Step-by-Step Guide to Lash Lift

Upgrade your lash lift treatments with gentle cysteamine-based lotions and handy tools without dehydrating/damaging your customer's natural lashes. 

You will notice "Pro Tip" throughout the step-by-step Guide. Please pay attention to these to learn my recommendations on how to speed up your treatments without cutting back on the quality of the service.

We recommend cleaning lashes yourself to achieve the best result, as you can see lashes much better and closer than customers do from the mirror.

If the client is not wearing any makeup, mark the changing lash growth direction points on her eyelid before she lies down. Make sure to mark them just below the eyebrow to be visible after applying shields. If the client is wearing makeup, cleanse first and then mark the lash growth direction points on her eyelid.

Pump some cleaning foam onto the customer's eyelid and not directly onto the lash line because it's a more pleasant feeling for your customer. Next, use a brush that provides thorough cleaning (such as a lip wand) to clean lashes from the roots. Finally, remove most of the makeup residue with a damp cotton pad, and then ask your customer to tilt her head to the side to rinse off the residue.

Easy Lift has three purposes:

• To speed up lotion processing times
• To prepare lashes for the treatment by making their structure super soft so it's easy to shape them without using glue
• To fully open lash cuticles without dehydrating them as regular primers do

Easy Lift Primer is intended to be used ONLY with gentle lash lift lotions, as it enhances the effect of the lifting lotion. Lashes can easily become over-processed if Easy Lift is used with more aggressive lash lift products.

Use Easy Lift:

• With very coarse lashes that want to pop off the shield and take a very long time to process. Easy Lift makes them super soft, so it's easier to glue them to the shield and to keep them there.
• To speed up lotion processing times (Pro Tip) when your lifting lotion pump bottle has been open for over 1.5 months. After 1.5 months, enough oxygen has gotten inside the airless bottle, so it takes lifting lotion a little bit longer to break down the disulfide bonds in the lashes. You can read more about disulfide bonds and why we focus on breaking them down during lifting treatments from here.

Apply Easy Lift with a tapered long-tip micro brush to speed up primer application (Pro Tip). Apply it generously – use as much product as necessary to cover all lashes thoroughly, but avoid flooding the eyes. The product needs 30 seconds to do its magic and mustn't be removed or rinsed.

Glue-free silicones are the latest innovation in lash lift shields (read more here). Their anatomical shape and unique silicone material allow you to adhere them to the eyelid without glue! This means easier and faster application and a faster clean-up process at the end of the treatment (Pro Tip).

To finish your lash lift in a flash, it's ESSENTIAL to use Flash Balm (instead of traditional lash lift glue) in combination with Wide Lami Lash Brush. Our testing has shown that using this combination allows you to finish this step up to 4 times faster.

There is a BIG difference between different balm-type glues regarding their holding power. We tested many different formulas to come up with Flash Balm. The benefit of Flash Balm is that it:

• Allows working with natural lashes extremely fast and easy

• No extra time for lotion processing times is required (this is a general downfall of most balm-type glues)

• Prevents even the thickest lashes from popping off the silicone shield

• Allows you to adjust the lashes at any point of the treatment due to its balm consistency

Make sure that you are working with a good balm glue. You can read more about balm glues here.

Start by applying a thin, even layer of glue onto the silicone. Then, pick up more glue to brush and separate the lashes.

Always comb the lashes straight up in the inner corner. In the outer corner, you can brush them straight up or slightly outward (only if your customer has exceptionally long lashes, as this reduces the lift effect) for a cat eye effect. Hold the silicone shield in place with your fingers while combing. This avoids excess movement of the shield and makes the process easier.

Comb the lashes upwards firmly to attach them correctly to the shield. If you attach the lashes weakly, they will loosen more easily from the shield, complicating the rest of the procedure. The lift will also become stronger if the lashes are brushed firmly.

This is what a flipped waterline looks like:

If you don't check the flipping during separating lashes and only notice it after all lashes have been glued to the shield, then loosen the lashes, reposition the shield closer to the waterline, and start over.

Start applying lifting lotion from the outer corner by positioning the top line first. Use the super precise Angled Lotion Brush for this to ensure the top line is very even.

Start from the outer corner because lashes in the outer corner need more processing time than those in the inner corner. Make the top line even so that the result is even. Lashes only change their shape in the areas where the lotions have been applied, so an uneven top-line results in an uneven lift.

The exact position of the top line/thickness of the lotion layer depends on the type of silicone you are working with, the growth direction of the eyelashes, and the desired look. Read more about the differences between silicones and how to choose them here.

Then, fill the area underneath the silicone's top line and bottom edge with lifting lotion. Our lotions are very gentle, so they should be applied all the way to the bottom edge of the silicone without getting on the waterline (leaving a gap of 1mm or less). No product should ever touch the eye's waterline because it is much more sensitive than the rest of the eyelid. If you are afraid of getting the lotion on the waterline, leave a 1mm gap between the silicone and the waterline. If you leave a gap of 1+ millimeters, the lift will not be as strong as it's supposed to be.

Cysteamine Lifting Lotion processing time: 8-12min

The recommended processing times for our lifting lotion (and all other brands, for that matter) written on the packaging are only a starting point.

It's necessary to check lashes to understand when they have been processed enough before removing or lifting lotion to get the perfect result every time. This is taught through in-person and online training. If you don't know the universal way to check lashes for readiness, you can contact us for in-person training or sign up for early access to our online course that we are working on ;)

When the disulfide bonds of the lashes have softened, remove the lifting lotion with a dry Angled Lotion Brush, and if there is any residue left, wipe it off with a dry Q-tip:

If any lashes pop off during the lifting stage or while removing the Lifting lotion, use the Flash Balm to secure them back on the silicone before applying the fixing lotion.

Start applying fixing lotion from the inner corner of the eye to neutralize the effects of the lifting lotion first. Inner corner lashes are thinner than the outer corner lashes, requiring less processing time to achieve the same lift. Lash lifts look the best when the lift is even throughout the lash line, so this is crucial to bear in mind.

Apply the fixing lotion a bit wider on the top part than the lifting lotion and cover it with a compensator.

When you remove lifting lotion with upward movements, you are bound to wipe some of it higher than you initially placed it. That means the lashes will start processing higher than you intended unless you neutralize this action by applying lifting lotion there as well.

Use the Angled Lotion Brush to apply the fixing lotion and process it 2 minutes less than you processed the lifting lotion. Lash & Brow Lift Fixing Lotion processing times are 6-10mins. To remove, firstly, gently pull the compensator upwards so that it removes the majority of the lotion with it, and then remove the residue with a dry Lash Lift Lami brush. And if there is any residue left, wipe it off with a dry Q-tip.

Since the lifting lotion lifts some of the melanin from the lashes, they usually appear slightly lighter after a lash lift. For this reason, I always recommend tinting lashes when you do a lash lift.

I recommend using a tint with 1.5-3% Hydrogen Peroxide for tinting during lash or brow lift so that it's less harsh on the processed hairs. My favorite is a European brand called Noemi because their Hydrogen Peroxide is 3%, and there are nourishing ingredients in the tint, such as Aloe Vera and Olive Oil. Not to mention that this hybrid tint stays on the skin and hair for far longer than any other brand.

If your customer has sensitive eyes, stay 1mm away from the skin to avoid watery eyes. Always make sure that the tint doesn't get into the eyes. If your customer feels any irritation during that stage, the reason is ALWAYS tint getting onto the wet line or the eyes. In case of irritation, check the wet line for tint residue and remove it with a dry Q-tip.

Use a black compensator on top of the tint to prevent lashes from popping off the shield. Why black? Because a good tint will also tint the compensators!

All modern lash lift systems end with a nourishing product to put moisture back into the lashes and add nutritional agents. Don't skip this step or use an unprofessional product (that's not explicitly created for this purpose) to save production costs. Lashes need pampering after lifting, so skipping this step will leave the treatment unfinished. Using castor oil or any other cheaper alternative will not have a similar effect on lashes!

Lifting and fixing lotions work as a pair, so it's essential to always use them from the same brand. This is different from the final nourishing product, though. So I recommend testing different nutritional products and combining the one you like the best with any brand's lifting and fixing.

What differentiates Shine Repair from alternatives is that it has a dual purpose: it nourishes the lashes + closes cuticles up to 99.9%. Why is this special? Fully closed cuticles mean that all of the benefits that are included in the product are actually locked into the lash, and the excess product can be removed after just 5 minutes! After 5 minutes, your customer can apply mascara, wash her face, go swimming, or even go straight to a steam room, and nothing will happen to her lashes!

I made the viscosity of Shine Repair thinner compared to the other lotions to dissolve the glue underneath. This means that lashes will start to loosen from the shield during the nourishing stage, saving you time and effort at the end of the service! This also means covering Shine Repair with a compensator to prevent lashes from popping off the shield before the right time is necessary.

Remove the compensator after 5 minutes with an upward movement so that most of the leftover Shine Repair comes off with the compensator.

The residue of Shine Repair is removed with a damp Q-tip.

When you remove Shine Repair, most lashes should be lifted from the shield. Double-check that none of the customer's lashes remain firmly attached to the shield to avoid any discomfort for the customer, and then remove the shield slowly.

Using glue-free shields is essential, because they make the final step noticeably easier and faster!

Lashes should NOT look clumped together or otherwise dirty from the lotions' residue after the treatment. All residue should be removed and the lashes separated. Suppose you are new to this treatment and see lotion/glue residue on the lashes after removing the silicones. In that case, we recommend dipping a fluffy mascara spoolie into the lash foam and brushing the lashes immediately after removing the shields.

Eyelids must be 100% clean without any stickiness/residue whatsoever at the end of the treatment.

Our Lash Lift system is so gentle that your customers don't need any special home care! If you use a more aggressive brand, you can read about home care here.

That being said, we recommend retailing home care products that your customers would use anyway, regardless of the Lash Lift. It's beneficial for your bank account and makes life easier for your customers. Some home care products can also take your lash lifts to the next level!

My top 3 home care products to retail to your customers:

• Lash BFF - a mascara that doubles as a nourishing mask for eyelashes + helps to grow THICKER eyelashes by increasing their diameter!
• pH balanced lash foam - make it from concentrate to make an even better profit + add your logo on the bottle to make it look more professional and personal
• Lash Serum - make sure that you retail a hormone-free lash serum to avoid nasty side effects! Read more about this here.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.