Why Do Some Artists Prefer Pre-Made Fans To Handmade Fans?

Being a lash technician is an art form in itself. You have to be creative and precise in your use of tools. You have to be able to create flutter-worthy looks from small delicate materials. So again, creativity and precision are vital.

Part of becoming a skilled lash technician is knowing the tools available on the market for your use. More than that, you have to be able to use these tools and take advantage of every option available to you.

One of the hottest debate topics in the lash world right now is the question, “pre-made vs. handmade fans — which is better?”

In this article, we take a close look at these types of lash fans and how they are made. And we take it a little deeper when we answer the question, “why do some artists prefer pre-made fans to handmade fans?”

To begin with, here’s the major difference between pre-made and handmade fans.

Manufacturers make pre-made fans in factories, and every lash artist can buy one. Instead of lash artists having to put fans together in real-time, they can use pre-made fans immediately. They usually come in strips; you can buy many of them if you need to.

On the other hand, handmade fans are by the lash artist’s hand, usually at the time of the appointment. You’d make this by taking out individual extensions from a strip, spreading them out in a way that fits the shape of the client’s eyes, and then securing them together and putting them on.

The Differences Between Pre-Made Fans and Handmade Fans

Understanding the different types of lash fans is important if you want to create glamourous volume lashes. Knowing the differences between pre-made and handmade fans and their pros and cons, you can determine which would work best for you and your clients.

Flexibility

Pre-made lash fans have limited flexibility, while handmade fans are significantly more flexible.

Application

Pre-made lash fans are easy to apply, similar to classic lashes but need more adhesives, and newbies can use them. However, handmade fans are difficult to apply and require lots of training to master.

Weight

Pre-made lash fan weight depends on the fan size and type of fan (pre-made fans are either heat or glue bonded). In contrast, handmade fans’ weight depends on the fan’s size.

Materials Needed

Pre-made lash fans take up > 50% of the tray per client, while handmade fans require < 10% of the tray per client.

Application Time

It takes approximately 2 hours to apply pre-made fans but 3+ hours for handmade fans.

Retention

Pre-made fans are similar to classics taking 4-5 weeks. Handmade fans take 2-5 weeks.

Cost

Pre-made fans are expensive, costing four times more than handmade fans.

Why Do Lash Artists Prefer Pre-Made Fans To Handmade Fans?

It is good to know your options when it comes to lash extensions. So here are the reasons why some lash artists choose pre-made fans over handmade fans.

They Save Time

Pre-made volume lashes are unquestionably a viable alternative if you’re seeking a quick fix for your lashes. You won’t have to spend time making these kinds of lashes yourself because they are fully manufactured and prepared to apply. Particularly if you’re constantly on the road, this can save you time and hassle. In addition, applying readymade volume lashes is frequently considerably simpler than creating your fans, so even a newbie should be able to pick it up quickly.

They Have Similar Retention to Traditional Lashes, But Lightweight

Pre-made volume lashes can last just as long as handcrafted fans in terms of retention. This is so that the lashes stay in place for a long time because both are applied using professional-grade adhesive. Pre-made volume lashes, however, could need touch-ups more frequently than handcrafted volume lashes because the lash artist can’t properly encircle the natural lash with the lash fan base. However, with the right upkeep and care, pre-made volume lashes can give you results that last for a long time.

Pre-made Lash Fans Guarantee Happy Customers

Premade fans provide lash artists with a reliable level of consistency. They’re a popular option among professionals because they’re convenient and hygienic. Additionally, because readymade fans are available in various sizes and forms, you may discover the ideal choice for any single client. Premade fans are a preferred option for lash artists all around the world because of their many advantages.

They Are an Excellent Investment for Stocking Purposes

A wide selection of prefabricated volume lashes should be available for you to give your clients as a lash artist. Pre-made volume fans might also be a wise purchase to stock up on throughout the holiday shopping season.

How Are Pre-Made Lash Extensions Fans Made?

Pre-made lash fans are factory-manufactured lash fans. So this means a machine helps in the creation process. And this is what happens: a row of minute PBT threads gets placed on a lash tray, and the roots get attached by heat bonding or using a small amount of adhesive.

Once the glue securely secures the roots, the PBT threads are rolled into the desired lash curl, processed, and heated to maintain the curl. The last part of the procedure is for the employees of the lash factory to manually separate each fan before affixing them to the adhesive strip on the lash tray. Finally, the products are packaged and shipped off.

How Are Handmade Lash Fans Made?

Some lash artists use handmade lash fans. These volume lash fans aren’t factory-manufactured. This means they don’t come as prefabricated fans. The lash artist makes each handmade volume fan by hand. The whole process of making handmade lash fans is called true volume lashing. A rather fancy term. If you are a lash artist, here’s how true volume lashing happens:

• By arranging several lights, and thin lashes close to one another to form a fan, you can make the fan on your own. Depending on how fluffy you want the finished effect to be, different fans will have different numbers of lashes in them.

• After forming your fan, carefully dunk it into your adhesive. Make sure that the fan base only has a very small amount of glue adhered to it. Since a fan comprises several lash extensions, you should use the least amount of adhesive possible to avoid adding to the fan’s excessive weight.

• After dipping your fan in glue, secure it to the base of your client’s natural lash. For optimum retention, the volume fan should when applied correctly, completely encircle the natural lash.

So you see, handmade fan-making requires a lot of skill and practice. You must practice manipulating the little lashes and creating your fans. Additionally, you must learn how much glue is necessary to avoid weighing down your client’s eyes. Do you see why many lash artists prefer pre-made fans to handmade ones? It is quite challenging to make your fans with precision. So, you might consider purchasing prefabricated volume fans from Gollee Cosmetics if you’re having trouble creating your own.

Pros and Cons of Pre-Made Lash Fans

Pros

They Save You Energy

Pre-made fans save you time and energy because they don’t require as much manual skill or mental focus as making your own does.

They Are Less Time-Consuming to Use

We don’t know about you, but we think it is a good thing to be able to cater to many clients in a day. That’s one unique advantage of pre-made lash fans — they allow you to save time and achieve customer satisfaction. Instead of spending 3+ hours on one client, you can use that same period to apply for two different clients. But this is us speaking from lash technician to lash technician. Ultimately, customer satisfaction is more than our interests.

Cons

They Are Rigid

Pre-made fans are tough to customize for individuality. Although you might be able to produce varied lengths and thicknesses, you won’t be able to customize them to meet the needs of every client fully.

You Cannot Manage Them.

Lash adhesive is a complex material containing many ingredients. On pre-made lash fans, the adhesive has already been used. This makes it very difficult to manage. Of course, this can be problematic if they do not adhere effectively or if the glue is too heavy for you or your client’s preferences. Additionally, improper application or a weak adhesive could impact retention.

They Are Not Cheap

As you can probably tell, pre-made fans are expensive; sometimes ranging from $120-$300. Compared to handmade fans, these are expensive.

Pros and Cons of Handmade Lash Fans

Pros

They Give Room for Individuality

A piece of advice? Never forget that no two clients’ lashes or eyes are identical. They can require a thicker diameter or a shorter length to give them the correct appearance. Depending on the shape of their face, they can require a wider or thicker fan. A major selling factor of using handmade fans is being able to provide a client with this level of personalization and attention to detail.

They Allow You to Be as Creative and Expressive as Possible

By coming up with your designs, you are exercising a very crucial skill of yours — creativity! A great method to keep your skills sharp, gain experience, and ultimately wow clients is to challenge yourself to create new and unique looks.

They Are Cheaper Than Pre-Made Fans

Handmade fans cost a lot less than pre-made fans.

They Are a More Expensive Service

Although handmade lash fans take ages to apply, you can charge more since discerning clients understand that exquisite bespoke designs are worth a larger price and the additional time spent in the lash chair.

Cons

They Are Time-Consuming

As an artist, spending time making handcrafted fans can be exhausting. Since each client requires more time to finish, you might find you have fewer clients during the day. Now, we don’t want that, do we?

They Take Some Time to Master

True volume lashing is challenging and requires a lot of practice, talent, hard work, and perseverance. But as they say, practice makes perfect!

You Will Require a Range of Other Products

You’ll need to stock up on a wide array of fans to accommodate a variety of clientele, styles, and natural lash strengths. For instance, since not every natural lash can support 6D or 10D prefabricated fans, you’ll need 2D and 3D fans.

Types of Pre-Made Lash Fans

There are two types of pre-made lash extension fans on the market today:

1. Glue-Bonded Prefanned Volume Lashes
2. Heat-Bonded Prefanned Volume Lashes

Glue-Bonded Prefanned Volume Lashes

Pre-fanned volume lashes that are glue-bonded use adhesive to keep the individual lashes that make up the fan together, just like handmade volume fans do. If you want to provide your clients with glue-bonded pre-fanned volume lashes, you’ll need to utilize adhesive to affix the fan to their natural lashes.

Pre-fanned glue-bonded volume lashes look great and perform well, but they could be too heavy for your clientele. They weigh more than heat-bonded pre-fanned volume lashes since the fans are attached to glue.

It might also be challenging to produce a flawless connection to your client’s natural lash because you must add more adhesive to the fan’s end. It’s not ideal if the adhesive that holds the fan together and the adhesive that ties the fan to the natural lash base make a tiny clump.

Heat-Bonded Prefanned Volume Lashes

Heat-bonded pre-fanned volume lashes are the best choice for you if you’re worried about the weight of your lashes or adhesive clumping. The lashes in these fans are joined at the base just by heat. These fans are lighter and simpler to utilize than glue-bonded pre-fanned volume lashes because they are heat-sealed. Your client’s natural lashes won’t gain any additional weight, and you won’t have to deal with adhesive clumps that make the attachment more difficult.

When Should I Use Pre-made Lash Fans?

Use pre-made lash fans if:

• You are a lash technician with a hectic schedule. You’ll be able to serve more customers as a result.
• You have a customer who needs her eyelashes done as soon as possible.
• You are a newbie learning to fix lash extensions.

What If I Don’t Want to Use Pre-Made or Handmade Fans?

Yes, there is an alternative! You can start creating your own pre-made fans. To do this, you must plan for the volume lashes and incorporate a consultation service into the appointment process. This will enable you to prepare the fans for all of your scheduled appointments at once. The adhesive needs to be quickly cured before the fan can be applied to the natural lash. This implies that you can keep it for future use!

This falls under the category of batching, a productivity technique that allows for continuous, uninterrupted work and is far more efficient than stop-start work. Therefore, batching your lashes in advance could be a great method to get the best of both worlds if you want to maintain a customized, bespoke approach to your lash services while increasing your production and clientele! Whatever you decide, give your craft plenty of time to develop. It won’t matter whatsoever type of lash fans you choose if you don’t have strong adhesive control and technique.

We Are Here to Help

Every craftsman is nothing without their tools. Trust us, lash technicians are nothing less than craftsmen! You must use the right tools, not just so you can gain mastery but for other reasons like cost, ease of use, customer satisfaction, quality, and many more!

But the right tools are important. Which tools are we talking about? The right adhesive, the right lash extension, the right lash fans, the right nano-mister, and everything else. So we are here to help! Gollee Cosmetics is the one-stop for all things lash extensions. We understand how important it is to both you and your clients that you use the best of the best.

Irritated eyes are something we all want to avoid. Achieve that bespoke look with our products. We want to be a part of your craft journey. Let us help!

FAQs

Do Lash Artists Use Pre-Made Fans?

Absolutely, yes! A lash technician’s choice of fans truly comes down to personal preference. You could also provide both services and charges based on the amount of time required, offering your customers the choice between a readymade fan treatment that is quicker and less expensive and a handmade fan treatment that requires more time and money.

Can I Make My Premade Volume lashes?

Yes. With a specific eyelash extension adhesive, a lash artist may get their lash fans ready in advance.

How Long Do Pre-made Lash Fans Last?

Depending on the lash artist and the client’s maintenance, pre-made lash fans can last anything from 2-5 weeks.

In Conclusion

Once you’ve committed to having lash extensions, you could be debating whether it’s preferable to obtain pre-made or handmade volume lash fans. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, but because of many advantages, many artists choose pre-made volume fans over handcrafted ones.

Pre-made volume lash fans could be the best option if you want to look more natural. They are typically more cost-effective than handmade volume lashes. The decision ultimately depends on you and the qualities you want in lash extensions, whether as a lash artist or a do-it-yourselfer.