Are you struggling with the weather? (and how your adhesive reacts?)

At certain times throughout the year the weather can become a bit of a challenge for lash artists and those working with adhesives. With so much advice available online, let's see what is fact and fiction and clear up some myths....

The extreme temperatures and humidity levels or the fluctuation from low to high and vice versa can cause a bit of headache when you are trying to apply lash or brow extension. 

Generally the first sign that something isn't right is that the adhesive will behave differently and will either be gloopy or runny.

There is so much advice available online but how much of it is true?
Should you be following all the advice? 

Let's have a look at some of the most common misconceptions:

"I dont have heating in my room so the humidity is obviously low"
Temperature and humidity are two different things and both will have an impact on your adhesive so you need to look at both and also at the combination (relative humidity)

"My humidity is 50% so the temperature is irrelevant"
Each adhesive will have recommendations based on the cyanoacrylate within the adhesive and how it reacts to moisture (humidity), however the temperature also has an impact so we need to look at the combined conditions. 

"My conditions are above or below the recommendations, should I worry?"
No, most therapists work absolutely fine with their adhesives so if things are working well for you then continue as you are. 
It is only when you notice that something is not working right that the room conditions might give you an indication what you need to tweak. This does not mean that your adhesive wont work if your conditions are below or above the recommendations but it is the first thing to check. 

"You can reduce the humidity by opening the window"
If it has been raining or the humidity outside is very high then opening the window might actually achieve the opposite. The only way to reduce humidity in a room is by using a dehumidifier (please check that it is suitable for your room size). 

"You can cool the room with a fan"
A fan will only circulate the air but it will not cool the room. An air conditioning unit will help to cool the room. Likewise if it is cold outside you can open a window but in both cases it might change your humidity so you need to keep an eye on this"

There is actually a free tutorial you can sign up if you click HERE which explains how the adhesive reacts to humidity and temperatures and what you can do to counteract this. 

Minor fluctuations can be tweaked with the amount of adhesive you pick up, the speed at which you apply or by adapting your technique but as long as things are working well for you, just ignore the conditions and continue the same way you re working now.