AHFrancis Blog, Lash News
Spring Lash Shedding: What’s to know & do?
Lash Growth Cycle
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Lash shedding is a natural process, it is nothing to be worried about!
So many of our lash clients would have never heard of this…
Most of them think that once we have finished their gorgeous lash transformation, they will never have to think about their lashes ever again! (I bet this rings a bell!)
You can expect to shed twice a year: Spring & Autumn, when our bodies react to changing temperatures & seasons by shedding hair.
Lash loss is something we will experience in these seasons!
Let’s Educate Ourselves & our Lash Clients!
Our bodies all go through a growth cycle where we shed hair on our heads & lose our natural eyelashes twice a year.
We often hear our clients say, “No, this never happens to me.” They never lose any eyelashes or hair…
This is not true; it happens to all of us of all genders!
Hair & eyelashes do grow back, it is a cyclical process (this means a happening of a complete set of events that repeat in the same regularity).
It’s a natural phase, just like at night, when our skin regenerates & renews itself. We are living & breathing & forever changing & going through transitional changes…
What is lash shedding?
Lash shedding is a natural occurrence where our lashes fall out & completely renew in approx 30-90 days.
Obviously, this is dependent on each individual & their health, medication, etc., which can play a big part in this process.
Usually, we would expect to shed between 1-6 natural eyelashes a day, depending on each individual lash client’s hair growth cycle.
The 4 main phases of hair growth:
Anagen – This is the longest & most active growth phase of the hair follicle; new hair shafts are produced.
Catagen – Transition between Anagen & Telogen, hair growth slows down by 50% & may stop altogether.
Telogen – This phase is the shortest & the least active of the hair growth cycle.
Exogen – (AKA the shedding phase) This is the final stage of the hair growth cycle when hair falls out.Â
Anagen phase: This is the growth phase of the natural hair cycle, when our natural eyelashes are new and weak & often called baby lashes. This is the first phase of our natural lash cycle (eyelash extensions are not recommended to be applied to natural lashes in this phase).
Catagen phase: (also called the transitional stage) is the second stage of the lash growth journey, where the lashes are half-grown.
This phase takes between 14-21 days. When eyelash extensions are applied at the Catagen phase, clients find their lash extensions last longer due to the strength & health of the natural eyelashes.
Telogen & Exogen phase: The final phases, referred to as the Telogen /Exogen phase, is when the natural eyelashes are at the end of their development & want to relax by taking a break from growing.
The natural eyelashes are at the end of their life cycle.
During these phases, we would not recommend eyelash extensions being applied, the same as the Anagen lash cycle phase where the baby lashes have just started growing & cannot support a lash extension.
We would not recommend the above lash cycle stages to have eyelash extensions applied!
They will fall out at the Telogen phase due to the natural eyelashes being ready to fall out & the Anagen phase is where the natural eyelashes are very fine & weak & have just started out on their lash journey.
Why do we notice our natural lashes shed more when Spring arrives?
Natural Lash shedding is an all-year process that is more noticeable in the Spring!
Climate changes & warmer weather are when our bodies start to get ready to shed to prepare for warmer times ahead.
Our bodies have a natural thermostat that changes throughout the year & this affects our hair growth cycles.
If our skin is dry due to lack of hydration, the hair follicles that are just under the skin lack moisture & nourishment, & they can become very dry & brittle, creating irritation & the natural eyelashes fall out prematurely.
We would be more likely to want to rub our eyes if this happens & rub our natural eyelashes out!
Hydration & nourishment are so important!
Drink plenty of fresh water throughout the day; our bodies need it!
Educating our lash clients really does pay off & helps prevent those panic messages or calls when they say, ” My lashes are falling out!”
We cannot stop this process, it is going to happen.
Things that we can all do to help (therapist & lash client):
- Cleanse lash extensions every other day with our lash & brow cleanser
- Healthy lashes are happy lashes & hold onto lash extensions longer
- The build-up of dead skin cells, oils & debris can cause infection & sensitive reactions, regular cleansing is key!
- Remove any eye makeup residue with an oil-free makeup remover using a disposable Q-tip/cotton button/foam-tipped applicator along the base of the lash line
- Book regular maintenance/lash infills every 2/3 weeks (no longer) as this may not be classed as an infill & you may need a longer appointment & be charged more!
- Follow the Maintenance aftercare that your lash tech will provide for you (Download & print off our free pre- and post-aftercare)
Educate our clients
As professional lash technicians, it is our job to educate our lash clients!
We need to do this when we patch-test them & go through their medical consultation form.
Going through the eyelash extension procedure will help them understand & be aware of the maintenance that is required post-lash application.
Each lash client is an individual & they will all experience varying degrees of lash shedding due to health, etc, as we mentioned earlier.
Post-lash care & lash education are paramount for the best lash retention. Maintenance treatments should be regularly booked in as routine.
Why not print out some aftercare leaflets you can download from our free resources & rebrand them to your salon’s branding?
Give one of these leaflets to your clients when they leave after their initial lash eyelash extension application/appointment!
Let’s get them prepared & hope we have healthy, happy lashes & clients when they come for their infill lash appointment. Our eyelash extension clients will all experience Spring Lash Shedding.
As we mentioned earlier, make sure we go through this process & know what & when to expect.
Lash shedding can also be a problem that can happen when:
- The natural lashes are not cleansed & prepped correctly this will affect bonding & lash retentionÂ
- Eyelash extensions are too long & are not bonded to the natural lashÂ
- Thick heavy eyelash extensions are applied – causing damage to the natural lashesÂ
- Over-use of  lash adhesive applied & causing stickies (lashes stuck together)
- Use the best professional branded regulated lash suppliesÂ
- Regulated Lash Glues
- Lash Primers
- Lash Cure/Bonders
- Lash foaming cleansersÂ
- Lash sealers