Once you’ve got your first set of lashes, it’s not hard to fall in love. Those beautiful fluttery extensions look so good in the mirror, and it’s so great to hear compliments from everyone about how fresh your face is! As much as we wish lash extensions would last forever, after a couple of weeks your natural cycle will cause the lashes to start shedding–this means that it’s time to say hello to your lash lady again, and come in for an infill. Infills are wonderful, as they give you some time to yourself (lash naps, yay!) in the busy week, and you’ll emerge with revamped lashes ready to conquer.

There are a some misconceptions about infills floating around the lash world, so we’ve put on our myth-busting hats to give you the real info:

MYTH: 

‘Lashes last for six weeks or more.’

TRUTH:

Everyone has their own individualised natural lash cycle, which depends on their environment and genetics. Generally, when four weeks have passed since your appointment, a fair amount of your own lashes (and the extensions applied to them) would have shed. Your lashes are growing in this time as well, so the remaining extensions may be too grown-out to infill. These are the reasons we book for new sets after a month has passed. We will infill as long as 30% of the extensions are remaining, and in good condition.

After about three or four infills, a picture of your own shedding cycle should start to develop–until then, we recommend keeping it on the conservative side and booking for every two or three weeks. Some people tend to shed lashes faster than others (particularly those with oily skin), but we can combat this in a number of ways all you have to do is chat to your lash stylist, who is more than willing to help out!

MYTH: 

‘Putting mascara on your lashes will help in between infills’

TRUTH:

Even though it may be tempting to swipe on a few coats of mascara when your extensions are shedding, this does more harm than good. Mascara clogs the bases of the lashes, causing extensions (and the natural lashes attached!) to twist and clump. Some mascaras also contain conditioning oils, which degrade the adhesive bond and can make extensions fall off prematurely.

Even worse, those stunning volume fans handmade by your lash stylist? Give them even one coat of mascara and they fuse together, snapping shut for a spiky look. Not pretty! Your technician will do their best to infill your lashes if you’ve applied mascara, but cleaning off the clumpy coating often cuts into appointment time–which might mean less fresh extensions!

MYTH:

‘I shouldn’t let water near my lashes between infills’

TRUTH:

After those magic 24 hours are up, you’re free as a bird to get water on your lashes–swimming, gymming, in the shower; lashes should fit into your lifestyle! And just like you wash your hair to get rid of products and oil, you should be gently washing your extensions too. We love having a client come in with clean lashes, since we can get right into the infill straight away and make those lashes full as can be! Lady Lash stocks a great Foaming Lash Cleanser to rinse away that everyday dirt and grime, which really helps with retaining extensions. If you’re ever confused about how often you should be cleansing your extensions, just have a chat with your lash stylist–they spend all day looking at lashes, and always have great tips.

MYTH:

‘Infilling will damage my lashes’

TRUTH:

Infills are actually a great opportunity to check in with your natural lashes–your technician will be up close and personal with your lashes and can give you some professional insight into how they’re going. We always put lash health first in our salon, meaning we will apply our extensions with the strength of your own natural lashes in mind and keep you in the loop with each infill. If your natural lashes are looking like they need a little TLC, we’ll let you know, and endeavour to make sure they stay thick and strong! Many of our clients have been having continuous infills for years, without any issues.

MYTH:

‘I will have to remove all my current extensions if I want a different style/technique’

TRUTH:

Definitely not, thank goodness! If you decide to switch your style up, that’s fantastic–all we have to do is change the form of our lashes, placing some longer/shorter extensions in different parts of the eye. Your lash stylist is well-versed in styling all different types of eye shapes, so they’ll be able to bring your vision to life in a way that suits your eye!

If you’d like to change from classic to volume (or vice versa; it’s not for everyone!), just give us some notice to book time for infilling individual lashes with the fan technique. This will not be entirely volume from the get-go, but after your second volume infill you should be seeing a huge difference! This is often a more cost-effective option if you are looking to try volume, but aren’t committed yet to going all-out–just let your technician know, and they can quote you.

MYTH:

‘My stylist can switch my lashes to a bigger set without any notice’

TRUTH:

We always do our best to accommodate our lovely clients, and sometimes you just want something different. At Lady Lash, we definitely understand this–a change can be as good as a holiday! We do need to know if you’d like to switch up to a larger or smaller set, as this will affect the amount of time that we need to book out for your infills. If you’re currently rocking a glam set, for example, and would like to change to volume lashes, the normal 60-75min infill won’t be nearly enough time to get that fluffy fullness that makes volume so special. All you have to do is give us a quick call or message, so we can make adjustments for you–and the more notice we have, the better we can do for you!

At Lady Lash, our best client experiences come when we can work together–nothing is better than collaborating with our beautiful clients and starting on our lash journey! If you ever have any questions or concerns, always let us know–we love to chat about all things lashes.

For further reading: