by Melissa L. White
Licensed Hair Stylist
Certified Hair Extension Artist
I can't stress this enough. Taking care of your extensions at home is the most important thing you can do to ensure healthy looking, tangle free hair extensions. But, it is an area often neglected, forgotten or simply overlooked.
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Tangled Hair Doesn't Need To
Happen With Hair Extensions |
When a client calls me distraught that she has a bad case of tangles that just won't come out, of course I want to see her right away. My first question is always the same. "Have you been following the printed instruction sheet you received when your extensions were put in?" Although most answer, "Yes," without hesitation, my 10 years of experience often tell me otherwise.
When you see dozens of women each month, you know what to expect. There are time frames where different things happen with your own natural hair, and time frames for your hair extensions as well.
First, I emphasize the fact that the average person sheds 50-100 hairs each day. Some clients get alarmed when, in doing their routine maintenance, they see strands of hair bound into the individual extension bundle. These hairs are not attached to the scalp, and often a bulb is visible at the scalp end of the hair shaft. Most women assume that the hair has been pulled out of their scalp, and that this is being caused by the hair extensions. What is actually happening is that the hair has been shed. But, because it is included in the selected group of hairs that the extensions have been attached to, it cannot fall to the ground or get caught up in your hair brush, and remains attached to the keratin bond.
This is why I encourage all of my clients to come in for regular maintenance visits, which I call "tidy-up" visits. These are not very lengthy and involve me going through and removing these trapped hairs so that you maintain a clean, polished look to your extensions and minimize the risk for "wrap-around tangles" developing. I also like to check the condition of the bonds as well as the growth and condition of your hair.
This visit is an excellent opportunity to assess whether you'd like additional strands added, have existing strands moved, or altered as desired. You may also decide that you need a freshening of your roots or color, or a trim in addition to your "tidy-up".
What You Can Do At-Home to Extend the Life of Your Hair Extensions
This is my goal. I try to give you all of the information you need to be able to wear your hair extensions as long as possible, have them look great, and with proper care, even be able to reuse the extensions when you come in for a move-up visit where we reattach the strands as your own natural hair grows out. Here are some helpful tips:
- Wash your hair no more than three times per week
- Fully dry your hair extensions with your hair dryer on low to medium heat settings only.
- Never use the "hot" setting on your hair dryer.
- Brush your hair from the roots all the way to the end daily.
- Brush your hair using a paddle brush with protective tips.
- Use professional products recommended by your hair extension specialist.
- Wrap your hair or braid it when you sleep to prevent tangles.
- Call your stylist if you think you have a problem with split ends or tangles.
- And, above all else, come in regularly for your tidy-ups!
With a bit of at-home and in-salon care, your extensions can last a long time while looking absolutely beautiful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melissa White is an experienced, licensed hair extension artist and stylist whose passion is to bring out the natural beauty in everyone by enhancing their own individual features with the use of exquisite hair extensions. Melissa has over 10 years of extensive training with the industries top hair extension companies in the newest techniques. Originally from Boston, Melissa has been in San Antonio for the past 8 years. She believes that everyone should be able to access and afford the hair of their dreams . . . thus the creation of Extensions of Yourself, San Antonio's first salon which specializes exclusively in quality hair extensions.
