue used. Not quite a beginner but not the master of the game? In this case, try our Lady Bond which has a lovely viscosity and slightly slower drying time than Flexie.
Can’t decide which one will work best for you? In this case, get a Sample Size of every glue you have your eyes set on, and find out which one works best for YOU!
