If you are getting eyelash extensions for the first time below is a guideline on what you will need to know.

What to do to prepare

You may need to arrange a patch test beforehand

 If you have sensitive skin/eyes or have had a reaction to any eye cosmetics or products before I would suggest coming into the salon for a patch test at least 24-48 hours before your appointment to make sure you don’t react to the adhesive used. A patch test is just subjecting your skin to a small amount of the product to see if it reacts. We apply a few short lashes to the outside corners of both eyes, they are not noticeable. If you are allergic to the adhesive, or if your skin is irritated by it, you will see a bit of redness or itchiness in the area. In that case, you should not proceed with the appointment. In the end it is better safe than sorry when it comes to your eyes.

Wash hair before: Because you should not wet your extensions within the first 24 hours, it is best to wash your hair beforehand so that there is no possibility of accidentally wetting them. Some seasoned lash clients who’ve been getting extensions for years are able avoid wetting their lashes whilst washing their hair, but I would suggest for your first visit to just do this before.

Come to your appointment makeup free 

Because you shouldn’t wet the extensions for the first 24 hours, if you have a makeup removal routine that involves water around the lashes, it would be best to avoid that. Alternatively, some clients find it helpful to just use a makeup wipe on the face and avoid the eye area all together during this drying period.

Definitely no eye makeup: Mascara or eyeliner should not be worn at all before your lash appointment. It takes quite a bit of time for your lash technician to remove this for you, which could mean you don’t get time to do the full set you booked in for.

Arrange your day

Make sure you know how long you will be lying down for as lashes take up to 2 hours). Most classic sets of eyelash extensions take somewhere between 1 and 1.5 hours, and Volume sets take usually 2+ hours to be applied. Make sure you know how long you will be in the salon for and prepare accordingly. Also, make sure your parking spot accommodates for this time, as you don’t want to get a parking ticket. You won’t be able to check your phone during this time, so you will need to make sure you prepare for that. Although, if there is a reason you need to be contactable during the process you will be able to talk to your technician about this and she can accommodate that.

Go to the toilet beforehand  

You will be laying there for at least an hour, it takes a lot more time for you to go to the bathroom in the middle of the application as your technician will have to remove and reapply everything to the eye area again. It’s not a problem to delay the treatment a couple of minutes beforehand to go to the bathroom.

Consultation

Your technician will usually suss out if you are getting eyelash extensions for the first time so she can go through a more thorough consultation with you. The consultation will be done at the beginning of your appointment to establish the right look for your extensions. You do not need to know the nitty gritty details like lengths and sizes. The technician is just looking for a feel of what you want. Are you getting lashes for your wedding, for a play you are starring in, if a set of lashes is to just reduce the amount of time you spend on mascara in the mornings (or the amount of time you are late to work in the mornings). Do you prefer a natural look, what is your interpretation of natural, do you want to make your eyes look bigger or smaller, etc. Along with what look you are wanting the technician will look at the condition of your natural lashes and what sizes, lengths and curls will be most fitting for them, as well as making sure they will not cause any damage to the lash. Your technician will also recommend styles that will best suit your features, your face shape, your eyebrow shape. A great eyelash extension technician has a very wide skillset in creating optical illusions with this craft. They are able to make eyes look further apart, closer together, longer, wider and many more

Getting eyelash extensions for the first time. The appointment.

After you’ve spoken to your technician and agreed on what lashes you’d like, you will start your treatment. Your technician will apply anti-ageing gel pads underneath your eyes to separate your top and bottom lashes. This is so they don’t stick your lashes together, although it may be uncomfortable during this part, it does only last a couple of seconds. Then the applying of lashes begins. Your technician uses two sets of tweezers during this process. One is isolating a single lash while the other picks up an extension, dips it into the adhesive and adheres to the isolated lash. It is a very detailed process.

Infills

If you are wanting to wear lash extensions long term, you will need to come back in for infills every 2-3 weeks. During this process, your technician will take off the grown out and messy extensions and replace all the extensions you are missing to bring you up to the full set. This process doesn’t take as much time as the initial set as there aren’t as many lashes to be applied. Most salons have a base amount they charge for your infills depending on what set you get and how many weeks it has been, but the price may be more or less than the base and is adjusted if you have lost more or less lashes than average. It is common practice to book your next appointment whilst you are paying for your current service.

Aftercare

Your technician will usually go through the aftercare process with you at the end of your treatment as well as give you aftercare instructions to take home with you. The following are most important, and will take more effort to get used to if you are getting eyelash extensions for the first time rather than a seasoned lasher.

• Do not wet the lashes for at least 24 to 48 hours. This is the time it takes for the adhesive to properly cure so they will last the correct amount of time. If you do wet them during this time the will most likely come off prematurely.
• Avoid oil at all costs. This means oil in your makeup and skin care products that come close to your eye area. Because oil is good for your skin and hair, most products do have oil in them. Oil breaks down the adhesive and your new extensions will come off if you get oil around this area at any time. Including before and after the first 24 hours. Your salon will most likely stock eye makeup remover as well as eye makeup that does not contain oil. So if you intend of wearing your extensions for a while, it would be a good investment to get those products.
• Brush your lashes gently. You will be provided with a lash brush at the end of your treatment. They look like dry mascara brushes and are great for keeping your extensions tidy. You do not need to brush them excessively, just enough to keep them in place. Don’t be afraid if you see a few come off whilst brushing, this is normal.
• Be careful of your eye area. It might seem like common sense, but if you haven’t had extensions before, you could be used to rubbing your eyes, sleeping on your face or being a bit rough on your eye.