Do lash extensions damage your natural lashes?
What is the Lash Growth Cycle?
- Focus on lashing the thin long “teenager” lashes for best retention
- Lash “baby lashes” only with very small lashes to fill in gaps
- Lash “Adult” lashes last as they will be the first to shed naturally
- Lashes DO NOT damage your natural lashes when applied using the “2 mm rule”
Natural lashes have three main growth phases, just like all hair on our bodies. The hair on our head has the same growth phases as our lashes, but the phases are much longer and hair and thus grow much longer! The lash hair cycle lasts 8 weeks.
Phase 1: Anagen: We often call these “baby lashes”. They are the new lashes that are extremely fine and short. Often people with significant lash damage from poorly done lash extensions will only have baby lashes because the older lashes were pulled out.
Phase 2: Catagen: We call these the Teenage lashes. These lashes are long and thin as they mature into adulthood. These are ideal lashes to put lash extensions on since they are firmly rooted and strong. For great lash extension retention, these should be the focus of lashing.
Phase 3: Telogen: The Telogen lashes are the final stage in hair growth. The lash is mature, long, and thick. As you can see from the diagram, the root is slowly starting to push away from the skin, and it will soon shed. To offer clients a full lash set, these will be important to lash, but they will be the first to shed.
Informed Consent Form for Clients
Most professional lash artists will adhere to the golden rule of lashing, and do no damage, just like doctors vow to do no harm. However, there will be one or two clients that say they don't care about damage. In this case, we recommend creating an Informed Consent Form for clients' to fill in if they want long or heavy lashes that may result in thinning natural lashes. If nothing else, it helps the client fully understand the damage and decide whether they will just go long for special occasions.