# Mannequin Practice: Training Your Hands Before the First Live Model > Lash mannequin practice explained: choosing a practice head, running a session, lash isolation practice, volume fans, and moving on to live models. - Type: post - URL: https://eyedecorstudio.com/about/skin-journal/mannequin-practice-training-your-hands-before-the-first-live-model/ - Updated: 2026-10-05T02:30:39+00:00 ## About this page Lash mannequin practice explained: choosing a practice head, running a session, lash isolation practice, volume fans, and moving on to live models. ## Key facts - Phone: +1-908-402-2310 - Email: hello@eyedecorstudio.com - Location: Cranford, NJ - Map: 40.65, -74.2956 - Price range: $$ - Serving: Kenilworth · Union · Elizabeth · Garwood · Roselle Park · Westfield · Clark · Linden - Social: https://www.facebook.com/p/Eye-Decor-Studio-100063746997135/ · https://www.instagram.com/eyedecor_studio/ - Logo: https://eyedecorstudio.com/storage/sites/18/uploads/7ddbd213-e47c-45de-96c5-e0d34825e53b.webp - Hours: Tuesday 09:00–19:00 - Hours: Wednesday 09:00–19:00 - Hours: Thursday 09:00–19:00 - Hours: Friday 09:00–19:00 - Hours: Saturday 09:00–19:00 ## Page content ## Mannequin Practice: Training Your Hands Before the First Live Model New lash artists get nervous with their first clients, and their hands shake. A course gives the theory, but there is often not enough practice, and that shows in the quality of the work. Lash mannequin practice is how that missing practice gets done. ## Why train on a mannequin Some beginners try to practice on paper. It does not work well: a flat sheet gives no idea of the shape of the eye or the line where the lashes grow. A mannequin solves this problem. It has several advantages. You can take breaks without harming a client. It repeats the shape of a human head. It can be used many times. You train when it suits you, not when a model is free. And it helps you organize your workspace, because you set everything out the same way you would for a real procedure. ## What a practice head looks like A practice head for lashes repeats the average size of a human head and has a flat back. The surface is smooth and imitates skin. This lets you work out the position of your hands and where the glue, the tweezers and the lash palettes go. There are two types. The first has removable training strips that are glued onto the eyelid. The second has lashes sewn into a silicone eye in several rows, closer to a real lash line. ## How to run a session like a real one Place the mannequin the way a client's head would lie, sometimes on a neck pillow. Glue a strip of training lashes onto the eyelid if your head has no built-in ones. Lay out the tools and materials. Use a bright lamp with white light. Then work exactly as you would with a real client. Experienced artists advise one more thing: instead of a ready strip, use a trimmed cotton pad and attach single hairs of different sizes and directions to it. Natural lashes do not grow in one neat row, and this gives a more natural picture to practice on. ## Practicing volume fans Once classic placement goes well, the mannequin is used to train volume. In volume work several thin extensions are attached to one natural lash. The fan is glued with its "stem" to the base of the natural lash, keeping the gap from the eyelid. The base of the fan should be a quarter of its total length. If the base… Artists form fans during the work, and a few rules apply: the distance between the outer lashes matches the number of hairs in the fan — 2 mm for two, 3 mm for three, and so on; the gaps between the hairs are equal; the stem is a quarter of the length; the bases touch closely so they do not cross or spread; the lashes… ## Caring for the head between sessions The mannequin is made for repeated use. After each session the eyelid is degreased and the leftover glue is removed. If the head has built-in lashes, you can also practice removal on it with a remover or debonder. ## Related - [The complete aftercare bible](https://eyedecorstudio.com/about/skin-journal/the-complete-aftercare-bible/) - [Lamination, henna or tint?](https://eyedecorstudio.com/about/skin-journal/lamination-henna-or-tint/) - [Classic vs Volume vs Russian Volume](https://eyedecorstudio.com/about/skin-journal/classic-vs-volume-vs-russian-volume/) - [One-Day or Two-Day Lash Course: Which One Do You Need?](https://eyedecorstudio.com/about/skin-journal/one-day-or-two-day-lash-course-which-one-do-you-need/) - [Which Facial Is Right for Your Skin? 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