As a lash artist, setting yourself up for success involves having the right tools. In the lash world, tweezers are the queen tools of the trade. Taking optimal care of your tweezers will ensure they remain effective and protect your investment in a quality item. We’re diving into three factors to consider when it comes to tweezer care: cleaning, storing and refreshing your tools.
These tips will ensure your tweezers stay in tip-top shape, letting you focus on your artistry!
Cleaning Your Tools:
Cleaning is single-handedly the most important part of your tweezer care routine. As cyanoacrylate molecules cure and build up on tweezers over time, dried adhesive can reduce tweezer efficacy and can transport bacteria if not properly cleaned. (Cleaning as fast as you can after an appointment is especially important if you're working in higher humidity or summery environments, in which adhesives cure much faster than normal.)
We recommend the following:
- SCRAPE
- DISINFECT
- STERILIZE
- Scrape your tweezers.You may often find adhesive builds up on the tips of your tweezers, which highly impacts your ability to pick up small lashes. We recommend using acetone on a cotton pad to loosen excess adhesive, then gently scraping two pairs of tweezers against one another to help the adhesive come off. Caution, though: scraping too vigorously can misshape your tweezers.
2. Disinfect with Barbicide. Let your tweezers jump in the pool! Soak them fully in Barbicide solution after each client. However, we donotadvise leaving tweezers in Barbicide for extended periods of time (over 3 hours), which can affect the enamel of your tweezers.
3. Sterilize with pressure or heat.At the end of each day, we recommend using an autoclave (a pressurized capsule for cleaning tools). This uses both pressure and heat to remove additional bacteria and keeps your tweezers in a disinfected environment overnight.
Of course, you shouldalwaysfollow the rules of your State Board of Cosmetology at a minimum. If you want to err on the side of caution, follow the requirements for a more strict state, like California, where all cosmetology graduates must take an exam with a heavy focus on sanitary laws and infection control. Think of tweezer cleaning as an extra aftercare step, helping your clients improve their lash retention and health — and happier clients = increased business!
Storing Your Tools:
Storing your tweezers properly is an essential part of caring for them. Avoid storing them in an open environment because they could become contaminated or damaged.
Make sure to keep the protective tip! Hold onto the small plastic cover that arrives on your tweezer tips andalwaysput it back on when finished using. Your tweezers can easily fall and the delicate tips are susceptible to bending.
Keep your tweezers in a protective case. When looking for the right case, consider one with velvet lining to prevent your tweezers from being scratched. Don’t overcrowd the case - make sure each tweezer is far enough from its brethren to stay safe! Magnetic tweezer cases can help you put them back safely and quickly during lash application.
Refreshing Your Tools:
Tweezers bent? There are a few ways to see if they can be rehabilitated. Use pliers to gently nudge the tips back into place. If they have a small bend or are getting dull, an emery board can sharpen them.
If you find your tweezers are still bent or are otherwise difficult to work with (losing their tension, their grip, etc), the best way to refresh is to replace them. Keep in mind how a quality pair of tweezers makes such a difference when you're lashing. We recommend always keeping at least one pair of backup tweezers handy. You never know when you might drop and damage your tweezers. Being proactive will ensure you won’t be stuck turning away a client because of damaged tools!
In the market for new tweezers? Check out our faves:
JILL OF ALL TRADES
JILL OF ALL TRADES
GOLD STANDARD ULTRA CURVED
GOLD STANDARD ULTRA CURVED
CLASSIC STRAIGHT
CLASSIC STRAIGHT
These tips should help to maintain the longevity of your tweezers, as well as protect your clients from unwanted bacteria. Taking those extra steps will keep your tweezers as good as new!