What are they?

I’m sure you’ve heard the term volume lashes, Russian lashes or  3d lashes being thrown around. To make things easy for you to understand, these are the same thing. Volume lashes are different to classic lashes as there are 3 or more finer extensions that are arranged in a fan and adhered to the natural lash. The classic lash technique uses one extension adhered to one natural lash. The difference between these two techniques is quite big. The end result, volume sets will have at least three times the amount of extensions. The volume lashes also take longer to apply, as the technician will hand make each individual fan before applying it to the natural lash. Classic lashes will usually take around an hour to an hour and a half  to apply a set whereas the volume sets will usually be at least 2 hours. Volume lashes cost more as well.
 

Origin

Hence the name ‘Russian’ lashes, this technique derived from Russia and the Ukraine. It is a fairly new technique that has made quite an impact on the lash industry. When brought to the English-speaking world, the volume technique has almost taken over the traditional classic lashes.

Dimensions

To explain the multi-dimensions of the volume lashes, put simply, the number of “D’s” is the number of lashes in each bouquet or fan.

• 3D lashes = Three lightweight extensions on each natural lash
• 4D lashes = Four lightweight extensions on each natural lash
• 5D lashes = Five lightweight extensions on each natural lash
• 6D lashes = Six lightweight extensions on each natural lash

 
The higher the number, the more extensions included in the set. Usually, there will be around 100 fans applied to each eye. So if you have 3D lashes, there will be approximately 300 extensions applied to each eye.

Will so many extensions be damaging?

When volume lashes were introduced to the lash industry this was the first and main concern of the majority of the industry. The answer is NO, they will not damage the natural lash. There is a science behind it though.

Weight. The type of eyelash extensions used with the volume technique are thinner than the classic lashes. The diameter of a single volume lash is no bigger than 0.07mm where the diameter of a single classic lash varies from 0.10mm, but the most popular starting from 0.15mm and thicker. The volume lashes which are 0.07mm and thinner weigh significantly less than the classic lashes. 3 volume lashes weigh less than 1 classic lash, which means that the volume sets will not cause damage with a weight issue by pulling on the natural lash.

Adhesive. Many technicians questioned if using so much adhesive would be bad for the lashes. It has been proven that the volume lashes use less adhesive than the classic lashes even though they are subjected to the adhesive twice the amount of time as in a classic set. Let me explain this process. With the classic technique, a technician will dip the extension into the adhesive and then bond it to the natural lash. With the volume technique, the technician will make the fan of 3 or more extensions and dip it into the adhesive to adhere the extensions together, and if needed, may dip into the adhesive again to to adhere the fan to the natural lash. The volume lashes need a very minimal amount of adhesive and the thinner extensions hug the natural lash, making more contact than the traditional extensions.

Why volume lashes?

They tend to last longer. As there are a significantly larger amount of extensions and they tend to hold on better than classic lashes. This means more time in between infills.

Volume lashes look fuller and fluffier. If a client does not have many natural lashes, the volume technique can mask that by creating a fuller look.
 
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