The advent of autumn means a lot of lovely things are happening. The air is crisp, the leaves start to fall and we can finally bring our our fuzzy bed socks! Seasonal changes, like the transition between summer and autumn weather, can also have an effect on your lashes. Your skin and hair adjusts to changes in temperature and humidity in many ways, but notably by higher turnover–which means that you might experience a bigger lash shed in March/April than you usually would.

And the exact same thing happens in spring, as the weather heats up – our lashes wake up, and go a little crazy!

Never fear, lash addicts–nothing is wrong with your natural lashes in the slightest! Here is the science behind your lashes. Hair cells (including your eyelash cells) grow very fast compared to many others in the body, boasting the second-highest turnover of any cell. The full cycle of growth in a hair cell, from the tiniest baby lash to its maturation and fall, can last anywhere from four to eight weeks in total. What we are concerned with is the ‘resting’ or telogen phase, where your lash has stopped growing and is waiting to reach its natural death or ‘shedding’ phase. Research has shown that during the hotter months of December/January a greater number of lashes enter this ‘resting’ phase, a fact linked to the body protecting itself against extra heat. Interestingly, we also shed lashes more in spring too – because this is a time when mature winter lashes fall, and there will be many new baby lashes in their place. This means that more lashes move into the ‘shedding’ phase at once, resulting in larger lash fall. It’s not all doom and gloom, of course–a higher turnover of lashes means more healthy baby lashes, which will grow into strong, extension-ready beauties. Over the years, we’ve fine-tuned a few strategies to deal with the autumn lash shed, so that you can be ready to start a new season with lovely lashes.

If you notice your lashes dropping faster or earlier than they normally would, the best thing you can do is chat to the Lady Lash receptionists. Even a quick text makes such a difference for your lashes, and your own peace of mind! This way, we can do our best to pinpoint what the cause may be, and take the steps to fix it right up.

Coordinating your infills at the right time is usually the best solution to the autumn shed, as regular upkeep and care is really is your lashes’ best friend. This is our favourite tip for new and regular clients around this season–making sure you come in during the time period that works best for you and your own natural lashes is the single easiest way to maintain your extensions. Infills are usually required every two to three weeks, depending on your natural shedding cycle–in a perfect world we would all retain our lashes for a month at a time, but we are still waiting for the lash gods to bless us with the technology! As a rule, at least 30% of lash extensions should still be intact to allow for infill time, so if you do notice that your lashes are looking especially sparse, it’s time to take action.

If you are going through a seasonal lash shed, we can adjust your infill period slightly to suit you–this might mean that you come to see us a few days or even a week earlier, to compensate for any unusual lash turnover. Lady Lash receptionists can also extend out infills, in case you need an extra fifteen minutes to half an hour of lash time–we just need a little advance notice. In the bustling autumn season, it can be tough to dedicate even an hour to yourself, but we promise it will be worth it! Our receptionists will always endeavour to bring your infills forward into a time and space that will work for you.

When you do have a large amount of delicate baby lashes coming through, applying lighter and shorter extensions can help them to reach maturity damage-free–this is a handy trick for the autumn months, which your stylist can talk through with you if you’d like to try something different. Another way to maximise the potential of those baby lashes is by incorporating Lash Game Growth Serum into your beauty routine . This is a fantastic peptide-based serum, promoting lash growth and strength by targeting the lash roots under the skin.

Our other best tip to conquer seasonal lash shedding is super simple, and can be followed for the best lashes of every season–practise proper aftercare! Avoiding oil-based products, respecting the 24 hour no-moisture rule and ditching the mascara are all fundamental aspects of lash extension aftercare which are so easy to incorporate into your regular beauty routine. Once you’ve started adopting positive lash habits, the difference can be massive – you’ll enjoy better retention and healthier lashes that are able to handle extensions long-term!