What is a Lash Lift? 5 Common Questions, Answered!

Lash Lifts are hardly new, but they’re still a bit of a mystery to some, especially to our clients! We took to Google to find out the five most common questions your clients – existing or potential – may be asking about lash lift treatments so that you’re armed with the knowledge to answer perfectly every time! 

What is a Lash Lift?

To put it simply, a Lash Lift treatment lifts the lashes, increasing the appearance of length, thickness and curl. To get a bit more technical, there are three main stages to a Lash Lift – for the purposes of this explanation, we’ll be talking specifically about InLei® Lash Filler as we know it like the backs of our hands, but generally speaking the vast majority of Lash Lift treatments will have similar steps. 

The first step (after the Technician has lifted the lashes onto the right sized shield) is applied to the middle section of the lashes – that’s avoiding the roots and the tips of the lashes – and is left on for an amount of time determined by the thickness of the client’s specific lashes. This is anywhere between 4 minutes and 12 minutes. This step is alkaline based which means that it is able to open up the hair cuticles and penetrate the hair shaft, where it breaks open the disulfide bonds in the hair, ready to reform them into their new shape. 

This is then removed, and the second step is applied, again to the middle section of the lashes. Step 2 enters the lash and reforms the disulfide bonds, fixing the lashes into their new position. It has an acidic pH, which means that it closes the hair cuticles. 

At this stage, there is the option to add a tint to the lashes – most of the time clients will ask for black lashes to replicate a mascara effect, but there are lots of different tint shades available to complement any client’s skin tone and hair colour perfectly! 

The final stage – in our case – is Lash Filler, which is left on the lashes and nourishes them. Lash Filler also penetrates the lashes all the way into the bulb and adds extra keratin to the hairs from the inside. (Fun fact: Lash Filler was tested on human volunteers at the university institute in Italy and was found to increase the thickness of hairs by up to 24% over the course of 3 treatments)

Are Lash Lifts Bad For Lashes?

Not if they’re done right! There’s a really good reason that the solutions are applied only to the middle section of the eyelashes and that is so that the tips don’t get frazzled, and the skin isn’t touched. 

Generally speaking, lashes will be thicker, stronger, more obedient and shinier after a Lash Lift treatment than they are normally. Like with any beauty treatment, make sure you’re looking around for a Technician who is fully qualified and has great reviews.

How Do You Take Care Of A Lash Lift?

Lash Lifts are so easy to take care of – they’re arguably one of the easiest beauty treatments to maintain. I’ll talk you through my personal routine with a lash lift, though, just to give you an idea. Each morning I use a Foam Cleanser to clean them – I know this is gentle on my skin but gives the lashes a really good clean as well. Once that’s rinsed, I just pat them dry and brush in some InLei® Adiutrix just to give them a bit of extra love. Truth be told, this is an optional step but i cannot do without it now I’ve started using it! 

At night, if I’ve been wearing eye makeup (I don’t really need to with a Lash Lift as they’re just preset and pretty all by themselves) I’ll just use some cotton pads and micellar water to cleanse the lashes and eyelid area, or I’ll use the foam cleanser again depending on how I’m feeling. I reapply Adiutrix and that’s it!  

One other thing to bear in mind is that for the first 24 hours after a lash lift, you need to be a little bit careful with them while that new shape really gets locked in. Don't rub your eyes, try to avoid sleeping on your face, avoid getting them too wet and don't apply any mascara. After that 24 hours is up, treat them gently, but you can do as you wish.

Can False Lashes Be Worn With A Lash Lift?

They can be, as I say, Lash lifts are really easy to maintain so as long as you’re keeping your lashes nice and clean you’re all good. I’d recommend being gentle when you’re cleaning off any strip lash residue though as you don’t want to rub too hard on the lashes. That’s a general tip though, it’s not isolated to if you have a Lash Lift. 

If you’re asking about eyelash extensions and not strip lashes though, you can still have them, but it’s recommended that you wait for a couple of weeks after the lift. For clients whose lashes grow downwards, it’s actually going to make your life as a lash tech easier to apply extensions if they’ve had a lift within the last month, so bear that in mind! 

Is A Lash Lift Worth It?

As someone who’s recently had their first lash lift, I would say absolutely yes! They’re really subtle but people still ask questions about whether they’re naturally like that; they’re so easy to maintain and honestly, for someone like me who is prone to picking at and fiddling with things, they’re actually far better to have than eyelash extensions. I’d recommend them to ANYONE and I can’t wait to get my next one! 

Lash Lift treatments vary in price, but generally speaking cost a little less than eyelash extensions and are a faster treatment as well. They’re especially great for clients who develop an allergy to eyelash extensions glues as well. Really, they’re a great option for anyone, and are well worth trying at least once!

All in all, a Lash Lift basically does what it says on the tin, but it also gives you extra confidence and saves you time in the mornings, two factors alone which make them so worthwhile!