Analyzing Shed Patterns: Troubleshooting with Clients!

Analyzing Shed Patterns: Troubleshooting with Clients!
Sometimes, lash extensions don’t last as long as they should. I believe with proper training and a certain level of urgency to “get to the bottom” of the issue, you should be able to troubleshoot most eyelash extension retention issues and hopefully resolve them. We alluded to this in a previous blog post, and I realized I hadn't given you my insider tips for making sure we get every customer retaining well (within reason... see below!). 


When clients are having retention issues it is a crucial moment for your business. Having spent 1.5-2.5 hours with you getting a full set - if they are all falling off your clients natural lashes it’s a serious issue for your company’s reputation. The issue may be your fault, or may be something the client is doing - or in the worst cases, the issue is no one’s fault and it’s beyond anyone’s control. 

This exact issue is why I am a firm believer in satisfaction guarantees. You can choose a time frame that you guarantee the lashes for, but my recommendation would be 3-5 days after their appointment is completed. If they are having any issues within that time frame, you will have them back for a free appointment (usually 30 mins), to analyze the shed pattern and try and sort out what’s causing issues. Knowing what questions to ask, and what to look for in your clients lash shedding shows off your knowledge again and puts you back in the drivers seat of the situation.

Let’s look at the top reasons eyelash extensions shed too quickly, and signs to look for to spot the issue. 

 

  1. A professional error. 

Hey - it happens! Maybe you forgot to wash their natural lashes before you began so you were applying extensions to an oily lash base. Maybe your humidity level was way off so your adhesive wasn’t working properly. ALWAYS look at yourself first, because if was your error, and you blame them - you better be ready for some nasty reviews.

2.Client is sleeping rough on them.

Especially when you have a brand new client who isn’t used to their eyelash extensions, sleep can be a real issue. If lashes are pushed into the pillow at night, they are rubbed and blinked against the pillow during REM sleep causing friction. The tell tale sign of sleep induced shedding is when the outer corners are all gone, but the inner and mid eye look fairly good. Solution: Have your client sleep with their hand between their lashes and the pillow OR sell them a moulded sleep mask that bubbles out over the eyes (they can freely blink under). 

3. Oily products on them/Oily skin.

Please go easy on your new clients. Often times they don’t realize their product has oils in it until it’s too late. I would say its very rare for someone to spend serious cash on lashes and then willingly go and ruin them by throwing an oil-gel liner on them. If your client is having issues with oils from makeup or from the skin you can tell by the eyelash extensions shedding evenly, and peeling upwards from the base. Many of the extensions will still be attached but will be lifting at the very base of the eyelid where the oil tends to travel. Go through a detailed list of makeup/skincare with them and check ingredients, looking for glycols, waxes, and oils. If the oil is from their skin, recommend blotting papers to absorb the oils, and a nice HD setting powder in areas they tend to be oily to keep it as under control as possible, and make sure to wash with LashPURE daily. 

4. Lashes tangled/twisted

This is most likely caused by technician error. When appropriate lengths and thicknesses are used it’s quite hard to get the extensions to flip and twist. If they are having issues with premature shedding, tangling, etc - chances are the technician needs to scale back the length/diameter (or both) of the eyelash extensions because they may be stressing the natural lash, causing it to twist and flip.

5. 
Glue Chunks

Let me clarify this one; when I say glue chunks I don’t mean that the technician is using a ton of adhesive to cause chunks (that's a technician error and should never happen). What I am meaning is your initial application is seamless and has minimal adhesive but when your client comes back the lash extension is gone, but there are little chunks of adhesive left on the lashes. This is a what lashes look like when the client is picking the lash extensions. Picking will cause stress cracks in the adhesive and when the lash extension comes off, some adhesive is left behind. Educate your client about the damaging effects of pulling and picking and determine if this is a service they can handle.

6. 
They’re all gone or shed pattern is evenly distributed.

This is the hard one. Sometimes we will never know for sure what is causing issues but the top culprits are:

-anti-aging eye cream (can cause a film on the lashes and cause the hair to act differently)

-new medications (especially some birth control, or hormone therapy such as birth control pills) affect the hair and natural shed cycle

-new diet

-heavy stress

If these issues are the case, the ball is in your client’s court. I would offer a complimentary 30 minute appointment and refill the lashes as much as you’re able to but explain to them if these issues continue you aren’t able to fix them for free again and that they will need to decide whether or not coming for frequent fills is worth the cost or not. There isn’t a right or a wrong answer but leave it to them.

With all of this said, if your client is having issues with eyelash extensions but still wants something “done” with her lashes - recommend a Lash Lift which is super low maintenance as it just curls the natural lashes. 

What do you offer in your business as far as a satisfaction guarantee? Let me know below! 

 

Courtney Buhler

 

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