Autumn Lash Shedding & Lash Retention: What Every Lash Tech Needs to Know
If you’re a lash technician and you’ve noticed clients suddenly experiencing more lash loss than usual as we move into autumn, you’re not alone.
You might have clients messaging to say their eyelash extensions aren’t lasting as long, noticing more lashes on their pillow, or coming back to their infill appointment with fewer extensions remaining than you’d normally expect.
Before immediately assuming there’s something wrong with your application, it’s worth considering autumn lash shedding.
Seasonal changes can affect the natural lash cycle, but there are also plenty of other reasons why lash retention can suddenly change.
In this blog, I’m going to explain autumn lash shedding, the natural eyelash growth cycle and some of the most common causes of poor lash retention as well as what lash technicians can do to improve their clients’ results.
What Is Autumn Lash Shedding?
Just like the hair on our head, our natural eyelashes continually move through a growth cycle.
Every natural lash will eventually reach the end of its cycle, shed and be replaced by a new lash.
Some clients may notice periods when they appear to shed more lashes than usual, particularly around seasonal changes.
This is often referred to within the lash industry as autumn lash shedding or seasonal lash shedding.
When a natural eyelash sheds, any extension attached correctly to that lash will naturally fall out with it.
This means that even if your lash application and adhesive are performing perfectly, your client may temporarily notice that their extensions don’t appear to last quite as long.
Understanding the Natural Eyelash Growth Cycle
Understanding the natural lash growth cycle is really important when working as a professional lash technician.
Natural eyelashes move through different stages of growth:
Anagen – the growth phase
The natural lash is actively growing. These lashes are usually shorter and finer and need to be treated carefully when applying eyelash extensions.
Catagen – the transition phase
The lash has stopped actively growing and begins transitioning towards the resting stage.
Telogen – the resting and shedding phase
Eventually, the natural lash reaches the end of its cycle and sheds before a new lash begins growing.
Because every natural eyelash is at a different point in its growth cycle, clients naturally lose lashes every day.
However, when more lashes reach the shedding stage around a similar time, clients can feel as though their lash extensions are suddenly falling out faster.
Is It Lash Shedding or Poor Lash Retention?
This is one of the most important things for a lash technician to establish.
If the natural lash is still attached to the eyelash extension when it falls out, this usually indicates that the natural lash itself has shed.
If extensions are coming away without the natural lash attached, however, it may be worth investigating your retention.
Poor eyelash extension retention can have many different causes, which is why lash technicians need to look at the full picture rather than immediately blaming their adhesive.
What Causes Poor Lash Extension Retention?
If your client is losing extensions prematurely, there are several areas worth checking.
1. Lash Preparation
Clean lashes are essential for good retention.
Make-up, skincare, natural oils and product residue can create a barrier between the natural lash and adhesive.
Your client’s lashes should be thoroughly cleansed and prepared before you begin your lash extension treatment.
2. Your Lash Adhesive
Your adhesive needs to suit your working environment and your application speed.
Temperature and humidity can affect how quickly your lash adhesive cures.
If your adhesive is curing too quickly, you may not achieve the attachment you need before the adhesive has already started to polymerise.
If it’s curing too slowly, this can create a different set of application problems.
Understanding your products rather than simply copying another lash technician’s setup is incredibly important.
3. Lash Attachment
Good attachment is one of the foundations of excellent lash retention.
If there isn’t enough contact between the extension and natural lash, the extension may come away prematurely.
This is something I focus heavily on during my eyelash extension training, because beautiful lashes are only part of the job — they also need to be safe, correctly applied and have good retention.
4. Changes in Temperature and Humidity
Your working environment can change dramatically throughout the year.
As we move from summer into autumn, you may start using heating again and notice changes in humidity within your lash room.
If your retention suddenly changes, check your environment rather than automatically assuming you’ve developed a problem with your technique.
5. Client Aftercare
What happens after your client leaves your treatment room matters too.
Clients should be given clear lash extension aftercare advice, including how to correctly cleanse and care for their lashes.
Oil, make-up residue and poor cleansing can all contribute to problems around the lash line.
Encourage clients to follow the aftercare recommendations for the products and adhesive system you use.
Why Are My Client’s Lash Extensions Falling Out?
If you’ve found this blog because you’re searching “why are my client’s lash extensions falling out?”, start by asking yourself a few questions.
Are the extensions coming away with the natural lash attached?
Has the client’s lash cycle changed?
Has anything changed with their skincare, medication, lifestyle or routine?
Has the temperature or humidity in your lash room changed?
Are you using a different adhesive or product?
Is your adhesive fresh and being stored and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions?
Has anything changed with your application technique?
Rather than guessing, work through each possible cause systematically.
Retention problems are much easier to solve when you identify what has actually changed.
Should Lash Clients Have More Frequent Infills During Autumn?
Some clients may temporarily benefit from having their lash infills slightly sooner if they are experiencing increased natural lash shedding.
However, every client’s lash cycle is different.
Rather than telling every client that they need more frequent appointments during autumn, assess their lashes individually and explain what you’re seeing.
Education is a huge part of being a professional lash technician.
When your clients understand why their lashes naturally shed, they’re far less likely to panic when they notice an extension attached to a natural lash.
Don’t Automatically Blame Yourself for Every Lash That Falls Out
One of the biggest things I teach my lash students is to understand why something is happening.
Seeing lashes fall out doesn’t automatically mean you’ve done something incorrectly.
But equally, we shouldn’t blame every retention issue on seasonal shedding.
A knowledgeable lash technician should be able to look at the client’s natural lashes, their application, products, environment and aftercare and start troubleshooting the potential cause.
That knowledge comes from good-quality lash training and continued education.
Want to Become a Qualified Lash Technician?
If you’re interested in becoming a lash technician, or you’re already qualified but want to improve your knowledge and confidence, I offer professional lash training in Nottinghamshire.
With over 22 years in the beauty industry and more than 12 years teaching, I’ve trained over 1,000 students in beauty treatments and business.
My lash courses don’t just teach you how to create a pretty set of lashes.
You’ll learn about natural lash health, lash cycles, isolation, application, styling, adhesive, retention, troubleshooting, aftercare and how to confidently start offering treatments to paying clients.
I offer beginner Classic Eyelash Extension training, as well as training in Russian Volume lashes, Lash Lift & Tint and other professional beauty treatments.
My in-person training is designed to give students plenty of support and practical experience, with continued support available after your training too.
If you’ve been searching for a lash course in Nottingham, eyelash extension course Nottinghamshire, lash technician training near Nottingham or you’re ready to start a career in the beauty industry, take a look at my available lash training courses.
Ready to start or develop your lash career?
Explore my lash training courses and find the right course for you.
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