The question of how to choose the best lash extension glue pops up on forums every single day, making it a crucial topic to address. It's essential to fully grasp the process to select the correct lash adhesive for your needs, rather than simply relying on someone else's recommendation.
In this blog, we'll cover several key topics to ensure a comprehensive understanding of this subject and empower you to make informed choices when selecting adhesives:
- What is the best lash extension glue?
- Is there one lash glue that suits all needs and performs perfectly in every environment?
- How does lash adhesive work? (The science behind it)
- How do we control temperature and humidity?
- Why you shouldn't rely solely on others' recommendations for lash adhesive
- Understanding which glue will best suit your needs
- What does cure speed really mean?
Let's address the original question: What is the best lash extension glue?
You'll often encounter lash artists eager to recommend their own brand or their trusted "go-to lash glue." However, it's crucial to recognise that every lash artist is unique, and what works for them may not necessarily work for you.
Answer: There is no one-size-fits-all best glue, I'm afraid to say!
If there were a single glue that was universally the best and worked for everyone, lash suppliers would stock only that glue instead of offering a wide range, wouldn't they?
Consider this: Do you wear the same outfit as your friend? Most likely not! Just as clothing sizes, shoe size, lifestyle, and occupation influence your wardrobe choices, the same applies to lash glue suitability. Each individual's requirements vary.
And let's address the sales tactics claiming, "Our lash glues work in all environments." This is simply a marketing gimmick aimed at persuading people to purchase their lash glue.
Fact:
All lash glues will work in a range of environments, but they won’t perform the same or work correctly unless you control your room levels. Sorry to burst the bubble of those of you hoping to find that holy grail lash glue that will work perfectly in any environment.
To understand why this is the case, we firstly need to know how lash adhesive really works.
Cyanoacrylate (CA) is the ingredient in lash adhesive which serves as the adhesive agent. This ingredient requires a certain range of temperature and humidity to work optimally and form strong and secure bonds. These levels are usually 45-55% humidity and 19-24 degrees (66-75f).
Okay, as lash artists, we can learn how to work at higher and lower levels if we know how to speed up and slow down our adhesives (grabbing more glue, working quicker etc.), but the fact is that CA likes these specific levels (just like how the standard sponge cake recipe requires you to bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 20 to 25 minutes); lash glue is no different.
You may find adhesives which will cope at slightly higher or lower levels, but these are usually one or the other (i.e., a supplier may sell an adhesive that copes at a higher level from 55-70% humidity, or will sell one which copes lower, such as 35-45% humidity).
This is where stabilisers will have been added to that formula to either make it a faster or slower curing adhesive - but you will never get a glue that can cope at both low and high levels and work and perform perfectly at any level, and here is why (“the sciencebit”):
Cyanoacrylate adhesives cure and form strong bonds through a process called polymerisation.
Temperature and humidity play crucial roles in this process.
1. Temperature:
- Higher temperatures accelerate the curing process, while lower temperatures slow it down.
- The heat provides the energy needed to initiate and sustain the polymerisation reaction.
- At higher temperatures, the molecules in the cyanoacrylate adhesive have more kinetic energy, leading to faster movement and interaction, which speeds up the formation of polymer chains.
2. Humidity:
- Higher temperatures accelerate the curing process, while lower temperatures slow it down.
- The heat provides the energy needed to initiate and sustain the polymerisation reaction.
- At higher temperatures, the molecules in the cyanoacrylate adhesive have more kinetic energy, leading to faster movement and interaction, which speeds up the formation of polymer chains.
All of this means that controlling temperature and humidity levels is crucial for achieving strong bonds with cyanoacrylate adhesives for several reasons:
- Optimal Conditions: Maintaining the right temperature and humidity ensures that the adhesive cures at the optimal rate, allowing for a strong and reliable bond to form within a reasonable timeframe.
- Consistency: Consistent environmental conditions help ensure consistent curing times and bond strength from one application to another.
- Preventing Premature Curing: High humidity or temperature can cause cyanoacrylate adhesives to cure too quickly, leading to premature bonding and potentially weak bonds. This is called Shock curing.
- Preventing Incomplete Curing: Conversely, low humidity or temperature can slow down curing, leading to incomplete polymerisation and weaker bonds.
As you can see, controlling temperature and humidity levels is essential for ensuring the proper curing and strong bond formation of cyanoacrylate adhesives. By optimising these environmental factors, users can achieve consistent and reliable results in their bonding applications. If you do not, you will be playing Russian roulette with your client's retention.
How do we control temperature and humidity?
First of all, you will need to purchase a hygrometer, which is a small, inexpensive device that registers your room levels. Once you know those levels, you will understand what devices you need to set your room to the correct levels.
- Air conditioner: to reduce room temperature when it is too hot.
- Heater: to increase room temperature when it is too cold.
- Dehumidifier: to remove excess moisture when room levels are too damp.
- Humidifier: to add moisture when room levels are too dry.
When you understand all the above (the science behind what makes lash adhesive cure and why we need to set our room levels), you can then grasp how it is impossible for lash adhesive to work correctly at any level—it's just a sales gimmick. Shame on those lash suppliers that attempt to sell you a lie.
The adhesive may still perform to a point, however, it will not perform optimally, and many lash artists will experience the following: glue failing to grab and cure, glue grabbing too quickly, lashes brushing off either due to being uncured or shock-cured, premature lash loss when clients leave, etc.
Example:
Back to the cake mixture: a cake mixture will technically bake at any oven temperature and time set, but unless you set the oven time and temperature to what the recipe states, it won’t bake correctly. It will either be undercooked or burnt! And lash glue is no different.
Many suppliers will try to get around the subject by saying the adhesive is “more flexible,” but now knowing what we know, we understand the importance of working within the correct levels for that adhesive's formulation.
Below, we will now be looking at the factors that affect how we choose the best adhesive for us.
Experience level:
If you are a beginner, then you are going to take longer to dip your extensions and place onto the natural lashes; therefore, you require a much slower curing adhesive, which is more forgiving of your lack of experience.
If you are an experienced lash artist, it’s likely you will be super speedy and precise with your application; therefore, you need an adhesive with a magnetic grab and quick cure, allowing you to work more quickly. If the glue is too slow-curing (i.e., more suited to a beginner), you will become frustrated and slower in your work speed.
Let’s look at which type of lash adhesives suit each lash artist and their experience level:
Beginner adhesives(2 seconds +)
- Slower curing adhesive, thicker viscosity, usually advertised as a 2 seconds plus glue.
Intermediate/Medium adhesive(1.5-2 seconds)
- Medium cure speed, medium viscosity, usually advertised as a 1.5-2 second glue.
Fast adhesive(1-1.5 seconds)
- Fast cure speed, thin viscosity, usually advertised as a 1-1.5 second glue.
Advanced/Super fast adhesive(0.5-1 second)
- Super-fast adhesive, very thin viscosity, usually advertised as a 0.5-1 second glue.
Which Eyelash Excellence adhesives are suitable for me?
Experienced/Super fast lash artist
- Supersonic (0.5-1 second)
Experienced/Fast Lash artist
- Ultra Fast
Intermediate lash artist
- Pearl
Novice/Intermediate
- Onyx
Sensitive
- Topaz
If you have that select client who cannot keep lashes on, or if you work in high-temperature and humidity climates we offer the following specialist adhesive:
- Oil Resistant (thicker consistency, slower cure time but the strongest bond of the range)
What does cure speed really mean?
This is a subject that confuses most lash artists and is the reason they struggle to work with their adhesives. The “stated” cure speeds provided with each adhesive is just a guide as to where that adhesive fits into the range sold by that supplier. It provides a guide as to whether it’s fast, slow, or somewhere in the middle, and that’s simply it.
It has nothing to do with how quickly you can release the extension once placed on the natural lash, something many lash artists are incorrectly taught.
There are so many factors that will affect the cure speed of the adhesive, such as the experience/speed of the lash artist (as discussed above), room levels, size of bead collected, porosity of the natural lashes, material of the eyelash extension, and type of extensions you work with, all of which we explore below:
Room levels:
We now know how both temperature and humidity affect the polymerisation of the adhesive. Higher levels will always speed the cure up, whereas lower levels will always slow it down.
Size of the bead of adhesive collected:
A larger bead of adhesive will take longer to “set” onto the natural lash compared to a seamless amount. This is why if levels are higher, experienced artists know to collect a larger bead, whereas if levels are lower, they collect a more seamless amount.
Porosity of the natural lashes:
The texture of each client’s natural lashes varies. Some clients' natural lashes are very porous and hold lots of moisture, meaning that lash adhesive is attracted like a magnet and grabs and cures quickly. Compare this to clients with closed cuticles and drier natural lashes. The adhesive does not want to bond as well and can feel as though it is sliding across the natural lash. Experienced lash artists learn how to recognise the different porosities and adapt their techniques to suit each client.
Material of the Eyelash Extensions:
All synthetic lashes are made out of PBT: Polybutylene Terephthalate, which is a type of synthetic polymer material used for lash extensions. The quality and texture can vary, from very shiny/waxy to matte. Shiny extensions tend to repel the adhesive and take longer to cure, whereas a more matte appearance accepts the adhesive better. Experienced artists who are used to working with different lashes soon learn to identify the finish of the extension and how to work with them using the correct amount of adhesive.
Lash Types used:
We now have so many different types of lashes: classic, pre-made, hand-made fans, easy fans, YY lashes, clover lashes, flat lashes. Most lash artists have no idea that each lash collects a different amount of adhesive and in a different way than another. A classic lash collects the least adhesive due to it being one singular strand, therefore, this always cures quicker. Hand-made Russian Volume fans pick up lots of adhesive which attach to each strand and also collect in an invisible chamber inside the base of the fan. A hand-made fan, even using our 0.5 sec super-fast glue (Supersonic), still needs to be held for approximately 4-6 secs after it has grabbed onto the natural lash, to allow the extra glue to start its initial set cure, then for each strand to set in place and then the artist to slowly release so the fan does not close. This is why if you look at most hand-made volume work, it's closed fans where the artist has released too quickly. However, if I classic lash with my 0.5 sec glue, I can pretty much release after 1 second and the lash will stay where it is. If you look closely at flat lashes and YY and Clover lashes, you will see that they have a flat base, therefore, lash adhesive collects differently on a flat surface than it does on a cylindrical surface. This difference in shape means more glue tends to collect on flat bases, thus requiring extra time before you can release. Pre-made fans require lots of adhesive to ensure they bond; if not, you will experience lots of brush-offs. When you use more glue for your pre-mades, if you release too soon, the pre-made fan may flop over.
This is why you need to use the correct adhesive for that lash type. For example, hand-made volume requires a super quick, thin viscosity, no wicking, magnetic adhesive. This ensures an immediate grab, initial set cure of the fan onto the NL, without the adhesive wanting to climb “wick” up the fan which will close it.
I hope you can see from all of the above information why taking someone’s personal recommendation will never work. Usually, it is a brand trying to sell you their adhesive, or a lash artist who loves their glue and assumes you will too, knowing none of the above!
And don’t fall for the “ Our adhesive works in any climate” we now know this is impossible due to thescience behind how lash adhesive cures.
Don’t forget to check out our super range of Eyelash Excellence adhesives where we have something to suit all lash artists.
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If you require any assistance, please reach out to us at[emailprotected].