The newest and most talked-about eyelash trend has taken over the internet and almost everyone’s Instagram feed. But really, what IS a lash lift. Find some answers below, and break out the chemistry set — we’re diving deep to learn the in’s and out’s of how the lash lift works on a molecular level. Knowledge = power, so, bank that power with a LashScience™ look into lifting lashes.
The simplest way to think of it is a perm for your lashes. A curling treatment made for the delicate hairs of your lash line. Lashes curl around a pad or rod, and a chemical solution gets applied to help change the natural curl of lashes from base to tip. This process will transform your client’s lashes without the aid of extensions.
The Lash Lift System by Bella Lash makes natural lashes look longer and thicker with the most innovative method in the industry. Using 3-steps –
- a chemical treatment
- a neutralizing lotion
- a protecting & strengthening keratin boost
your client’s lashes will look fuller and curled, with a healthy finish.
If done by a certified professional with reputable products, a lash lift is a perfectly safe and fun alternative to eyelash extensions. Some individuals will “take a break” from eyelash extensions from time to time and opt for a lash lift during that hiatus.
All of this being said, lash lifts are a chemical process, so understanding how it affects eyelashes, you or your client is paramount to being at the top of your game.
The Eyelash
Keratin is the most predominate protein in the structural foundation of hair (like eyelashes). Amino acids are the foundation of protein. When many amino acids link together, the result is a polypeptide chain, which contains sulfur. This is what we will focus on as we talk about lash lift chemistry — sulfur.
At the very core of each lash, sulfur is chained in what’s called a disulfide bond – two sulfurs bonded together. The arrangement of the disulfide bonds helps hold the lash structure. This bond is what breaks and reforms when we lift lashes.
As we talked about, a lash lift is when we reshape the natural curl of the lash. But how?
When we adhere the lash to the silicone pad, we understand that the pad will be the guide for the new, chemically altered curl. The thinner the pad, the tighter the curl. Always measure and make sure that your client’s lashes are a match for the pad.
When sizing lash pads, you want the natural lashes to come up ¾ up the rod. If the lashes come up higher than ¾ up the rod, it will create too much of a curl. If the lashes don’t come up high enough on the pads, it will create a softer curl.
Lets Talk Bonds
Physical vs Chemical Bonds
PHYSICAL BONDS are temporary – think about what changes occur to your hair when you apply heat or water.
CHEMICAL BONDS are permanent – changing the structure of the inner workings of the strand of hair.
The lash lift alters the chemical bonds contained within your eyelashes.
Step 1 Once the lifting cream is applied, chemicals therein start to breakdown the disulfide bond that help the eyelash keep its shape. This allows lashes to take the form of the silicone pad they’re attached to.
Step 2 When this bond is reformed, it takes the shape of the pad underneath the lashes. The disulfide bonds are re-linked in the new shape.
The final step is the most unique and innovative steps in the process. The previous two steps can be damaging to the delicate nature of the eyelashes. By introducing a keratin serum to the lashes after this process, it strengthens and fortifies each lash, helping repair damage and giving the new lift an extra boost. The keratin serum is also handy as it is a good releasing agent to remove the lashes from the silicone pad and removing the pad from the eyelid (also nourishing the skin under the pad).
No matter if you’re a lash artist taking a deeper dive into your understanding of lash lift chemistry, or you are looking into having a lash lift performed, understanding the way the process works will give you the confidence to lift or be lifted.
For more information on LashScience™ check out Bella Lash LashScience™ and see what we’re up to.
