For many years as a clueless client receiving eyelash extensions, I was overpaying for the premium material called mink. A whooping $50 each time to be exact. Fast-forward to my day 2 of Xtreme Lash Extension academy where I am told that mink extensions don’t exist and I realize that my whole life has been lie.

This might come as a surprise to many of you. But Mink Eyelash extensions is not a thing and here is why.

Animal hair, (yes that includes the almighty mink) , often carry pathogens which are infectious micro-organisms (parasites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) & all types of other unpleasantries that you would not want near your eye.

Animal hair, (yes even the mink), is a source of allergen for some clients. People with pet allergies would have the same allergic reaction to the mink extensions as they would to a cat laying across their face… For 3 weeks.

There is no control over the shape, diameter, and the taper of the lash extension when it is made of real mink or animal hair. It would have to be sourced from different animals, different times of the year and from different parts of the world. It would be impossible to create the same look twice, so clients results would vary greatly.

When mink hair is used, chemicals must be used to create and hold the curl of the mink hair. This extra chemical additive may also interfere with adhesion between the lash extension and the natural lash, in addition to being a potential irritant or allergen. Moreover, real hair does not hold curl as well as it’s synthetic counterparts. So your beloved curly extensions would become flat, stringy hairs after one shower or 10 minutes of hot yoga.

Although most claim to use mink hair, our research shows that eyelash extensions marketed as genuine mink, are in fact not. (We have set them on fire and they melted in the exact same manner as their synthetic equivalents. Do not try this at home.)

Since mink hair harvesting is oceans away, where laws against animal cruelty are lacking, it is impossible to know if the animal hair or mink hair was extracted humanely or not. Other countries also don’t have very many labeling restrictions. So they can technically market the lashes made from fish fur without any repercussions.

The lashes we use today are made of monofilament. Which is a material that toothbrushes are produced from, except they are obviously processed to be much finer. Synthetic eyelash extensions give you all the benefits of real mink: virtually weightless, flexible, mink-like softest and texture, but without the potential health hazards and animal cruelty concerns.

Furthermore, with Faux Mink eyelash extensions, companies are able to consistently control the diameter, shape, curvature and taper of each lash from base-to-tip in every batch of lashes that is manufactured. Which guarantees consistent results and very few surprises.