Faster Is Better? Should We Call For Faster Lash Adhesive?

If you've worked in the eyelash industry for a while, you may have come across lash techs asking for the fastest drying, strongest eyelash extension adhesive, thinking that this is the key to faster, longer-lasting eyelash extensions, but is this really the case? In fact, the fastest glue is not always the strongest adhesive. Let's break it down:

Know About Fast-dry Adhesive

Glue can be divided into three types according to drying time: Quick-dry
adhesive, Medium-dry adhesive, and Slow-dry adhesive. The one we are going to talk about is Quick-dry adhesive. Basically, all the quick-drying glues on the market contain cyanoacrylate as the main ingredient.

Cyanoacrylate, any of a number of cyanoacrylic esters that quickly cure to form a strong adhesive bond. Materials of this group, marketed as contact adhesives, bond almost instantly to a variety of surfaces, including metal, plastic, and glass.

The cyanoacrylate group in the monomer rapidly polymerizes in the presence of water to form long, strong chains, which means cyanoacrylate will react with moisture in the air, which is why it cures more quickly when there’s more humidity. The more cyanoacrylate present, the faster it dries and the stronger it bonds—in theory.

Faster ≠ Better

The faster the glue dries, the stronger it bonds, so should we choose the fastest glue? Does this mean the fastest glue is the best glue? Not necessarily. The speed at which lash glue dries isn't the only factor that determines its quality.

For lash techs, the best lash glue depends on your experience level, the type of lashes being applied, desired apply time, and application technique.

If your placement speed doesn’t match the drying time of your glue, the glue may start to cure before the extension is placed on the natural lash, leading to a weaker bond.

Instead of chasing the fastest glue, choose the glue with the dry time that suits you most. The strongest, and therefore best glue is the one that bonds properly at your speed. As much as the fastest, strongest glue may sound appealing, it’s not worth risking your client retention if the glue is too fast for your application speed.