Beauty Biz

BEAUTY
BUSTING LASH LIFT MYTHS
THE UNDERWHELMING LIFT
By Otto Mitter
One of the most common myths that I see all the time
in Facebook groups and from speaking to people at
events, exhibitions and in training is “The product
doesn’t work”.
Technicians experience having a problem
and underwhelming results with a lash lift
and the first port of call is generally that the
product does not work.
The technician will say “I did a lash lift and the
results just weren’t there. It must be the batch,
because I have not changed anything in the way
that I’m applying”.
This topic is something that has always
intrigued me, I have been doing research on this
phenomenon and collecting screenshots, data
and evidence for many years and I literally have
hundreds upon hundreds of people saying that
the lash lift did not work on their clients which is
happening with multiple brands in the industry. I
could literally name 10 brands off the top of my
head that I see this happening with.
Why would this be the case?
This happens with a lot of various products in
the beauty industry, nail industry, hair industry.
I have seen people struggling to have consistent
results on a variety of their clients with nail
products, adhesives, skin care and hair products.
On the flip side, I have evidence of hundreds
of people in forums saying that they have
never had an issue with the same product that
the technician is having an issue with. Could it
really be the case that so many brands have
inconsistent production in making such a simple
formula?
Permanent wave lotions are not a complex
formula to produce. In all honesty when you are
making a big batch of product the measurements
should be exactly the same every time when
producing the batch. If the quantities are not the
same when putting together the formula it will of
course not perform or emulsify correctly or be
stable. These brands invest millions of dollars
into their companies and brands, why would
they jeopardise their product by not mixing the
batch correctly each time? Brands also have to
survive, and customer satisfaction is always the
top priority. When you buy a bottle of coke or
lemonade from certain brands, they are always
the same right? When you buy shampoo from a
certain brand it is usually the same correct? Why
would permanent wave lotions be any different?
Well, the reality is it’s highly unlikely that the
formulas will change, but the variable is the
individual. The human body changes throughout
our life time and often more than you think. Our
hair texture can change a few times a year due
46 Beauty Biz Year 14 Issue 1
to lifestyle and hormonal changes and due to our
diet and supplementary intake.
It is important to note that many companies have
a very strict policy and production process when
they are making products. Stability testing also
takes place after a batch is produced to ensure
that it works. Literally 50 to 100 applications need
to be performed on clients with the microbial
stability reports required to come back with an
all-clear result, before that batch is released for
sale to the market. The chances of a bad batch
are extremely low.
You also have to look at the brand and the history
of the brand, have they been in business for a
long time? If so, then obviously their products
work right? Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to
maintain customers and have repeat business.
No brand can survive if they do not have repeat
business.
If YOUR lift is not working, then you need to look
at these factors:
1. Has the client’s hair texture changed at all?
Have they changed their diet at all? Are they
on any particular nutrients or supplements? Are
they going through any hormonal changes? Are
they using growth serums?
These factors can play a huge role in how the
texture changes with eyelashes, it can mean
the difference between having to leave a lotion
on to process for another minute or two or even
reducing the lotion time by a minute or two if their
hair texture has become thinner.
2. Was the lotion placement consistent enough?
Was it placed from the base of the lashes to high
enough on the lashes? Was it left on long enough
for that hair texture? Was the environment warm
or cool?
If the lift has been a little underwhelming but
there has been some lift, it usually means that
they just need to leave the lotion to process for
a little longer. Adjust the lotion placement and
apply it from the base of the lash to higher up the
lash and ensure that the lotion placement is thick
and consistent all the way across the lashes.
Most brands say it is safe to re-lift the lashes on
the same appointment time if required, however
you will need to check your brand guidelines if
you ever need to make any adjustments for your
clients.
Interestingly, COVID has seen an increase in
clients using various home-care products and
lash growth serums and mascaras. This is
something to also consider as it may change
the texture of your client’s lashes, when they
come back to have a treatment they may be
more resistant than usual. Resistant lashes are
not always thick lashes either, I have worked on
plenty of clients over the years that look like they
have thin hair texture, but the lashes are resistant
to permanent wave lotions. It really is a case of
readjusting the application and nine times out of
ten this is going to resolve the issue.
Otto Mitter is a qualified Cosmetic Chemist,
Make Up Artist, and multi award winning
educator and assessor in the Beauty Industry
and multi certified eyelash extensions
educator, competition judge, Lash Masters
Alumni and Managing Director of Ex-Import
Pty Ltd.