Hair Extension No-No’s: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Hair extensions are a great way to add length and volume to your hair, but they can be a bit tricky to manage. If you’re considering adding hair extensions to your look, it’s important to be aware of the common mistakes people make when using them so that you can avoid them. Here are five of the most common mistakes and how you can prevent them.
Not Taking Care of Your Natural Hair
Many women assume that because their extensions aren’t real hair, they don’t need to worry about taking care of it. This isn’t true! If you don’t take care of your natural hair underneath the extensions, it can cause damage over time. Make sure you treat your natural hair with the same love and care as your extension-ed locks. This includes using gentle shampoos and conditioners, using heat protectant or avoiding heat styling tools as much as possible, and always brushing from the bottom up (not from the top down).
Sleeping on Wet Hair
When you shower before bed, it’s easy to forget about blow drying or styling your hair because you’re exhausted from the day. But if you go to sleep with wet hair, then it won’t take long for it to become an unmanageable mess. Not only will this be difficult for detangling in the morning, but sleeping on wet hair can cause damage and breakage as well as increase shedding of both real and fake strands. Make sure that you allow enough time before going to bed for your locks to completely dry first. The Blow-dry Brush from Amika is a game changer. It’s so easy to use and won’t kill your arms giving yourself a blowout!
Using Too Much Product
Hair extensions already provide plenty of body and volume; so there's no need to weigh them down with heavy products like gels or pomades. Instead stick with lightweight products such as leave-in conditioners or volumizing mousses that will keep your tresses looking light and airy — not weighed down or greasy. Basically everything that I use on my clients is lightweight so here are a bunch of other amazing products that you will want in your cabinet!
Not Taking Proper Care of Your Extensions
Hair extensions require more TLC than your natural hair since they don’t get the same nutrients from your scalp. Proper care starts with using high-quality products that are sulfate and alcohol free-- these ingredients can cause buildup in the cuticle of the extension fiber and strip the color from colored pieces. After shampooing, use a silicone-based conditioner on just the ends of the extensions, as this will provide additional nourishment and help repel dirt and debris. And don’t forget about brushing! Brush your extensions daily with a wet brush or wide tooth comb to keep them tangle free and looking their best.
Not Visiting Your Stylist Regularly
Just like you would go in for regular trims on your natural hair, you should schedule regular appointments with your stylist while wearing extensions too! This is especially true if you wear tape-in extensions that need to be reapplied every 8 weeks or so depending on how quickly your own hair grows out. Your stylist will inspect each piece to help ensure that everything is working together properly and give you tips on how to maintain them between visits.
With proper maintenance and care, you don't have to worry about making any major errors with your hair extensions—just enjoy being able to switch up your look in an instant! Keep these tips in mind in order to get the most out of your beautiful new mane without having any regrets later on. If you need a recommendation for clip-in or a hair extension expert, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I would love to give you some referrals. Happy styling! Put a 💗 in the comments below if you love your stenchies!
The mastermind behind the extensions as seen above is Mel, you can find her at Lifespan in Apple Valley, MN.