Maintaining Hair Extensions
Extremely Important Care Information for Keratin Tip Extensions
Keratin extensions can be the best thing that ever happened to your hair, or the worst thing that ever happened to your hair. It is extremely important that all clients wishing to try this type of extension understand that proper care is the most important step in keeping your natural hair healthy, as well as maintaining the longevity of the extensions. If you take anything away from this article, we would wish it to be that you understand that you must never allow the roots of your hair above the extension tips to become tangled or matted.
- The First Day: To allow the keratin to cure properly, it is recommended that you wait 24 hours after application to wash your hair. You may find that your scalp is sensitive the first night. Make sure to braid or bun your hair before bed, and use either a soft pillow or a bunched towel under your head for comfort.
- ALWAYS brush your hair with the loop brush from tip to root and ensure that any tangles are straightened out immediately. It is of the utmost importance for you to ensure that the hair above the connection is clean and untangled.
- WASHING: It is recommended that you only use shampoo one to two times per week to avoid tangling at the root of your natural hair. If you wish to wash your hair more than this, you may use conditioner in the place of shampoo. When using conditioner it is important to apply the product just below the connection of the extension, which will prevent the pieces from sliding down the hair shaft. If you notice an extension is loose while you are washing your hair, gently slide the tip down the hair shaft with conditioner to avoid damaging your natural hair.
- NEVER wash, blow dry or brush your hair upside-down. This puts added pressure on the connections, your natural hair, and your scalp.
- HOT STYLING: As often as possible, try to avoid using heat to style your hair. Many looks can be achieved simply by using products such as smoothing cream, or curling gels. If there is one major styling tool to avoid, it would be the hot straightener, as these do the most damage to extensions.
- ALWAYS braid or bun your hair before bed. This prevents tugging and stress on your scalp and natural hair.
- In order to avoid strain on the extension connections, we recommend avoidance of tight hand bands and wraps that could force the keratin tips down the hair shaft.
Successful Application
With proper care of your keratin tip extensions, you can have the great look that you want, while allowing your real hair to grow continuously. Keratin tip extensions are one of the only methods which, with proper care, can actually allow your hair to grow without damaging it. One such success story is of a Montreal woman who has both thin hair, and anemia. With only three applications of the keratin tip extensions, she was able to grow her hair out to almost four inches longer than she was ever able to before. After having the same set of extensions for almost five months, she had no dead-ends and hardly any tangles in her natural hair. This woman is still a client and her natural hair is still growing to this day!
The Other Side of the Coin
When it comes time for the next application of your extensions, many who have properly maintained them will be able to keep several pieces. Typical secondary and tertiary applications of the extensions begin with the removal of obsolete pieces, as well as any untangling resulting from improper care. With improper care comes the dangerous possibility of mats. Let it be known that there is no guarantee that the mats can be resolved without damaging the natural hair. At Sensavie Salon we are experienced with the safe removal of mats without cutting or removing the natural hair, but if improper care is involved, it can be a complicated and arduous process not always resolved happily. One such case of extreme neglect required five hours of extension correct and mat removal. When pieces of the keratin become entangled, it is of the utmost importance that the clients remove the tangle, or come into the salon to have it resolved. If it is indicated to the stylist that you have not properly cared for your extensions, it may cost more to have the tangles removed.
Written by: Hannah L.
