< \ © Fling Sadelko NGI Bev te \cleamelew Ce (6 (<0) 20 FACTORS Ty AVM ALB Ub aT Gait MAKE OR BREAK YOUR RETENTION! ee clan ‘a Vag ageafee oesWHAT WILL WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS GUIDE? Welcoming message: introduction & my retention story 1, Understanding the lash cycles: how long lashes can really last for? Let's identify your retention now! 2. Who's to blame for retention issues? 3. Understanding the curing mechanism of your glue 4, Good quality adhesive vs bad quality one 5. Does the perfect lash glue exist? 6. Top secret: pH of natural lashes 7. Pretreatment products & individual natural lash preparation routine. 8. Correct choice and use of post-treatment products 9. Balance of temperature & humidity 10. Top secret #2: Air circulation 11. Chemicals in the air 12. Equipment 13. Ability to analyse issues and manipulate your glue 14, Following technical rules when using your glue 15. Glue pick-up technique 16. Application technique 17. Coverage 18. Providing detailed aftercare instructions 19. What are the glue myths? 20. How important is retention? Invitation " 12 4 15 7 19 2 24 24 25 25 26 28 29 30 33 36 39Hello there! If you are reading this mini-guide you are probably struggling with lash retention issues on your clients, or are looking for ways to improve your retention and glue skills, am | right? You are in the right place! The purpose of this guide is to give you an idea of absolutely all factors that are affecting your retention, identify possible gaps in what you already know about your glue and find the missing puzzle! BEFORE WE ST. LET ME QUICKL}@ INTRODUCE MYS{ My name is Elina and I'm a founder of Lash Secrets Online Academy. | specialise in lash retention and glue science, and | consider myself an absolute expert in this field! | have helped over 3700 lash artists from all over the world with my Extreme Retention Online Course, and | hope | will be able to help you too! :)A LITTLE BACKSTORY: When | just started my lash journey, which was over 8 years ago, | was struggling with quite inconsistent retention. It would always be hit or miss. Some clients would have great retention, some - worse, but it has never been terrible. Everything changed in November 2017. This was the beginning of hell for me, which lasted for over a year. It was everything: Ear DRS nr euC a Una ac kee a ead eae other way round - curing too quickly for no reason LETS yo ee Se ulg Preyer ct Pee teat Pare ree up to me waking up to “my lashes are falling off” messages. The weirdest part is that | didn’t change anything. My room environment was the same, my prep, my products & glue, my application - everything! | was blindly trying to change different things to stop these issues: trying different combinations of temperature and humidity, different glues, products, lashes and so on. But nothing would help, although it seemed like I did everything correctly! DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? Then keep reading! At some point | understo retention with it on som e glue | used. If had great MUST be a formula to make my glue work ani on most of my clients. That's when I startI've attended multiple courses and retention webinars, posted in all sorts of lash groups, sought advice from different trainers and more experienced colleagues - but no one could answer my question That's when | thought that if no one of my colleagues could give me a clear answer - | need to look elsewhere. | started reading chemistry literature, learning about cyanoacrylates on molecular levels and even consulted with a famous chemist to try and find the missing piece. And I found it! To my surprise, there was so much more than just temperature and humidity that affects the glue, and that unfortunately to this day is never covered on most courses! In the photos below you can see my 4 weeks retention now, before and after infill! Majority of my clients return with = 70% of lashes on, at 3-4 weeks! ~ z a. és I'VE LISTED ALL THESE FACTORS IN THIS MINI-GUIDE TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR MISSING PIECE!I, UNDERSTANDING THE LASH CYCLES Understanding the natural lash growth and shedding cycles will help you to judge your retention and recognize possible issues that need your attention. Although this topic doesn’t seem that complicated, there is still a lot of misleading information going around. Every time | share my lash retention achievements and show 8 or 9 weeks retention - someone will always say: “that's impossible’, “lash cycles only last for 2/3/6 weeks’, “this can not be real” ete. In fact, a full lash cycle lasts approximately 90 days or 3 months. That's from the moment the baby lash appears to the moment it sheds. For this reason, itis logical to expect a correctly applied set of lashes to last for around this long, until the last extension sheds. Therefore, seeing an 8 weeks retention is quite normal and by the way, it is a common retention standard in Russia, Here are my student's results after my course, showing off her 7 weeks retention! Of course, different people may have different lash life cycles. It depends on many factors, such as + Age (usually the older the person is - the longer their lash cycles are) + Metabolism + Genetics + Lifestyle (healthy and active lifestyle may speed up the metabolism and therefore - lash cycles) + Health and medication (certain health issues and medication may cause hair a lashes to shed prematurely) Btw!! Thase ace lashas after 7 weeks from rofl And after Best results what lever had @®You probably have a question in mind: “Elina, but what about infills? Clearly you can’t infill 8 weeks old lashes due to regrowth?” You are absolutely right! By talking about 8 weeks retention | never refer to infills every 8 weeks, no! But, this retention gives you two options: OPTION 1: Offering clients to come in for a removal & full set every 1.5 - 2 months This option is perfect if: You are avery You have clients that are You have You have busylash stylist very busy (mums, business _ clients who ients who andyouwantto women, travelling clients. wanttotry —_—_ cannot afford remove infills from ete.), who can not attend completely __regular infills, your menu, making regular appointments different lash more profit from every 3-4 weeks, but want styles and offering fullsets to keep their lashes looking _ looks every only nice for as long as possible __ time Dear In this photo you can see one of ‘Thank you for your message! my client's retention at 8 weeks. ers Stee They still look quite neat and overall “acceptable”, considering the amount of time they were on for! ‘Almost 8weeks old! You truly are the best and | cannot wait to see you for a fresh set. Until then, stay safe@ eek Da ayh che Tesaaen In the following picture you believe how well they have lasted. can see my personal record! have ad 4 previous lash technicians ie thes and my lashes have never lasted immeg' sent me these Tongerthan'3 weeks, Elina is pictures over the lockdown to defintely the best. fs now 14 weeks show how well her lashes have lasted at 8 weeks (top photos), and that she still had some lashes on at 14 weeks (bottom photo), which is crazy! ‘and I stil have some lashes left Most likely you already want to ask a question: “Elina, where is the regrowth? Your client's lashes don’t grow?!” Haha, of course they do! The secret to my neat looking sets is that | work using the “adaptive lashing technique’, which is also covered in my course. It helps to prevent the regrowth from sticking out, making the set look messy after weeks of wear and causing damage to natural lashes! As an example, here are a few closer photos 4 weeks old Russian Volume lashes: = 4.5 weeks old 2D lashes: —_ 6OPTION 2: Offering infills every 3-4 weeks If you are able to achieve a “full cycle retention” then you would expect most of your clients to return with = 70% of lashes on, at 3-4 weeks! This would make the infill process much more pleasant and fast for both you and your client. On this photo you can see the infill process on one of my clients, who wears 2D lashes: RE 4 weeks old lashesNow that you know a little bit more about how long your lashes can actually last, | offer you to check your retention level by using the table below. On average, how long do your sets last until the last extension falls off? 1 week Extremely poor 2-3 weeks Poor 3-5 weeks 6-8 weeks Full lash cycle (8 to 12+ weeks) If your results are anywhere below “excellent” - there is a room for improvement and | can certainly help you with it!2. ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE RETENTION ISSUES THAT ARE OR ARE NOT UNDER YOUR CONTROL WHAT ACTUALLY CAUSES RETENTION ISSUES? Now, this might be a hard pill to swallow, but 80% of retention issues are caused by incorrect work with your glue, 10% fall to extremely fast shedding cycles and the other 10% are down to extremely bad client aftercare. WHAT APPLIES TO YOU? There is an issue with your glue work or application, if: + You notice lash extensions popping off throughout the application, for example when brushing, moving lashes around, checking for stickies or removing eye pads + Your clients notice their lash extensions shedding without natural lashes attached + Your clients lose extensions (without natural lashes) when cleaning them, applying make-up or after sleeping on their side. (Yes, correctly bonded glue is very strong and elastic, and it can easily handle sleeping, washing or even make up. We'll go back to this soon!) + You experience issues with your glue during application and you struggle to control its dry time. For example: - Your glue is either sliding and not grabbing, or curing too quickly - Your glue drop gets gloopy too fast - Your glue shock cures - You have 0 control over your glue 9> There is an issue with your client having overly fast shedding eycle, if: + Your client loses extensions with natural lashes attached in large amounts + You notice a lot of baby lashes on your client's lash line + You notice that your client's lashes grow out unusually fast (for example they may return at 2 weeks with most of their remaining lash extensions completely grown out and with tons of baby lashes) In this case it is important to talk to your client and find out the cause. | recommend carrying out a consultation before the first appointment with each client, in order to recognize possible issues early and warn your client about possible retention issues to avoid frustration. A full list of causes, their signs and consultation forms are provided on my Extreme Retention Online Course! > There is an issue with your client's aftercare, if: + There are signs of your client picking and pulling their extensions out (broken, damaged extensions, snapped natural lashes, gaps with natural lashes missing, glue residue on natural lashes ete) + Your client comes in with a terrible build up of oils, grease, product and make up residue + Your client didn’t follow their eye hygiene routine which has led to blepharitis. This condition is followed by yellow or green build up on the lash line, with discharge coming out from the lash follicles and natural lashes shedding prematurely.3. UNDERSTANDING THE CURING MECHANISM OF YOUR GLUE Of course, in the format of this mini-guide | will not be able to break down the full chemistry of the glue, its features and curing mechanisms, but | will try to explain it very briefly! The main roles in the glue curing mechanism play Cyanoacrylate & Stabilisers: Stabilisers stay in between cyanoacrylate molecules to prevent them joining each other. This is why your glue is liquid! Once stabilisers are neutralised - cyanoacrylate molecules join and the glue changes its condition from liquid to hard state. This process is called polymerization! In order to neutralise stabilisers we need hydroxide molecules, which are present in water. This is exactly why your glue curing speed and quality always depends on the presence of moisture in the air (humidity), and moisture or hydroxide molecules (in other forms) on lash surfaces! By understanding this curing process you can manipulate the way how fast your glue cures and how well it bonds!4, ABILITY TO DETERMINE A GOOD QUALITY ADHESIVE VS BAD QUALITY ONE It is important to understand ingredients in your glue, what they do and which ones must or must not be present in your glue. Every lash glue consists of: + Cyanoacrylate + Stabilisers + Thickeners. + Other additives, such as tint or carbon black, fragrance (there are banana scented glues, for example) etc One of the most important ingredients is Cyanoacrylate. There are 8 most common types of cyanoacrylates that may be found in lash glues. Each of them has different features, uses, strengths and their own pros and cons. In this guide | will cover one type of cyanoacrylate: ETHYL CYANOACRYLATE Other names: - Ethyl ester of 2-cyano-2-propenoic acid N Oo S + Ethyl 2 - cyanoacrylate Ss o™ “ECA Ethyl cyanoacrylate is commonly used in many modern lash glues. It is resistant to temperatures (up to 80C once dry), moisture and oils. It has a very rapid dry time (compared to other types of CA), has sharp odour and is fumey. Due to fumes it may cause allergic reactions and irritations, but it is rare if all the precautionary measures are taken. Ethyl cyanoacrylate offers the strongest and the most elastic bond, if used correctly!Other 7 types of cyanoacrylates are covered in-depth on my Retention Course, so if you want to understand glues & their ingredients like a PRO - you are more than welcome to join us! Some glues may also contain banned or potentially harmful ingredients. One of the most popular and dangerous ones is Hydroquinone. So, the choice of your adhesive may not only affect your retention, but also your and your client's health For this reason my Extreme Retention course students receive a special Adhesive Safety manual, which covers all adhesive regulations, banned and harmful ingredients!5. FINDING A PERFECT GLUE FOR YOURSELF Apart from choosing a quality adhesive, it is important to choose one that will suit you personally! CRITERIA TO PAY YOUR ATTENTION TO: Adhesive Adhesive ‘Temperature and Gace’ consistency (thin, Fumes Colour humidity medium or thick) recommendations It is important that you choose an adhesive that suits your Every single day | see multiple people asking the same question in lash groups “What's the best glue with the best retention?” The answer is simple: it doesn't exist. Something that suits me - may not suit you. The glue that someone swears by - you may find absolutely terrible and impossible to work with. That's not because it's a bad product, but it's simply because it doesn’t suit your preference, your environment or your speed. In regards to retention, any modern glue from a reputable lash brand can give you excellent retention. Reputable - is a key word here. It's absolutely fine to seek opinions and recommendations though, but make sure to always state your needs. For example, instead of asking “What's the best glue?" ask: ‘I’m looking for recommendations for a 1-2 second glue, with medium consistency and minimum fumes. My room conditions range from 20-22C and 50-60%." This way you will not waste your time & money by trying glues that are just not for you. | personally never say to my students “this or that glue is the best”. | give out a list of products that | have personally used and tested, in multiple options, with descriptions, my notes and direct links, so that a student can choose a product that will suit them! 14_ 6. PH LEVELS OF NATURAL LASHES This is the topic which nobody talks about and | have no idea why! This factor is one of the most important ones and is just as important as temperature and humidity. pH stands for power of hydrogen. Hydrogen - is a part of a hydroxide compound. As you already know - hydroxide is required in both: the air (humidity) as well as the surface of adhesion (natural lashes) Now, natural lashes (just as hair, skin and body) also have certain pH levels, but if they are off (which is very common), you will experience the following issues: + Your glue taking forever to cure, regardless of your room conditions + Your glue sliding on a natural lash and not grabbing like a magnet + Your glue working slowly, but lashes popping off at the same time, which makes absolutely no sense + One client or few clients experiencing serious retention issues, while most other clients are fine, although you do everything exactly the same + In the worst case scenario: the glue not grabbing natural lashes and extensions not lasting well on all or most clients WHAT CAN THIS BE CAUSED BY? There are multiple reasons which may or may not be down to what you do: + Naturally low pH levels of natural lashes (due to their type and structure) + Health issues or medication + Lifestyle: drink and food preference, bad habits + Incorrect choice of preparational products + Incorrect use of preparational products 15IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO? Yes, absolutely. By using correct products with relevant pH levels you can rebalance pH levels of natural lashes. It is important for you to: «Be able to recognize natural lashes with low pH levels + Have a full understanding of your pre-treatment products, their types and functions + Know what products to use and when to use them (and not to use them) + Ensure that your products have correct pH levels in accordance with their functions + Test your products to make sure that they work as they should As you could've guessed, this is a quite big topic which requires a very in-depth understanding, as well as some practice. On my Extreme Retention Online Course | have dedicated a whole module which covers specifically this topic, teaching you everything | mentioned above and more. If you've noticed any signs or “symptoms” that I've covered earlier (e.g. your temperature and humidity are normal, but your glue is not wanting to cure, followed by poor retention), and you don’t know how to fix it - lam more than sure you will benefit from my course and fix your issues once and for all! Apart from that, | will provide you with a list of tested products that work, in various options, so you don't have to waste your time and money on trying to blindly find that perfect primer or cleanser. And no, I'm not affiliated with any brands! :), CORRECT CHOICE AND USE OF RE-TREATMENT PRODUCTS. INDIVIDUAL NATURAL LASH PREPARATION ROUTINE. As you understood - products play an important role in your application. Their purpose is not to only cleanse and remove oils, but also yer maintain control your glue increase the improve rre-balancepH speed and strength of the retention levels performance glue bond But, if you are looking for a “one kind fits all” prep routine formula - I'll have to upset you. It doesn't exist. Very often | hear someone saying “I have retention issues on some clients, but not on others. | don't understand why, if | do everything exactly the same?!" If you've been asking the same question, here's the answer: you're having issues because you do everything exactly the same, on every client! The reality is, that every client is different, so their lashes are. Therefore, itis important to pick correct products with relevant pH levels & functions for each client and situation individually. This topic, along with pH & air circulation, is usually the most mind-blowing and life-changing one. That's because it is usually very poorly covered in courses, and these are the topics where most students make mistakes, which lead to retention issues. Apart from your client's natural lashes, there are also other factors that will affect the way you should prepare your client's natural lashes: P Nase Cg Boer arta PRCT m TS DL sc Cae SL Piety EY orate} of the appointment) crt 17Have you ever seen those discussions online, arguing about whether you should or should not use a primer? Some people would swear by it, some will say that it would only make retention worse, while others will say that it’s just marketing and it doesn't make any difference at all. But, there is no YES or NO answer. Yet again, it depends on the client's natural lashes and all other factors mentioned above, plus the quality of a product. Itis important to understand that not every product on the market is good and will perform its function. For this reason you should always ensure that: - All your liquids have relevant pH levels (they will be different in accordance to their functions) + You liquids are water based, rather than alcohol based (alcohol dries natural lashes out, resulting in poor retention) Doesn't sound that simple? iknow, especially if you haven't been taught this before. But | hope that if you're currently having retention issues - some things start making more sense to you. We cover this more in-depth on my Retention training with all ins and outs, so if you feel like you need to fill this gap in your knowledge - | welcome you!8 CORRECT CHOICE AND USE OF POST-TREATMENT PRODUCTS By talking about post-treatment products I refer to a nano-mister and a Superbonder. The same as with primer, there are a lot of talks and arguments, whether these products actually help with retention, or the other way round - make it even worse. Let's make it all very clear: I. NANO-MISTER is used to neutralise and reduce fumes that are produced during and after the application process. Its function is to reduce irritation, stinging and possibility of further reactions. Does it improve retention? No Does it cure the glue? No Why? When you use a nano-mister, the glue should be already hardened (cured) If you mist the glue which has not yet cured - you will end up with a shock-polymerization reaction that will negatively affect the retention. Now, if you join my Retention course, you will learn that around 90% of the curing process happens within a few minutes after application. So, once the glue is visibly dry and hard - the reaction is complete by around 90%. If you mist a hardened glue - nothing will happen, because the other 10% of the reaction happens deep inside the bonds, while you mist from outside only. 2. SUPERBONDER - is used to: + Neutralise the glue fumes to help reduce irritation and chances of allergies + Cure the glue and make the bond more elastic, which improves the retention 19Superbonder gets into direct contact with the glue. Its ingredients react with the glue and help the curing reaction to complete faster. Plus, the Superbonder pushes the excessive moisture out from the glue and makes it less porous, more elastic and therefore less prone to breakage Is every Superbonder the same? Absolutely not There are two types: 1. ORIGINAL SUPERBONDER, which is being manufactured in Germany and was first brought to the market by Ruthie Belle. It has all the functions which | covered above: to reduce fumes, to cure the glue and to improve retention by making the glue bonds more elastic. 2. FAKE & CHEAP SUPERDBONDERS, which were later introduced to the market, These products have completely different ingredients and the majority are a simple mixture of alcohol & primer. As it is known - alcohol has drying functions, which can dry out the glue making it brittle and porous. Due to high porosity it is likely for the glue to become weak and snap off prematurely, as well as emit even more vapours. These products are only capable of curing the glue faster, but will not give any positive effects on retention (in fact - the effects are likely to be negative). If you've noticed retention issues on your clients after using a Superbonder - | highly recommend you to check if the product you use was manufactured in Germany (good) or in Far East/Asian countries (no good). Also, remember that the cost of the original Superbonder can never be cheap! The production cost is high, so you will never be able to buy it for £10-£15. There are also other reasons which could lead to poor retention, after using a nano-mister or a Superbonder: Using these products Using the Using too much Using these when your room nano-mister Superbonder or _ products on conditions are too high too close notasinstructed uncured (wet) glue 209. CORRECT BALANCE OF TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY IN YOUR ROOM Many assume that if your glue bottle says 20-28C & 40-65%, then your glue must work correctly anywhere in between these numbers and in any combination of temperature and humidity. But, again, I'll have to disappoint you. Your glue will most likely not perform well in conditions like 20C & 40% or 28C and 65% (if it has recommendations like 20-28C & 40-65%). There must be a balance! As a general rule, the higher your temperature is - the lower your humidity should be, and the other way round Why? Because both temperature and humidity play important roles: TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY gives the energy for the is the amount of moisture in the air. reaction to happen The more moisture there is - the faster the glue will cure. There are two types of humidity: absolute humidity and relative humidity. Relative humidity - always depends on absolute humidity (actual amount of moisture in the air in grams per 1 cubic metre) and temperature. The higher the temperature rises - the lower the % of relative humidity will show on your hygrometer, even though the actual amount of water vapour in your room may not change at all. This means that at 55% & 21C and 55% & 28C there will be a completely different amount of moisture present in the air. This will of course affect the way your glue works and lasts.For this reason it is essential to: + Understand how exactly humidity works. What are relative and absolute humidity? + Understand why relative humidity changes + Keep the correct balance to control the way your glue works This way you will be able to control your glue in different environments, rather than stick to just one set temperature & humidity level. In my course we cover this topic in-depth in a separate module. It gives a full understanding of both types of humidity, temperature, their balance and how to use all this information in your work. You will also receive a very handy Temperature & Humidity chart which will allow you to find the exact level of humidity you need in different temperatures (and vice versa), so you can always make your glue work exactly as you need to! For example, if your temperature suddenly rises from your usual 22C to 26C and you can not bring your temperature down, you will find the exact level of humidity that you need, to make your glue work exactly the same as in your usual conditions!10. AIR MOVEMENT IN YOUR ROO. Have you ever noticed that in the same room environment your glue may suddenly stop working as it usually does? It may become faster or slower, literally mid-application? Or your temperature and humidity are actually high, but your glue works slowly? Or, the other way round, your room is cold and dry, but your glue works unusually fast or even too fast? All this is extremely frustrating and doesn’t make sense. But, this is because we don’t take into the account another important factor which affects your glue - air circulation. Air circulation - is the way the cold air, warm air and humidity move around your room, affecting your glue and surfaces of natural lashes Your air circulation can be affected by heating or cooling, change in seasons, ventilation or natural air circulation in the building. Is this fixable? Yes of course! There are ways to either change the air movement in your room using equipment (heater, cooler, humidifier) , or control your glue using products. The exact solution will depend on your situation. This, of course, is also broken down in my Extreme Retention Course! 23II. PRESENCE OF CHEMICALS IN THE AIR High pH products (their vapours) will affect your glue performance. They will make your glue cure prematurely during application, will make your glue drop go off and become gloopy unusually fast, or even shock cure it! ‘These products include: ES oo Coa Piglet tac TS OES Eee se Pre tte It is essential to make sure that no fumes from these products are present in your room during lash application, otherwise you will experience serious issues with your glue, and therefore retention. 12. EQUIPMENT If your room conditions are not suitable for the glue you use, or fluctuate too much and you struggle with them affecting your glue - you will have to consider buying certain equipment. They include: But, these machines come in various types and sizes. If you choose the wrong model for your room type - it will simply not be effective, and you will end up wasting your money. The right model will always depend on the size of your room! Apart from choosing a suitable model, itis also important to place them in your room correctly, so they do not mess up with the environment around your glue and don't negatively affect its performance. | share my tips and recommendations on this topic in one of the dedicated lessons on my course! This especially applies if you work in a salon with hairdressers, nail technicians or la lift specialists, or if you perform lash/brow lift treatments or acrylic nail extensic 2413, ABILITY TO ANALYSE ISSUES AND MANIPULATE YOUR GLUE Everything we covered before, plus everything | cover on my course - allows you to: + understand your glue + manipulate the way your glue works + identify glue issues, their causes and of course solutions Basically, this knowledge is necessary for you to be able to quickly fix any issues with your glue performance and retention. Just like a doctor, you should analyse every situation, diagnose the cause and “prescribe treatment’. Right here, right now. > If you constantly have your glue playing up and you don't know how to fix this immediately - you need more knowledge! > If you are having retention issues and you don't understand why - you need more knowledge! > Ifyou rely on "luck" in your retention game - you need more knowledge! 14. FOLLOWING TECHNICAL RULES WHEN USING YOUR GLUE Your glue also needs good care! Technical rules include: + Correct glue storage + Correct glue dispensing + Correct glue shaking + Keeping the glue nozzle clean + Using a correct surface for your glue + Avoiding reactive stufaces & items which can lead to exothermic reactions (cotton, wool, paper, cellulose etc) + Changing your glue bottle often enough, depending on use If any of these factors are not considered - your glue will go bad, giving you bad retention no matter how well you work with it. 2515. CORRECT GLUE AMOUNT AND PICK-UP TECHNIQUE Your glue pick up will also affect your retention to a large extent. More specifically: how you pick up your glue and how much glue you pick up. highlight 3 glue pick up methods: NORMAL (BASIC) MICRO DROP DOUBLE DIPPING PICK UP. TECHNIQUE The choice of your technique and glue amount will depend on the following: + Your room conditions + Speed of your glue + Consistency of your glue + Whether you use classic, hand-made volume, pre-made volume or “easy fanning’ lashes + Natural lash texture + Whether it is a competition work or client work So, just as with anything else, there is no “one way fits all” technique, which is why | pay a lot of attention to all these points in my Extreme Retention Course. We go through the factors that determine how much glue to use, pick up techniques (normal, micro drop, double dipping technique), as well as cover all possible mistakes! 26THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES THAT I SEE (IN GLUE PICK UP) ARE: ee) uN Not using enough glue. We have always been told not to use too much glue to avoid damage and dirty looking work. But, in my opinion, this striving for using minimum glue has led to many lash stylists using way too little glue, which is simply not enough to hold an extension. Of course, | don’t encourage you to use too much glue either. The main point is that you should use enough of it. Picking up the glue incorrectly Size and shape of your glue drop, your dipping angle, how deep you dip your extension and how fast you remove it - all these points are important. If you pick up the glue incorrectly you may end up picking up too little or too much glue, picking up bad glue or having your glue on one side of an extension only. Not adjusting the amount of your glue according to situation This applies to all factors that | mentioned earlier. The amount of the glue you use should be chosen individually, based on your conditions, glue speed & client's natural lashes. g off excess glue This basically means you remove all fresh glue and apply an extension with too little glue which is already half-cured. 2716. CORRECT APPLICATION TECHNIQUE Just like with most things that apply to lashing & retention - application is also individual. l often see questions asking: “Which side is best for application? Top? Bottom? Left? Right?” Anyone saying that it is best to always apply an extension from one particular side only - is very wrong Correct application side will depend on numerous factors: Vertical direction Horizontal direction _ Shape of natural lashes of natural lashes of natural lashes (round or oval) Naturallash Any lash Type of classiclashes Shape of volume curl deformation used (round or flat) fan bases There are 3 main application techniques, which | cover and show in my course. They improve retention if done correctly: Basic Wrapping/locking technique The “hook” method application (for handmade volume). This (For classic application). This (classic and method adds +100500 points method improves the volume) to retention even on clients connection zone between with poor aftercare! natural lashes and classic lashes Many lash stylists underestimate the importance of application! If you tend to throw your lashes on, swipe the glue around, struggle to apply an extension without connecting and disconnecting the lash, apply your extensions in the same way on everyone, do not consider your attachment zone etc. - you need to review your application technique! a 2817, COVERAGE This seems very obvious, but many don't realise that the less natural lashes you cover - the worse your retention will be. For example: If you cover 80% of lashes - your client will leave you with 20% of lashes missing on day 1. So, their fresh set will look like it’s 2 weeks old already. Therefore, this client will need an infill much sooner. So, in 2 weeks this client's lashes will look like they could've looked at 4 weeks if you did a full coverage (and worked with the glue correctly, of course). Many lash artists also use bigger volume and do less coverage on purpose, to achieve fuller effect in less time. Sometimes this technique is called “express lashes”. But unfortunately, if retention is the main goal for you - this will not work. If you want your retention to become your biggest strength and advantage over competitors - you will have to take your time when applying extensions and covering as many natural lashes as you can. 2918. PROVIDING DETAILED AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS Providing your clients with detailed aftercare instructions, as well as an aftercare kit - is important for good retention and health of natural lashes. Let’s break down the main factors that can affect retention or health of correctly applied natural lashes: Steam (e.g. steam rooms), high temperatures (e.g. saunas) and mechanical pressure on lashes (eg. cleaning, excessive touching, rubbing etc) for the first 24 hours. No, | won't be telling you that your clients can't wet their lashes for the first 24 hours! They can, and this will not affect retention in any way. However, disturbing the bonds by causing pressure (cleaning or rubbing), as well as extreme conditions such as high temperatures in saunas or humidity in steam rooms - can affect the glue. Why? As you've learnt from this guide earlier, an adhesive takes 24 hours to fully cure. 90% of the process happens within minutes, that’s when the glue changes from liquid to solid condition. But, the other 10% take up to 24 hours to complete. These 10% are also important, as during this time the glue continues to form cross chains and build up its strength and elasticity, It is important to not disturb the glue and not to apply any pressure for this period of time. 0! Ssee 30sec min 10mins Thr 4hrs 12-24hrs 30Build up of oil, products and dirt on the lash line Serous build up may be extremely difficult to remove before the application. Products, especially those that are oily and greasy, may leave an invisible barrier on natural lashes, which will prevent your glue from attaching correctly. Basically, the glue will attach to this greasy layer and simply pop off! For this reason, it is extremely important to educate your clients about the importance of removing any products and make up from their eyes and lashes daily. Poor eye hygiene Even if your clients don’t use any makeup or products around their eye area - washing their lashes daily is essential Natural oil & sebum build up will, yet again, act as a barrier and won't let the glue attach correctly (if it can’t be removed in full). But, apart from retention issues, poor hygiene may lead to serious consequences: + Blepharitis + Lash mites (demodex folliculorum) + Eye infections and inflammations + Allergy-like symptoms + Premature natural lash loss + Permanent damage to natural lash follicles (and lashes) In this case retention issues will occur, Now or later. Either because of the terrible build up, or damage causing natural lashes to fall out. For this reason you must regularly educate your clients about the importance of daily eye hygiene. Do it in your consultations, in your social media posts and stories, include this in your aftercare guide and talk this through after the appointment. | also strongly recommend including your aftercare kit into the cost of your full sets. Or, at least have them in stock for retail, 31Picking This problem is usually a habit. While it isn’t that easy to make the correctly bonded lashes pop off, this may lead to your client pulling their own lashes out. This can cause permanent damage to the lash follicles, resulting in your client having gaps in their lash line, which will never grow back. Using cotton discs, wipes or ear buds This one is quite simple: cotton discs, wipes or buds have fibres. They will get caught by the bases of extensions, tangle and create a lot of discomfort, as well as will very likely pull some lashes out. APART FROM PROVIDING DETAILED AFTERCARE, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO: Explain why your Send your clients home with Talk through instructions are either a printed or digital copy your aftercare important and how they of your aftercare guide, so with your clients will affect their lashes they can always go back to it My students receive 2 ready to use aftercare designs, as well as a script, which you could copy and paste into your own design. Also, in my course I've shared a very special tip, which makes sure that my clients always turn up with squeaky clean lashes!) Plus, of course | will cover the aftercare instructions in more detail, as well as I'll share the most affordable way of putting your aftercare kit together!19. IGNORING THE GLUE MYTHS ‘These myths are going around in lash groups, in discussion forums and even on some trainings. It is important to learn to recognize myths and filter them out, otherwise they may really confuse you. With all due respect, remember that not every person who is giving away advice in lash groups - is a glue expert, or even has great retention. In many cases, unfortunately, people may use these myths and misconceptions as an excuse to their retention issues. Let's cover some of them: MYTH 1: OIL BREAKS DOWN THE GLUE. Have you noticed that | haven’t mentioned a word about this when | covered the aftercare? That's not because | forgot, but because it is simply not true! Modern cyanoacrylate lash glues are oil proof. Oils, make up or any cosmetic products - can not dissolve or break down the glue This myth is ages old, and came from the times when our lash glues were not resistant to water and oils. Basically, back then you could never even wash your lashes, Nowadays, your client can wear make up, use facial oils and eye creams, use micellar water (to remove make-up) and so on. This will not in any way affect the glue if it was cured correctly, and as long as these products do not build up on the lash line (it will create a barrier on natural lashes in this case). From my experience: During the first COVID lockdown | had multiple clients trying to remove their lashes using oils without any luck! And also, one of my regular clients uses coconut oil on her face daily, so very often she'd come in with quite oily lashes for her infills. Despite this, she has one of the best retention among my clients, and by the way, this is the client that | mentioned before, who had 14 weeks retention! 33MYTH 2: IF THE CLIENT DIDN’T FOLLOW AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS, IT IS NORMAL FOR THEIR LASHES TO FALL OFF THE NEXT DAY. Even if your client is terrible at their aftercare, like they apply makeup on the same day, sleep on their face, touch their lashes and so on - correetly applied and bonded lashes will never fall off completely on the next day! Yes, retention may be worse! Yes, they may damage their lashes! But, the glue itself is not that fragile. It can hold quite a lot of mechanical pressure, and it is resistant to products, oils, humidity and temperature. The only exception is if your client picks at their lashes and pulls them out. This will be another hard pill to swallow, but most retention issues are down to incorrect work with the glue or application. MYTH 3: IF YOU HAVE RETENTION ISSUES ON ONE CLIENT/COUPLE OF CLIENTS ONLY - IT’S THEIR FAULT. Have you ever had a couple of clients that could never hold their lashes on and you feel like you've tried everything, but it just doesn’t work out? This is the problem that half of my students come to me with. There could be a few possible reasons for that: + Very fast natural lash growth and shedding cycle. So, you'd need to speak to your client and find out whether their natural lashes are shedding or it's just extensions. + Low pH natural lashes + Unusual texture of natural lashes that needs you to adjust your application & glue pick up techniques. (Very coarse lashes, lashes growing in unusual directions, curly lashes, damaged lashes) In most cases, the issue is due to low pH levels and incorrect choice of pretreatment and application method. Also, in some cases it could be that a stylist thinks that their retention is not bad on most clients (quite average), but in reality - these few clients who experience retention issues are just less careful and “interact” with their lashes more.