So you have decided to invest in extensions! Get excited because this is where your hair volume and length goals come true. I can personally promise you will become 10x more confident in your hair every single day. You will love the hair you see in the mirror every day, and who doesn't want to have a good hair every day?
You should already have gone over some basic maintenance guidelines with your stylist, but in this blog, you will find the sure-fire way to keep your extensions safe and looking beautiful. You are invested a lot of money into this gorgeous hair; you deserve to make it last for as long as possible.
Quality of Extensions and Its Effects
The quality of the hair extensions purchased by the client holds immense importance over how long the extensions will last and how good they will look. You should not overlook the quality of the extensions due to the price tag. There is a high chance that if you swap out quality for budget, your extensions will not last long, they will not feel soft, they will get tangled and matt-up easily, and they will not hold their color.
You want to get the best quality extensions you can, which would be from Bellami or JZ Styles. You are guaranteed to get the best quality for the price you pay, an excellent customer service experience, fast shipping, and fade-blocked hair.
Hair extensions purchased for sew-in, beaded, tape-in, and keratin should always be 100% human hair. If the hair is synthetic or blended with synthetic hair, it will look unnatural, will not handle hot tools, cannot be styled, and will fall apart very quickly.
Coming in for proper Move-Ups
It would be best if you came in for proper move-ups. The time frame will vary depending on the extension type and how well you take care of them. You must come in 4 weeks after your initial install for your stylist to check on how your extensions are growing out.
If you push your move-up too far out, you will cause damage to your hair and the extensions. Damage most often includes bald spots, hair thinning, and intense breakage. Making sure you are taking care of your extensions and coming in for move-ups isn't a joke and is not something you can push off a little longer. To keep your hair and extensions safe, you must follow proper maintenance carefully and precisely.
Brushing
It is essential to brush your hair multiple times throughout the day. Brushing a considerable amount per day will ensure they don't tangle up and matt. Once extensions are matted together, likely your natural hair will be tangled into them, making it impossible to remove them. Untangling mats will cause damage to the extensions and probably your natural hair. Keeping your hair brushed will ensure it lasts longer and will help them look beautiful all day long.
Do not brush the track of the extension (the top, closest to your roots). Brushing the track will unravel the weft, tear the tape, tug on the bead, and scratch the fusion tip. Brushing the track will make the hair shed more than it naturally should over time. Once the extensions have been damaged at the track, they will start to thin out quickly, making it so they no longer look natural and cannot be reinstalled.
Do not use a brush with beaded-tip bristles. Look at your brush bristles; if you see small plastic or metal beads on the very tips, do not use that brush. The beaded tips on your brush are the leading cause of damaging the track of your extensions. Try using a boar bristle brush, a wet brush, or an Olivia garden detangling brush.
Do not brush your extensions when wet. Since the track is vulnerable when wet, you must wait until the hair is dry to brush it. When the hair is wet, it is hard to detangle it. Moisture will tighten the lock it has on your hair, securing the tangle, and may even be able to matt your hair. When washing your hair, you can put a little more conditioner in than usual, and slowly brush through your hair from the ends, up.
Always brush your hair out from the ends to the roots. Make sure you finish with all the tangles, section by section, before moving up further. Hold the top of your extensions to your scalp as you get up further; this will help ensure you do not hit the track and will help prevent excess shedding.
Keeping the Track Dry
You may let your extensions air dry; however, you should always dry the tracks of your extensions. It would help if you did not let moisture sit on your track for an extended period. Letting water sit on the track will cause erosion on beads, a mildew smell on your wefts, and loosening tapes. Slipping is more likely to occur when you leave your tracks wet instead of blow-drying them right after they're washed.
Do Not Overwash
It would be best if you were washing your hair at most, once a week. Extensions should not be overwashed to avoid roughing them up too much. The more friction caused to the extensions means they are more likely to shed quickly, tangle easily and dry out. Do not wash your hair more than twice a week if you cannot push it out to a whole week yet.
While you should not wash your hair more than once a week, you should condition the ends of your hair at least twice a week. Your extensions need more moisture than your natural hair does. Wet the ends with a spray bottle, apply your conditioner, let it sit for 30 minutes or more, washout, and style as desired.
Using the Right Products
It is crucial that you only use professional products recommended by your stylist. As you already know, using drugstore products on your natural hair will cause damage. While the damage may not be noticeable for some time, using products with silicones, sulfates, parabens, alcohols, and DMDM Hydantoin, will cause immediate damage to your extensions.
Use products recommended by your stylist, such as products they sell at the salon. It is essential to buy products directly from your stylist instead of online. For example, Amazon sells products that look like the actual product; however, the products are more than likely watered down or replaced with a cheap product and sold as the real thing. Buying products from the brand's site means you will be overpaying for products that could be a couple of dollars cheaper at your salon.
Recommended Products
Amika:
Signature Shampoo & Conditioner
Velveteen Dream Shampoo & Conditioner
Anti-Humidity Spray
Blockade Heat Defense Serum
Supernova Moisture & Shine Cream
Glass Action Hydrating Oil
Soulfood Mask
Shine Mask
LOMA:
Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner
Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
Nourishing Oil Treatment
Deep Conditioner
Calming Creme
Leave-In
Heat Protectant
It would be best if you always used a heat protectant on your extensions when using any hot tool, blow-drying, and when you know you will be out in direct sunlight.
Hair extensions do not have a direct blood flow like your natural hair does; therefore, they cannot heal themselves from heat damage. Once the extensions have been damaged from heat, they will feel dry and start to break off. No amount of conditioner or masks will help the hair once it has been damaged. Your stylist must then must trim the extensions to their healthiest point.
It would be best if you used wet heat protectants only on damp hair. If it is applied to dry hair and a hot iron is used on top of it, the heat protectant will have served no purpose, leaving the hair damaged. You should apply only a dry mist heat protectant to dry hair, letting it coat the hair's cuticle without making it wet.
Moisture
You should deep condition your hair at least once a week with a deeply nourishing and moisturizing mask. Keeping the hair moisturized is key to keeping it healthy and soft. For the hair to blend in seamlessly to your hair, it should be just as healthy.
When using a deep conditioner, it is recommended that you keep it on for 30 minutes. Truth be told, I don't think 30 minutes is long enough. You want to let the deep conditioner work, so the longer it stays on the hair, the more time it has to work. Apply your deep conditioner to your extensions and natural hair, place a plastic cap over it, and let the mask stay on overnight.
It would be strategic to apply the mask the night before you know you will be washing your extensions. Deep conditioners are heavier than regular conditioners, meaning they will leave your hair looking greasy if you leave it in overnight and do not wash it out with shampoo the following day.
It would be best if you always used a leave-in conditioner after you wash your hair. Using a leave-in conditioner will ensure your hair is kept moisturized all day long. The more often you use a leave-in, the healthier your hair is guaranteed to stay. Use a wet leave-in conditioner when your hair is damp and a dry leave-in for when your hair is dry.
Some great products will work overnight to soften your hair. The products will label them as overnight or sleepover leave-ins. You should apply these products to your extensions before you braid them for the night. No-wash is necessary the following morning, as they will have worked their magic overnight.
Understanding that your extensions do not need keratin is critical. Your extensions should not be chemically damaged, which means they do not need keratin. Extensions need moisture. Overloading the hair with keratin will harm them more from overloading them with protein. One example of a product line that is often confused as a good product for everyone's hair is Olaplex. Olaplex is damaging to the hair if you don't need protein.
Weekly Styling Appointments
You may start to realize that taking care of extensions is a lot of work. That is why we are here to help. Set up a weekly appointment with your stylist for her to wash and style them for you. It is a lot of hair to be dealing with all on your own.
Coming in for a weekly appointment will allow you to sit back and relax, knowing your hair is being taken care of professionally with professional products. Coming in weekly will also enable your stylist to check to see if everything is still installed correctly.
If you have any more questions on how you can take care of your extensions at home, please feel free to contact me at lizzyh0110@gmail.com or submit a contact form through my website.