Yeyyy to no more allergic reaction to lash extension or is it too good to be true?
Have you had a client or even yourself worn eyelash extensions for years with no issue whatsoever and then one day BAM! An allergic reaction happened and your eyes or client’s eye lids swelled up. You probably tried lash extensions again and again your eye lids swelled up. You then quickly went onto Google or lash extension forums asking other lash techs what happened and how to avoid it. Finally we find out we developed an allergic reaction towards eyelash glue.
Have you wondered how this happened when there were previously no signs of reactions? Well over time getting lash extensions applied to our natural lashes exposes our eyes to the chemicals found in the lash glue being used. The particular ingredient causing the reactions is of course cyanoacrylate.
Now that there are eyelash glue out there advertise as cyanoacrylate free, are they really the miracle lash glue we have been waiting for? Are they the cure to no longer develop allergic reaction?
Well unfortunately, the answer is NO. Cyanoacrylate free glue are indeed cyanoacrylate free. However they have simply been replaced with Polyacrylate. Some of you may ask since the main component in the lash glue is different, clients should no longer have reactions. In one way this may be true but polyacrylate belongs to the family of acrylates. In short if your client is allergic to acrylate, they will continue to develop allergic reactions. Some clients may only react to cyanoacrylate so polyacrylate could in fact have them no longer react. Polyacrylate is actually a much more toxic ingredient and can be quite harmful.
Allergic reaction towards cyanoacrylate in lash glue
Often lash artists think that once clients develop an allergic reaction towards lash glue, they no longer can wear eyelash extensions. However, sometimes when your client returns after a long break and gets a patch test done, the client suddenly no longer reacts with swollen eyelids. What has changed? As lash artists, we may have changed our eyelash glue but to one that still contains cyanoacrylate. So how is it that the client no longer has an allergic reaction?
Well, all lash extension glue contain similar ingredients and while they all may appear similar, the actual make up of the ingredients are not the same. All lash glue contain different percentage of e.g. cyanoacrylate as well as different quality. Changing to a new lash extension glue, may contain a lower percentage of cyanoacrylate that is made of better quality. The lash glue we stock are of high quality cyanoacrylate and low in fumes. High fume levels in glue can also trigger allergic reaction, hence why some lash artists like to shampoo clients’ lashes right after application. Shampooing helps to remove excess fumes from the eyelash extensions, which helps in lowering the chances of developing an allergic reaction to the client. Some clients may actually just be allergic to the black pigment and in that case changing over to a clear glue might just do the trick. If you haven’t tried a clear glue yet you may give our crystal clear glue a try. Our Crystal clear glue has low fumes, 1-2s dry time and a wide humidity range making it easy to work with.
In conclusion, if your client has an allergic reaction towards eyelash extensions you can troubleshoot with your client whether this is actually an allergic reaction towards the glue in particular towards Cyanoacrylate or if its a reaction you can work around for your client to continue wearing eyelash extensions. If you never experience a client having a sever allergic reaction do not panic. We always recommend our clients to see their doctor first and get a doctor’s note to get the ok to get the lash extensions removed. On sever reactions we never know how glue remover will react on top. Remember you are dealing with chemicals when using glue remover and the last thing you would want to do is make reactions worse for your client. We always want to keep clients safe but it is equally important to keep yourself safe from potential legal confrontations.