At Highlight Beauty we are all about creating lasting looks that make you feel amazing for as long as possible. We give you all the tricks and tips to keep your lash extensions looking fresh AF for longer and use high quality lashes, adhesive and equipment so you get the most out of every treatment. But did you know there are other reasons your lashes may not last aside from poor lash maintenance and care?

Much like the hair on your head… lash retention can be impacted by… you guessed it… hormones! I hear you girls; the gasping and shrieking is all absolutely acceptable… I mean when is someone going to cut us ladies some slack? We already cope with periods, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause and now, just to add insult to injury we must deal with our hormones impacting our beauty regime. Paahh-leasse!

Now, let me explain how your hormones can (sometimes, not always) impact your lovely lashes. Estrogen levels affect the rate of hair growth, thickness and oil produced. Higher estrogen will grow thick and healthy hair while low estrogen results in thinning hair. As you can imagine strong hair growth will lead to less time between appointments and then on the other spectrum hair shedding will also impact your lash lifespan. Oil production will vary throughout your cycle, when pregnant or breastfeeding and in menopause, and if you are experiencing overly active sebaceous glands the oil can cause the adhesive to break down faster, limiting your lash retention. Add this to the summer heat and humidity and it can be quite the shock if you’re not prepared.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. While your hormones can impact your lashes there are some steps, we can take to help you get the most out of your lash extensions.

1. Schedule your lash appointments around your cycle. We recommend you book your lash extensions 3 to 5 days after your period starts to avoid the highest hormone impacts and give your lashes the best chance to settle in and experience a normal hair growth cycle.
   
   
2. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or experiencing menopause, we find every person is different, so feel free to chat to us when you are at your next appointment and we can monitor the retention more closely and help to select the optimal time for your future appointments or we may recommend just having lash lifts during this period as the treatment works with your natural lashes, no adhesives. This will still give a beautiful look and get you through to when you can retain your lash extensions again.
   
   
3. Oily skin can also cause havoc with your lashes, but this is an easy fix in most cases and can be managed by making sure you follow our guide on how to look after your lashes for maximum impact.

While we sit back and question the audacity of our hormones for messing with one of our simple pleasures, we can be equipped with knowledge and awareness so we can still have our lashes looking the best regardless of our hormonal state.