How To Care for Your Hair Extensions

Hair extensions allow you to radically redefine your look and keep it in place semi-permanently. But these extensions are no small investment, and once you’ve made your visit to the salon, you’re probably not too keen on making another one ahead of schedule. With the utmost care, your hair extensions can last a long time—three months or more—and keep you looking your best. Let’s go over how to care for your hair extensions so that you can maximize on your new, longer locks.

Don’t Save on Shampoos

Once you’ve made the decision to go with extensions, those 99-cent shampoo bottles on the bottom shelves of the drugstore aren’t going to cut it. What they are going to do is dry out your hair, make your extensions tangle and mat, and generally undermine the hard work your stylist put into your new hair. Avoid shampoos that are mostly water and cheap detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate. Instead, opt for offerings at your hair salon that have better ingredients and are designed to be used more sparingly, allowing your hair to replenish its natural oils.

Heat With Care

If you opt for natural hair extensions rather than their synthetic counterparts, don’t worry—they can take a little heat. With some mild caution, you can use your flat iron and blow dryer to style your extensions. Keep your iron’s heat below 350° Fahrenheit, stay at least two inches from where your extensions bond, and keep your blow dryer on its lowest setting. If you do have synthetic extensions, put the flat iron away for now, lest you risk melting your new extensions.

Brush Gently

Your stylist will make sure to secure your extensions quite well. Still, it’s not incumbent upon you to put those bonds to the test by brushing your hair too hard. Brush your hair frequently but lightly to keep your extensions looking their best. Gentle brushing gives your hair more body and helps it look lush.

Keep Your Extensions Untangled

Hair—whether it’s an extension or your own—has a way of getting tangled, and an important part of how to care for your hair extensions is preventing that tangling from getting out of control. Look for products such as coconut oil that will introduce more softness and moisture to your extensions. This will keep your new hair smooth and help stop the elements from turning your beautiful new hairstyle into a rat’s nest.