Let's Talk About Seasonal Lash Shedding

This topic is always widely debated. Overall, lash shedding is basic human biology. A lot of lash clients associate shedding with spring - it get's spoken and asked about more during this time - but, eyelash shedding are prevalent in the autumnal season too.

If we think about the animal kingdom, cats or dogs in particular, spring and autumn are shedding seasons for your beloved pets. Fur becomes thinner and sheds to create a 'cooler' coat for the up and coming warm climate. Well, humans do the same thing, it simply tends to be less noticeable (that is, until we add eyelash extensions).

As you probably know from having studied the hair growth cycle during your lash extensions training, natural lashes generally have around a 60 - 90 day cycle, of course, each hair is on a different cycle, which is why we need infills every three weeks to keep the lash set looking nice and full. Using Premade Fans is a perfect and quick trick to fill out any areas which have shed since your client's first appointment.

In the spring and the autumn, this process is sped up to make way for our summer or winter ‘coat’ of hair - don’t forget, humans were covered in much thicker hair to protect us from the elements in prehistoric times. It’s only in recent history that we’ve taken to removing as much body hair as possible, so to that end, you may not have noticed that your arm and leg hairs become thicker in the winter.

You may be wondering;  'How come the hair on our head doesn’t do the same?'  In short, it does. But the growth cycle on your head is far longer than your lashes and eyebrows, it grows far more gradually and for longer than our lashes and brows. We do shed our hair, we lose around 50 - 100 hairs a day. There are also thousands more hairs on your head that are on your lash line and your brows, so it’s more difficult to notice. You may spot little fly-away baby hairs from time to time, and you’ve probably seen more hair in the brush or shower in certain seasons - this is your hair shedding.

What Else Can Affect Your Hair Growth Cycle? 

• Pregnancy - most prevalent in the 1st and 3rd trimester due to hormonal changes.
• Breastfeeding - hormonal changes.
• Menstruation - hormonal changes.
• Sickness - high body temperatures can destroy the hair follicle causing some hair loss - this can be seen almost right away with your lashes and brows, but with the hair on your head, it can happen a few months later.
• Chemotherapy - this is a harsh and invasive treatment which attacks the body’s cells - which also destroys natural hair cells causing loss of hair.
• Alopecia - a medical condition which causes full or partial hair loss.
• Medication - Some medications can cause hair loss as part of side effects.
• Stress - high levels of cortisol in the body due to stress can cause hair loss.
• Nutrition - Improper nutrition (especially self-made/fad 'diets').

Unfortunately, there is nothing any of us can do to slow down a fast growth cycle or prevent our own biology from doing its thing - what we can do is explain this to our clients to manage their expectations when it comes to lash extensions, and maybe book them in for more frequent infills during peak lash shedding times. Read our blog post on creating regular clients here.

How Can We Manage Client Expectations?

• Inform your clients during consultation (or social media posts) about upcoming seasonal shedding so they know in advance that this is something they may experience.
• Assure them it will only last for a cycle or two and then everything goes back to normal.
• Avoid situations that can cause advanced hair loss, for example stress - make sure you relax as much as possible - eyelash extension treatments are great for relaxing. 
• Remember aftercare - more than ever you need to ensure you take excellent care of your lashes - use Lash Shampoo to wash lashes, pat dry, brush through with Mascara Wand, items which can be purchased by clients through your salon.
• Most important are more frequent infills during this period; it is recommended that infill time drops to 2-3 weeks maximum to ensure any grown out lashes are removed and gaps are filled in.