Eyelash Extensions Careers
The eyelash extensions market has grown tremendously over the years as more and more people are using extensions for beautification purposes. Many individuals from all walks of life, mostly women, are keeping up with the current fashion trends and more interested in improving their looks. A report shows that at least up to 2025, the eyelash extension market continues to grow big time.
Because of this promising market growth, eyelash extension technicians are also in demand in many salons. This means providing more job opportunities for these beauty professionals. If you’re interested in becoming one of them, allow us to discuss the things you need to know about eyelash extensions careers.
What Is an Eyelash Extensions Technician?
Also called eyelash specialists or stylists, eyelash extensions technicians are trained professionals who attach and remove lash extensions for beautification. The eyelash extensions mainly consist of fibres made of a wide variety of materials. The most commonly used ones either come from nature (e.g., animal fur) or are man-made (e.g., poly-fibres).
Unlike false eyelashes, which are glued as a strip of hair onto a person’s lashes, eyelash extensions are applied on the natural lashes using semi-permanent glue. The other main difference between false eyelashes and eyelash extensions is the latter are attached one by one using tweezers.
If you’ve ever tried picking up something tiny, you know how hard it is. Now imagine trying to do it with numerous, wire- or thread-thin eyelash extensions and then applying them onto the natural lashes of customers who may or may not be able to stay still. It takes very specific traits to become a successful eyelash extensions technician.
Eyelash Extensions Technicians’ Characteristics
A Sharp Eye
Each eyelash extension is only a few millimeters long. That’s not exactly microscopic. However, if you have to attach more than a few among a row of equally small natural eyelashes while making sure they all come out straight, your eyesight needs to be good.
A Steady Hand
Attaching only one lash extension requires careful, and steady hands. Imagine repeating the same process up to 140 times? It can get exhausting for your hands. This is why you need to naturally have steady hands. The eyelash extension course will train you on how to be consistent with this.
Lots of Patience
Applying a set of eyelash extensions usually takes an hour and 30 minutes to three hours. This is a long process, but you need to be composed the whole time to get it done without mishaps.
What Services Do Eyelash Extensions Technicians Provide?
Some think that all eyelash extensions technicians do is attach lash extensions to people’s eyelashes. Actually, they offer other services that can enhance people’s lashes.
But before we dive into them, what else can you and your clients expect during a typical eyelash extensions session?
You need to attach each eyelash extension to your client’s individual eyelash, which is a lot, but how many will that be?
In a typical session, the number of eyelash extensions needed for each eye ranges from 80 to 140. While you apply them, your client will be lying on a chair just like what you usually see at a dentist’s clinic. You’ll be seated while slightly bent over them.
Once their session is done, it will take four to six weeks until your clients need to have their eyelash extensions refilled, removed, or replaced.
The two other services eyelash extensions technicians provide are:
Eyelash Lift/Perm
An eyelash lift/perm refers to curling your clients’ lashes from base to tip. A session usually lasts from 45 minutes to an hour, but the curls last four to six weeks.
By getting an eyelash lift/perm, your clients won’t have to bear added volume to their natural lashes or return as frequently for touch-ups if they got eyelash extensions instead. This service makes it ideal for those who want to enhance their lashes without any hassle. Just make sure their lashes are at least 4mm long. Any shorter is a no-go.
Eyelash Tinting
Eyelash tinting is when you brush dye your clients’ lashes to make them look darker and more noticeable. A session only takes 15 minutes, but the tint itself lasts three to four weeks. It’s most suitable for those with light or blonde lashes, as it effectively perks up their eyes.
How Do I Become a Lash Technician?
Being a lash technician might seem to be a fun job, but it isn’t something you can just do if you want. You have to be passionate about and trained for it.
While working as an eyelash extensions technician mainly involves enhancing a person’s appearance, it can be surprisingly complicated. There are things beyond properly and safely applying eyelash extensions you need to know to be an effective lash specialist. You can learn all those things by taking an accredited eyelash extension course at a school/academy, salon, or online.
You can go about it all by yourself, but it would be best to undergo formal training to get a certificate and a license. Professional training also lets you learn from licensed and experienced eyelash extensions specialists.
Once you complete the course and become a certified lash specialist, you can either work at a beauty salon or open your own. While it would be great to work at a well-known salon, there’s also the option of providing home service to your friends and referrals. This allows you to build your customer base and gain experience.
Depending on your location, you may or may not need to take the licensure examination for esthetics or cosmetology to get employed. However, taking it is still best to increase your credibility as a professional once you pass. You’ll also increase your chance of getting employed in established brands, which have stricter requirements.
If you’re planning to put up a beauty salon, requirements still vary by region. In Australia, for example, you need to get business insurance and register your salon with the government. Once registered, you will be given an Australian Business Number (ABN), which is an 11-digit number used to identify your company.
What Training Is Available to Become a Lash Technician?
Training courses for lash technicians vary by provider and the program structure. You can start by taking an introductory eyelash extensions course. Here, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the craft, which are the things every lash specialist needs to know to be effective. But to give you an overview of what you’ll learn in it, here are the common areas of study:
Eyelash Anatomy
The very basic of the course, eyelash anatomy allows you to learn the science of lashes. You’ll know its growth cycle, the parts of it, and its function in the body. You’ll also be taught the different types of eyelashes and how to handle them.
Eyelash Extension Creation
Here, you will be taught the different types of eyelashes and their structures. This helps you understand the differences and which type fits a specific customer. Your instructor will also walk you through the step-by-step process of creating the extensions. You will also know how to customize lashes for specific customers.
Eyelash Extension Application and Removal
This subject may be what you are very eager to learn. It involves mostly hands-on activities, so you will be using mannequins to apply and remove the extensions. Your instructor will guide you on each of these hands-on exercises.
Eye Conditions
You’ll also learn the common eye conditions that may develop in relation to eyelash extensions. Included in this area of study are the possible irritation and allergies that occur when using specific products or tools and environmental factors that can lead to a possible eye problem, still in relation to eyelash extensions.
Safety and Sanitation
Customer safety is a top priority for eyelash extensions. The course will show you the careful practices for applying and removing eyelash extensions. You’ll also know how to properly clean and sanitize tools and equipment used and store them.
Customer Assistance
Part of your job is to provide customer service to your clients. From customer consultation to providing aftercare tips, you’ll be trained to properly communicate with your clients. You need to make sure that your clients stay safe even after the eyelash extension application.
Once you finish an introductory eyelash extension program, you can take advanced courses to further hone your knowledge and skills. Doing so lets you learn even more about the craft that wasn’t tackled in the previous course you took, like how to deal with challenging lashes or clients.
What Job Opportunities Are There for Lash Technicians?
While most eyelash extension students will likely work at a salon or open their own, there are other options you can choose from that are just as fulfilling if you decide to take a slightly different route:
Eyelash Technician Trainer
If you also have a knack for teaching or think you could be good at it, consider working as an eyelash technician trainer. You’ll provide training and assessment, help students and give them feedback, and assist in developing and updating other related courses. To get into this line of work, you may need to take some education units to officially teach eyelash extensions to students.
Makeup Artist
Applying eyelash extensions is just one of the many ways to enhance a person’s appearance. But, if you delve deeper into makeup artistry, you can work as a makeup artist.
Being a makeup artist is a fun yet challenging profession that requires you to have extensive knowledge of not only eyelash extensions but also beauty products and trends. That will most probably be easy for you as you already have more than a cursory interest in the beauty industry as a whole.
What you need is to take makeup courses to develop this skill. Like eyelash technician courses, programs for studying makeup are also available online or through in-class options.
Media Marketer
Almost everything is available online now, from live selling and cooking demos to video game streams and makeup tutorials. On that last note, if you’ve thought of sharing your skills as an eyelash extensions technician on the internet, you can go ahead and become a media marketer.
While there are big-name online celebrities who use shockingly expensive equipment, you don’t really need it to start. Just have a regular computer, a fairly fast internet connection, and a decent camera, and you’re good to go. You can begin by making videos teaching how to do eyelash extensions. You can eventually branch out by collaborating with other media marketers and businesses.
How Can I Find Work in Eyelash Extensions?
As the demand for eyelash extension specialists is expected to keep growing in the future, it’s no surprise there are many job opportunities in the field.
You can easily find work on job portals, which are websites for career listings. Each listing includes descriptions of the jobs, the businesses that offer the work, and how to apply to these opportunities.
Applying for a job online is not the same as doing it in person. There’s a way to it that will increase your chances of getting hired even if you apply from the comfort of your home.
Start by updating your resume and cover letter specifically for applying online.
Many companies now screen applicants using an applicant tracking system (ATS). This piece of software can “read” resumes and cover letters. It takes note of those with keywords, which are words and phrases related to the available jobs. Those words can be found in the description of the job you’re applying for. Inserting them into your resume and cover letter increases the chances your application gets past the ATS to your prospective employer.
So your application doesn’t get weeded out, follow all the instructions on how to apply provided by the business you want to work for.
If you’re called for an online interview, prepare by removing all possible distractions from where you’ll have it, putting together a business attire you can wear that shows your professionalism, and researching the business you’re applying for to be able to answer any questions you might be asked about it.
Despite the ease of access of and the high chance of getting employed through the internet, looking for a job the traditional way is still advised. You can visit salons near you and inquire about vacant lash technician positions.
You can also check with your friends who are working in the beauty industry for an employment opportunity. They may offer vacancies for you or refer you to businesses they know that do.
Okay, So Where Do I Start?
As excited as you might be to become an eyelash extension technician, collect yourself and think carefully about the journey you’re about to embark on first.
To begin with, you need to figure out how to study eyelash extensions that works best for you. Can you commit to completing an entire course in one go or can you only take short classes? Can you take in-person classes or are you only available online? What’s your budget?
From there, gather all the requirements based on your local regulations along with your passion and drive. It’s going to take hard work, but as long as you stay focused and persevere, there won’t be any stopping you from achieving your goal.