You walk down the street feeling like a million bucks, long thick hair swishing behind you. But a couple of weeks later, your beautiful mane has gone frizzy and dry. What happened?
Hair extensions may be made out of natural hair, but you can’t just treat them like you would treat your own hair. For a start, your own hair is constantly growing and being nourished by the natural oils in your skin. Hair extensions may look great initially, but they are not able to renew themselves the way your real hair can, so you can’t just shampoo and condition three times a week and hope for the best.
If you want to keep your hair extensions fresh, you need to know a few key maintenance tips. We’ve listed 10 of our favourites here to help you get the most out of your hair.
We are a nation addicted to straighteners and curling irons. If you must apply this sort of heat to your hair, use a heat protecting spray which is suitable for hair extensions.
When using a hairdryer, keep it to the lowest setting to minimise the risk of drying out your hair.
The more you wash your hair, the faster your extensions will age. However, if you use a suitable shampoo and conditioner, you will keep your locks looking newer for longer. Ask your stylist to recommend a good brand. Most reputable salons, such as London’s Vixen and Blush, will be happy to give you advice on your extension maintenance, and recommend the best products for your hair type.
You need to make sure that the hair products you are using aren’t going to react with your bonding glue. Avoid greasy hair products, and apply conditioner from the ends up, avoiding the roots. This will help keep your extensions in place for longer.
If you really want to change the colour of your hair, go to a professional. You may know how your own hair reacts to your favourite hair dye, but you don’t know how your extensions will cope with these new chemicals. If you want to experiment with streaks or highlights, consider adding clip in extensions instead, for an effective and easy short term solution.
The quickest way to damage your extensions is to overbrush them. Before brushing, washing or styling your hair, run a wide tooth comb through your extensions to remove any tangles. This will help to prevent split ends and frizziness.
At least once a month, apply a suitable deep conditioning treatment to your hair, avoiding the join where the extensions meet your real hair. Between washes, rub some oil in the ends of your extensions to keep them looking shiny.
When you rub your hair roughly with a towel, the extension bonds come loose and you may even loosen a couple of locks of hair. If you are in a rush to dry your hair, gently pat it with a towel first, then blow dry on a low heat, using a heat resistant spray of course.
During the night, whether we know it or not, we toss and turn constantly. If you have long hair extensions, you can wake up to find them in a tangled mess. Avoid nighttime damage to your hair by tying it back in a loose plait or bun before you go to bed – don’t forget to use a soft hair tie such as a scrunchie to prevent breakage.
The chlorine in swimming pool water wreaks havoc on hair extensions. If you absolutely have to swim, wear a tight swimming cap before you enter the water and rinse your hair out thoroughly afterwards. If you have been swimming in the sea or a freshwater lake, run a wide tooth comb through your hair while it is still wet to detangle it fully.
Most hair extension salons offer a discounted tightening service to their clients – use it! A tightening or re-weaving ever few months will keep your extensions looking in top condition and for a fraction of the original cost.
Of course, to benefit from this service you will need to be able to keep re-using your original hair extensions. But if you’ve followed our tips your extensions should be in such good condition that you can keep using them for many more months to come.
To book your free consultation give us a call on 0207 3231793 or e-mail hairextensions@vixenanblush.com
The Salon is located at:
6 RATHBONE SQ, LONDON W1T 1EB
OPENING HOURS
MON-THUR 10:30AM-9PM
FRI-SAT 9AM-5PM
SUNDAY CLOSED
