All of us eyelash-obsessives want our eyelash extensions to last as long as possible, right? There’s nothing more depressing than when you do something awful to them (i.e. steam facial with lots of oil, where the therapist will not stay away from your eye area!) and you notice the little buggers starting to come off, so you might be asking yourself – how do I clean eyelash extensions?

Water, fortunately, is not one of the things that you need to avoid. Once properly cured, eyelash extensions become relatively waterproof. Many people seem to think, that because we tell you in the aftercare instructions, not to wet your eyelashes for 24 hours, this means do not wet them. Ever.

This is actually incorrect – you do need to get them wet regularly in order to clean them. Improper cleansing of your eyelashes/extensions and eyelids can actually cause a few problems that will mean your extensions end up not lasting as long as they should.

Blepharitis is a common problem amongst those who do not have good eyelid hygiene. It’s defined as ‘inflammation of the eyelid’ and (please don’t quote me on this as I am not qualified to give medical advice or opinion) seems from my research to be a condition that is annoying and irritating rather than dangerous.

Basically, when not washed away properly dead skin cells can build up on the eyelids and cause itchiness and inflammation. This means that the eyes/eyelids will feel itchy, block the hair follicles, and end up looking a bit red and sore. You’ll end up itching your eyes and playing with your extensions (even in your sleep when you don’t even realize you’re doing it!) and they can start to come off. Some people that have blepharitis think they are having a minor allergic reaction to eyelash extensions, then when they start properly cleansing their lids and extensions, they discover that they are not at- behold, the itchiness disappears very quickly! When you start up a proper cleansing regimen, your eyes will feel much better and your extensions last longer.

It is worse when one wears very thick/dense eyelash extensions and coats them in mascara (which we NEVER recommend) because as you can imagine, they are almost impossible to clean well.

It sounds absolutely horrid, but luckily it is easily treated/managed and even more easily prevented. The majority of people who suffer from blepharitis can continue to wear eyelash extensions with no issues at all.

Another reason to clean your lashes well is oil. If you have an oily complexion and/or you’ve been wearing makeup or moisturizer that contains some amount of oil, some of this oil will end up on your eyelash extensions. If you never wash your lashes, the oil remains there, building up, and slowly eating away at the eyelash adhesive. All eyelash adhesives are attacked by oil. The less oily you let your eyelash extensions get (by using oil-free products, using a blotting powder or papers, and cleaning your eyelash extensions properly) generally the better your extensions will last.

So, here’s what to do to clean your eyelash extensions properly:
(remember, being gentle is the key – wetting them won’t make them come off, but rubbing them with vigour will!)

1. Remove all eye-makeup using an oil and glycol-free makeup remover. If taking off eyeliner, use a cotton tip dipped in remover and wipe it across your lid, or away from the lid. Never towards the extensions. Don’t use cotton balls as you’ll get into a furry mess, as they will catch on the bases of the extensions.
2. If you are wearing heavy foundation, remove this too before washing eyes, using your cleanser of choice but AVOIDING the eye area. Some cleansers contain oil, particularly cream cleansers and ‘cleansing oils’ (dah!)
3. Wet your eyes with cool water. Take a very, very small amount of a lash shampoo (we recommend LASHGAME’s Eyelash Extension Foaming Cleanser and lather it up on your palm. Apply this to both eyes, one at a time, splashing it over them. Don’t rub them like you’re washing hair though; just gently splash it over your closed eyes. If your eyes still feel grubby, repeat.
4. Rinse it off and dab them gently dry. It doesn’t matter if they are a little damp, stuck together with water etc., when you brush them they will re-separate.
5. Use your lash wand to very gently twirl through them and fan them back out.
6. Do this 2-3 times per week.

-IMPORTANT – do wait at least 24 hours first (unless your technician has ‘snap cured them’ using a mister, some do, some don’t, we are currently trialing it but at the present time are still comfortable with our wait-24-hours policy) before wetting them.

So there you are. Happy lash-washing, and if you have any questions at all about how to take care of your eyelash extensions, feel free to give us a call on 0420 634 904, or email info@ladylash.com.au.

*if you suspect that you have blepharitis, it’s important to first rule out an allergic reaction to eyelash adhesives, or that you do not have some other underlying eye condition. Please contact your doctor or pharmacist for medical advice first.

For further reading:

How to take care of your eyelash extensions