what to do after eyelash extensions
What To Do After Getting Eyelash Extensions
This is a straight guide to what to do after eyelash extensions at Lash by Nat in Burleigh Heads. Use the contents list to jump to one topic at a time. Each heading is only about that one thing.
Nat works from 39 Sky Royal Terrace. This is written for clients who just left the chair. If you already know you want aftercare and refill, skip to booking. If you are still deciding, stay on the first heading until it makes sense, then move on.
Read it like a conversation in the chair. Lashes, related services, and how this studio actually runs.
The rest of day one
Keep extensions dry for the first 24 hours. Not a quick rinse. Not steam. Not a sauna. Not a hot yoga class on the way home. The adhesive is still curing.
After that day you can get them wet and start a proper cleanse. The first day is the one people rush. It is also the one that decides whether week two looks full or patchy.
If you only remember one rule, make it this one. Dry for a full day. The adhesive is still setting. A 'quick rinse' is still water. A steamy bathroom is still steam. Tomorrow you can wash. Tonight you leave them alone.
People lose sets on night one because they 'just washed their face'. Face washing is water. Water is the thing you are avoiding. Brush them if you must. Do not wet them. Do not sit in a steamy bathroom with the shower running.
That first night
The kindest sleep is on your back. The lashes are not being crushed into the pillow. A second pillow behind you helps you stay there.
It feels unglamorous. It also keeps the outer corners from bending overnight. That is the whole trick.
On your back, the lashes are not crushed into the pillow. That is the kindest position. A second pillow behind you helps you stay there. It feels unglamorous. It also keeps the outer corners from folding overnight.
Stack a pillow so you cannot roll as easily. It feels silly for two nights. Then it becomes the habit. Stomach sleeping is the hardest. Start the night on your back anyway.
Night cream and the lash line
Night cream, retinol, and face oils belong on the face, not rubbed into the roots. Oil at the lash line is how a set thins by day six.
Keep a finger's width off the lashes. If you cannot do that, cleanse the line in the morning so last night's cream is not still sitting there.
Night cream and retinol belong on the face, not rubbed into the lash line. Oil at the root is how a set thins by day six. Keep a finger's width off the lashes. If you cannot, cleanse the line in the morning so last night's cream is not still sitting there.
Dot cream on the cheeks and forehead first. Last, carefully, the eye area with a clean finger, stopping short of the roots. If you cannot be that careful, skip the eye cream until the set is off.
When cleansing starts
Wet the lash line. Work an oil-free lash shampoo through with a clean spoolie or a soft brush. Rinse. Blot dry. Brush again.
That is the wash. Makeup, SPF, and sweat sit at the root even if you 'did not wear mascara'. You are washing the line, not dunking your whole head.
Lukewarm water is enough. Hot water makes you want to scrub. You do not need a second cleanser after the lash shampoo. If foam is still in the roots, rinse once more, then stop.
Do this over the sink, not in a steaming shower on day one. After day one a lukewarm shower is fine if you are not blasting the lash line with a hot jet. Foam, rinse, blot, brush.
Skip the oil balm
Oil balms, cleansing oils, and a lot of 'natural' removers dissolve adhesive. If a product feels slick on your fingers, keep it off the lash line.
Face oil can live on the cheeks. It should not get walked up into the roots with a hot cloth. Ask Nat which cleanser she is happy for you to use. Refill from $65.
If it slides, foams like a balm, or says oil on the back, it does not belong on the lash line. That includes a lot of natural makeup removers and micellar waters that leave a slick. Face products can live on the cheeks. They should not get walked up into the roots with a hot cloth.
Read the first four ingredients. If you see oil, coconut, or balm, it stays below the cheekbones. Ask Nat for a cleanser name before you buy another bottle. A $18 oil-free foam is cheaper than a full set from $80.
When they can get wet
After 24 hours you can get them wet. Salt, chlorine, and surf still shorten wear. Rinse with clean water after the ocean and cleanse oil-free when you are home. Do not rub with a towel.
If the next fortnight is all dawn surfs, book a Korean lift instead and come back to extensions when the water week ends. Refill from $65. That is not a sales script. Glue and a board bag are a bad pair if you will not do aftercare.
Rinse after the ocean. Do not rub. A sandy towel across the eyes will take fibres with it. Treat the lash line like you treat a fresh brow tint: gentle.
After 24 hours you can get them wet. Salt, chlorine, and surf still shorten wear. If the next fortnight is all dawn surfs, book a lift instead and come back to extensions when the water week ends.
If you train the next morning
Sweat on the lash line is salt sitting in the adhesive. Leave it and the line itches. People then rub. Rubbing is how sets die early.
Train after day one if you want. Cleanse the same day. Do not go to bed with this morning's session still on the lashes.
Sweat is salt water sitting at the root. Leave it there and the line itches. Then you rub. Then you lose fibres. Wash the same day you train, even if you 'only did a light session'. Light sweat still sits on the glue.
If you train at 5am, put the lash shampoo next to the keys so you see it when you get home. 'I will wash tonight' after a 5am session is how last night's salt is still there at lunch.
If a fibre is poking
If a fibre is poking you, do not tweeze it. You will take the natural with it. Message Nat or book a tidy.
One poking lash is a five-minute fix in the studio. It is a bald patch if you peel it at home. Wait until morning if it is the middle of the night and it is only annoying, not painful. If the eye is red or gritty, do not wait it out. Get in touch and see a GP.
If a fibre is poking you at 1am, you do not tweeze it. Message Nat in the morning or book a tidy. Picking is how naturals snap. If the eye is red, swollen, or gritty, do not wait it out. Get in touch and see a GP.
One poking lash is a short studio fix. A red, swollen, or weeping eye is a GP visit, then a message to Nat. Do not treat those as the same problem.
Lock in the refill
Book a 2-week refill from $65 if you want the set to stay close to day-one fullness. Put the date in your phone before you start the car.
This is the rhythm for events, photos, or anyone who hates the first sign of a gap. Clients who just left the chair.
A 2-week refill from $65 is for people who want the set to look almost new. Book it while you are still in the chair. Diaries fill, leftover slots go, and 'I will look later' is how people arrive at week four paying for a full set.
If you have photos, a wedding, or you hate the first gap, two weeks is your number. From $65. Put it in Fresha before you pick up your bag. 'I will book from the car' is how the slot disappears.
Message Nat if you are unsure
Open Fresha and pick the service closest to aftercare and refill. Add a note about the look you want. Hours are Monday to Saturday 6:00am-8:00pm and Sunday 9:00am-6:00pm. Gift cards sit on the same booking page if you are organising someone else.
Instagram is @lashbynatau if you want to save a photo first. Phone and SMS: 0435 183 897. Confirmation comes by text and email. If you do not see it within two hours, get in touch so the slot is actually held.
If Fresha looks full, SMS 0435 183 897. Sometimes a leftover slot exists that is not obvious in the app. Do not message at 10pm expecting a same-hour visit.
Open Fresha, pick the closest service, and add a note. Hours are Monday to Saturday 6:00am-8:00pm and Sunday 9:00am-6:00pm. Instagram is @lashbynatau if you want a photo first. Phone and SMS: 0435 183 897.
More from the studio
If you want a different topic, start here: classic vs hybrid vs volume, Korean lash lift, when to refill, Gold Coast locations, aftercare, or reviews.