The best eyelash extension glue for your eyes and your lash style

What glue is used for eyelash extensions?

Professional lash glue is based on cyanoacrylate, almost always ethyl or alkoxy-ethyl. It hardens on contact with moisture in the air and bonds the extension to your natural lash within seconds.

Alongside the cyanoacrylate it contains pigment (carbon black in most cases) and stabilisers that control the drying speed. Professional adhesives are made for use around the eye, yet cyanoacrylate can still irritate people who are sensitive to it.

A tiny drop is placed 1 to 2 mm from the root and never on the skin. A large drop makes the bond heavy, leaves a visible blob and strains the natural lash.

Types of lash glue by drying time

Adhesives are grouped by how long they take to set, and that figure decides who each one suits. This table sums up the four types you will find at any professional supplier.

Retention is a guide only: it also depends on humidity, how clean the lash is and your aftercare at home.

What is the best glue for classic lashes?

For classic lashes, the best glue is usually a 1-2 second adhesive. The classic technique places one extension on each natural lash, so the drop touches the lash quickly and no extra working time is needed.

With volume, the lash artist opens a fan (several fine extensions joined at the base) and needs a moment to place it. That is why Russian volume only uses 0.5-1 second adhesives once the hand is already fast; otherwise a 2 second glue is used. The thickness of the fibre also changes the weight of each fan, as explained in our guide to lash extension materials.

If you want to see how the two techniques differ, our page on eyelash extensions in Andorra compares them with appointment times.

How the adhesive is chosen for your appointment

The right adhesive is the one that sets just after the extension is in place. If it sets too early, the bond sits in the air and the lash falls out within days. If it sets too late, the extension shifts and sticks to its neighbour.

• Classic lashes: 1-2 seconds, because each extension sits alone on its lash.
• Volume and 5D: 1-2 seconds, or 0.5-1 if the hand is very fast and the room is well controlled.
• Sensitive eyes: a low-fume formula, even though it dries more slowly.
• Natural lashes with oil or make-up residue: they are cleaned first, because even the best adhesive will not grip on oil.

You can help with one detail: if your eyes watered or stung at a previous appointment, mention it when you book or when you arrive.

Glue for sensitive eyes: what changes

A sensitive-eye glue releases less cyanoacrylate vapour as it dries, and that vapour is what causes watering and stinging during the appointment. In return it dries more slowly, around 3-5 seconds, and retention is usually a little lower.

Some are clear or greyish instead of black. They suit clients with light eyes who react to the pigment, or anyone who prefers a softer finish.

Take care not to confuse irritation with allergy. Irritation settles within 24-48 hours; an allergy makes the eyelid swell and gets worse. With a real allergy the extensions have to come off, and our guide to removing lash extensions safely explains how it is done.

Ideal humidity and temperature for lash glue

Cyanoacrylate needs 45 to 60 % relative humidity and a temperature of 20 to 25 °C to cure (turn from liquid to solid) evenly. Outside that range, the same bottle behaves like a different product.

In Andorra the mountain air is dry for much of the year, especially in winter with the heating on. That is why a treatment room with controlled humidity makes the biggest difference to how long your extensions last.

How long does an open bottle of lash glue last?

An open bottle of lash glue stays in good condition for about 4-6 weeks. Each time it is opened, moisture gets in, the cyanoacrylate starts to thicken and drying becomes uneven.

Sealed and unused, it keeps for around 6 months from manufacture if stored somewhere cool, dry and dark. These are the signs it is time to replace it:

• The drop comes out thick or strings when the tweezers lift away.
• It dries faster or slower than in the first week.
• Extensions fall out sooner than usual for no other reason.
• The nozzle clogs even after cleaning.

Writing the opening date on the bottle is the simplest way to avoid using it for too long.

How the adhesive is used during your appointment

The adhesive is used in tiny drops and never straight from the bottle onto the lash. This is the process at an extensions appointment, which takes 120 minutes for classic, volume and 5D, and 150 for the anime effect.

1. The lash artist cleans your lashes to remove oil and make-up residue.
2. She isolates one natural lash from the rest so none get stuck together.
3. She picks up the extension with the tweezers and dips it in a fresh drop of adhesive.
4. She places it 1 to 2 mm from the root, without touching the skin, and waits for it to set.
5. She refreshes the drop every 15-20 minutes, because the adhesive changes even when you cannot see it.

Refreshing the drop often shows up in retention more than the bottle itself.

What you can do to make the glue last

The first 24 hours matter most: keep your lashes dry and avoid steam, saunas and swimming pools. The adhesive keeps curing inside even when it already feels dry.

After that, what extends retention most is avoiding oils and oily make-up removers, which dissolve cyanoacrylate. Wash your lashes with an oil-free cleanser and brush them every day. You will find the details in our aftercare guide for lash extensions.

If you wear extensions and come back within 18 days, you pay the infill rate. You can check it on our lash and brow prices page.