What is London Lash Booster? Everything You Need to Know...
When it comes to great lash retention, Booster is kind of a big deal! With more than 500 bottles flying off the shelves in the last 30 days alone, we thought we’d give you a little bit of a lowdown on one of our absolute favourite products, ever!
Something you may not know about Booster is that it can be used in TWO different ways depending on what you want to achieve, and we all love a 2-in-1, right?
Booster Use 1 - On the Natural Lashes
Used on the natural lashes as the final step in your pretreatment routine (you apply it in exactly the same way as Cleanser and Primer - little drop on two microfibre brushes, dab the excess onto a tissue and sandwich the lashes between those brushes, distributing the product from root to tip, focusing on the glue attachment area), Booster promises increased retention time! ‘Promise’ is a bold word, I know, but allow me to explain.
How Does Booster work on the lashes?
Booster has an alkaline pH - not enough to cause damage, of course, but enough that when it is applied to the hairs it causes the cuticles to open up slightly, which gives the glue more surface area to grip onto when you place an extension on it.
So, how does it work? Well, alkaline substances have this effect on the hair - when you perform treatments like Lash Lift, Brow Lamination, or even bleaching hair you begin by applying a product which contains an alkaline solution - in these cases it’s usually ammonia. What that means is that the hair can be penetrated by the next product which is designed to change the structure of the hair from the inside.
That’s how Lash Filler makes your lashes more curled and keeps them that way; how Brow Bomber keeps your brow hairs looking thick and keeps them where you want them; and why bleached hair feels rough, and takes in colour super fast (and also why it doesn’t always hold colour super well) - you’ve opened the cuticle, and altered the hair’s biochemistry.
Now, Booster is nowhere near as strong as any alkaline component you’d find in these products - we’re not trying to get into the hair and change anything, after all. The lower pH means that the cuticles open just enough for the glue to have more to grip.
Here's a visual representation of how Booster would affect the hair:
Booster can be used on absolutely every client and will give you excellent results - those who will show the most marked difference are those clients who have oilier skin, or very smooth and shiny hairs that glue doesn’t like to bond with for a super long time. Use Booster on them and you’ll have some VERY happy clients!
Something to consider - Booster also speeds up your lash glue’s drying time so ensure you’re able to keep up. There comes a time for all of us when we’re ready to move on from our gradually drying beginner glue and move on to something a little bit more rapid - if you haven’t used Booster before I’d strongly advise that you do one, get used to it, and then introduce the other if you still find your glue just a bit too slow for your working speed.
Booster Use 2 - On the Lash Strip
If you’re only using Classic Lashes, this won’t really be useful to you but if you plan to expand your knowledge with a Russian Volume lash course some day, then stick around because I wish someone had told me this was normal when I was just starting out!
Sometimes, Russian Volume fans close. You’ll make a perfect little fan and then you dip it in the glue and place it on the lash, only for it to snap shut when you let go with your tweezers. This can also happen due to an incorrect dipping technique wherein you just dip that leg in too far, but sometimes the glue just likes to have a little wander on up the fan leg. That’s fine if you’re aiming for a Kim K spiky finish, but not if you crave fluffy, full lashes with a super even top line and absolutely no gaps!
Booster can help with this. Take a microfibre brush and add a drop of Booster, dabbing off the excess onto a tissue just like you would if you were applying it to the natural lashes. Now, you're going to apply the Booster directly onto the lash strip.
Now, when you create your fans, dip them and place them, you’ll find that the glue stays where it’s supposed to and your fans stay fluffy!
You can reapply the Booster during the treatment if you feel that you need to, and your lashes can still be used time and time again - applying Booster once doesn’t affect the integrity or quality of the lashes. The most important thing to keep in mind is to not apply too much at once so that the lashes are super wet - this will have an effect on the lashes and may even cause the glue to shock polymerise - which is when it turns white instead of drying black, as it should.
When Should Booster Not Be Used?
Something to consider - Booster CANNOT be used with easy fanning lashes! Easy fanning lashes are named as such because when you grip them, they pop open into fans. This happens because instead of just one layer of lashes like you have on a regular strip, you have two - three layers of lashes which are held together with a little bit of glue, so that when you grip them with tweezers they naturally spread out and open up. When this glue comes into contact with Booster it melts a little bit and goes tacky, which makes it impossible to work with. ONLY use Booster on regular volume lashes that you’ll be making fans with by hand and you’ll be absolutely fine!
