A while back I posted about my clip-in hair extensions - click
here to see the original post - and I thought I would do a post about how to maintain your hair extensions and keep them looking nice and healthy so you can use them for longer :)
When many people think of hair extensions, especially the clip-in variety, it conjures up images of ratty, scraggly strips of obviously artificial hair, -shudder-, but by buying good quality real hair extensions and taking good care of them you can do your bit to help stop this prejudice!! And generally have some better looking extensions aha, which I suppose is probably the main reason you're here :')
My method of washing extensions is quite, erm, thorough as i'm a bit OCD about them looking nice and stuff - some people just shampoo and condition like normal but as extensions aren't attached to your head and so have no way of getting your natural oils they tend to dry out a lot more, so imo normal washing isn't really sufficient for them. Extensions tend to dry out rather than get greasy.
Q&As at the bottom of the post!
So lets get started :)
1) First of all, comb your extensions so they are smooth and have no knots. Fill your sink/bowl/whateveryourusing with lukewarm water and add some conditioner and mix it in. Then put your extensions in and leave to soak for 5 minutes.
2) Next gently rub a mild shampoo through your extensions, combing the product through with your fingers. Being gentle is vital as you don't want hairs to fall out - this will make them go scraggly more quickly. I tend to squeeze the product into the extensions rather than rub.
3) Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water, then squeeze out excess water. Next put conditioner on. My conditioner is for coloured hair which will stop the colour fading, so no giveaways with a dodgy colour-match! Remember to use plenty of conditioner on the ends as this is the part that will dry out the most.
4) Rinse again and squeeze out excess water. Next apply a hair treatment or masque (Aussie 3 minute miracle deep conditioning treatment is fab!) and leave on for at least 10 minutes (I often leave it on for about 30-45)
5) Rinse off and squeeze again. Now lightly comb through your extensions and lay them out to dry (you can hang them from a shelf by pinning them down with a book or heavy object, or I spread mine out on a towel on my bed). Leave them to air dry as it is better for them than using heat. As they dry I tend to spritz them with a bit of leave in conditioner, focusing on the ends.
6) When dry, they may look a bit wavy or not how you want them, so just use heat to style them how you want. Then you're ready to clip-in and go!
Q: How often do clip-in hair extensions need washing?
A: Hair extensions should be washed when they are looking dry and perhaps a bit ratty, which is generally after 5-6 wears.
Q: Real hair or synthetic hair?
A: REAL HAIR ALL THE WAY. It may sound gross, but they are so so so much better than fake hair extensions, which are truely awful. They look and feel fake and plasticy, and tend to end up ratty and trashy no matter how good care you take of them.
Q: I wash mine regularly but they look really scraggly and bad?
All hair extensions are eventually going to look past their best, they're just no substitute for your own hair unfortunately! Taking good care of them really does help extend their life though :)
Q: Should you use heat protection or hairspray on clip-in hair extensions?
Sure! If you're worried about drying out or damaging them, you can use pretty much any product designed for your own hair on your extensions if they're made of real hair too. Don't overload them with products though as it might weigh them down or change the way they look for longer than you intended!
Hope I helped! Love for hair extensions♥
