How To Deal With Newbie Clients

Do you ever feel anxious handling new clients? Let’s be real... There are SO many challenges with newbie clients because well, they’re new to this! The good news: We’re here to equip you with all the tools you need to know EXACTLY how to handle each of these challenges.

Today we’ll be going over handling how to arrive, expectation management, potential client fears and even misconceptions newbies might have about extensions. After reading this blog, you’ll be confident to take on any new client challenge that comes your way!

They won’t know how to arrive.

How is your newbie supposed to become your dream client if they don’t even know what you expect of them? Set them up for success! Before they even walk in the door, let them know how you’ll want them to arrive and why. Ensuring your new clients understand their responsibilities like showing up on time or arriving without makeup keeps your policies clear right off the bat. You don’t want your newbie waltzing in 3 coffees deep and having the most fluttery eyes ever! Ultimately, this will end up with you not being able to give this client your best work. When you properly prepare your newbie for their service, they’re WAY less likely to stop for a Starb’s double shot on the way to their appointment or to arrive with a fresh, heavy face of makeup on… Having this transparency benefits both of you, so don’t be afraid to speak up! 

Managing Expectations.

Has your client ever come in with a photo of their bestie’s set and said “I want mine to look exactly the same”? This can get tricky because they don’t know that eyelash extensions aren’t a copy and paste service. Carefully explain that a similar effect can be possible, but their eye shape and natural lashes will heavily affect the look of their set. Let’s say their friend with tons of natural lashes had a classic set but this newbie’s lashes are super sparse. A classic set with that density just straight up won’t be possible. In addition, lashes that are excessively long might not be suitable for a client with short natural lashes. All of these considerations are important to address so the client understands what they’ll be receiving. 

NOTHING is worse than your client’s eyes popping open to check out their gorg new lashes and they look completely different than what they had pictured. Establishing these expectations beforehand totally removes your stress and gives you the confidence that your client is totally ready for their beautiful new set. Be thorough throughout all points of contact with your client. From the first chat, throughout the entire appointment and following up afterwards! Don’t be scared to slide into their DMs post appointment to check up on their retention, how aftercare is going and how they’re enjoying life with lashes. And don’t forget to check if they have any concerns. This will totally set you apart and give your client confidence that you really got their back.

They Might Be Fearful of the Process.

Seriously, being forced to keep your eyes shut for hours with a stranger can be nerve-wracking! We don’t blame our newbies for having their doubts. In reality, they’ve never been through this and don’t know the process yet. A little anxiety is completely normal! Nurture these concerns by explaining each step carefully so they know what to expect. Going to start cleansing? Let the client know how it’ll feel. Like this: “I’m going to start cleansing, you’ll feel a wet and possibly cold foam sensation. We’ll start with your right eye now”. Newbies also might be fearful to speak up if there is any discomfort. Always ask if taping/eye patches are comfortable and invite them to let you know if any discomfort arises. Last but certainly not least, explain WHY you’re performing each step. When the client understands the why behind each step, they’re likely to become more confident in the process. Give yourself some bonus points too because you’ll get to show off some of your nerdy lash knowledge! 

Managing false information they might believe.

We’ve ALL seen false information about lashes online and newbie clients definitely have too! If you were getting a new service done, you’d probably take a quick Google search to figure out what you’re really getting yourself into. Or ask friends who might be just as uneducated on lashes… So what happens when your new client is fixated on that misinformation? It’s YOUR job to educate them. Be sure to book extra time to educate, we want to set our newbies up for total success. Let’s go over some common myths that you’ll definitely want to bust… 

“Eyelash extensions damage your natural lashes”

By far, the most COMMON misconception about lash extensions is that they are inherently damaging. Here’s the deal. Lash extensions are only damaging when applied incorrectly or when taken care of improperly. When proper adhesive amounts, distance from the lash line, and weight and safety protocols are applied, there should be absolutely no damage to those naturals caused by a lash artist! As long as clients aren’t picking or pulling out their lashes, there shouldn’t be any damage either. Explain this to your client and give them the confidence that you’ll do everything in your power to protect their natural lashes and watch for any possible signs of damage.

“I should try not to sleep during the service”

We hear this one ALL the time: “Do any of your other clients sleep?”. Many clients can become so anxious trying to stay awake simply because they don’t know sleeping during the service is normal. Telling your client that lash naps are totally cool AND even helpful for their artist will completely put them at ease. Thus making your life 10x easier when their bodies are relaxed and eyes are still, so you can focus on achieving your cleanest set ever!  

“You can’t get lash extensions wet”

In our minds, this concept seems SO outdated, but not necessarily for our clients. Ensure them that cleansing daily not only benefits the health of their lash line, but their retention too! What client doesn’t want better retention? A lack of cleansing could lead to various eye infections or lash mites as any makeup and skin debris build-up. We love our animals over here at UA, but we’ll leave lash mites out of that... Eyelash extensions themselves do not cause these infections, but failing to practice aftercare can. This myth is one that you MUST bust with these newbie clients to keep their lash retention and hygiene game strong! 

Pro tip: Film an aftercare video with a lash cleansing demo for your clients. This way, when you’ve gone over so much information during the appointment, they won’t forget anything when it’s time to take action. Anytime they’re unsure of lash cleansing steps, how often to cleanse or how to brush, they can refer back to the video you sent them!

“Baby shampoo works the same as lash cleanser”

Why would a client purchase a lash cleanser if they’ve heard baby shampoo works just the same? This is a myth you’ll definitely want to unpack for your lash newbies. Their retention will definitely be disappointing considering baby shampoo is not formulated for lash extensions. When the lashes are healthy and hydrated, they’ll be more flexible and last even longer! Baby shampoo can include many ingredients like detergents and soaps that can be extremely dehydrating on lashes. The addition of glycerols like PEG-80 sorbitan laurate and PEG-150 distearate can cause even more dehydration! Lash mites thrive on dead skin cells, so using such a drying product could actually attract them even more. EW! Baby shampoo is commonly labeled as “tear free” but what that really means is that there are numbing agents added to reduce the feeling of irritation, NOT that there is a lack of potentially irritating ingredients.

So why was baby shampoo EVER recommended? Since lash extensions is a fairly new industry, there is still a lot of misinformation floating around from their early days. In the early days of extensions, knowledge was extremely limited and innovative products were sparse as well. We’re lucky now to have a variety of products that solve the issues we were seeing with the old ones, like the drying effects of baby shampoo.

A great product to have your lashes feeling fresh and clean is  Prolong. This gentle cleanser will remove makeup, residue, and oil buildup. For our animal-loving lash friends, it’s vegan friendly, as well as pH balanced for the eye area. Prolong doesn’t include any of the potentially harmful ingredients in baby shampoo like oil, glycerine, glycerol, artificial color, ethanol, parabens, or synthetic fragrance. Reassure your new clients that using a cleanser formulated for their extensions will save them money in the long run because their extensions will last longer! Really, you’re just looking out for them. 

“It’s necessary to take breaks from lash extensions”

During a lash fill, we remove all of those grown-out natural lashes and replace them with a brand-spankin' new extension. This is so that the natural lashes can continue to grow with the growth cycle without a grown-out extension weighing down the tip. So, the lashes regenerate as they naturally would. Where is the need for a break? As long as your lash practices remain on fire (you got this, friend), there will be no damage and therefore no need to ever take a break from extensions. 

Chat with a potential newbie client TODAY! Explaining these questions will give newbies total confidence that they’re in the right hands… Obvi, you’re an ah-mah-zing lash artist! We hope you enjoyed this blog, and feel totally ready to take on some newbies! 🤗 We’ll see you in our next… ✌🏻Until then make sure you're following us on:

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