Extending the Life of Your Hair Extensions

Extensions are durable, but they’ll last longer if you treat them as if they’re fragile. Real human hair extensions like Hair Addictionz give you the same treatment you give them. Rough handling will give you rough hair, and if you’re too harsh with them, they’ll snap. Keep your hair fabulous with these dos and don’ts.

Do:

• Braid your extensions before you sleep.
  When you braid, go with one or two loose plaits that will stabilize your extensions without giving them stress.
• Let cooler heads prevail by switching to the cool setting on your hair dryer.
  Advertisements for heat-activated products notwithstanding, heat doesn’t agree with hair. That goes double for extensions that suffer damage to the hair shaft and weakening of their adhesive under extreme heat.
• Keep your hair dry as much as possible.
  That doesn’t mean you have to postpone your beach vacation until you’re ready to remove your extensions, but swim with a braid and towel off quickly after you dip. Remember that cool setting on your dryer? Use it often after swimming.
• Rinse your hair
  with clean, pure water after swimming in chlorinated pools or salty seawater.
• Shampoo gently and less frequently.
  Think of your hair as antique lace. You wouldn’t subject it to wringing, scrubbing or soaking; the same goes for your extensions. Give your hair a day off from shampooing if you can.
• Brush it out.
  You naturally shed about 100 hairs a day, but the adhesive in your extensions won’t let those hairs fall. Instead, they hang around and form the center of a nasty knot. Brush them away before they cause trouble.
• Reuse, renew, recycle.
  If you take care of your Hair Addictionz, you can have them reattached and get months of wear from them.

Don’t:

• Don’t oil your hair.
  Oil-based products weaken even strong adhesives like the bonding agent on Hair Addictionz panels.
• Don’t use alcohol-based products on your roots.
  Like oil, alcohol weakens the adhesive that holds your extensions.
• Don’t whip your hair back and forth.
  Yes, it’s fun to shake your mane and let the wind toss your hair, but movement leads to tangles, and tangles lead to breakage. Tie on a chic scarf or braid your hair if you plan to be in the wind.

It’s important to talk to your stylist for specific tips on extending the life of your extensions.