In a collaboration with Kosmetologi Viivi

A while back I met with my lash tech and my friend Viivi for a breakfast. We talked about beauty – obviously – and the big topic was lash extensions and the myths revolving around them. Lash extensions are pretty common nowadays, but there are still some weird rumors or beliefs, that don’t necessarily have any truth in them. As a professional, it’s pretty often that you hear these things, that someone’s cat’s cousin’s sister overheard in a circus (not exaggerating at all here).

So here are the five most common lash extension myths – let me know if you come up with anything else or if you have questions regarding lash extensions. The comment box is open.

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Lash extension myths

Myth 1. You don’t need to wash your lashes

One of the most common misbeliefs is, that you shouln’t wet your lashes, let alone wash them. It’s true, that you shouldn’t wet them 24 hours after having them done, but that is just for the glue to dry properly. After that you need to take care of your lashes and wash them daily.

You should wash your lashes daily with a cleanser specifically made for lash extensions. Foam cleansers are the best, because foam can easily get between your lashes and right between your lid and your lashes. Sebum, dirt and makeup can easily build up and that can cause infections. Washing your lashes helps to keep them hygienic, nice-looking and if you have volume lashes the fans stay beautifully open.

I use Chrissanthie Eyelid Cleanser, which I mix with water so it becomes a foam. It’s great for my sensitive eyes. Using this cleanser my lashes have stayed beautiful and clean.

Chrissanthie is approved by eye doctors and it’s hypoallergenic. It’s also proved to help treat blepharitis, which is known to be connected with lash extensions. The symptoms for blepharitis are red and swollen lids, pain, lema and the feeling of having something in your eye. The cleanser also contains tea-tree extract, which helps to clean excess oils, so that your lashes can stay on longer.

Myth 2. Lash extensions look unnatural 

Nowadays you can get very pretentious, doll-like lashes, which easily lets us to think that all lashes look unnatural. When in reality lash extensions are always custom-made, suited for everyone’s personal taste.

Volume lashes are more voluminous than classic lash extensions. However, the fibres used in volume lashes are super thin, so that they can look even more natural than classic lash extensions, if installed lightly. You can for example only insert volume lashes to half of your lashes, or dye your lashes and have some extensions installed to them. That way your look is very natural, but you don’t need to wear mascara. You can also mix classic and volume lashes, which is what was done to my first set, which I wanted to look quite natural.

Myth 3. Lash extensions damage your natural lashes

This is probably the biggest reason to choose a good lash tech and not always look for the cheapest price. It’s always sad to see lashes, which have – well, first of all – been cheap, wrongly installed and in worst case scenario, ruined it’s owner’s whole lash row.

When lashes are installed correctly, they shouldn’t damage your natural lashes. Your own natural lash thickness and length should be taken into consideration before choosing the right style and fibers for you. The fibres should be max. 3 mm longer than your own lashes, in which case they don’t cause damage. You can have longer lashes for a shorter time, but if you wear long lashes for a long time, they might weigh down your lash roots.

Another important note is, that your lashes shouldn’t have too much glue in them. If your lash tech has used too much glue, they can feel heavy and it can glue your lashes together. Then your individual lashes might not have room to fall naturally and grow back. Lashes (done right) should feel comfortable and light.

However, if your lashes are damaged and shortened, you can seek help from lash serums, which help your lashes to heal and to grow. You can also use lash serum while having extensions (given that it’s suitable for lash extensions), at which time it strengthens your lashes and helps to keep the extensions on even longer.

One that is very effective, and also suitable for extensions, is RevitaLash Advanced lash serum. Revitalash treats lashes by giving them moisture, flexibility and shine while actually making them longer. It also prevents your lashes from becoming brittle or breaking. This is the serum I’ve used myself and it does really work.

Myth 4. Lash extensions cause allergy.

People can become allergic to anything. You can also become allergic to lash extensions; to the glue, tape or gel pads used in installing the extensions. So if you experience any symptoms, the reason might not always be just the glue. For example, I’m a bit allergic to gel pads so Anu uses tape in my case. You should talk with your lash tech about any allergy symptoms before straight up removing them.

Here as well it’s extremely important to have the extensions installed correctly. Glue shouldn’t touch your skin and the lashes shouldn’t be glued shut to your lids, which in some cases can cause very bad allergy. I’ve seen these kind of cases myself, back when I did lash extensions, and it was awful to see swollen, red lids, when the extensions were far too close to the lid.

Lash extensions should only be installed to healthy eyes.

Myth 5. You can’t have lash extensions, if your lashes are too straight, short, your eyes are hooded or your eye shape is difficult

As a rule you can install lash extensions to every kind of healthy eyes and lashes, no matter the eye shape or lash size. So if you don’t have any sicknesses or some problem with lash growth, you can have a pair of beautiful lash extensions. Also – you can’t have too straight or too curly lashes for extensions. Lash extensions can be used to shape your eyes or to create an effect where eyes can appear closer or farther apart from each other. You can mix different curvatures and for example lift the corners of your eyes. Or if your eyes are very deep set, you can use curved extensions and natural volume set to widen your look.

Thank you Viivi for a nice morning, for helping me with this text and of course for my lovely lash extensions.

If you live in Helsinki, you can buy Revitalash and Chrissanthie straight from Viivi. In other cases, check the links I added in the text.

Do you use lash extensions?