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Caring for your hair extensions is as important as looking after your natural hair – especially as Milk & Blush extensions are made from 100% Remy human hair. This includes keeping them clean, soft and tangle-free and avoiding damaging products and heat.
To keep your extensions looking and feeling perfect for as long as possible, aftercare is also important. Our hair experts explain all…
What is hair extension aftercare?
Hair extension aftercare includes all the steps taken to look after your hair after extensions have been fitted – including temporary extensions like clip-ins and tape-ins, or semi-permanent and professional products.
Aftercare preserves the quality and life of your hair extensions, giving you more wear out of your favourite products, while also helping to care for your natural hair.
It includes hair hygiene, detangling, avoiding matting and tension and choosing products that are kind to your hair and do not cause dryness or damage.
Which products are useful for hair extension aftercare?
How you care for your hair extensions will depend on whether you wear clip-ins or have professional products fitted.
While clip-ins can be maintained with our Silicone Spritz leave-in conditioner, professional extensions will require washing and styling with salon-grade hair products – but not as often as you wash your natural hair.
Washing
Hair extensions are likely to get dry and dirty as you style them, touch them and expose them to heat, wind and rain.
So, you’ll need to wash permanent products, alongside your natural hair, around twice a week – any more than this and you risk weakening the bonds attaching your extensions.
When you wash your hair, choose salon-grade shampoo and conditioner only. These contain high-quality ingredients, without the chemicals found in alternatives that can strip the extensions of their natural oils and dry and damage them.
If you have to clean your clip-ins, our silicone spritz keeps them soft, replenishes moisture and helps remove any tangles when combed through with a loop brush – and if you use super lightweight products, you’ll only need to do this every few months.
Drying and brushing
Hair extensions can be air-dried or blow-dried up to 185°C/365F – and the two together can often be the most effective.
While air drying protects extensions from heat exposure, finishing off the process with a quick blow dry helps make sure the bonds are completely dry to prevent them from breaking down over time (although this only applies to human hair extensions, synthetic products should never be blow dried as they can melt).
To prevent tape-in extensions from matting, apply detangling spray and brush through them with a wide tooth comb. If you have clip-in hair extensions, a loop brush proves gentler on your hair and doesn’t pull at the clips.
Hair extensions made from human hair can be styled with the same tools you use on your natural hair.
Just remember to take extra care when it comes to using heated tools like straighteners and curling irons and only apply heated tools up to 185°C.
Above this, you risk drying out your extensions and causing hair to frizz. Apply a salon-grade heat protectant product, such as a spray or serum, before styling your hair– brushing the product through with a loop brush to spread it evenly around your head.
Our Silicone Spritz then replenishes any moisture lost to heat styling and refreshes your set to avoid dry and brittle hair. Avoid products like coconut oils and other non-salon-grade serums, which can be damaging to your extensions.
Looking after hair extensions on holiday
Hair extensions provide the perfect glamorous boost in length and thickness on holiday. But caring for your extensions can prove tricky when heading for some sun and sand.
Firstly, UV rays can damage hair by causing it to become dry and brittle, so apply a UV-protective spray – like our Silicone Spritz – before heading out for a day in the sun.
It’s also important to keep your extensions dry as often as possible, unless you’re cleaning them – so, unfortunately, you’ll need to stay out of the sea or the pool if you have professional products fitted. Pool and sea water dries and damages extensions and can loosen the bonds attaching them to your natural hair.
If you have clip-ins, simply take them out and leave them in a dry place before going for a dip.
Other potential holiday hair risks include tangling from wind or humidity, as well as sand getting matted in your extensions.
Consider braiding your hair before heading into harsh winds and avoid touching your hair on the beach where possible to avoid tangling or matting. A detangling spray can also keep your hair manageable by making it smooth and easier to brush through.
It’s natural to worry about caring for your real hair after removing extensions. But the truth is, if you look after your hair with extensions fitted, it should look and feel healthy when they’re taken out.
Although, there are still steps you can take to look after your hair after removing extensions.
You may need to gently detangle your hair after the extensions are taken out. Work through any knots or matted areas with a wide-tooth comb, then apply a salon-grade moisturising oil or serum to strengthen and nourish brittle hair.
Avoid damaging potentially weakened hair after removing extensions. This means steering clear of tight hairstyles that may put tension on brittle hair, or over-exposure to heat that could damage hair.
Visiting a professional hairstylist may also be helpful, as they can trim any loose ends to keep hair looking thick and full. They’ll also be able to provide further advice on maintaining healthy hair post-extensions.
Looking for more help caring for and styling your hair extensions? Read the latest thoughts from our hair experts in our Hair Blog or shop our complete range of hair extension accessories to keep your locks looking and feeling glamorous.
