Posted on November 4, 2016
An amazingly large portion of the beauty and cosmetics industries are devoted to women’s eyelashes. There are products to make them look longer, thicker, fuller, curlier and darker. You can even get products to turn them into unnatural colors! Very few things add the drama and elegance to your look that a set of long and beautiful eyelashes will, so Lash Up is here to help you keep them looking fabulous with our high quality lash extensions. But if you’re considering purchasing and maintaining a set of extensions, it can help to understand eyelash growth patterns and how your eyelashes work.
More than Just A Pretty Face
Eyelashes are beautiful things, but your body didn’t just put them there for decoration. Your lashes serve the extremely important function of protecting your eyes from floating dust, dirt and debris in the air. They shade your eyes from sweat and water, like small, built-in umbrellas. Because they are so important, your body keeps to a very stable schedule when it comes to growing them, keeping them in place, and shedding them to make room for new ones. Lash extensions don’t interfere with your eyelashes’ natural function, but they also can’t (and shouldn’t) stop your lashes from following their natural growth cycle.
The Three Phases of Hair Growth
All hair on your body makes use of a growth cycle. Your body wants you to have exactly enough hair, not too much or too little (though most people find they disagree with its definitions of “too much” and “too little”). In order to keep an even growth of hair, there are three phases to the growth cycle of each individual hair. These cycles are unique to each hair follicle, meaning that your hair won’t be growing rapidly and then falling out like leaves on a tree.
How It Works
The first phase is called the anagen phase, where all the growth appears. An eyelash in the anagen phase is actively increasing its length day by day, and will continue to do so until it reaches the specific length programmed into your follicle. The second phase is the catagen or transition phase. During this phase, your lash is no longer growing and the follicle is shrinking down. The third and final phase is the telogen phase or resting phase. This is the longest lasting of the phases. Your lash will remain static with no growth or change until it falls out, at which point the follicle will begin the growth cycle all over again.
What This Means for Your Extensions
Properly applied extensions won’t disrupt your lash growth cycle. This means that your eyelid will continue to shed lashes at its normal rate, and the extensions will fall off right along with them. That’s why Lash Up recommends that in addition to taking proper care of your extensions by cleaning them frequently and avoiding oil products, you should come in every few weeks for a top up, where we will apply new extensions to new growth. Talk to one of our experts to work out a schedule!
Contact us today to book your next lash extensions appointment!