Out With the Old: How to Suss Out and Remove Outgrown Lashes Before a Refill

If you've been doing lash extensions for longer than five minutes, you'll know that refills involve more than just applying new extensions. No, it's more like cleaning your room before redecorating—you have to get rid of the old things before you put anything new in. The cheeky villains in this case are outgrown lashes. If you don't deal with them, they will quickly make your new set seem sloppy. They protrude and twist about.

So, let's talk about how to identify overgrown lashes and remove them appropriately without making your client's natural lashes seem unnatural.

Why Bother Removing Outgrown Lashes? 

"Can't I just lash over them and crack on?" is what you may be asking yourself. The short answer is no. Because the weight of the extension isn't where it should be, outgrown extensions pressure natural lashes. It hangs midway up the lash, tugging it down like a shaky eyelash hanger, rather than snugly near the root.

They can if you leave them:

• Make your client feel uncomfortable or irritated.
• Ruins the set's overall neatness.
• Cause harm to naturals or early shedding.

In summary, eliminating them maintains the health of your client's lashes and gives the replacement a clean, consistent appearance.

Spotting the Outgrown Lashes 

After you've trained your eye, clocking outgrown lashes is typically simple. Seek out extensions that:

• Sit more than 2 mm above the lash line, too high above the natural lash.
• Are protruding or twisting at strange angles.
• The others have moved out of place, so look longer than the others.

They resemble that one stray hair on your head that refuses to go away, regardless of how much hairspray you use.

How to Remove Them Without a Faff 

1. Use Your Tweezers Like a Boss 

Prepare your reliable removal and isolation tweezers. With one tweezer keeping the natural lash in place and the other peeling the extension away, use the banana peel approach to gently isolate the faulty lash and then pinch or peel the extension off.

2. No Yank Jobs, Please 

Avoid being harsh. No customer wants bald areas, and tugging can harm the natural lash. Instead of tugging, try sliding if it's difficult to remove. Here, patience is essential since lash removals need more skill than force.

3. Work in Sections 

Avoid attempting to complete the entire set at once. To keep track of what has and hasn't been cleaned up, work in tidy little sections.

4. Mind Your Angles 

Taping back layers can sometimes make it easier to reach overgrown lashes (the tape-back technique we adore also works well here). It provides you with a clean line of sight and keeps everything tidy.

Aftercare Once They’re Out 

After the renegade lashes have been removed, quickly clean and brush through the naturals. This facilitates the filling procedure and aids in the appropriate bonding of the new extensions. Customers may not notice the extra effort you put into the final appearance, but I promise they will.

Pro Tips From the Lash Trenches 

• Don't Rush: You may avoid a crooked set that will make your job appear sloppy by taking a few additional minutes to remove overgrown lashes.
• Keep Yourself Stocked: High-quality tweezers are essential; dull ones will make removals a pain.
• Communicate: Explain your actions to your client. You may convince them that you're taking care of their lashes and not fussing around by saying, "I'm just clearing out a few outgrown ones."

You cannot avoid outgrown lashes, but you can manage them expertly. Your sets will appear cleaner, last longer, and keep your clients coming back raving about their new lashes if you take the time to isolate and remove them before a refill.

Being a lash technician ultimately involves more than simply quickness; it also entails accuracy, consideration, and providing your customers with the most experience possible. And believe me, a few stray overgrown lashes left hanging around like party gatecrashers spoil a refill more quickly than anything else.