Necessity may have led you here, oh Sufferer of sensitive eyes. You love to look beautiful but every time you’ve tried to treat yourself to some extension-glamour, you wake up the next morning with swollen, itchy red puffy eyelids! Is this a lash allergy? Is it your face in rebellion against your efforts to live a beautiful life?
Today we are going to dive into what exactly a lash allergy or lash sensitivity is, and what the best lashes for sensitive eyes are. Let’s dive in!
What Is a Lash Allergy?
Yeah, basically it’s your face in rebellion, but technically a lash allergy is called contact dermatitis.
You will know a lash allergy by red, swollen, itchy, upper and sometimes lower eyelids that shows up on your upper lids within 24 hours after getting your lash extensions done. The lash allergy can show up in both eyes equally, sometimes just one. If it happens outside the 24 hour window of lash exposure it’s not as likely to be the lashes.
Contact Dermatitis vs. Irritant vs. Allergic Reaction
To go a little deep there’s 2 kinds of contact dermatitis: irritant and allergic.
-
Irritant contact dermatitis is when the skin is not an intact barrier ( ex: it’s been scraped) and whatever is in contact with the skin is irritating it.
-
Allergic contact dermatitis is an immune response. Your body has been prior exposed to this substance and it’s determined it to be a threat.
Both kinds of contact dermatitis show up the same and are treated the same, but irritant contact dermatitis can go away after exposure, whereas allergic contact dermatitis always flares with exposure.
To learn what a true lash allergy is, how to consult for it, and recommendations if this happens to you or a client visit this blog post.
What Do I Do If I Have an Allergic Reaction to Lashes?
If you experience the tell-tale signs of a lash allergy to cluster lash adhesive or contact dermatitis can do several things.
-
If you want to try and keep the lashes you can first thoroughly cleanse your lashes.
-
Removal of the cluster lash adhesive and clusters, make sure you know how to remove DIY lashes at home safely.
-
Follow with a thorough cleansing of the lids, lashes and margins with an ocular and lash cleanser like our Pure Lash Cleanser. This helps to remove all traces of the cluster lash adhesive.
-
If you want the fastest reduction in swelling you can see a doctor. Ask if you have contact dermatitis and if you could benefit from prescription topical steroid ointment. Irritant contact dermatitis comes down very fast with the right Rx and it’s typically only applied to the lash line for a few days.
-
Doing nothing is also a choice. Once removed, the particles that led to the lash allergy to cluster lash adhesive will gradually disappear and without much intervention your body will return to normal.
What Are the Best Lashes for Sensitive Eyes?
Are you reading this because you’ve tried traditional lash extensions and have had issues with your lids blowing up after? Maybe it’s your client who’s begging you to help find a solution. We’ll do anything to look cute, right?!
You ask, “what are the best lashes for sensitive eyes?” or perhaps you wonder about cyanoacrylate free lash glue.
First things first. We gotta talk about glue.
Professionally applied lash extensions all use the same type of adhesive. It’s a cyanoacrylate based adhesive that is waterproof and sets up quickly. Even the new LED light curing adhesives belong to the same “superglue” type family.
While it’s safe and has a low incidence of causing a lash allergy (in less than 5% of lash-wearers) cyanoacrylate is still a known eye and skin irritant.
What then? Do you seek an adhesive for lash sensitivity or a cyanoacrylate free lash glue? You could, and yes, these will contain “less” offending chemicals but the entire formulation is still a known eye and skin irritant and could still contribute to a lash allergy or contact dermatitis.
While considered safe, there’s not a professional lash adhesive on the market that is not irritant free. Like most wonderful beauty services, lash extensions come with a little risk, which is why lash artists must give a thorough consultation in order to guide if contact dermatitis or the dreaded lash allergy crashes the party.
Alternative to Professional Lash Extensions
We cannot give up on beauty! There must be a better way! When your body says no, the pursuit must go on! Thank you to our brave founder, Michelle. She went before us with swollen, puffy eyes to create the first ever 3D lashes, forging a path for those who follow in her itchy footsteps!
Lash clusters are the best alternative to the gorgeous ease of lash extensions. Yes, a benefit is that the cluster lash adhesive, like TAD’s Brilliant Bond is both a latex free lash glue and a cyanoacrylate free lash glue. This means DIY lash clusters may be the best lashes for sensitive eyes and for those suffering with lash sensitivity.
If you’re wondering are DIY lash extensions safe if I have one of these allergies, the answer is most likely yes!
Allergy-Friendly Lash Adhesive
Our team at TAD Beauty focused on finding a formula that would not only work with our unique, 3D printed DIY lash extensions, but also one that wouldn’t be an irritant for our CEO and founder, Michelle. Michelle needed a latex free lash glue and a cyanoacrylate free lash glue. Our final result was TAD’s Brilliant Bond Adhesive.
TAD’s adhesive comes with two-sides: FOR YOU and FOR TAD. FOR TAD is black with a skinny “eye-liner” type brush meant to be put directly onto the lash clusters, while FOR YOU is white but dries clear with a skinny mascara type wand meant to be applied directly to the base of your natural lashes.
TAD Pro Tip: both adhesives are the same formulation, just different colors. You can apply the black FOR TAD for a thicker eye-liner look with a microswab in place of the FOR YOU white one. Learn how to apply lash clusters for more details.
Can I Wear Lash Clusters with a Lash Allergy?
A lash allergy or contact dermatitis is a Type 4 allergy which is the safest of all the allergic reactions one could have. It’s different from a food allergy which is a Type 1 (this type can lead to life threatening anaphylaxis) Thank the good Lord we are not dealing with anything life threatening when it comes to lashes! It may feel like the end of the world, but let’s be real – contact dermatitis is not life threatening.
If you have developed contact dermatitis after wearing lash extensions, you may be sensitive to cyanoacrylate glues. Lash clusters have a different adhesive so, yay!! There’s a better chance you’ll be able to wear TAD DIY with no incident!
Best Cluster Lash Adhesive for Sensitive Skin
The first strip lash adhesives on the market were all latex based. You can still find them on drug store shelves. They are typically only one-day wear. Yikes if you’re allergic to latex adhesives!
Obviously you’d want to avoid them. The TAD cluster lash adhesive is silicone based. It’s both latex free lash glue and cyanoacrylate free lash glue. It’s soft and stretchy and allows your own lashes to grow out in peace and health.
TAD Beauty: The Perfect Solution for Lash Allergies
The fearless leader of TAD Beauty is Michelle Nguyen, professional lash artist, drawn to the beauty of lash perfection. Once she developed contact dermatitis, a lash allergy to the adhesive she knew she’d have to solve this problem for others. Allergic and sensitive sisters need some lash love too! So she created TAD DIY lash extensions.
TAD 3D printed fibers have replaced the old way of constructing clusters which have traditionally been made using single fibers of plastic that have been heat-curled and glued together. TAD has been 3D printed to avoid sharp melted plastic corners and edges that can be uncomfortable to wear.
They also have a tiny microstructure comb that locks into the base of your own lashes which require less cluster lash adhesive than other DIY lashes. Less adhesives are better for those with a lash sensitivity!
TAD’s Brilliant Bond Adhesive: Latex-Free and Cyanoacrylate-Free
If avoiding sensitivity is on your mind you’ve gotta check out TAD's Brilliant Bond Adhesive. It’s both a latex free lash glue and cyanoacrylate free lash glue which way-diminishes the risk of irritation. Good vibes only, baby! This feature makes TAD's DIY clusters among the best lashes for sensitive eyes. It’s giving beauty seekers the joy of beautiful lashes without the itching and swelling that once plagued our poor puffy eyes. Check out our DIY lash kits already bundled with everything you need for beautiful lashes, including our glue!
Parting Thoughts on Lash Allergies
Ultimately, if you’ve ever had a lash allergy or know someone who has, the thought of living life with bald, naked eyes is a sad one. For those facing a lash sensitivity and seeking a reliable, gentle alternative, TAD's Brilliant Bond Adhesive truly shines.
Girl, come on! This is your invitation to try TAD, the end result of radical out-of-the-box thinking on beauty. The promise is a path to drop dead gorgeous lashes that deliver comfort and promote a healthy lash line. (Thanks, Michelle!)
Check out TAD and you can belong in the glam squad, ready to embrace your new ear of stunning!