How to care for your Hair extensions this winter

I’ve been wearing clip in hair extensions on and off for as long as I can remember.  It’s a great way to add some style, length and volume to your hair, especially if lacking in thickness and length.  Over time, wearing clip in hair extensions has enabled me to grow my hair to a length that I am happy with, and can therefore wear them a lot less.

Hair extensions are perfect to revive a lacking, short haircut, however it can be tricky to keep them healthy and clean when the hair is exposed to hair products, pollution and damp.  And even more so in the winter months!  Hair extensions are of course not attached to a live hair follicle, therefore they do not receive the same treatment as your real hair does, and lack in natural oils and nutrients.

Therefore, we need to take extra care when caring for our hair extensions!

So what can we do?

Brushing

Brushing your hair extensions is so important when it comes to keeping them knot free and smooth.  They can easily get tangled and knotted, so I would recommend using a flat cushioned brush or a tangle teaser.  You’ll also need to consider how you brush you hair, ensuring you brush gently, holding onto the clip or bond at the top.  Brushing too hard can cause damage to the bond and eventually damage your own hair.

Exercise

As you would do with your own hair, tie up your extensions when exercising.  This ensures that no hair could get caught and ripped out as well as being exposed to sweat.  If your choice of exercise is swimming, then consider the damage of chloride may do to your hair extensions and use a swimming cap.  If you have clip in hair extensions, take them out just to be safe.  Keeping them away from any chemicals and humidity will also keep them knot free.

Ultra moisture shampoo and conditioner

As hair extensions are lacking in any natural oils and nutrients, the hair will need to seek this moisture from somewhere else.  So consider what shampoo and conditioner to use on your hair extensions.  Also consider how often you’ll need to wash them – I would suggest once a week, however if your own hair needs to be washed more regularly, you can do so by partitioning your natural hair away from the extensions.  As with brushing, you’ll need to shampoo and condition your hair gently, ensuring you do not rub too much around the bongs or strips.

I would also suggest using a hair mask once a month on your own hair and hair extensions.

Lose the heat!

It is a known fact that any heat exposure to real hair or hair extensions will cause damage to your hair.  So if you can, allow your hair extensions to dry naturally.  I have naturally frizzy/wavy hair, so I would always dry half my hair on a low heat and then plait the rest to give a beach wave effect.  Excessive use of straighteners or curlers on your hair extensions will cause the hair to break, become dry and offer a shorter life span.

Tie your hair up at night

Finally, to prevent your extensions from getting knotted, tangled or coming out, I would suggest tieing your hair up when you go to bed.  This way, any hair is out of the way and is less likely to get damaged whilst you sleep.  Try gathering up all your hair into a big bun or plait your hair into french plaits.  This would love lovely by the morning!

And there you have it.  I hope you’ll find my top tips on how to care for your hair extensions useful!

Thanks for reading xxx