Which adhesive is best for me?

Do you want to find the best adhesive for you? The one that works and gives you good retention with your clients? Then read on as we have some valuable tips for you.....

Recently we have seen an influx of posts from therapists looking for "the one" adhesive that works for them and with so many different adhesives it is only understandable that there is so much confusion so we will try our best to solve the mystery and help you find the perfect adhesive! 



SLOW OR FAST?

A lot of brands state 1-2 second glue etc and you might have noticed that flirties does not make such statements. Is this a failure on our part or is there a reason we don't state this? 

Yes, there is a very valid reason for this. We believe it is important for you to find the right adhesive that works with your technique and room conditions and as you may know the setting speed can vary depending on temperature, humidity, the amount of adhesive you use and also your technique. Giving exact times for the adhesive to set would be misleading and confusing so we believe it is a much better way for you to try the adhesives to find out exactly which one of the flirties family will be your favourite. Click here if you want to order a sample pack to try our range of adhesives. 

EXPERT OR ULTRA?

This is another popular question and whilst both are bestsellers and go head to head in a popularity race there are distinct differences between the two. 
The Expert is our allrounder and suitable for most conditions (you still have to respect the parameters of temperature or humidity to get the most out of your adhesive). It is faster setting and suitable for experienced lashers but can be used for Classic lashes, Russian volume and also Premade volume sets. 

The Black Ultra is the fastest setting adhesive  in the flirties family. It is the thinnest consistency and can be seriously fast especially in the higher conditions. It can also be used for classic, handmade and premade volume and works perfectly in the lower conditions. Having said that, we have therapists who are so fast that they actually prefer to work with the black Ultra in higher conditions but this is not for the faint hearted!

Whilst we can give recommendations for the ideal conditions of these adhesives it is still very much personal preference so you have to find out what works best for you!

BLACK OR CLEAR?
Common misconception is that the only difference between Black and Clear adhesives is the colour and yes, that would be logic, however there is more to it. Even something small like adding or extracting colour agents from an adhesive can result in slightly different characteristics and in this case it has given us another fabulous adhesive!

The clear Ultra is faster setting than the Expert, however not as fast as the black Ultra and also not as thin. This adhesive has proven to be fantastic in the lower conditions (even when conditions dip below 40% humidity we have therapists who swear by it). Just like the Expert and Ultra, this adhesive can be used for Classic, handmade or premade volume. 

WHAT IF YOUR ADHESIVE IS TOO SLOW?

In the summer you will never hear anyone complain about this but due to the lower temperatures in winter it can affect the setting times so make sure you keep an eye on your thermometer and hygrometer to keep the adhesive within the recommended range (have a look at our troubleshooting guide for adhesives).

Sometimes (this tends to happen more in the summer than the winter) your adhesive might seem to take forever to set when in fact it has already set before you can apply the extension but due to the higher conditions it will remain "gummy" or "tacky". In the winter we have the opposite and adhesives take that little bit longer (you can adjust things like temperature and humidity to counteract this) but you can also use the SPEED UP SOLUTION which can be used with any of our adhesives and it will help the adhesive to set faster so even if you prefer to use the sensitive adhesive you can speed it up with this solution! 

SENSITIVE OR HYPOALLERGENIC?
 
You see people asking for hypoallergenic lash adhesives, and yes, there are companies who make this claim but don't waste your time as there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic lash adhesive. 
There is a sensitive adhesive which has been triple distilled to make it milder and purer so if you have sensitive clients this could be an option for you. You can also use a nanomister or wash the lashes which can further help to reduce sensitivity.

CYANOACRYLATEFREE?

Over the years we at flirties (and other brands have tried this too) have tried to develop a cyanoacrylate free adhesive to help those who have developed an allergy to this ingredient. Sadly for all those who are affected there is still no reasonable solution for this problem. Whilst there has been a few attempts to launch such an adhesive the retention has been extremely poor with lashes only lasting a couple of days so it is not feasible for the use of semi permanent lash extensions (especially volume) but keep following us on social media @flirtieshq or subscribe to our newsletter as we will definitely post news about it as and when we succeed to develop such an adhesive 

ONE FOR ALL OR A SELECTION? 
Whilst some of our customers swear by a certain type of adhesive, the majority will have two adhesives to swap in between depending on the conditions on the day. Generally the combination of Ultra and Expert allows for all eventualities and no matter if you are having a sunny day (especially when you work in a conservatory) or you work in a summer house on a cold winters day  you will notice a difference and are able to counteract any issues by changing to the other adhesive. 

We have added a little diagram to help you see the difference between our adhesives but if you are unsure why not try the range to see which one works best for you? 

All our adhesives (currently 5 types) are available in small vials so you can have a range of different adhesives without the risk of them going out of date. 
The black adhesives are also available in a 5g bottle and we also offer full essentials packs which include the primer and debonder too!