Disclaimer: By no means am I a medical professional. All information in this post are tips that have helped me through experience. Listen to your body and safety first, always.
I've seen it happen way too many times. So many great lash artists have shut their businesses down due to pain from lashing. Its really so unfortunate to see such amazing talent go to waste.
I remember the exact day I had thee worst pain I've ever felt in my lashing career. It was my Wednesday 4pm client. She happened to fall asleep, something that was rare for this client but I was happy she felt relaxed enough to nap. I switched from the right eye to the left and I needed to turn her head for a better view but I chose to be a human pretzel and stick it out through the weird positions so that she could continue her nap. What a regret! At the end of the set when I was drying her lashes, the left side of my neck felt super uncomfortable. About 15 minutes after she left, I could barely turn my head from left to right. I tried my best to massage the discomfort and tried applying heat to the area. Nothing was working. By the next evening after a full day of appointments, I found myself in the waiting room of a walk in clinic. I couldn't turn my neck at all and it was rock hard. The doctor said I had muscle spasm in my neck and had prescribed me a couple of meds to help with the tension. After that night, I was almost 100% and promised myself I would never disregard any little signals my body was giving me going forward.
I started seeing my massage therapist regularly every two weeks (now every 4 weeks) and am always mindful of my posture while working. I make a conscious effort to tilt my neck back and open up my chest and squeeze my back a few times during lash fills to counteract any hunching. I stretch both arms after each appointment. I also make an effort to look forward and out a few times during each service to rest my hyper focused eyes. I workout 4-5 times a week since I am sitting for long periods of time. I will admit that I have to improve on my water/fluid intake while working. Doing all of these things has helped me tremendously and I no longer feel pain or discomfort.
Other things that help if you have pain or discomfort during service:
+ Tilting your clients head. If you are working on the left eye, turn their head to the right. If working on the right, turn their head to the right. This will help eliminate/minimize any unnecessary strain on your neck.
+ Use a chair that can be raised, if necessary. Every client is different and so their head might not always be at your chest when they are laying down. Adjust your chair if needed to eliminate or reduce hunching.
+ Have them move up higher on your massage bed or recliner so that you have a better view of the lash line.
+ Reduce/eliminate talking once the fill begins, if possible, so that you complete the service faster.
This career has given me so much freedom and flexibility in mine and my family's life and I'd like to keep it that way. I can never see myself working for someone else again so I do everything I can to make sure my body is happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. Happy lashing, friends!