Lash Education - Why Continuing Education is Important & What to Look for

Regardless of your skill level as a lash artist, continuing education is essential for expanding your skills and elevating your business. Prioritizing education and investing resources towards learning new techniques, increasing your confidence, and inspiring you in new ways is the most impactful way to make progress towards your goals in life and lashes! 

From giving your clients incredible experiences to setting yourself apart from competitors by offering unique services and the hottest trends - there are countless benefits when it comes to continuing your education! In this article, we will discuss why continued education for lash artists is so important, how it can impact your career and biz, and what to look for in top quality courses.

Let’s kick this off with a quote that says it all:

The secret to mastery in any field is to forever be a student. - Martin Palmer

We’ve all been a beginner and to be honest it probably felt all kinds of uncomfortable, vulnerable, and down right scary! But what’s important to understand is that education and evolving as an artist go hand in hand towards your long-term success in both lashes and business.  Let’s talk about why continuing education is so important:

1. Lash Trends are constantly changing. It’s so easy to get comfortable with doing what you feel you’ve mastered as far as techniques, designs, and styles! Once you feel comfortable with one style it’s almost impossible to step outside the box and challenge yourself to diversify your style profile.  This is such a common challenge for artists of all skill levels! 

When volume lashes first hit the industry evolving from classic to volume was a huge shift in all things! Then “perfect line” volume became all the rage and artists all over the world were trying to achieve perfect, symmetrical fans and smooth transitions with super dense, dark styles. Then only a couple years later both mega volume, much longer lengths of volume with non symmetrical fans became trendy while strip lash designs involving spikes and dramatic length transitions became the hot look.  Like all things fashion and beauty we have to be 100% prepared to adapt our style to fit the trends that are inevitably evolving!

Trends range in finishes, lengths, densities, designs, colors, curls, and thicknesses! Being confident in creating styles of all kinds gives you the ability to serve your clients expansively. Your clients will know they can count on you as the all knowing lash expert!

1. Timing + Efficiency.  The saying goes time is money… and in the lash world it really is! Training allows you to master skills with techniques that not only expand your portfolio but increase your efficiency and approach to artistry. 

For example, strip lash design with spikes and mixing curls can be a very time consuming look to master especially is you’re used to just freestyling most of your lash designs. Taking the time to learn the technique to master your time management and process will help you achieve the look without spending countless extra time on trying to figure out the details.  Investing in education allows you to learn the methodology and process in a way you can adapt to your own style of artistry! 

Training with expert educators allows you to reduce the amount of time spent troubleshooting a technique by learning tried and tested methods.  Self mastery comes with practice but learning from an experienced master artist nurtures your skill development confidence!

1. Professional product knowledge.  There is so much science involved in lash extension artistry and learning the science behind the products is something all lash artists need to know.  Comprehensive knowledge about lash extensions means learning about quality product, chemical science, and the range of products required to for all the diverse lash techniques. 

Learning about contraindications, safety protocol, and product science in lash adhesive doesn’t sound glamorous but when a client has specific questions about the adhesive you use and their risk of reaction, you have to assert your confidence and expertise in all things adhesive related! And unfortunately in a lot of certification courses topics like chemical adhesive science aren’t covered in depth.  

Tweezer use and hand placement are topics that are often overlooked for beginners learning lash extensions too! This can lead to years of improper hand placement or tweezer use resulting in hand and wrist strain.  Exploring education that goes beyond the basics will support you throughout your lash career and ensure you’re successful beyond just the basics. 

1. Elevating your pricing.  This is a great motivation to invest in your continued education! Growing your business starts with growing your skills and professional knowledge.  How you price your services and value your time increases with your level of expertise! Raising your prices as your skills, investment, and mastery elevate allows you to build a sustainable business model.  Without investing in yourself, it’s very difficult to gain the confidence you need to take the next step in your career.

A great pro tip is to set a goal for yourself to invest in a continued education course once a year.  After you’ve completed that course and gained mastery you can calculate your business expenses and raise your prices, even if only slightly! Remember that raising your prices isn’t a disservice to your clients as it’s truly a luxury to have a lash artist consistently elevating their skills and knowledge.  This results in your clients getting the best of the best! Knowledge is power, don’t discount the impact it will have on your business. 

Did you know the average lash artist raises their prices once every 3 years on average? This means with costs rising every year with inflation, profitability is decreasing each and every year without a price increase. 

1. Expanding your clientele.  Diversifying the services you offers means you appeal to a wider audience! From natural classics to super full mega, you should be well versed and confident in it all, especially if you’re looking to build your clientele.  After you’ve established a strong, consistent business you have the opportunity to specialize in styling that you’re passionate about. Offering a wide range of styles allows your clients to explore a range of styles to find the perfect fit! 

When you’re looking for a lash educator it’s so important to find experts who are true professionals in the industry.  Remember that just because someone has great work doesn’t mean they are a great educator! A few things to look for in an education program:

1. Great reviews + reputation. Like a great things, referrals can be a really powerful tool to get a feel for the education experience! Do they offer ongoing support, can you contact them with more questions, and are they accessible? This is a really important factor when it comes to choosing continued education. Find formers students and ask their honest opinion! And remember everyone has a different motivation for seeking out training so be realistic about yours.
2. Program itinerary. Before enrolling in a course it’s important to know exactly what you’ll learn! Often times educators have a really robust list of things they cover in a mere 2 day training so it’s important to be realistic. Don’t hesitate to ask before signing up so you can gain clarity about the skills you’ll be focusing on during training. Great questions to ask:

What are the biggest portions of time during the training allocated to mastering?

What are some skills I should have prior to enrolling in the class?

Will there be any assistant teachers?

What is the class size?

What kinds of hands-on teaching methods can I expect?

Understanding what you’re signing up for is the first step towards success!

1. Explore their brand.  A great educator typically has a lot of accessible, free content hosted on social media! This is the best way to see if their communication style, personality, and overall values align with you and your goals.  It’s totally okay to do a little social media dive! Educators put out content for you to explore, take a spin through to get a feel for what they value.  You can also see peeks behind the scenes, more about their classes, and even student reviews.  This is a great place to ask questions and engage with an educator before you even enroll!

To be a successful lash artist you need to stay evolving in your skill and confidence! Investing in education and strengthening your business go hand in hand towards building long term success. If we didn’t convince you with this blog then I don’t know what will! Remember that lifelong learning is the only way to be the best at what you do so embrace the process and we will see ya in class!