*Consider these words from the wise to keep your hair looking fresher and natural through its anticipated life span.
1| You paid good money for extensions, it'll be a smart decision to further invest in it.
All shampoos and conditions are not created equally. You cannot consistently use Vo5 products and expect your hair to look like you've just walked out of a salon.
It's best to use products specifically designed for the type of hair and salon quality. Traditional drug store brand shampoos tend to have chemicals that can strip it, dry it out, and make it brittle causing irreversible damage. However, If this isn't an option you should always use moisturizing products that do not contain sulfates, parabens and alcohol.
*SEE TEXTURE SPECIFIC HAIR HARE FOR PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
2| Treat shampoo as an acquaintance, not a friend.
As mentioned earlier most shampoos contain harsh chemicals that can damage your hair. Even the shampoos you think are completely safe may contain small amounts of these chemicals. These chemicals can affect the natural luster and shine of the hair; which is why we should only shampoo when deemed absolutely necessary.
Our basic rule of thumb is 3-5 weeks. This time period may be extended or shortened depending on the texture, product use, and how active you are while wearing the extensions.
*SEE SHAMPOOING FOR MORE ON THE 3-5 WEEK RULE
3| Find and execute a solid routine and washing technique.
Remember the old days when we would rub shampoo into the scalp and against the hair strands, without a care in the world? Well, while using this technique didn't work out too bad for some of us, using similar techniques on wigs and other hair extensions is not ideal. Doing so could have you replacing your unit or extensions sooner than you hoped for.
*Here's an overview of some good techniques:
- Always maintain full control while washing (in bundles form or tightly banded together by the wefts)
- Soak your hair in warm water & ensure it is completely wet by repeatedly dunking the hair into the water.
- Apply a recommended cleanser to the water and continue dunking the hair to distribute the product
- Use only your palms and fingers to distribute the product in a downward motion
- Be Sure not to rub the hair or go in a back and forth motion.
- Eliminate contact at the end of the bundle and reconnect at the wefts. (Doing so will prevent unnecessary friction preventing tangling, matting and frizz)
- When rinsing, allow the water to run freely down the shafts of the hair.
- Apply a conditioning product using the technique in bullet 3. (Deep condition after every shampoo)
- Always only detangle with tools while saturated in conditioner and water.
- Limit blow drying. Blot dry using a T-shirt and hang to drip dry.
*FOR MORE IN DEPTH INFORMATION PLEASE CONTINUE TO SHAMPOOING & CONDITIONING
4| Less wear means less wear.
Wearing your extensions less often protects them from quickly becoming worn out. We aren't saying, you should flip back and forth from extensions to natural hair every other day or so. What we're trying to say is, you should not wear the same unit or set of extensions for prolonged periods of time. You should consider buying two wigs or sets of extensions and rotate them every so often allowing for you to thoroughly care for them during the off periods. Simply put, the less you wear it the longer it'll last.
5| Natural hair care is equally as important.
This tip is last, but it’s probably the most important.
Maintaining clean hair and a healthy scalp is something you should be doing already. When you have a healthy scalp, you’ll prevent residues, oils, and grease from seeping on to your extensions. Plus, with a healthy scalp, your install will feel more comfortable.
Shampooing
You should always cleanse hair before installing it especially when purchasing from overseas or if you aren't sure if the company will wash it. At Exxtended Image, we cleanse and deep condition the hair as a means of quality control and so you don't have to. However, thereafter, depending on the usage of the extensions, we advise to only shampoo every 3-5 weeks and co wash *weekly. Hair extensions do not receive the natural replenishment of oils, as our natural hair does. Shampooing on a regular basis is not recommended as it can overstrip the hair of moisture causing them to become dry and prone to tangling.
Shampooing every 3-5 weeks will refresh your extensions from any product build up. When, Shampooing always follow up with a deep conditioning hair treatment and rinse in cool water.
Please keep in mind, you should only use your fingers or a wide toothed comb to gently work your way through the hair. Much like your genetic hair, harsh handling may be damaging.
*some textures may require a twice weekly co-wash routine
Conditioning/Co-washing
As you did with shampooing, apply your choice of conditioner to soaking wet hair and distribute in a downward motion. Remember not to rub or create friction. At this point, if this is your initial wash, you may cut the ties holding the bundle together. Use the slip from the conditioner to help with finger detangling and separation of the wefts. After finger detangling, use a denman brush or designated tool to further distribute and detangle. Leave the condition to sit on the hair for a minimum of 5 mins before rinsing in cool water. Allow the water to freely run down the hair strands while gently lifting the strands apart from each other. Be careful not to disturb the curl pattern and create frizz. On soaking wet hair, use a denman brush to further define curls, then hang to air dry.
*If you planned on adding styling products to the hair, we would usually suggest you did so now (while wet, to allow for easy distribution and use of less product)
Styling
You may blow dry, curl or straighten your extensions. However, when applying heat to your extensions always use a quality heat protectant. Just like your own hair, excessive and/or frequent use of heat will dry out and/or damage your hair. If your hair becomes heat damaged, it will lose its natural curl pattern and the ends may become dry, brittle and ultimately begin to break off. Heat damage is irreversible. Minimizing the use of heat will increase the longevity of your Exxtended Image extensions.
Your extensions will arrive in a natural black/brown hair color and can be dyed or bleached to any color you desire. For best results, its advised to consult a professional hair stylist before dyeing or color-treating your hair. As with heat, over processing your hair extensions can cause the hair to become dry, brittle and break off. Hair extensions that have been colored require extra love and attention. Please be sure to deep condition extensions and use nourishing hair products whenever possible.
*The best option is to abstain from all heat and use alternative options such as flexi rods and air drying.
Preventive measures
- If this is your initial use of the hair you may want to re enforce the wefts to prevent excessive shedding and extend the hair life of your hair. To ensure the sealant will completely adhere, we recommend you delay adding any styling products. Wait until the hair is 100% dry, then seal the wefts and the knots of closures with your choice of sealant.
- Only cut the wefts of the hair when absolutely necessary and use a sealant to seal the end. Use the fold over technique on all installations including wigs & sewins. This will also limit the amount of shedding.
Texture Specific Hair Care:
Curly & Kinky Curly
These textures are ones that require little to no maintenance; and are better equipped to handle more frequent shampoos, in comparison to other textures.
Our suggested night routine does not require you to remove these before going to bed. In fact, you may sleep with this texture fully installed. Keep in mind that you want to have full control over the hair. To do so, we suggest putting the hair in a bun or plaits and securing it with a satin scarf or bonnet.
To refresh your curls the next day, lightly spritz the hair with water or a combination of conditioner & water, detangle as necessary and proceed with styling, as normal. Limit the use of styling products as the hair may become weighted down. The risk of frizz isn't high with these textures, therefore there isn't a need to go heavy with products.
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After washing, If you would like to speed up the drying process, we recommend doing so with a curl diffuser on medium to low heat. However, due to the loose state of our ‘curly’, we wouldn't suggest straightening this hair. With all of our virgin hair being steamed for texture; and this one being the loosest of them all, The heat from a styling tool may alter the natural curl pattern, making it hard for the hair to revert back to its original state.
You can swim in our hair extensions, however we don't recommend doing so for a prolonged period of time. Just like your natural hair, salt water and chlorine can strip it of moisture, causing it to become dry and tangle. After swimming, use a clarifying shampoo & condition the hair immediately to minimize potential damage.
Detangling/ Styling tools are self preference, any tool will work. However, we would never recommend using a narrow tooth comb or paddle brushes with rounded tips for any of our curly textures.
Sealing the wefts on any of our textures is recommended but is not a necessity for this hair.
Product recommendations:
Shampoo: Aussie Miracle moist
Conditioner: Assure Miracle moist, Nexxus Humectress(our top choice)
Leave in: Hask Curl Care
Styling: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Mousse and smoothie(applied lightly) or Not your mothers Curl Talk Defining
Coily
This hair is slightly more maintenance but is still a very manageable texture. Due to the nature of thick hair, tangling will occur. Nothing excessive, but you should expect a few snags and light tangling at the nape. Detangling the hair twice a week will alleviate this from becoming a problem. This texture detangles quite easily. However, if you neglect to detangle this hair, tangling and shedding will become a problem.
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To detangle the hair we recommend your fingers, a tangle teezer and modified denman brush.
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We recommend you install on a unit and remove the hair for a therly detangle. However, you can sleep with this texture installed. Keep in mind, when doing so you want to minimize friction and maintain full control over the hair by twisting the hair in firm plaits or using the pineapple method to secure the hair.
To refresh your curls the next day, lightly spritz the hair with water (or a combination of conditioner & water) and detangle as necessary and proceed with styling as normal.
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This texture tends to get bigger as the day/days go on. For a sleeker or tamed look, see styling recommendations.
This texture can be straightened and will revert back to its original curly texture after being submerged in water and conditioner. However, doing it repeatedly with high heat will eventually damage the hair.
The trick to bleaching/ coloring this texture is to do so before manipulating the hair, use a looser density mix, and use your fingers to distribute the product, instead of a brush. If using a brush, only apply in a dabbing motion, never stroking. Doing so will preserve as much texture as possible.
Product recommendations:
Shampoo: Tresemme Curl Hydrate
Conditioner: Nexxus Humectress & tresemme Curl hydrate
Styling: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Mousse and Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining cream (together) and Shea Moisture C&H smoothie
Tools: Modified denman brush or Tangle teezer.
*The best option is to abstain from all heat and use alternative options such as flexi rods and air drying.
Kinky
This texture requires a lot of maintenance, more than any other texture we supply. Due to the tight ringlets of this hair, we do not recommend a traditional installation. Instead we recommend installing the hair on a upart or full wig and removing the unit each night before bed. If you must sleep with this texture installed, use the pineapple method to reduce friction.
Aside from the recommended 3-5 weeks, this texture should only be shampooed when absolutely necessary. Always follow up a shampoo with a moisturizing deep conditioner. In between shampoos, you should be prepared to co wash and fully detangle at 3 times a week, especially in the nape area.
The best way to detangle is with water, tons of conditioner and your fingers. After detangling with your fingers, go back over with a Denman brush or tangle teezer. A tangle teezer will work the best. Using a Denman brush can be very difficult, time consuming and can rip the hair from the weft if you are not exxtremely gentle. NEVER try to comb this hair in its dry state. Make sure it is very hydrated with water and conditioner. This texture is not a texture you can rush to detangle as rushing through the detangling process will inevitably produce a great amount of shedding.
This texture can be straightened and will revert back to its original curly texture after being submerged in water and conditioner. However, doing it repeatedly with high heat will eventually damage the hair.
The trick to bleaching/ coloring this texture is to do so before manipulating the hair, use a looser density mix, and use your fingers to distribute the product, instead of a brush. If using a brush, only apply in a dabbing motion, never stroking. Doing so will preserve as much texture as possible.
We don't recommend swimming with this texture of hair.
Due to the thick nature of this hair & detangling process sealing the wefts is a highly recommended must!
Product recommendations:
Shampoo: Creme of Nature Argan oil, Tresemme Curl Hydration
Conditioner: Nexxus Humectress, Tresemme Curl Hydration or Tresemme Botanique Nourish+replenish
Styling: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Smoothie
Blissful Kinks
Whether or not you remove this hair at night is entirely up to you. We recommend you do therly detangle and increase the longevity of your hair. If you choose to keep the hair installed, keep in mind, you'll want to minimize friction by twisting the hair in plaits or using the pineapple method to secure the hair.
Due to the nature of thick and coarse hair, shedding and tangling may occur in its natural state. Tangling in the nape may be elevated depending on the fabric of the shirt worn. Finger-combing/Wide-tooth combing the hair once or twice throughout the day will prevent this from becoming an issue.
Overall, this hair detangles quite easily. With that being said, you should still follow the same guide to detangling as you would with curly hair.--work in small sections and detangle your way from the tips of the hair working up the shafts of the hair to the roots.
You may blow dry, straighten and curl this texture without any harm to the kinky texture. When using a curling iron, use a higher heat and set the hair with either flexi-rods or bobby pins for curls that will last. keep in mind that heat damage is still a possibility when styling with heat.
This hair can 100% be colored or bleached to a level 6 or 7 without losing any texture or frying the hair. Any and all chemical processing should be completely rinsed out and followed by a good deep conditioner.
Product recommendations:
Shampoo: Aussie Miracle Moist, Nexxus Therappe
Conditioner: Assure Miracle Moist, Tresemme products
Raw Indian
Follow the general Hair Care guide. Only use Coconut oil to deep condition and use products containing coconut oil. Do not add pure coconut oil to the hair as a stylant or moisturizer. This hair does not like a lot of products. It is very easy to add too much coconut oil leading to weighed down hair and tangling. If the hair begins to tangle excessively, it is dirty or has a lot of build up and needs to be shampooed.
Maintain full control of the hair while you sleep. To do so, we suggest putting the hair in a bun or plaits and securing it with a satin scarf or bonnet.
To refresh your curls the next day, lightly spritz the hair with water or a combination of leave-in conditioner & water, detangle as necessary and proceed with styling, as normal. Limit the use of styling products as the hair may become weighted down. The risk of frizz is higher with Indian curly than the other textures. However you should use a leave-in conditioner that aids in frizz control for all Indian textures.
Product recommendations:
Shampoo: Tresemme Curl Hydration
Conditioner: Tresemme Curl Hydration
Leave in: Hask Curl Care (aids in Frizz control, Thermal protection, seals in moisture, softens and adds shine)
Styling: Tresemme Flawless Curls Mousse, Chi Silk infusion