The environment in your lash studio has a major effect on the lashing adhesive. You will notice a variation in your lash glue’s performance if you live in an area that experiences different seasons throughout the year. The lashing environment not only impacts the application process but also plays a crucial role in retention.
The humidity definitely plays a major role when it comes to setting the stage for optimum adhesive performance and longer lash retention. Every lash artist must purchase a digital hygrometer and keep this compact machine near the lash bed to monitor the humidity and temperature levels in the lash studio. If lash artists can control and regulate environmental humidity in their lashing space, they would be able to counteract its potential negative impact.
Many lash artists feel stuck searching for the most compatible lash extensions adhesive; unfortunately, there is no such match made in lash heaven. The compatibility of the lash glue is solely dependent on the humidity in the space you’re lashing in. Finding your ideal formula amongst the thousands of glue varieties available on the market is the only way to avoid throwing off your lashing process.
Our professional lash artists use several tricks to make lashing easier and improve retention. Continue reading this blog to learn more!
Here are a few tips you can follow to create the perfect lashing environment
What Roles Do Temperature and Humidity Play With Lash Extensions?
Humidity plays an important role in the lash application process. First of all, it controls the speed at which your lash adhesive cures. Additionally, maintaining humidity in the ideal range (45-60%) reduces the potential for irritation and other adverse reactions during and post the lash application. A controlled environment ensures optimal adhesive performance, increasing the strength and longevity of your eyelash extensions.
The main ingredient in all lash adhesives is cyanoacrylate, which cures in the presence of moisture, explicitly hydrogen. In other words, moisture activates the hardening process of the glue. This ingredient ensures the lash glue dries quickly and solidifies its bond between the natural lash and the extension, holding the extensions in place for several weeks.
Aside from humidity, the room temperature will also affect the curing time. The lash adhesive is a liquid, the temperature affects its viscosity. So when the temperature falls, like any other liquid, the lash glue tends to solidify. The frozen adhesive tends to be less viscous, making it harder and taking more time to dry.
Contrastingly, when the temperature rises, lash adhesive tends to liquify. Since the viscosity of the melted lash glue is greater than normal, it dries faster than usual. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, it is important to maintain the room temperature at 22-26°C / 71-79° F
Our lash artists use jade stones to keep your lash extension adhesive at cool room temperature during the lash application process. It is used to hold the adhesive in place while you do your work. The unique material also slows down the adhesive drying rate.
Once your adhesive drop secures its place on your jade stone, the water in the air reacts with it initiating the curing. It then becomes mandatory to get a new drop of glue every 20-30min. When your eyelash extensions are dipped into the glue on the jade stone, the small amount of adhesive on your lash extension begins to polymerize very rapidly. The polymerization is much quicker than the dot on your jade stone due to the difference in the quantity of the glue. This means you will have no time to maneuver the lash extension after dipping it into the glue. The time-lapse could cause it to polymerize before being placed, leading to a weak attachment. So whether it is classic eyelash extensions or volume eyelash extensions, it is important to isolate it first, and then dip it into your extension in the lash glue and attach it to your natural lashes as quickly as possible.
What Will Happen if the Humidity is Too Low?
If the room humidity is lower than the ideal level, the cyanoacrylate in your lash glue will take time to cure as it needs moisture in the air to attach to the natural lashes. An environment with a lack of moisture in the air won’t be able to activate the curing process, keeping the lash glue wet.
Particles in the form of fumes are released by your adhesive. Since these particles are attracted to moisture they will navigate towards your mucous membranes within the eyes, nose, and mouth if the humidity is too low (below 45 %), finding moisture to unite with. The sensitivity of your mucus membrane may trigger an adverse reaction such as tearing, burning, heat, pain, red eyes, puffy eyelids unless another moist place is provided for these adhesive particles to go to. Keep in mind that you may also be at risk of adverse reactions from lingering fumes at your lashing workstation.
Since the adhesive takes a longer time to cure in a low humidity environment adjacent lashes may end up sticking to one another during attachment. Even if you perfectly isolate the lashes, if the lash glue has not dried properly before you release the surrounding lashes, the wet adhesive will clump to them. This frustrating stickiness can make your client experience a permanent loss of natural lashes, so make sure to be cautious.
Another potential problem is that the lashes may just refuse to stick. Instead, they may lean to the side or slip when placed on the natural lashes if the adhesive doesn’t cure. The instant magnetic attachment that you would notice in an ideal humidity environment will be amiss.
What Can Lash Artists Do To Control Low Humidity?
Use a humidifier: By using a humidifier you can add more water vapor to the air in the lash studio, bringing the humidity up to 45-60%. It is a must for people living in dry areas.Use a nano mist spray: Using a nano mist sprayer helps add fine mist to the dry air in the lash salon, aiding to speed up the glue drying process. Use a lash extension primer: A lash primer extracts excess oil from the natural lashes, creating a magnetic pull kind of effect, speeding the drying time of your glue in low humidity.Use Extension Base: The Extension Base, which is applied to the lash extension instead of natural lashes, accelerates the drying time of your glue. It works on the same principle as a lash extensions primer and is also called ‘glue-aid’.Plants/ Flowers – Another simple yet surefire way to increase humidity is by adding more plants to the lashing area. Plants will naturally add moisture to your environment, tackling the problem of low humidity.Diffuser – By using a diffuser you can spray water into your lashing room, thereby raising the humidity. To add a fresh fragrance to your salon, don’t forget to add essential oils.
Although using the above techniques can help you achieve the ideal lashing environment, it may still be challenging to maintain the optimum humidity levels. Thus, the best alternative would be to use a glue with a faster drying speed if your humidity is too low.
What will happen if the humidity is too high?
A high humidity environment is slightly more difficult to manage than a low humidity environment. High humidity plays a crucial role in altering the drying speed which will make the lash adhesive cure and dry much faster than usual. If the humidity in your lashing space is greater than the ideal level (above 60%), the excessive level of moisture in the air will make the cyanoacrylate in your glue overly active.
In the ideal humidity environment(45-60%), a drop of glue dispensed on the jade stone can stay fresh for about 20 to 30 minutes. However, when the humidity levels are higher, your glue drop will start hardening more quickly, making it partially cured before you can attach it. Using such half-dried glue may permit you to adhere the extensions to the natural lash but in all likelihood, they may pop off prematurely during the grooming process or between lash extension refills. If the humidity levels in the lashing area are extremely high (over 70%), the cyanoacrylate in your lash adhesive will simply stop working, resulting in poor adhesion.
Due to quicker drying time, the adhesive may not envelop around the natural lash properly. Instead, they cure in place, resulting in a clumpy or rough look rather than a flawless attachment. The overall look may not be visually appealing and the gaps created between the adhesive beads can weaken the lash bond.
What Can Lash Artists Do to Control High Humidity?
Use a dehumidifier: The working of a dehumidifier is similar to the working of an air conditioner. A fan in the dehumidifier draws warm, moist air into it, sucking the excess moisture from the air and restoring the ideal humidity of the room. Use moist absorbers: If investing in a dehumidifier is out of bounds for you at the moment, don’t worry. You can purchase several moisture absorbers, which is a low-cost alternative to a dehumidifier.
Ventilate often: When you and your client breathe you will add moisture to the room humidity. So when the humidity levels are already high you need to ascertain that you ventilate the workstation in between the appointments to maintain the ideal humidity level.Air Conditioning – To combat high humidity, as a general rule, the temperature needs to be low. This contrast brings more balance and creates a conducive environment that is easier to work with. Additionally, you can set your AC to a ‘dry’ setting to remove excess moisture. Using the heat option in winter will also aid in decreasing the humidity.
If you can’t lower your humidity to the ideal level of 45-60%, select an adhesive with a slower dry time. High humidity might accelerate the glue drying process; it will dry 1-2 times faster than its normal drying speed. Therefore, selecting a glue with a slower drying speed will give you just the right amount of time to make your attachment.
Conclusion
For optimal performance of lash extension adhesive, and to avoid any adverse effects on you or your client, maintain your room humidity levels between 45-60%. By following these tips from our professional eyelash extensions artists, you can ensure that your client’s lash extensions will be absolutely flawless.
If you’re looking to get the lash look of your dreams, Wisp Lashes has you covered! We have a wide variety of extension options to fit your needs and budget! Head to our website today to book your appointment today.
Read here to know more about the do’s and don’ts of lash extensions.
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