Most women would agree that they have more beauty products than they need. But do we want to get rid of them? No! What if we need them? What if we want to try them for a special event? What if they will work perfectly with that one outfit you sometimes wear? Sometimes a certain product isn’t used regularly, but you just can’t bear to let it go because you loved it so much when you did use it. None of this makes sense to the men in our lives, but we get it. Beauty products are sometimes hard to let go. But you should! Beauty products expire, just like food. And like bad food, expired beauty products can actually harm you.
Sometimes expired beauty products just lose their effectiveness. Gel products can congeal, creams can dry out, liquids can evaporate, and solids can become brittle and powdery. This is particularly problematic in the world of adhesives. The adhesive glue you use for lash extensions can lose its sticky qualities over time, meaning the lashes simply won’t last.
Even more serious, beauty products can be a hotbed of bacterial growth. Even when containers are sealed bacteria can enter during use and then be sealed inside, growing and contaminating your beauty products. Think about how many beauty products in your drawer have been near your eyes, nose, mouth, and hands. Yikes! Especially with eyelash extensions bacterial growth is scary because of how close your tools and products will get to your client’s eyes and face, not to mention your hands and face!
Of course you aren’t doing this on purpose, but eyelash technicians sometimes use expired products simply because they aren’t labeled, or because they’ve run out of their current supply and pull a bottle or product off the back of the shelf. Start your new year out fresh to prevent any germs or ineffective products from negatively impacting your clientele and retention!
- Label everything you can think of! Label makers are cheap, or you can use markers or sticky notes. Label when you bought the product, or when it should be thrown away – whatever system works for you. Get into the habit this year of labeling all of your eyelash extension products to prevent problems.
- Adhesives – 3 months, unless you’re VERY careful. If you keep your adhesives cool and dry and shake carefully before each use, capping as soon as it isn’t in use anymore you might be able to get to 6 months. Just be very careful, since old adhesive won’t stick as well and will result in clients with shedding lash extensions.
- Mascara – 3-6 months. Remind your clients of this, since many lash extension users don’t use mascara every day. They may have an old tube that they only use when their lashes are sparse right before a fill, but that may be festering in bacteria!
- Cleansers – read the label on your preferred cleansers, but be aware that good cleansers usually contain natural ingredients (cucumber, aloe, green tea) that ARE perishable. This means they will only last 6-9 months. Try to use your cleansers every day and keep them well-sealed.
- Gel Pads – yes, they can expire! The adhesive on the gel pads can dry up, just like any adhesive. In a dry climate like Utah the adhesive and collagen may dry up even quicker, so try to use them within 6 months or so.
- Throw out everything old, or if you can’t quite remember when it expires. It’s worth it to keep your clients happy!
- Move your oldest products to the front so they get used up first.
- Keep your eyelash extensions stash fresh and current in order to keep your clients happy and returning for beautiful lashes!