Knowing how to care for hair extensions can help your new strands have a longer life. Be it glue-in extensions or keratin bond extensions, women in Chicago, IL love hair extensions. The reasons why women throughout the world wear hair extensions may vary from the increased length and volume of their hair using the extensions, to the number of colors they are available in.

With a variety of textures to choose from, hair extensions have become increasingly popular over the years. According to a study in 2016, the global hair extension market itself is worth $1.4billion. With so much money invested in hair extensions, people would certainly love to know how to make these extensions last longer.

Read on to find out some tips to keep in mind if you have hair extensions and would love to reap their benefits to the full potential.

Hair Extensions Care Includes Brushing

It won’t be incorrect to say that brushing your extensions is as important as brushing your teeth. Additionally, investing in the right kind of brush for your extensions is also essential. Generally, in order to detangle your hair without breaking it all off, a Looper brush or soft brittle brush is recommended. It is important to brush extensions as gently as possible to prevent irreversible frizz and damage.

Cautious Washing

Washing hair extensions can be tricky. First of all, you must ensure that your hair extensions are completely detangled before you wash them. Even though your extended hair won’t become as dirty as your real hair, it is still essential to wash them at regular intervals to ensure that they remain properly maintained.

It is also vital to be gentle in the process as tender care must be taken while brushing them. Tangled hair can be prevented by washing small portions or strands of your hair at a time and shampooing and rinsing them in a downward motion. If the hair is still tangled after washing, a wide toothed comb may be used. It is also a great idea to tilt your hair back while washing it if you use non-removable hair extensions. Usually, flipping your over your head to wash it can tangle the extensions and turn your hair into one big frizzy mess.

Conditioning is Crucial

Investing in a good conditioner which suits your hair extensions is one of the most important parts about owning clip-ins. A leave-on conditioner should preferably be used for your new hair. Following the same downward motion used during washing, apply the conditioner to the hair extensions and use a suitable brush to remove any tangles.

It is never a good idea to apply too much conditioner to hair extensions. If you use an inappropriate product for your hair extensions or condition them too much, your hair extensions will most likely become dull and dirty much faster than usual. There will also be relatively more tangles in the hair extensions if over-conditioned.

Know Your Extensions

Finding out whether your extensions are made of human hair or synthetic hair is important. The maintenance of both kinds of extensions can vary greatly. In case your hair extensions are made of synthetic hair, it is quite likely that dying or excessive brushing will damage them. Human hair, on the other hand, can be styled in a multitude of ways which is another reason why it is growing into the preferred choice for extensions.

You should make it a point to avoid tying your hair in tight knots or pulling too hard. Not only does this apply to both synthetic and human hair extensions, but you should also be careful if you have a habit of rough treatment of your natural hair. Wringing and tying hair very tight can easily damage both extensions and natural hair and should be avoided at all costs. Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid contact of direct sunlight with your extensions since this may damage the hair and the bonds. Give a call to Chicago Hair Extensions Salon, serving downtown, South Loop, Lincoln Park, as well as Logan Square, Bucktown to schedule a 100% hassle free consultation.

A Hair Salon Is Still Your Best Friend

Even though styling and dying is possible and very fun to do with synthetic hair extensions, it isn’t recommended for you to do any of these at home. If you feel like dying or cutting your hair with extensions, make sure you visit a beauty salon.

It is also important to visit a hair salon if you notice shedding since the problem may lie with your hair extension bonds. Unless you are a professional with all the right tools, you should always go to a properly equipped hair salon instead of trying to redo your hair at home because the risk involved with hair extensions is too great.

Air Drying

Using heat to dry your hair extensions is as dangerous as it would be for your natural hair. It is important to let hair extensions dry naturally since the excessive heat may cause damage and frizz.

However, if you still wish to blow dry your hair every once in a while, it is a good idea to dry the bonds of the hair extensions using the lowest heat setting possible before you continue styling the rest of your hair. This ensures that your extensions do not break or shed due to the styling. Naturally, you should also avoid the use of flat irons on your bonds to prevent the bonds from getting sticky and damaged.

Storage

If you are not using your hair extensions, it is important to keep them stored carefully so that they can be used in the future. Unused extensions can become dirty and tangled. It is, therefore, important to clean and store your extensions to ensure that you won’t have to spend money again in case you need to use them.

If you too love extensions and would like to know more about them, visit a hair salon in Chicago, IL today to let professional beauticians and stylists guide you through the process.