How To Sleep With Eyelash Extensions: Four Tips

There is nothing to make you feel more immaculate and put together than a fresh set of long, dark, voluminous eyelash extensions. Seriously, if you’re reading this article you probably already know: people walk out of that appointment feeling like a rock star.

But what about when you walk through your front door and start doing all the regular daily activities in which you typically engage? Can you even sleep with eyelash extensions? How? 

Don’t stress. We are here to answer all of your clients’ questions about lash extension aftercare, but more specifically the seemingly simple yet surprisingly complex question: how do I take care of my eyelash extensions in my sleep? 

Things Your Clients Should Know Before Getting Lash Extensions

It’s important to practice good business ethics, which may be something you hadn’t considered deeply before getting started in the lash business. Of course, you want to make as many people beautiful and happy as you can, but people should also know whether or not lashes are right for them.

Make sure your clients are aware of all the intricacies of lash aftercare, including the sleeping debacle. If you’ve never given the spiel before, now is the time to start! Especially with new clients, you should make sure to tell them about the importance of quality lash aftercare and its role in maintaining the beauty of your work:

• Lashes need to be brushed daily with a soft bristle brush/spoolie.
• Lashes should be washed with a cleanser designed just for lash extensions, or at the bare minimum, an oil-free cleanser.
• Take care when choosing other face products. Anything oil-based should be kept far away from eyelash extensions!
• Keep your hands away from those eyes! At first, your extensions will feel strange, but after a few days, you should feel more at ease with them. Don't pick at them or try to remove them yourself, no matter how strange they feel. All you'll end up doing is tearing or breaking your natural lashes.
• Avoid eyelash curlers, as they can damage extensions or even pull out the natural lashes. The good news is that you won’t even need an eyelash curler with the beautiful curl of the extensions. 
• After swimming, care for your lashes. In particular, after swimming in a pool or in the ocean, you should remove any saltwater or chlorine by cleansing the lashes. 
• Lashes will need to be maintained regularly and refilled every three to four weeks. Make sure clients understand the maintenance requirements of their lashes. 

Assuming that you have told your clients these important tidbits of information, let’s move on to the matter at hand: what to do about sleeping in eyelash extensions. 

How To Sleep in Eyelash Extensions

It’s kind of a weird concept, right? When we are asleep we are not fully conscious, so how can we control what we are doing? Well, the answer to this question is that we can’t. Sorry! 

But what we can do is set ourselves up for a night of successful slumber when it comes to our extensions. Here are our top tips!

#1: Sleep on Your Back

This is arguably the most important of all the tips. If you are not a back sleeper but you want lash extensions, now is the time to at least try. 

Those who sleep on their stomachs will run into problems with lash extensions. Sleeping on your stomach could mean one of two things: 

1. Sleeping with your face directly facing the pillow, and constant pressure put on the lashes. 
2. Sleeping on your stomach but with your head turned to the side, putting pressure on the lashes from one side. 

Either way, this will cause some issues. The pressure that is put on lashes when all the weight of your head and neck is out on them, might cause them to bend, warp, or even fall out earlier than they normally would.

For side sleepers, you might think you’re in the clear, but this is not the case. Most side sleepers tend to favor one side, which means that the lashes on that side will be under constant pressure when sleeping. Your lashes may end up looking uneven or bent. The risk of too much friction on the lashes is still there for side sleepers too.  

Even if you don’t favor one side over the other, you will still run into that enemy of lash extensions: friction. It must be avoided at all costs!

You may be wondering how to change your sleep position if you are a lifelong stomach or side sleeper. The best way is to figure out what is the most comfortable back sleeping set up for you personally. 

Maybe if you adjust the number of pillows you are using, or the firmness of your pillows, you will see that you can be a back sleeper after all.

#2: Consider Investing in a Silk or Satin Pillowcase

You may have heard of using a silk pillowcase in order to keep hairstyles intact. The same concept goes for eyelash extensions. How does this work? 

Satin or silk pillowcases are notoriously smooth. Rather than the friction that is created by cotton, linen, or flannel materials, silk and satin will allow your skin and lashes to glide right over the fabric. 

Silk or satin are the best fabrics to sleep on, regardless of the type of eyelash extensions. The chances of snagging or tearing are greatly decreased due to the extremely smooth fibers. That way, if you happen to roll back onto your stomach, you'll be less likely to damage extensions.

Because silk pillowcases are usually airy and hypoallergenic, they are ideal for reducing damage to your hair and face—a benefit that is undeniable! 

#3: Try a Contoured Sleep Mask

This is not for everyone, as some people struggle with having a mask on their face, but once you get used to it, anyone can wear one! 

Contoured face masks are different from your typical everyday eye mask because the material of the mask doesn’t touch your eyes or eyelashes in any way. This type of mask features a deep eye cup with a 3D design that keeps the mask off your lashes.

A bonus of wearing a contoured sleep mask is that it will also block out any unwanted light while putting no pressure on the eyes or eyelashes. They come in different styles and sizes, so they are great for men and women.

#4: Make a Pillow Fort

Okay, so this might sound like a joke, but hear us out. If you are trying all the tips and struggling to find a safe way to sleep with eyelash extensions, try making yourself a little pillow barrier on the sides of your body.

You may instinctively want to roll over to your default stomach or side sleeping position in the middle of the night, but if you put a pillow on either side of you and start your night on your back, odds are that if you try to roll over in your sleep, you will stop yourself with the pillows and fall right back to sleep without even noticing. 

This method may actually train you to sleep on your back. The more times you go to roll over in your sleep and are stopped by the pillows or cushions, the more times your body’s muscle memory will default to a back sleeping position. Give it a try!

What Happens if You Don’t Take Care of Your Lashes?

As a lash artist, you already know the importance of aftercare. Make sure your clients do too! When eyelashes are not properly cared for, there are many things that can go wrong

Learning to sleep with eyelash extensions can be as simple as making a minor adjustment to your daily routine; however, you must ensure that your lashes are properly cared for. The following are some of the consequences of not taking the proper precautions and implementing a solid aftercare routine:

• Complications With the Eyes: Make sure to wash lashes daily. Failure to do so can lead to bacteria dwelling in the extensions, which could cause irritation or infection. To be fair, this could happen with natural lashes too. 
• Premature Shedding: If you’re rolling around on an abrasive pillow all night, you run the risk of losing some lashes before their time is up. 
• Bent Lashes: Sleeping incorrectly and putting undue pressure on the lashes could cause them to bend and start to point in odd directions. 

Sleeping With Extensions Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

Remember, your clients don’t need to hear the same spiel about aftercare at every single appointment. Give these tips to newer clients and help them to learn the ways of the lash extension. You may even consider creating an aftercare card or sheet that your clients can refer back to.

We all love our beauty sleep, and we all love our extensions! With a little adaptation to our daily routines, we can enjoy both. 

Sources:

Eyelash Extensions Aftercare: Why and How You Should Do It | Healthline

A Tutorial Guide on Fake Eyelash Usage | Consumer Health Digest

How to Sleep With Eyelash Extensions | Sleep Flawless