Are my natural lashes falling out?

True or False:

Extensions are supposed to shed with your natural lash attached.

If you said False, please read!

If you said True, great! But keep reading anyway.. you may still learn something new!

Just like the hair on your head, your natural lashes go through a shedding cycle. Since extensions are attached to each individual natural lash, when a natural sheds, so does the extension.

An extension shed with natural lash attached. Isn't it cute?

Totally normal and healthy!

As long as your extensions are applied properly and you follow the aftercare, this is exactly how you should be losing your extensions.

Your lashes go through 3 phases in this cycle:

Anagen: also known as baby lashes. These are short, thin naturals that are too delicate to place the weight of an extension on them. We leave these ones alone and allow them to grow until they reach the next phase: The Catagen Phase.

Catagen: also known as Teenage Lashes. Growth stops and the follicle starts to shrink. Lashes in this phase are longer and thicker and, therefore, strong enough to sustain the weight of an extension.

Telogen: also known as Adult Lashes. The lash is fully grown and just kind of hangs out until it is ready to shed. This is the phase where most of your extensions are applied. When you see a shed lash, it's usually an Adult Lash, and it's been with you for 6-8 weeks!

You basically nurtured it from baby to adult!

On average, we shed about 2-5 natural lashes per day.

Yup!

Even without lash extensions, we're shedding. You just notice it more because there's a fan, a spike, or a classic lash attached to it.

However, not all lash fallout is normal.

Stickies.

Not my work. Multiple extensions adhered to multiple natural lashes.

Ever heard of them?

Have you ever noticed more than one natural lash attached to the base of the extension?

That's what we call a Stickie, and it is not supposed to happen.

Stickies can pull out multiple lashes at once, disturb the growth cycle, cause damage to the follicle, and lead to temporary or even permanent thinning of your lash line.

One lash is ready to shed, but it's attached to a baby lash that is still growing. When the adult lash sheds, it pulls out the baby one too.

That follicle won't start growing a new lash until it's completed the growth cycle, decreasing the lash density on your lash line.

Stickies are a Tech Issue

Fortunately, there is nothing you as the client can do (or not do) to prevent stickies. It is 100% the responsibility of the tech to ensure proper application.

Here's How Stickies Happen:

• A technician is using an adhesive that is curing too slowly for their speed; they've attached the lash and moved onto another lash before ethe adhesive is fully cured, resulting in the adhesive touching another lash and curing to it.

• Poor isolation. It could be rush work, a lack of skills, or not double checking the work.

Here are Some Indicators of Stickies:

• You can physically see multiple lashes falling out and glued together (more than the 1;1 ratio)

• You're experiencing pain and discomfort on your lash line (natural lashes being pulled out won't go unnoticed from you're nervous system)

• Your spooly is snagging on your lashes when you're brushing them.

• You're retention is suspiciously perfect.. like not losing any lashes in a week perfect.

Lash Extensions are damage-free when application and aftercare are taken seriously. They're supposed to shed cleanly and painlessly, one lash at a time.

Just remember the 1:1 ratio: one extension sheds with one natural lash. Anything that doesn't follow this ratio, should be discussed with your tech.