PRIMING AND CLEANING
There is a difference between ‘Priming’ and ‘Cleaning’.
Priming / Primer is a specialised liquid which typically has as its base ingredient alcohol. For many years in the lash industry this was the only pre-care step that was done to clean the natural lashes before application.
Cleaning is a relatively new pre-care step which typically comes before priming.
Usually a foaming cleanser is used and the whole eye area is cleaned completely and then rinsed off with a saline water.
Cleaning is done to remove makeup; the majority of oil reside (natural and synthetic) etc.
Most primers contain alcohol, which can do a number of things;
- Excessively dry out and pulling out of all the moisture in the natural lashes which gives the adhesive nothing to grab onto and noting to encourage curing.
- Remember that moisture is essential for adhesive to cure and part of this moisture is obtained from not just the environment but also the natural lashes. If you need a recap of how the adhesive cures, then have a read of this blog
- Cynaoacrylate (the adhesive we use in lashing) can shock polymerise in the presence of alcohol. Shock Polymerisation is when the glue cures very quickly and only cures on the outside, leaving the inside of the glue still wet and uncured.
What is Shock Polymerisation?
Shock polymerisation is when too much water / moisture is around the glue and the outside of the adhesive cures (dries) before the inside which can lead to;
- Bad retention
- Irritation
- Stinging when later they may cry or have a shower
- Vapours/fumes being emitted later when exposed to water / moisture
- Lash extension does not stick to the natural lash upon application & ‘slides’ easily off.
Check out our blog on Glue
So, unless your client has very oily skin, wears excessive makeup and skin creams, we do not generally recommend using primers before lashing. Ceecees does recommend always using a foaming cleanser and completely washing the eye area before any application.
By using primer on ALL clients, without first assessing each client individually as to if they need it or not, then it can be a cause of extensions falling out too quickly.