We love hair extensions! Extensions are our best friend! However, you can’t forget to take care of your real hair when applying extensions. Proper maintenance of your hair is really important. If you do not maintain your hair health while using clip-in extensions, over time your hair will become damaged.
We have some tips for you on how you can provide your hair with the proper care. It doesn't matter if you're a regular hair extension user or even just a special occasion hair extension user, this advice is for everyone.
The right extensions for you!
One of the best things you can do is select the correct type of hair extensions for you. Firstly, you need to evaluate your hair type.
Stranded wand wave clip in, bounce wrap ponytail, bodywave wrap around.
If you have thinner hair, opting for extensions that have a smaller gram value or just a one-piece may be best for you. The gram value of extensions tells you how thick/heavy they are. If you have thicker hair you may be able to take on more extension pieces with a higher gram. You have to bear this in mind so you aren’t putting too much strain on the root of your hair. This is possibly one of the main things you should think about. If you choose the correct extensions along with our other tips you will have the healthiest hair!
DO NOT:
DO NOT SLEEP IN YOUR EXTENSIONS. If you have a semi-permanent hair extension sleeping in those is fine. They are made to be wearable 24/7. If you have clip-in hair extensions do not sleep in them! The clips are made to grip to your hair. When sleeping you will be laying on the extensions and therefore, trapping them, leaving you with an irritated scalp. When moving around in your sleep the hair extensions will undergo a lot of unnecessary tension and stress. The clips in your hair will pull on your hair follicles and over time you may suffer from potential damage or hair loss due to the hair being under tension. Before you go to bed make sure to remove your extensions. This will also reduce unnecessary tangling of your extensions making them easier to style.
Treat for your hair:
A healthy scalp means healthy hair. A secret to healthy hair is to use hair oil! That’s right oiling your scalp and lengths promotes blood stimulation and growth of your hair. A hair oil recommended by the masses, and used by myself, is rosemary oil, it has properties that promote and boost hair growth. Using oils on your hair rehydrates the hair follicles. By hydrating your hair it means it will be less prone to breakage and split ends. You don’t need to oil your hair every day! You can do hair oiling every other wash or just once a week if you like. Leave the oil in for a minimum of one hour and then you can wash it out. If you want MAXIMUM hydration, apply your oil and leave it in all day or all night. If you choose to leave your oil in overnight we recommend covering your hair so that oil doesn’t ruin your bed sheets. Make sure to double shampoo when washing out your hair oil to make sure it is all washed out.
TOP TIP: When oiling your scalp and lengths, massage the oil into the scalp using circular motions. This just increases the blood flow and gives that extra boot
Olaplex or K18. These two hair care products are a big holy grail in the hair care world. These products are designed to strengthen and repair your hair bonds to reduce breakage leaving you with healthy hair. You can use these as a hair mask or a pre-wash treatment. If you have dry or bleached hair these are amazing products to help prevent further damage. Though these products can be on the pricey side, they are well worth it! They have been proven to leave you with strong hair when used in your regular hair care routine.
Gimme a break!
Whether you have semi-permanent hair extensions or clip-in hair extensions sometimes your hair just needs a break! if you use clip-in hair extensions allow yourself and your scalp to have a little rest. Taking them out as soon as you get home allows your hair to have a whole evening and night with no tension. If you’re having a quiet weekend you can use this time to relax, have a pamper and give your scalp a rest. We LOVE hair extensions! But in order for you to get the best out of yours and maximum confidence we prioritise your hair health first!
Go heatless
You can also try using less heat tools on your hair. The more heat that is used on the hair leads to dry hair and breakage. There are some heatless alternative methods out there that you can try! One of my personal favourites is a heatless curler. It is a popular option for people wanting to take a break from heat styling. You apply the heatless curler while you have wet, damp or dry hair! This will leave your hair will gorgeous curls with no heat needed! A lot of people choose to do this process overnight as it is more likely for the curls to stay in longer if the curler is in for a longer period of time.
Heat protect!
If you simply can't give up your heat tools, invest in a good heat protectant spray!
This will leave a protective layer around your hair when using your styling tools and protect your hair up to a certain temperature, usually 360 degrees. If your tools have a selection of heat settings, try using just 180 degrees on your hair when styling. This should provide enough heat to style but it won't be so hot to cause hair damage. The low heat paired with the application of heat protectant spray could just be the compromise you need to help care for your natural hair.
Silk pillowcase:
Silk pillowcases have been proven to improve your hair health. Due to silk being very smooth, it has amazing health benefits for your hair. If you sleep with a silk pillow you are reducing the amount of friction your hair goes through while you are sleeping. Silk pillowcases have been proven to reduce breakage and improve hair shine! You won't be waking up with morning frizz anymore. Something as simple as a silk pillowcase can improve your hair health dramatically and you don’t even have to do anything to your hair!
Backcomb!
Backcombing your hair on the section you’re applying your clip-in extensions to can reduce the amount of pulling the clips create.
You may think that backcombing creates knots. If you backcomb your hair lightly it will be very easy to brush out and not cause any harm to your hair. This is recommended by professionals and plays a vital role in the proper installation of hair extensions. After wearing your extensions, use a soft bristle brush to brush out the teased hair. Do not leave the teased hair as this will lead to excessive tangling. If you're finding it difficult to brush out, apply a leave-in conditioner to your hair. This will make your strands much easier to brush out due to your hair having more slippage.
Hopefully, this article gave you some ways that you can maintain or improve your hair health. If you did find this article helpful why not check out our other articles?
