Can you get your eyelash extensions wet?

A common question making the rounds on social media groups, and it has created quite a bit of confusion! Keep on reading to get the skinny on whether you can wet your lashes or not..

When eyelash extensions first came out, technicians were educated to tell their clients not to wet their lashes…..AT ALL. Can you imagine how filthy the lashes got in that time, unable to be cleaned and likely caked in all sorts of debris. Yuck!

Fast forward a decade or so and that information changed. “Yes, you can wet your lashes, but please wait 48 hours to do so, as the adhesive takes that long to set, and wetting them prior can interfere with their staying power.” So, what a relief, we were now able to wash our faces without fear of ruining our beautiful new lashes! And not only that, but not long after wetting lashes became the norm, eyelash cleansers started being retailed in beauty and lash salons, allowing clients to go that step further and actually give their lashes a good clean.

You can imagine at this stage, quite a few lash-lovers were still apprehensive. They had been told not to wet their lashes for so long. In fact, they were scared into not wetting their lashes! After all, who wants to pay a couple hundred bucks for pretty, fluttery eyes only to have the extensions fall out faster than the legs on your hair grow after shaving?

People started to see their lashes fall soon after wetting them, seeing those perfectly-curled extensions actually fall into the basin below them when they washed the cleanser away. “Nooooooo” they thought, I’ve ruined my lashes by wetting them! But, what they didn’t realise is that the lashes falling out, 99% of the time would have a natural lash attached to it. This doesn’t mean that they pulled their own lashes out by washing them, in fact, it’s a good thing! You see, we lose between 2-5 natural lashes a day, and we usually won’t see them fall out. And if you don’t wash or brush your lashes regularly, the dead lashes will essentially just stay put, caked in dust, dead skin cells, makeup and all sorts of debris. Does that sound like something you want on your eyes?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Fast forward to now, and lash adhesives and the education around them have come a LONG way in the past 5 years. Not only can you wet your lashes and cleanse them, the sooner you wet them the better! You see, the main ingredient in lash adhesive (Cyanacrolate) actually needs moisture to completely cure (set hard). This has always been the case, but generally that moisture has come from the air around us in the first few days after application.

Nowadays, it is encouraged to completely wash the lashes and eye area 5 minutes after application. Doing this will not only cure the adhesive and make you able to get on with your day, and washing your face that night as usual… But research has shown that wetting the entire eye area will remove any of the adhesive byproduct lingering around your skin, which can lead to an allergic reaction to the adhesive over time.

Have you ever had your lashes done and had your eyes sting when you first open them? That’s the cyanacrolate in the adhesive trying to draw the moisture from your eyes. Ouch. Have you wet your lashes in the shower at the end of that 48 hour wait period, only to have them sting like crazy? Yep, not good!

At Tempest and Bloom we give your eye area a little bath after application, so you can open your eyes feeling completely refreshed! We encourage regular cleansing, at least once a day, to remove any debris that has rested on top of your lash line throughout the day. We even give you a free cleanser at your first lash appointment, so you don’t have to purchase one right away. The health of your eyes and natural lashes is of the utmost importance to us, so we are forever keeping up to date with changes to the industry and continuing education annually.

Hopefully I’ve left you feeling a little more informed, and less scared to wet your lashes! Please share your feedback in the comments below, or if you feel like you need a little more lash education, book in a complimentary consultation online and let’s have a chat!