You’ve finally achieved the lashes of your dreams: long, lush lashes that turn every glance into a flirtation. You’ve had a licensed professional eyelash artist expertly apply your lashes, and now all you have to do is enjoy batting them, right? Wrong. Eyelash extensions need to be cleaned every day.
Avoid Water?
You may have heard the exact opposite: that cleaning eyelash extensions is a big no-no, and you can’t even take a shower or wash your face after you get them. This myth probably has some roots in the poor-quality adhesives used in the past that dissolved in water. Modern adhesives are waterproof once they have fully set. Ask your lash professional how long to avoid water after application. Most adhesives will be fully set within 12 to 24 hours.
Lash Health
Eyelashes aren’t just for looks; they have the vital purpose of keeping dirt from falling into your eyes. All of the dirt that collects in your hair and eyebrows and falls off gets caught in your eyelashes. Wind-blown debris makes its way toward your eyes through the side of your sunglasses and gets caught in your eyelashes. Sweat and sunscreen drip off your brow and onto your eyelashes. Eyeshadow rubs off your eyelids with every blink and gets caught in your eyelashes. Your eyelashes catch every skin flake, droplet of makeup, and clot of dirt. Normally, you remove this debris every time you wash your face.
If you extend and thicken your eyelashes with extensions, they capture even more dirt than your natural eyelashes and it needs to be removed. If you don’t clean all the gunk, dirt, and debris off your extensions daily, it can make its way down into the hair follicles on your eyelids and cause nasty infections. Infections in your eyelids can cause infections in your eyes, which can threaten your sight.
Cleaning your extensions daily is a matter of basic hygiene.
Extension Lifespan
Having eyelash extensions properly attached by a lash professional will, of course, significantly extend their lifespan over a shoddy DIY job. Keeping your extensions clean will prolong their lifespan even further. They are held in place by an adhesive. Oil from your skin, moisturizer, and makeup will slowly dissolve the adhesive, and then they will fall off.
Regularly removing as much oil as possible from your extensions will significantly prolong their lifespan.
How to Clean Eyelash Extensions
You should plan to clean your extensions every evening as part of your makeup removal and skin cleansing routine. You will need:
- Eyelash extension cleanser
- A clean fluffy eyeshadow brush
- Warm water
- A small bowl
- Clean cotton cloth
- A clean spoolie
First, remove your eye makeup with an oil-free pad by gently wiping downward. Next, pour some warm water into the small bowl. Add the proper amount of cleanser (read the manufacturer’s instructions) and use your brush to mix it with the water. Then, use the brush to apply the mixture to your eyelashes, making sure to soak them well from the tips to the eyelid. Stroke the brush along the lashes to remove any misplaced makeup and debris. Then, rinse the lashes well with clean warm water.
Gently pat your eyelashes dry with a clean cloth and use a spoolie to brush your extensions back into the shape you prefer.
The Bottom Line
If you have a professional place applying your eyelash extensions with high-quality adhesive and you clean them properly on a daily basis, you can expect them to look beautiful for six to eight weeks.
Kaley is just a girl who loves to be outdoors and play with her dog – and bonus points if she is outside playing with her dog! Oh yeah, and she loves her job as well!
