Summer Care Tips for Lash Extensions
With summer just around the corner, you may already be preparing for some fun in the sun. The great news is that with lash extensions, you can enjoy your summer activities, only with a few modifications to keep your lashes looking their best all summer long.
During the summer, a lot of my clients spend time in the pool or in the ocean. While it’s ok to get lashes wet, excessive exposure to water, especially salt water or chlorinated water, can cause the adhesive that holds the extension onto your natural eyelashes to break down and become less effective. To reduce the chances of that happening, a simple solution is to wear goggles while swimming to protect your eyes and your lashes. Goggles can help to limit the amount of moisture your lashes are exposed to which reduces the chances of lash extensions shedding prematurely.
If you opt not to use goggles, wash your lashes immediately after water activities with a lash extension friendly cleanser to remove any chlorine or salt water that may be on your lash extensions.
Another activity many of my clients (myself included) love is BBQing. It’s nice to spend time with friends and family, sharing delicious BBQ. As delicious as BBQ is, working over a hot grill presents a few challenges while wearing lash extensions. Lash extensions are made of a synthetic material designed to mimic the appearance of natural lashes. Because the lashes are so fine, exposure to heat can cause the extensions to lose their curl, and in some cases, even melt! When the extensions begin melting, they crinkle in shape and have to be removed.
In addition to the heat and smoke potentially flattening out the curl of your lashes, when the adhesive is raised to a high temperature of 302° F, the adhesive is no longer effective in keeping extensions attached to your lashes. So, if you’re on grill duty while entertaining friends and family, do your best to avoid leaning into the grill or smoke from the grill as that can cause your extensions to fall our prematurely.
With more sunny days on the way, you may find yourself wearing more sunscreen to protect your skin and that is a good thing. Oil however, is one of the top three things that make lash extensions detach from your lash. That, and slippery products. As sunscreen contains a high amount of oil, when applying it to your skin, avoid touching your lashes with it. This means you want to avoid using a spray on sunscreen on your face. Instead, opt to use a lotion and apply sparingly around the eyes.
My absolute favorite sunscreen for the face is the Dr. Murad’s Acne Control Oil and Pore Control Mattifier Broad Spectrum SPF 45 | PA++++ because it’s great for all skin types (even if you don’t have acne), lasts for 10 hours so you don’t have to keep reapplying it, it can be worn under makeup, and my favorite reason of all, it’s mattifying! So it doesn’t have a greasy finish, doesn’t leave a white film on your skin, and it makes your pores look tiny. I’ve use this product for years and I absolutely love it for my face.
As the days get hotter and your body temperature heats up, you may begin to perspire a little. When this happens, your sunscreen may move a little onto your eyelids and lashes. To help prevent this from happening, I like to use a finely milled, translucent powder on top of the sunscreen to set it in place in the same way I would a liquid foundation. I personally love the Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powders because it comes in 3 different shades to match your skin tone and a little goes a long way.
You can also use blotting papers if you’re in a pinch and don’t have loose setting powder with you. There are also mineral powders that are used as foundation that have SPF in them. These are ok to use as powder typically don’t impact lash extensions.
If you have a heavier sweat than usual, whether that’s from gardening, working out, or just enjoying the sunshine, make sure you wash your lashes using a lash extension friendly cleanser as soon as possible to remove the sweat. Sweat contains oil that’s produced from our skin so the longer it sits on your lashes, the greater the risk of it breaking down the adhesive, causing lash extensions to fall out prematurely.
As you can see, with lash extensions, you can still enjoy all of the same activities that you normally would without them, only with a few modifications. If you have a jam packed summer and can’t adhere to these recommendations 100%, I got you covered! Schedule your touch up appointments more frequently to keep your lashes looking amazing and I’ll be happy to help!