By 2025, the North American anti-aging market will be worth USD 21.36 million, which shows that older people are investing heavily in looking young.
Those in the lash industry who are aging should not be left behind.
However, doing lash extensions for clients over 50 can pose challenging obstacles. Luckily, we can help guide you!
Preparing natural lashes for older clients.
To achieve the best results, it is essential to prep, no matter the client's age. With age, however, comes different challenges, so it is necessary to know how to prepare their natural lashes.
Our skin becomes oilier as we age. Removing any oil is the key to retention in older women.
Use Lash Savvy's Lash Bath or Foaming Makeup Remover and our Lash Primer & Pre-treatment to remove excess oil from an older client's lashes. It's that easy!
Lash primer & pre-treatment will balance the pH level and help dissolve any oils on the natural lashes promoting a secure bond between extensions and natural lashes, which helps with longer retention.
What is the best lash type to use on older mature clients?
When dealing with older clients, the Lash Savvy Matte Flat lash is ideal due to its weight and ability to create beautiful full looks. This ensures that each lash stays in place with minimal risk of shedding or falling off the natural lash.
How to fill in bald areas?
It is common for women to experience bald spots on their eyelashes as they age. As women reach menopause, their eyelashes thin, creating bald spots. 3D premade volume lashes can fill in the bald area for them. You can use a premade volume lash fan or create your own volume fans to customize the look. Be careful not to add anything too heavy. Keeping your older clients' lashes manageable is essential because they are thin and sometimes brittle.
Which curl is the best for eyelids that droop?
As we age, our skin often begins to droop and relax, leading to droopy eyelids, which can be a problem for us in the lash industry.
CC & D Curl lashes create an open-eye look for clients with hooded eyelids or deep-set eyes and more mature clients with droopy eyelids. The stronger curl helps to camouflage the droopiness of the eye, as they are looking for a more open and bright appearance.
Age-appropriate lash thicknesses and lengths.
We discussed choosing the right lash extensions and curl for thin natural lashes above, but what about thicknesses and lengths?
To create classic lash looks, we recommend lash extensions with a diameter between 0.10-0.15mm for clients over 50.
The most common mistake when applying lashes to older women is using too long lashes. Don't use anything more than 2mm longer than the natural lashes. Long lashes will only accentuate bare spots along the lash line and won't last very long. The older the women, the shorter the lashes should be - .7mm -10mm/11mm for women in their 50's works very well. And 6mm - 9mm are common for those over 60. Remember, most older women want extensions to replace mascara and to hide their hooded lids.
In certain instances, very droopy or hooded eyelids can benefit from slightly longer lashes if their eyelashes hide under the eyelids when the eyes are open.
Getting in touch with older clients
Marketing to older clients is a great way to add valuable business to your salon. Lash extensions make the most significant difference to an older client's appearance. They will also most likely catch the attention of their girlfriends and be great advertisers for your salon. As they say, 50 is the new 40, and so on!
Run Facebook ads featuring before & after photos of an older client with lash extensions. Target women over 50 in your area and see how many bookings you can get.