INTRODUCTION
One of the most popular and thus indisputably effective beauty-enhancing techniques is applying eyelash extensions to create long and voluminous eyelashes, which very few women have naturally. Women love eyelash extensions because they make lashes appear fuller and thicker, take years off her age, and eliminate the need for mascara. It simplifies the hassle of your makeup routine, creating more time in your day to do what you really want, but are they really worth it? And if so, who gets credit for coming up with this brilliant and genius idea that has the potential to change the lives of women all over the world?
WHAT ARE EYELASH EXTENSIONS?
Eyelash extensions are natural or synthetic fibers that are attached one-by-one to each of your individual lashes to enhance the length, curliness, fullness and thickness of your natural eyelashes. Ideally, it is best to discuss the result you are looking to achieve with your lash technician. They can use their knowledge and experience to help you create a personalized set of lash extensions that is most suited to you, given your eye shape, and give you advice on whether the end-look you are desiring will be flattering for you personally.
Keeping that in consideration, there are several factors to consider when creating a custom set of lashes for a client: material, colour, length, curl, thickness/volume, style, and shape of the lashes. The glue/adhesive used needs to be considered as well.
WHAT ARE EYELASH EXTENSIONS MADE OF?
Eyelash extensions are either made of natural materials (mink hair, human hair, horse hair or another kind of animal hair) or synthetic materials (acrylic or polybutylene terephthalate – PBT). There are a variety of different material and curl options currently on the market, and we will list some of the more commonly used ones here, but this list is not exhaustive. There are far too many to be able to list them all here. The five most commonly used type of extensions are natural mink hair, natural human hair, natural horse hair, silk, and faux mink. There is some confusion with respect to the names of the lashes. For example, silk lashes aren’t actually made of natural silk, but of a synthetic material. Faux mink, however, is true to its name as it uses synthetic fibers to mimic the texture and softness of real mink hair. There are also what you call “exotic extensions” available, such as fox fur, feather, paper, flower petals etc. but chances are, none of them will be growing in popularity anytime soon.
WHY CARE WHAT MATERIAL EYELASH EXTENSIONS ARE MADE OF?
You might wonder why what material the eyelash extensions are made of would be of any importance when getting lash extensions done. The first issue is cost. Naturally, lashes that are made of natural materials will cost more than synthetic materials and feel exactly like real eyelashes. The second issue is the texture of the extensions. Lashes made of synthetic materials tend to be more uniform and stable than natural ones. In this case, synthetic lashes has an advantage over natural lashes. They are not necessarily higher in quality than synthetic lashes, and with the growing advancement in synthetic manufacturing of lashes, the gap between natural and synthetic lashes is closing rapidly.