August 19, 2021
12 Best Practices & Lash Artists’ Advice About Pandemic
12 Best Practices & Lash Artists’ Advice About Pandemic
Discover over ten premium beauty brands and CEOs are doing to cope with COVID and 12 professional tips to get back to work as a lash professional NOW.
How To Save Your Lash Business During The Pandemic?
The last article talks about how the pandemic has affected the beauty industry and what business owners are doing about it. We are all going through a hard time and that’s why it’s essential to brainstorm, research and find out all that you can about it so that you can adapt and cope with the new challenges.
Today we will find out what exactly do lash salons and artists do to keep the fire going in the kitchen during the lockdown in their own words. I’ve also added a section on the top 12 tips to help you figure a way to keep working and earning money without turning COVID positive.
What Are Lash Artists Doing- With Real Quotes And Examples
You’ve all seen cosmetic companies that were once selling premium products now switching to sanitizers or upscale textile brands manufacturing and promoting their new inventory of face masks.
Before you jump into what you can do, take a look at what artists and business owners around the world are doing to cope with the loss due to the pandemic below.
Pearl Lash Extensions
“We saw most of our clients temporarily closing down their practices due to the state legislative orders. As we slowly begin to re-emerge from this pandemic, most states have begun allowing salons and barbershops to reopen their doors. This is great news for all of us!”
This lash extension business owner has set up clear instructions such as appoint-only consultation, no group appointments, mandatory masks for employees, and other precautions to operate safely.
The Lash Professional
“During these unforeseen times, we are using social media as a way to keep in touch with our lash community. We have focused our time on creating content that answers our customers’ questions about how to navigate their own beauty business during the pandemic”.
Vanessa Molica from this brand says it’s vital to connect with your community of followers and customers now more than ever. You can check on them by asking if they need help or improve engagement with awareness content about your eyelash extensions.
This eyelash brand is ahead of its time because they’re offering giveaways to clients. Such a generous offers help to convert customers and make them leads for life when it comes to the beauty industry.
Squared Away
CEO of this brand says- “To support my team and our network of 150+ clients, I’m committed—through the increased use of tools like Zoom and Slack—to keeping lines of communication open, to creating a ‘safe space’ for discussion”.
The CEO has shared his personal phone number with all the members and the clients so that they can get in touch at any time, even at 3 AM.
Playa Hair Care Brand
“There’s a real opportunity for leading online brands because a lot of consumers have always treated luxury beauty as something they want to see, touch, feel and sample in person before they invest in it”.
Clara, the spokesperson of the brand continues on to say that being compelled to make beauty decisions, customers make purchase decisions online due to the comfort of it.
Brands
That Switched To Other Products
– Not everyone is reinventing the wheel. Big players are switching to other products and inventories that are more useful to consumers during the time of quarantine as you can see from the seven premium fashion and beauty brands below.
1. Prada: Requested by Italian authorities, Prada produced 80,000 medical-grade overalls and 110,000 face masks
2. L’Oreal: With the help of its name brands Garnier and LA Roche-Posay, this company is manufacturing hydro-alcoholic gels for nursing homes, hospitals, and food delivery businesses
3. Estée Lauder: The parent company of M.A.C cosmetics, is producing hand sanitizers besides reopening its New York outlet for the same
4. Guerlain: This company completely transformed its perfume factories or Orphan and La Ruche to make sanitizers for health-care industry businesses and workers
5. Zara and H&M: The mother brand of Inditex is already producing medical supplies
6. LVMH: The parent company of Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and Givenchy is sourcing 40 million face masks for the healthcare industry in Italy, Spain, and France
7. Kering: This luxury brand that powers Gucci, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent is producing 3 million face masks for France’s healthcare service industry, and 55,000 overalls besides donating 1.1 million face mask
12 Best Practices
According to Chris Ventry- As more and more people are wearing masks, they’re emphasizing other forms of makeup. In short, consumers are getting creative with how they accessorize their eyes.
So what can you do? A lot if you’re a makeup professional or a lash expert.
I am not kidding. If you were a lash artist before COVID, branch out into an aesthetician or eye makeup stylist. Avene’s hand cream 3x sales during the lockdown because people are handwashing too much. There are many ways that business owners in the lash industry are taking their chance at the COVID.
And, after rounding up the best practices in this market for days, I found the following that you’ll find useful. Get a notebook and start recording your favorite tips from the below RIGHT NOW!
1. Start a Blog
Everyone needs a blog in 2020. If you’re a lash artist or own a business, it’s high time you own one.
Get started with a free blog on WordPress without spending a dime or get started with a website hosting package like on Blue Host that offers a decent blog at a cheap monthly rate.
This is important because a blog helps you gather customers and expand your reputation when there’s nothing else you can do. The blog also helps you create a community of followers and target audience can that considers you an authority in your niche.
2. Switch To Brand Awareness
Were you selling lash extensions pre-COVID? Perhaps you were a popular and busy lash salon owner before all this. It’s not time to lose hope.
Instead, grow brand recognition starting now. Instead of selling eye makeup when there’s no one buying, you can shift the objective or aim of your business for the time-being to brand awareness.
Start creating an email campaign or daily posts via your official FB business profile to connect with your customers. Remove the intent of sales and focus on how to engage with your target audience so that you can tap into sales later. Put simply, direct your traffic to do other desirable actions.
3. Create A COVID-19 Lash Consent Form
When you’ve decided to start seeing clients for their routine lash extension treatments or sessions, it’s important to get a consent form signed from them.
Below I will explain all the things that must be on such a form so that you can make one on your own with a pen and paper or via your smartphone.
A title such as ‘Salon/Artist Name’ Service Consent Form For COVID-19 General introduction such as- As we want to stay safe and keep our beloved clients safe during this pandemic, please read the following form and indicate your confirmation with your signature underneath.
Mandatory details such as Your name, your client’s name and date besides signatures of both the parties
Medical details including assertation that they do not carry the virus or are associated with persons who may carry the virus
A list of protocols you follow so that they can be aware of what to expect at the salon or for the appointment
Click on the link to the PDF file and Docx file you can download and input your own name or salon name before working with clients. Yeah, I’ve made your search easy. Say thanks to biLashes for showing me the links.
4. Regulate The Maximum Number Of Customers In Your Salon
You’re all set to reopen the store but are you following the State mandates? Head over to the government website of your State after doing a Google search for ‘State-name Government website’. You’ll find out the protocols you have to follow in order to stay open here.
One of the most discussed mandates is social distancing.
In short, gone are the days of chatting with your favorite clients around the lash counter. You need to maintain distance with your client while doing treatments and ensure that lash stations are a distance of 5 feet or more from each other.
Depending on your store size, create a limit of clients and employees within the store at every given time.
5. Set Up Appointments And Follow Them
Another thing that’s a thing of the past is walk-in appointments. You need to create a roster of client appointments and ensure that you don’t let in strangers into the store to keep your clients, and the staff, besides yourself safe.
This is important because if one of you were to show symptoms, you should always be ready to turn-over details of clients and customers who visited the store. Hang a board outside the store that says ‘Entry With Appointment ONLY’
Home
6. Use An Air Purifier
Investing in a good air purifier that keeps the viruses and bacteria at bay within the salon is the most important equipment during the pandemic. You need a good one and on top of that, you need to specify this with a note on the door or within the salon so that customers and employees know you’re doing everything you can, to make them safe.
7. Wear Lab Coats or Jackets
8. Run Promotions With Huge Discounts
You might’ve seen the free lipstick from M.A.C on World Lipstick Day recently or the exciting discounts from luxury brands like Chanel. This is because most businesses are trying to cope with their losses by offering clearance sales and promotional offers.
Lash businesses and artists can slash the profits to offer discounts on products/services in order to attract new customers to their shops. As this is a time when valuable investments are preferred more than random buys, discounts will seem like an investment to most clientele.
9.Consultation Via Skype/Zoom
It’s true that lash salons and beauty parlors are the last to reopen after the lockdown in most States. If you’re in a state where salons are not permitted to open just yet, offer consultation sessions to your clients instead.
Log in to your Skype and send a request to your client after creating a message that extends your expert advice during this home-quarantine time for long-term clients and potential customers. This is a fine opportunity to connect with clients and ensure that you don’t lose then when everything springs back to normal.
10. Offer Online Courses For Students
Once you’re comfortable with online video calls, you can start video recording or create comprehensive courses via Master Class or Udemy and so on. This is especially useful for lash artists who are influencers or with a large following of students already.
This way, you don’t have to pay rent for space you conduct classes in and everything will work like clockwork with online classes. Make sure you create a good timetable that’s attractive enough to keep your students while attracting new students. If you’re a business profile, run a Facebook add three times a week for a few dollars and see the magic happen.
Alternatively, you can also set up a YouTube channel to post your video content.
11. Special COVID Training For Salon Employees
Another way to ensure that you get your customers to trust you and come back for lash treatments is by preparing your employees for the upcoming months. You can also advertise that all employees are trained specifically for the pandemic outside your store or via online/ offline ads.
When you create a training course for your staff, try to check the WHO protocols, State instructions, and tips from your favorite lash salon owners or artists so that you don’t miss out on anything vital.
12. Follow Sanitizing And Disinfection
Standard precautions are mandatory when it comes to staying open during the lockdown. Don’t forget to disinfect your hands when entering and leaving the salon.
You can keep a good sanitizer at the entrance to ensure clients and staff clean themselves before entering and leaving. Go a step ahead and offer disposable hand gloves and shoe covers for clients entering the shop.
If you don’t know already, take a look at our comprehensive blog article on disinfection and sanitizing for lash equipment whether you’re working solo or as a business.
You can adopt tips from that list or visit the famous salons to check out their regulations and recommendations.
In A Nutshell
In addition to all of the above, you can also create Special Eye Makeup Packages for your old and new clients who know the mask has made the eyes more prominent today. Another tip is to create surprising giveaways for your subscribers, followers, or clients. Spread some love in the age of pandemic starting today.
Stay safe and beautiful~
What Are the Sanitation Practices for Lash Extensions?
What Are The Sanitation Practices For Lash Extensions?
Do you know the Board of Cosmetology can disbar you as a lash technician if your practices are unsanitary? Hygienic practices to clean lash stations and organized saloons are not only causes of cleanliness but also your success. On the contrary, poor sanitation practices for lash extensions can spread infections between clients. Not to scare you, but it can bring you loss of fame, money and time.
The most important lesson for a lash technician is sanitation. If you’re a beginner, don’t worry, we will help you understand the sanitation and sterilization practices for professionals.
Start scrolling …
Why Does Hygiene And Sanitation Practices For Lash Extensions Matter?
Of course. Have you heard Cleanliness is next to Godliness? Hygiene and sanitation is most important for lash technicians because you work with one of the most delicate organs in the human body- the eye. Any mistake can cause irreparable damage. Hence, before you start winging your hygiene, look at the following three pointers to understand the fundamentals of cleanliness and sanitation practices for lash extensions.
Sanitation
Bacteria is killed upon sanitization. Only after sanitation of your hands are you allowed to work with lash extensions and services on your client. The best practices include rinsing your hands with anti-bacterial soap before and after the process. Typically, hands are washed continuously for 20 seconds under warm running water to sanitize it.
Disinfection
The next step disinfection means to make the pathogens inactive. It does not remove the allergens or dust, but makes them inert. All the objects touched by your or your customer must be disinfected for 30 seconds at the very least. Tables, chairs, handles, tools and lamps must be disinfected regularly to keep a clean lash saloon.
Sterilization
High heat or pressure can remove the inert microorganisms, dust and allergens from the surface of your lash extension tools and saloon. You don’t need to sterilize your entire saloon; instead, do it for the tools that are used directly on the eyes. Remember to store the sterilized tools in airtight containers until next use.
Complete Guide On Sanitation Practices For Lash Extensions You Need To Know
For all the beginner lash artist out there, you don’t need to commit the same mistakes we did to learn the right way to keep your lash station clean. The following will simplify the biggest dangers and steps to help you keep a clean workspace.
How to Sterilize Your Lash Extension Tools?
Depending on the tools that come into contact with the client’s eye or skin, you must sterilize or sanitize your lash extension tools. Tweezers must be sterilized while eyelash extensions must be disinfected if you’re reusing it.
For cleaning your lash extension tools, use soap and warm water first. You can soak your Tweezers in the same solution before and after use. Rinse the tools using warm water. Get a disinfectant specific for the tools and soak the tools in it. Using gloves, dry the disinfected tools. Place the clean lash tools in a sanitized airtight container.
How to Keep Your Lash Station Clean While Working?
Almost all the saloon demographic want a clean and disciplined or ambient space in the saloon they go to. When you’re working with a client, if a disposable pad falls on the floor, don’t pick it up following the 3-second rule! Instead, use a new one. The same goes with lash extension tools that can become soiled with improper use.
Always have a cleaning solution and a tissue close by. Don’t forget to keep the dustbin for disposables close by too. It is important to keep a clean station if you don’t want to make mistakes. Create an arrangement for the things so that you don’t have to dig your way around the lash station.
How to Sanitize Your Lash Station?
You don’t have to go cleaning the lash station with high pressure water jets. Lash extension tools need sterilization but your lash staion needs vacumming and cleaning. After each appointment, take 5-10 minutes to gather your things and clean the station. At the end of each day, sanitize and disinfect the lash station with certified solutions. In short, all you need is a schedule to start sanitizing your work station.
How to Store Your Lash Extension Tools Safely?
Always keep a sanitized box or container ready for your lash extensions and tools for false eyelashes. This prevents contamination before use. If you are going professional, UV lights are ideal storage after sanitization of the lash tools. That’s because airtight containers are considered breeding ground for bacteria.
When disinfecting your lash tools, ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s directions clearly. Otherwise, your pricey lash tools can rust quickly.
How to Select Hypoallergenic Lash Adhesive?
When you’re talking eyelash extension glue, there are many types. From waterproof to hypoallergenic, latex-free, formaldehyde-free, strip on adhesive, brush on lash glue and tinted lash adhesive, you have a plethora to choose from.
To ensure you find out the right adhesive for your client, talk with them. Do not use surgical grade adhesive unless you are specifically trained in it. Moreover, you must always do the next step when deciding the right adhesive and materials to use for your client’s lash appointment.
How to Do Allergy Test?
Spot allergy test can be conducted by testing the solvent or glue on a part of the body on your client. Always do allergies whether or not the client reports allergies. Such tests ensure that you have no unforeseen situations such as reaction to lash adhesive you use. Ensure that you always carry a range of lash adhesives and not just any generic one. Some clients might be allergic to latex, while others to formaldehyde. Never miss the allergy test!
How to Keep Your Saloon Clean?
Create a routine or habit of cleaning your lash tools and lash station. From preparation to cleaning after the client leaves, a good saloon needs regular work. Draw up a chart with duties and timings or tips to clean the station for all your staff. Give them training to do so.
Tips For Sanitation Practices For Lash Extensions
Once you’re trained well on how to sanitize and keep a clean and spotless lash station, you will need tips to maintain the cleanliness you just achieved. We will outline the main sanitation practices for lash artists to keep their saloon clean.
Disposables
Use disposables such as eye pads, disposable gowns, disposable gloves, poly arm sleeves, disposable bed sheet covers and towels to help your saloon and station be clean throughout your work.
Disinfectants
You must always use recommended disinfectants. Also remember to follow the directions of making the disinfectant medium. Note the expiry and throw the solution after the expired time. Poor use of disinfectants can cause rust in your expensive lash tools.
Sterilization Tools
Glass beads sterilization unites are easy to use for tweezers and other paraphernalia for lash extensions. These are ultra fast with low energy consumption throughout the day. It’s perfect for scissors too!
Personal Cleanliness
Always ensure that you smell good when you approach your clients. During a lash service, you are situated at a close range to the client such that they will be able to smell you. You need to rememeber Sanitation Practices for Lash Extensions. Make a cleaning and freshening routine after you reach the saloon to ensure fragrant service.
Tie Your Hair
No client wants to sniff onto your hair during a lash extension appointment. Tie your hair back and ensure that it does not fall down onto the clients face or body.
Sharps Container
Allot a container for dumping sharp objects like blades and needles. Never dispose it with the other tools.
Don’t Chew Gum
When you’re doing a lash service, it is best not to chew gum during the process. It is annoying to the customer however it helps you concentrate. Chuck that habit ASAP!
Sterilize The Mascara Wand
When you’re reusing a mascara wand, always clean it. You can also give the client the mascara wand you used on them as a gift they can use to adjust the lashes later.
Clean Your Hands
Ensure that you clean your hands before and after the lash extension service under warm water with anti-bacterial soap. You can also do this in-between the session if you touch an object with the gloves on. Ensure that your gloves are stored safely and away from pollutants. Infections can cost your job and reputation.
Get A Secret Shopper to Your Saloon
A secret tip no professional lash artist shares is to assess or audit the saloon with a secret shopper. There might be things that are normal or routine to you that might look dirty or unsanitary to a third party. A secret shopper will help to point out the flaws in your saloon. It is the best way to increase your brand exposure, reach and loyalty.
Conclusion
A bonus tip for creating the impression of the best sanitation practices for lash extensions are with aromatherapy that sets ambiance in your lash extension saloon. Want to know all about personal branding tips for launching your dream lash brand?
