Summer means the times you can go on holiday, lounging in the sun, be active and have warm nights gathered around the grill, barbecue, or bonfire, and weekend camp-outs with friends. You love applying a full face of make-up to become glamorous and “put-together”, but there is something about summer that makes you want to flaunt your natural beauty and leave the mascara and eyeliner in your make-up bag. As the weather gets warmer and you get out and about more, you naturally want to look your best while enjoying the heat. Eyelash extensions are a great, low-maintenance option for achieving the “get up” and look with little to no make-up needed. You’ll be ready to face the day with minimal effort with full luscious lashes. Unfortunately, the summer heat can be brutal to your lash extensions. It was an excellent time to remind everyone of aftercare and how to look after their eyelash extensions. There are some things to bear when enjoying summer with your eyelash extensions, but they are super easy to do and will ensure you enjoy your lashes for as long as possible.
Applying sunscreen
The use of sunscreen is an absolute must for all your favourite summer activities to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. However, it is important to remember that many sunscreen brands contain oils that can lead to excessive lash shedding.
As you probably know, oils are the number one enemy of eyelash extensions. Oil eats down the cyanoacrylate bond from the quick-drying adhesive resin to dissolve, affecting how long lashes will last. Therefore, you must avoid applying sunscreen too close to your eye area and wait for it to thoroughly soak into your skin before heading out. This prevents the sunscreen from sweating and causing discomfort to your eye area, resulting in the glue bonds that hold your eyelash extensions loosening.
Besides, all spray kinds for your face are to be avoided. Try to avoid an oil-free sunscreen for your face. If you don’t have any oil-free sunscreen, take extra care when applying sunscreen around your lash area.
Clean your lashes
Hot and humid weather can create more oily for your skin in summer, and your eyelids are one of the oiliest parts of your body. Besides, being outdoors more, camping, hiking, swimming, etc. and using sunscreen can lead to increased dirt and debris collecting on the lashes. So cleaning your lashes can get the skin oils off them and help you avoid build-up from makeup and mites. You can keep your extensions clean by rinsing them gently in the shower, allowing the water to pass through. Using a foaming lash cleanser and a gentle eyelash extension brush regularly to clean deeper will be better.
In addition, you should try to reduce the natural skin oils that come into contact with your lashes and consider using blotting papers to reduce oil and matte skincare and makeup products.
Besides, exercise and “sweating it out” in summer can bring a lot of benefits, but as you know, sweat carries natural oils from your skin that can run into your eyes and affect lash retention. Therefore, the best way for you is to use a towel or sweatband when hitting the gym. In extreme sweating situations (such as hot yoga), rinse lashes post-workout with fresh water.
Excellent lash aftercare is crucial. Cleaning eyelashes and eye area day and night is a tip applied all year round. This extension tip will have your lashes looking fresh and new for a longer time.
Avoid direct heat
You love to bask in the summer sun, and there are more beach BBQs and parties. You may spend more time cooking, baking or barbecuing with your friends and family. The extreme heat it brings can be damaging to your lash extensions. Exposing your lashes to this extreme heat can “relax” the curl, or even worse, the lashes. This gives you the perfect excuse to get out of manning the barbecue. If you get too near, the heat can also singe your lashes, so be mindful of steam and heat directly hitting your lashes – try to avoid direct heat to ensure it doesn’t affect or break down the lash adhesive.
Swimming with lashes
One of the favourite ways of many people to cool off from the summer heat is to head to the pool. Although you can swim with lash extensions, chlorine and salt water can affect lash retention. So, whether you are swimming in a pool, lake, or the ocean, you can either use goggles or keep your lashes out of the water and rinse with fresh water post-swim and then comb through your lashes with a reusable lash wand or patting (not rubbing) them dry to remove excess water. Keeping them clean and dry will extend the life of your luxurious lashes.
Don’t skip your infill appointments
Your body temperature increases in summer, which causes hair to grow faster. When hair grows faster, it also sheds faster. So keep in mind that summer lash shed is perfectly normal. Don’t be alarmed by additional shedding. You may consider coming in for fills more frequently to maintain your full set of lash extensions. On average, you often get an extra 4-5 days between infills in winter. However, in summer, you will likely need infills a little more frequently than in the dry winter. Your hair grows faster – so lashes grow out quickly, as mentioned above. You should ask your lash technician to make your lashes a little bit shorter in summer will help with retention, as they won’t get as messy when they grow out. If it’s very steamy and humid, extensions may not last as long, mainly due to the extra oil your skin produces in the hotter months. To keep your lashes looking flawless and voluminous, you need to keep up with your infill appointments every two to three weeks. Your lash technician will fill in any gaps and refresh your current set so it looks like you’ve not lost a single lash.
Summer is arguably the best season of the year. You’ll be ready to face the day with minimal effort with full luscious lashes. Don’t let eyelash extension maintenance, the hot and humid weather, or sweats from exercise, sunscreen has oil, and others keep you from enjoying summer and outdoor activities. By following the tips above, you can prolong the life of your eyelash extensions and look fabulous all summer long.