How to hold eyelash extension tweezers
Tweezers are essential when it comes to professional eyelash extensions and it’s vital you find a good selection of quality tools. However, having the best tweezers in the world won’t help you if you don’t hold them correctly. Poor grip position can not only cause you to struggle in your work, making lash extensions sets take longer, it can also lead to fatigue and strain in the hand, wrist and arm.
In this article, we’ll take you through the correct way to hold your eyelash tweezers in order to avoid these issues and become a better lash artist.
What is the proper way to hold eyelash extension tweezers?
There are three key factors to consider – the hand position along the length of the tweezer, the arrangement of your fingers, and how many fingers you should be placing on your tweezer. Get these three things right and you’ve cracked it!
How far down the tweezer to grip
When it comes to whereabouts on the length to grip the tweezer, the middle is where you should aim to be. As a rough guide, look for the spot where the metal is widest and where the width of the opening is the greatest and put your thumb there.
If you hold too close to the end where the join is, you will not have enough control over your movements, and you’ll need to exert way too much force to close the tweezers. This leads to discomfort and potential strain injuries.
If you hold too close to the foot of the tool you’ll be applying too much pressure and you’ll find it uncomfortable too. Your fingers will end up getting in the way, making it difficult to see what you’re doing and not allowing enough room for your placement tweezers to operate in. You might even end up with gluey fingers – never good!
Finger position
A very common mistake is to grip eyelash tweezers like a pen, with the tool resting on the side of your middle finger. This position does not give enough control to your fingers. It leaves your thumb to do all the work - which is how you can end up with hand pain or an RSI.
This is a bad habit that beginner lash techs can sometimes get into, and often the problem is not noticed until it’s time to progress from classic to volume lashes, where much greater precision and control is needed.
Using solely your thumb to close your tweezer can cause the tweezer to tilt and twist. The upper foot of the tweezer can slide over the lower foot meaning you no longer have a neat, flush closure. This means that your newly made fans can end up getting twisted too, or even drop out of your grip on the way to or from the glue.
Instead, you should place your fingers more like you are holding a dart, with the thumb underneath and fingers on top.
Do not space all 3 fingers out evenly, as tension will be lost when you pick up lashes.
Instead, place your middle finger opposite your thumb - this forms the strongest part of the grip. Place your index finger a little higher up.
Number of fingers on top
But we’re not finished there! This 3-finger grip (thumb, index finger and middle finger) works pretty well for isolation tweezers, so test it out and see how it works for you. You also have the option of adding your ring finger as an additional support further down towards the foot. This leaves your little finger free to rest on if you need it.
For volume tweezers, we recommend starting with this 4-finger grip (thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger). This allows you to apply a firm and even pressure, with no twisting, ensuring a precise, flush closure. However, many lash techs prefer to go one step further still and use their little finger/pinkie as well.
This means you have your thumb underneath still and then all four fingers along the top getting closer and closer to the foot. This gives you even greater steadiness and control. It also means you are using all the muscles of your hand evenly, not just giving your poor old thumb a major workout!
Which of these ‘fingers on top’ grips you prefer is really down to personal preference so see what feels right for you.
Which hand do you hold isolation tweezers in?
You should hold your isolation tweezers in your non-dominant hand. This means holding them in your left hand if you are right-handed, and in your right hand if you are left-handed. Basically, you use the hand that you don’t write with.
While it can be difficult for beginners to become dextrous with this hand at first, mastering this is essential, as you need to leave your dominant hand free to use your placement tweezers. Whether classic or volume, placement tweezers require much greater control and precision, hence your stronger hand is needed.
Why choose Flawless Lashes by Loreta lash tweezers?
At Flawless, we offer a carefully curated collection of tweezers that meet our expert team’s exacting standards. Every pair is hand-tested to ensure the closure is precise and each one comes with a two-week satisfaction guarantee, so if you try them out and they don’t suit your lashing style, you’re welcome to return them for a full refund.
However, we’re confident that you’ll love them – especially our exclusive designs that make lashing quicker and easier. Made from medical-grade steel, they’re built to last and feature exceptionally fine and precise points. Try them and soon you won’t be able to lash without them!
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