Lash extension care: the first 48 hours and the four weeks after
Extensions are a small daily habit as much as a service. Here is what to do, what to avoid, and when to go back.
Lash extensions are single fibres, or small fans of them, glued one by one to your own lashes. Done well, they look like you were born with them and they last as long as the natural lash they are attached to. The glue is the whole thing: how it sets in the first day, and how you treat it after, decides whether you get four good weeks or ten patchy days.
Classic or volume
Two services, two looks.
- Classic puts one extension on one natural lash. The result is longer and darker lashes that still look like lashes. It takes about ninety minutes.
- Volume puts a small fan of two to six very fine extensions on each natural lash. The result is fuller and softer. It takes about two hours, and a full set costs more.
As of October 2026, Wuse Lash Lounge in Abuja lists a classic set at ₦25,000 for 90 minutes with a ₦5,000 deposit, and a volume set at ₦35,000 for 120 minutes with a ₦10,000 deposit. The times are honest ones; a full set done in forty minutes is not a full set.
If your natural lashes are sparse or fine, say so when you book. A technician will often suggest a light volume set rather than classic, because the fans weigh less than a single thicker fibre.
The first 48 hours
Glue cures with moisture over about two days. Until then, treat the lashes as wet paint.
- Keep them dry. No showers over the face, no steam, no swimming, no heavy workouts. Wash your face around the eyes with a cloth.
- No oil near the eyes. Oil-based cleansers, balms and heavy creams break the bond.
- Do not touch, rub or pick. The urge is strongest on day one.
- Sleep on your back if you can. A silk pillowcase helps if you cannot.
- No mascara. Not now, not later. It clumps on extensions and the remover is oil.
The four weeks after
Once cured, extensions want to be clean. The single biggest cause of early loss is not washing them.
- Wash them daily with a lash-safe foaming cleanser and a soft brush. Work gently from the base to the tip, rinse with water and pat dry. Oil and dead skin at the lash line loosen the glue and can inflame the lid.
- Brush them every morning with the spoolie you were given. It separates the lashes and keeps them lying the right way.
- Check your cleanser, your eye cream and your sunscreen. If the ingredient list has an oil near the top, it does not go near the lash line.
