Dear lovely clients, whether you are new, or a seasoned and experienced wearer of hair extensions, here at Anne Veck, we think its always good to refresh your memory on how to properly care for those luscious locks. It’s important to get into a good routine with your hair extensions from the start because good habits equal longer lasting extensions.
At Anne Veck Oxford we offer a few different types of extensions: we have Loxbox (glued in bands), Gold Class (individually bonded), clip in extensions, and we also stock Balmain. Clip in extensions are obviously removed in the evening, but still need to be taken care of to last. Loxbox can look great for up to 6 weeks before they need salon maintenance (and what’s totally ace is you can re-use the hair if you have taken good care of the bands), and Gold Class extensions look fab for up to 8 weeks. Of course these time estimates all assume you will be taking regular care of your extensions! So here are the tips, tricks, and information you need to make the most of your manes.
First tip: avoid too much heat and too much product. Like real hair attached to your head (because all our extensions are real human hair) this damages it. However, unlike real hair, extensions are not growing and do not “renew” themselves. Excessive heat will damage and burn the hair, and obviously this will not grow out, and too much product will make you wash your extensions more than necessary, which can wear them down. So once in a while, let your hair air dry, and avoid the hairdryer 🙂
Now… if you do use products, make sure you are using the correct ones (Davines have a few great products such as the OI Oil for heat protection, and the OI set in general–> ask your stylist for more info on exactly which products would e most suitable for YOUR extensions) and avoid anything with these ingredients: SLS, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Alcohol Denat, Ethanol, SD Alcohol 40, Propanol, Isopropyl, and Propyl, as these “burn” and massively dry out the hair.
Tip two: Now, regardless of whether you have clip in or “permanent” extensions, brushing them (either on head or off) is literally a make or break it situation, and I can not emphasize enough how important it is TO USE THE CORRECT BRUSH!!!! The wrong brush can cause split ends, end damaged hair, which can be trimmed off, but as we all know, extensions don’t grow, so if you want to re-use them after, you may end up having to cut your hair to match the extensions, rather than the other (more logical) way round!
Davines do a fabulous Cushion Brush, great for basically any and all extensions!!!
Trick number three: How to reduce shedding! Now, like the hair you have growing out from your scalp, this is unavoidable, but to make your extensions last as long as poss, you need adhere by a few easy rules!
The first and quite possibly one of the most important rules is to brush your extensions (gently) out before washing them and only once the hair is 90% dry. This helps minimize the possibility of breakage and shedding during the washing and because the hair is at its weakest point when wet.
Also, do not wash you extensions too often, because similarly to too much heat, or product (mentioned earlier) this can cause dryness and breakage and …SHEDDING! Now obviously this will be different depending on if you have clip ins or extensions permanently attached to your head, but really play it “by eye” and only wash them once they truly need it!
Numero Quatro: avoid dying/especially bleaching your hair once extensions have been put in! Do this before, and at the salon we can dye your extensions to match the colour before we put them in! Some of the components of hair dye will soften the glue used in Loxbox bands and Gold class/Balmain bonds, causing them to fall out faster, and bleach will dry everything out for sure!!!
If you want your clips in a different colour, don’t hesitate to pop in and bring then with you, we will happily sort them out for you 🙂
And advice number five, really only applicable to clip in hair extensions: storage. Keeping your extensions some where safe, and taking care of them before putting them “to bed”, makes a huge difference. After removing your clip-in hair extensions, ensure that all of the clips are closed shut. When prepping your extensions for storage, I recommend brushing the set. Always make sure you store your extensions in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight (like a closet, cabinet or dresser drawer). Also, ensure your extensions are completely dry when storing them to prevent mold and other bacteria from growing (because yuck).
I hope you find these tid bits interesting and helpful! I myself have had all the different types of extensions, and can attest first hand that taking on these good habits does make a difference!
Have a fabulous day xxx
DFG
www.dirtyfrenchgirl.com
