Zachary Falb is totally entrenched in the lash world. As the Global Master Trainer for NovaLash, Falb teaches “Lashing” around the world. In the last six years Falb visited 19 countries teaching the hot service to thousands of lash artists. 

MODERN caught up with Falb to find out what is happening in the lash extension world. It turns out that there are five common mistakes many new (and seasoned) artist are doing on a regular basis. Here Falb shares the key mistakes (and how to fix them): 

Top 5 Biggest Lashing Mistakes

1. Incorrect height of the treatment bed

Lashing with your treatment bed at the wrong height can have disastrous results. Your neck and back will pay the price from hunching over to see the lash line. Extensions might not be placed close enough to the lash line and your separation might be compromised. Take your time to properly adjust the lash bed so your clients head sit comfortably at chest height. Since most clients will lay the same way on the treatment bed, use a co-worker to lay on the bed and adjust the height to suit. Remember, your set up will affect your service results.

1. Rushing the service and not allocating enough time

Want to see high-quality, long-term results but expect to complete the task quickly? Don’t risk applying anything less than a full set and allocate the correct amount of time for the service. Full sets should always be two-hour slots and infills around 1hr 15 minutes. For a client’s first appointment, allocate slightly more than two hours so you have time for a full consultation and aftercare discussion. Not applying full sets result in clients not seeing the full potential of their lash services. Also, partial or half sets looks sparse and will shed quicker, resulting in clients needing to come back sooner for infills. Long-term results = happy clients. 

1. Improperly drying and curing the adhesive

Avoid any discomfort after the service and make sure clients feels like they are waking up from a lash nap and ready to admire their stunning new lashes. Opening their eyes to a stinging or burning sensation is something all stylists want to avoid. Use plenty of air then a mist of water and more air to fully set and cure the adhesive. NovaLash Platinum Bond and High Speed Platinum Bond are instantly water, sweat and oil proof. Curing the lashing properly mean clients can swim, shower, sauna, hot yoga and continue on with life’s activities directly after the service.

(Pro tip – if the base of the extension turns white during drying it means you are shocking the adhesive by not using enough air before a mist of water. Adhesives are moisture reactive so using air first removes the shock of the water. Always remember- air, water, air.)

1. Not providing full and detailed aftercare to clients

Expect clients to maintain their lash services with no tips or tricks?! Give them all the detailed information needed to insure their lashes stay wink worthy all month long. It is important to avoid glycol, urea, solvents and high PEG numbers with lash extensions. These ingredients are going to shorten the adhesive hold and cause poor retention. Most lash brands have their own specific instruction on how to care for the extensions. NovaLash adhesives love oil so clients can use their pomegranate seed based cleanLASH pads nightly to remove eye make, cleanse the eye area and condition the adhesive. Other brands might tell clients to avoid oil all together which can make nightly cleansing tricky. Always review the label of your skincare products to make sure you won’t introduce an ingredient that will shorten the wear time of your lovely lashes. Remember, the more you educate your clients the better prepared they are to care for their lashes.

1. Not using the correct extensions for different clients

No one size fits all when it comes to lash clients! An experienced lash artist should have a large selection of curls, lengths and diameters to accommodate each and every client’s needs. You cannot use one curl or diameter on every single lash client. Would you use the same color and hair style of every single client? Exactly! There are lots of choices out there when it comes to lash curls; Natural or J curl, B curl, C curl, D curl, L curl… but each client will have a different desired outcome. It’s your job as a lash artist to determine the best fit to suit their face and eye shape plus provide them with the results that want.