How to wash your lash extensions

The single most common thing people get wrong about lash extensions is thinking that keeping them dry keeps them longer. It does the opposite. Washing your lashes daily is the cheapest thing you can do to make a set last, and it takes about a minute once the routine is habit.

Why cleansing makes retention better, not worse

Adhesive is cured within 24 hours of your appointment. After that, plain water does nothing to it. What does dissolve a bond is oil, and oil is exactly what accumulates at the lash line all day: sebum from your own skin, sunscreen, foundation, moisturizer that crept upward, hair product.

Leave that sitting there and it works into the base of every extension overnight. Rinse it off daily and the bond only ever has to survive water, which it was designed to do.

There is a second reason, and it is the one estheticians care about more. The lash line is a row of oil glands and follicles. Buildup there causes blepharitis, itching and tiny mites that live in unwashed lash lines and thrive on the buildup. Itchy eyes lead to rubbing, and rubbing is what actually pulls extensions out. Clean lashes are more comfortable, and comfortable lashes get left alone.

The routine, step by step

• Wet your face first, lukewarm water, not hot. Steam and very hot water soften adhesive over time.
• Put a pump of oil-free lash cleanser on a clean fan brush or a soft cleansing brush, or work it into a light foam in your palm.
• Brush downward and side to side through the lash line, eyes closed, with your other hand gently holding the lid taut. The lash line is the target, not the tips. Work the base where the buildup lives.
• Rinse thoroughly with cool water, cupping it over the closed eye or letting the shower run over your face with your head tipped back. Residual cleanser is buildup too.
• Pat dry with a lint-free towel or let them air dry. Do not scrub with a bath towel; the loops catch extensions.
• Brush through with a clean spoolie once they are dry, not while they are wet. Wet lashes bend and stay bent.

A gentle cool hair dryer on the lowest setting held well back speeds up the drying and fluffs the fans, which is a small trick that makes a big visual difference.

What to avoid

• Anything oil-based. Cleansing balms, micellar water with an oil phase, coconut oil, castor oil, most eye makeup removers.
• Cotton pads and cotton swabs. Fibers snag and leave lint welded into the fans.
• Makeup wipes. Abrasive, oily, and the dragging motion is the worst thing you can do to a bond.
• Baby shampoo. It is not the harmless default people think. It contains surfactants that leave a film and it is not formulated for this.
• Scrubs, exfoliating acids and retinoids on the lid itself. Keep them away from the lash line.
• Hot water straight at the face, long steamy showers, saunas and hot yoga with your face in the heat.

The lash cleanser sold in the studio is the one the sets are tested with, which is the only real reason to buy it here rather than anywhere else.

How often

Every day, at the end of the day. If you wear makeup, sweat heavily, or have oily skin, twice. Missing a day is not a disaster; missing a week shows.

The only exception is the first 24 hours after your appointment, when the bond is still curing. No water, no steam, no sweat. After that, daily. The Utah dry climate aftercare guide covers why that cure window is slower here than in a humid city.

Signs you are not cleansing enough

• White or gray flakes at the lash line, which is dead skin and dried product, not dandruff.
• Itching that shows up in the second week of every set.
• Redness along the lid margin.
• Extensions that look fine but feel heavy or gritty.
• Retention that falls off a cliff around day ten while everything else in your routine is fine. Why extensions fall out sorts the other causes from this one.

Come to your fill with clean lashes, too. It is not a courtesy thing, it genuinely means more of your appointment goes into new lashes rather than cleaning old ones, and dirty lashes do not bond well.

Ask at your next appointment

If you want it demonstrated rather than described, say so and it gets done at the start of your next fill rather than rushed at the end. New to extensions? Start here, or see the lash menu and book online. Questions in the meantime go to (801) 875-9677.