Great Looking Summer Hair - 10 Tips to Keep Your Hair Extensions Fabulous!

by Melissa L. White

I've written about the difficulties hot weather can create for women who wear hair extensions. Summer heat can cause styling nightmares including frizz and fried out heads of hair. With proper care, however, you can keep your hair extensions healthy and shiny in the heat! Here's how.

Photo credit:  www.socialbliss.com

1) Do not shampoo too often!
Once a week is ideal for women with hair extensions, but summer hair can take twice a week without too much stress. A good shampoo that is sulfate-free is recommended. Shampoo once or twice a week with a quality shampoo recommended for your hair type. Be wary of store bought brands that can contain ingredients that can loosen bonds and cause hair extensions to fall out prematurely.

2) Follow shampoo with a good conditioner.
Use a hair conditioner designed to be used on human hair extensions. Don't overdo things with products that are too oily or "heavy". Put the products on the ends of your hair and don't work it onto your scalp or near the extension bonds. If your hair is prone to tangle, use a light detangling product like Paul Mitchell's Instacure that doesn't damage your bonds.

3) Swim safe!
No one wants to stay out of the water when you have the chance to cool off in it. You can minimize damage by always wetting your hair down fully with clean water first, especially if swimming in a pool or other chlorinated or chemically treated water. Wet hair will not absorb as much chemical, thereby saving your hair some damage. Always rinse hair with cool clean water following a swim.

4) Swim with hair loose and down.
Do not tie it up if you intend to get it wet. Wet hair that is tied up will get extremely heavy, causing stress to your bonds, and the hair that holds them.

5) Rinse your head with cool water.
Sweat is damaging to your hair extension bonds and it is better to rinse daily without shampoo than to let sweat soaked hair sit and wait for the next shampoo. Use of a dry shampoo can help absorb sweat during the day and keep hair looking fresh.

6) Use proper styling products.
Again, use only products that have ingredients which are safe for hair extensions. Avoid silicone products that add "slick" or slippery. Your extension stylist can recommend products he/she knows will be okay to use for a variety of styling needs such as for creating waves, the wet look, straightening, curling, body, or for holding power.

7) Use proper brushes.
A quality brush designed to be used on human hair extensions is an investment you definitely want to make. Other brushes can yank on bonds, causing damage to your hair as well as the extension hair. You'll want one brush for dry hair, and another brush to use on detangling and wet hair. Always brush from the ends, slowing working your way up. Again, see your hair extension stylist for the correct types of hair brushes to use on your hair extensions.

8) Dry your hair properly.
Do NOT air dry your extensions! One of the trade-offs of hair extensions is that you must properly dry your hair...even if you wear beach waves. Quality keratin bonds swell when your hair is wet and must be dried with a blow dryer to shrink and reseal them so that your bonds do not slip off. You can still achieve beachy waves by drying the area with the bonds and then air-drying the ends. See your extension stylist for a quick lesson on the safe way to blow dry for summer.

9) Protect your hair from sun.
Wearing a variety of styles is not only fun, it can help to save your hair! Braids, buns, curls, beach waves, are just one way to create different looks that will help prevent your hair from bleaching out from the sun. Try something different with a light summery scarf or fun hat for even more protection from the sun. And, the use of hair styling products that contain sunscreen designed for use on the hair is a definite plus. (Again, check the product to make sure it is safe to use with hair extensions.)

9) Consider more frequent tidy-ups visits.
Having your hair extension stylist remove hairs that have shed will help keep hair from balling up and creating dreads. Tidy-ups can help keep your hair smooth and healthy, and will allow your stylist to stay one step ahead of possible problems during hot summer months.

Summer can be a great time to wear hair extensions. The added length and volume can mean dozens of extra styles to wear, and the ability to go from casual to glam in a flash. Have fun this summer with your hair extensions with a little care!

RELATED ARTICLES:
We're In The Heat: What Can You Do To Help Your Hair?
Preventing Dry, Brittle, Dull Hair
At Home Compliance Is Crucial For Long Lasting Extensions
Ever Wonder What Your Hair Really Says About You?
Tips for Creating and Maintaining Trendy Straight Hair Styles
Key To The Artful Use Of Highlights
Recommended Styles For With With Hair Extensions

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melissa White is owner and founder of Extensions of Yourself, San Antonio's first salon to specialize exclusively in quality custom hair extensions. With over 14 years experience, she has trained with the country's top hair extension companies in the latest techniques.

It's Winter but my Hair Looks "Fried" - What's Wrong?

by Andrea L. Algar

Even though it is winter outside, how is it we end up with uncontrollable, dried out hair? We typically think of heat damage only when it's hot outside and our skin feels the heat. Heat is almost essential to our hair styling routines these days. But just how do we protect our hair from the heat and prevent a "hair-frying" experience?

First, look at the devices we use on our hair: blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons, steam rollers and more. I've even heard of women using clothing irons to straighten stubbornly curly hair! When you consider that these styling tools are often used on a daily basis, and they're often not used correctly, there's little wonder why many women end up with damaged hair.

To put it simply, heat sucks the moisture right out of your hair and leaves it more vulnerable to heat damage.Signs of heat damage to your hair are:

• frizzed or frizzled hair
• dry hair
• brittle hair that breaks easily
• dull hair
• 
  

Now consider that all of these styling tools generate heat. Sometimes incredibly high heat. Curling irons and flat irons are often set at 400 degrees or more. You wouldn't ever imagine sticking your head into an oven set at 400 degrees, and even at temperatures just above 100 degrees your skin starts to feel dehydrated, shriveled and burned. So why do we do this to our hair?

Fifty years ago, the majority of women went to the "hair parlor" to have their hair washed, dried, color treated, permed and styled by professionals. Few did these things themselves. Even though modern products that are designed to protect had not yet been in use, because so many of the hair care procedures were done by professionals, women didn't seem to get the type of damage so common today. It was also prior to the age of modern hair care equipment that uses heat. In those days most of the heat was generated from the hooded dyers or heat generated from the harsh chemicals they used on the hair.

What many people don't realize is that you don't need to be using these styling tools every day to get damaged hair. It only takes one occurrence to permanently damage your hair. The only real remedy is to grow it back out.

But, just as technology has created a new wave of tools that can cause damage, it has created a variety of different products designed specifically to protect your hair. One of the great new products to emerge are heat protectants.

What are heat protectants?

Think of heat protectant products as a sunscreen for your hair. But, instead of protecting your hair from the sun, the primary purpose is to protect your hair from the devastating effects of heat. Applied as a light coating over the entire hair shaft, heat protectants work by sealing off the cuticle and forming a barrier against the heat. Because hair is a protein that needs nourishment, it's susceptible to heat and it is important to use the right protecting products.

Melissa White, owner of San Antonio hair extension salon Extensions of Yourself, explains, "It's scary how few people know about the products that can help reduce damage to their hair. For women who have invested in 100% human hair extensions, you'd think the desire to maintain and protect them would be at the top of their list of things to do. But, sometimes its hard for clients to see the benefit of investing a little bit extra in quality products that will help their hair extensions last longer and look their best."

There are a number of heat protectants available through quality salons. And, they're designed for different hair types and different amounts of hold, etc. Some combine heat protectants with styling products for hold or texture, or even for color treated hair. Some are blended to work best with curling irons, while others are specifically designed for blow dryers because styling tools differ in their optimum temperatures. If you use both, opt for a product that offers the maximum protection and select one that is designed for irons.

I recommend seeking the advise of your own personal hair stylist. He/she knows your hair type, how you style your hair, as well as the level of damage you have. They are best suited to select a product that will help protect your hair from the ravaging effects of man-made heat!

RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Extensions of Yourself - Cold Weather and Extremes in Temperature Can Affect Hair Health