The hard part is over and now you get to go home with your new hair!
It is up to you to keep the hair nice for the next 3 months.
I should not see you before then if proper care is taken.
Do NOT leave your extensions in for longer than 3 months.
Clients with fine, delicate or damaged hair should remove at 2 months to prevent knotting and/or hair loss
Some clients leave their hair in for longer periods of time with no problems but it is not recommended.
Brushing
Brush the hair gently with a hair extension brush, or soft bristle brush.
Never use a ball tip or hard plastic bristle brush on your extensions, these types of brushes can pull and stretch your extensions.
Gently brush from the bottom of the hair and work your way up to the scalp.
It is very important to brush the scalp area with an extension loop brush or boar bristle brush. This prevents matting.
Work in sections to be sure your scalp is properly brushed.
Separate extensions in the root area by gently pulling apart.
You should be able to run your fingers through the extensions from root to end.
Brush your extensions at least twice a day.
Dreadlock Extensions – Don’t brush your hair! 🙂
Washing
Avoid wetting or washing your extensions for 48 hours after initial application.
This allows the extensions to “set”.
Washing earlier can cause your extensions to slip in the future.
Always use sulfate-free products!
Detergents in regular shampoos will strip the extension hair and cause dryness.
DO NOT use thickening, bodifying, products for making fuller hair or protein related products. These are not good for extensions and will cause excessive dryness, knotting and tangling.
Brush hair thoroughly before shampooing.
Your hair should always be in the vertical position when washing, preferably in the shower.
Do not rub your hair around against your head.
Scrub with fingertips and squeeze shampoo through the length.
If shampoo is too thick to get down to your scalp you can dilute with a bit of water.
RINSE WELL.
Synthetic hair – Rinse thoroughly around the extension seals.
To best maintain curl in your extensions, shampoo and rinse in cool water.
Avoid applying any conditioner in the area around the extension seals. Rinse thoroughly.
Apply conditioner using from mid-length down to the ends and leave on hair for the recommended time.
Applying conditioner onto the scalp can break down the bonds over time and might cause them to either slip or deteriorate.
Do not use heavy protein reconstructors on human hair, it can cause matting and excessive tangling.
Wash hair extensions at least once a week but no more than 3 times.
You can wash the top/front of your hair if you need to, keep extensions tied back while doing this.
After washing and conditioning, wrap a towel around the hair turban style.
Squeeze the towel on the length of the hair to remove excessive moisture. Never rub!
Separate the extensions at the roots before drying, detangle hair from the bottom up with a hair extension brush or a wide-toothed comb.
Always be sure you can run your fingers from root to end.
Always hold extensions at the root while brushing and be gentle.
Dreadlock Extensions – Using an applicator bottle, add approximately 2 oz of shampoo and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. Shake well. Squirt this solution on your scalp and massage with fingertips gently. Do not scrub or rub, this will cause your hair to come out of the braided part of your dreadlocks and will make your hair look fuzzy. It can also loosen the dreads.
Gently squeeze lather into your dreads and rinse well.
I recommend Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo or any tea tree shampoo (it feels nice!)
Drying
Use the low heat setting on your hairdryer.
Be sure to dry the roots as soon as possible, if you let them stay damp or wet, matting can occur.
Synthetic Hair – To best maintain the wave or curl in your extensions allow your hair to air dry.
When using a blow dryer it is best to use the warm setting..
Use the cold setting on the dryer to set a blow-dry style.
Avoid pulling your extensions with the brush when they are warm.
Please NEVER SLEEP ON OR PONYTAIL WET OR DAMP HAIR. Also, don’t wear hats or helmets while hair is damp or wet.
If you do this you are guaranteed to develop knots and possible dreadlocks!
Using a satin pillowcase will keep your hair very nice and will help it last longer.
Dreadlock Extensions – Squeeze excess moisture with a towel, do not rub dreads. Air drying is best. You will find that the dreads dry very quickly.
Hot Tools
Curling and flat irons can be used, but avoid the bonded areas as they might soften and cause slippage.
The less you use heat on your extensions, the longer they will stay looking nice!
Hot rollers are an easy way to add curls also.
Always use thermal protection before using heat on your extensions.
Synthetic Hair – You should take care to protect the ends of your extensions (and your own
hair) when using heat to style your hair.
Hot rollers work well and will provide a long holding curl if you allow them to cool completely before taking
down. Use a curler one size smaller than the finished curl size you desire.
Velvet covered hot rollers will help protect
the ends of your hair.
DO NOT use heated styling tools with a metal surface.
High heat will permanently restructure and damage the synthetic hair so be careful!
Hot tubs and oven heat are big culprits of damaging synthetic hair.
Dreadlock Extensions – NO HOT TOOLS. Your dreads will melt if touched with any hot tools.
Styling Products
Any styling products can be used but keep it to a minimum, overuse can leave the hair heavy and dull.
Synthetic Hair – You may use any of your normal styling products with your extensions,
(hairsprays, mousse, and gels.) but keep in mind the hair will not absorb these products, just lay on top of the strands.
Excessive use of products will make the hair heavy and dull.
Dreadlock Extensions – No styling products are needed. Do not put any wax in the dreads.
Coloring/Retouches
You can retouch roots with hair color but hair must be washed and rinsed THOROUGHLY.
If you have foils done, they can’t be applied to areas that have extensions, only the hair that is left out.
The hair extensions should not be colored as it’s already chemically treated and doesn’t react like your own hair.
Hair should be freshly colored prior to extension installation. If the hair is colored while extensions are in the hair inside the bond will not be affected. This will require time-consuming corrective hair coloring upon removal.
Synthetic Hair – The same rules apply but hair color will not affect the color of the extensions.
Dreadlock Extensions – Do not color your hair while the extensions are attached. The dreads will not accept hair coloring.
Other Tips!
Always keep your human or synthetic hair extensions in a low ponytail or braid while sleeping.
Be sure your hair is completely dry before doing this!
Move your hair out of the way when carrying a bag on your shoulder and also when you put on a jacket or coat.
If you are having any concerns at all with your hair, let me know as soon as possible before a small problem gets bigger.
DO NOT go to another salon for help, I cannot stress this enough.
Hair extensions need to be cut by someone trained with extensions. The hair will not “cut” like your own hair.
Always remember, this hair is not YOUR hair. It will not react exactly as your own hair does.
Treat it nicely and with great care and you won’t have any problems.