Your hair must be completely dry before you go to bed and secured in a loose pony tail. Wet or even damp hair will tend to tangle throughout the night and when you wake up and the hair is dry it may be impossible to detangle the hair extensions. Even if this long hair was your own, tangles can occur the same way. For this reason make sure that you have completely dry hair when going to bed. This is a mandatory part of your hair extension maintenance.

Make sure when going to bed that along with your hair being completely dry that you put it into a loose low ponytail at the nape of your neck or a loose braid at the nape of your neck. It is best not to wear ponytails or braids off to one side because it is over directing the hair and one side of your extensions will be going through stress. Also your braid and pony tails must be loose enough to not feel any tension on your scalp. If the bonds are being pulled tightly it will cause stress on the bonds which can cause them to prematurely release or even cause premature shedding of your hair. Another great idea is to sleep on a silk pillow case. The fibers in silk are very tightly woven so this creates a nice smooth surface for your hair to glide over. Cotton pillow cases rough up the cuticle of the hair and cause tangles as well as pull moisture out of your hair which can dry it out. You could also try a silk hair scarf or wrap instead of the pillow case.

Tangles are the enemy. You must do everything to avoid tangles. We will teach you during your hair extension service everything you need to know to care for them at home. You will do home detangling twice a day when your hair is dry.

If you are washing your hair then you will do maintenance immediately after the hair is dry and, once again, before you go to bed.

Home maintenance is simple. You will gently pull the bonds apart, separating them from each other to ensure that any shed hairs are not grabbing onto each other. After this you will use a loop brush to gently comb through your hair, scalp to ends, to make sure everything is tangle free. If you encounter a tangle then gently release it.

If you cannot get it untangled, then come in and see us quickly before it gets worse, we will be able to help.

This applies to individual hair extensions only. Tape and Hand Tied methods should be kept detangled by brushing as you would your own hair using a Wet Brush detangling brush.

Hair extension maintenance is different depending on the type of bonds you have. For keratin bonds do not get your hair wet for 72 hours after the application but for micro link or I-tip bonds you may shampoo as soon as you wish. When shampooing you will only be washing your scalp. Place our recommended shampoo only in your hands and gently rub them together to emulsify the shampoo. Using your fingertips, gently massage the skin of your scalp. Do not worry about washing the hair. After gently using your finger tips to wash your scalp and massage in between the bonds, tilt your head up towards the ceiling and with your back facing the shower head, allow the water to start at your forehead and rinse the shampoo. As the shampoo rinses it will travel through your hair and gently cleanse your hair extensions without over cleansing them.

If for some unusual reason you feel that your hair extensions are in need of a deeper clean then you may gently work the shampoo into the hair extensions before rinsing but always be mindful not to over shampoo as this will dry out the hair extensions. The reason you never face the shower is that your hair will fall in front of you and will more easily tangle when trying to put it back where it will natural fall and be worn.

To condition your hair you will not put the conditioner on the bonds. Keep the conditioner at least a few inches away from the bonds as it can cause the hair extension bonds to release. Conditioner is very important for the hair extensions health so using only a conditioner that we recommend, apply the conditioner to all of your hair extensions other than three or four inches away from the bonds and gently detangle all of the hair extensions with your fingers. After detangling using your fingers which in a sense are your largest comb, use a wide toothed comb that you will keep in your shower to further detangle your hair extensions. Always and only detangle your hair extensions while the conditioner is in the hair.

Conditioner has a slipping agent in it which will help detangle the hair extensions more easily. All hair including hair extensions are only half as strong wet compared to dry therefore damage can happen much more easily so be gentle and take your time and do a thorough detangling with the conditioner in your hair extensions. When your hair extensions are completely detangled you may rinse the hair extensions exactly as you did the shampoo. A cool water rinse is great to help close down the cuticle layer of the hair to further reduce tangling. Gently squeeze the water from your hair. Gently fluff the hair extensions with your hands and then squeeze the hair extensions again to release more water. Do this about four times to release most of the water from your hair extensions. This will make it much easier and must faster to style your hair extensions later.

It is important to reduce chemical and mineral absorption into your hair extensions or hair restoration so we highly recommend getting a charcoal shower filter aka activated carbon or in-line shower filter. These are easily ordered online or picked up at your local home improvement store. They are easily installed by removing your shower head, screwing on the filter with some teflon plumbing tape onto the existing wall pipe and then reattaching the shower head to the other side of the filter. This will last approximately four months before needing to be changed. It will greatly reduce metals, minerals and build up into your hair which reduces tangling and extends the health and life of your hair.

Only use products that we recommend for you. We know what works and what does not, this is what we do. Generally the only product that can touch the bonds is shampoo and shampoo is needed on the bonds to remove oils that can cause break down of the bonds or slipping of your hair extensions. All other products are bad for the bonds and should be applied at least three inches from the bonds. Other than that all other products can be used on your hair extensions on the hair itself because it is real human hair and we use only the best human hair so anything typically can be used but ask us for recommendations of which products to use and how to use them.

PRODUCTS TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS: Certain products can damage your hair extensions and hair solutions. Products high in alcohol can dry out and discolor the hair extensions. Ingredients in certain suntan lotions can turn your hair extensions orange so keep it completely out of your hair, in fact don’t even allow your hair to brush against your body that has suntan lotion on it because it will pick up the lotion from your skin and discolor. Self tanners will definitely stain your hair extensions if it comes into contact with them. Never use Baby Shampoo. It seems like it will be gentle but in order for it to not cause tears it is alkaline so it causes the cuticle of the hair to open up making your hair like velcro which generally causes irreversable extreme tangling and damage. All products used on your hair should be acidic and be between the range of 4.5 to 5.5 on the PH scale.

It is important to protect your hair extension investment. Some products work great on your own hair but not well on hair extensions. If you use the wrong products it can damage and severely tangle your hair extensions. Trust us and purchase your items from our salon. We have the actually products, many products online are pirated and are not the real thing. We have had clients purchase items online only to find it damaged their hair extensions and when they brought the items in to show us it was clearly imitation products. In saving some money online they ruined their hair extensions. Using the correct products is necessary to protect your extensions so do not go sideways here, you will regret it.

You may use any styling tools you wish but use thermal tools on the lowest temperature settings that will give you the results that you want. You may use a thermal barrier product to protect you hair extensions from the damaging heat. Never touch or even get really close to your bonds with the heat as this can severely damage the bonds and your hair extensions.

We only recommend styling irons with a thermostat. Do not use an iron without a thermostat unless you test the temperature with a thermometer. Hair is severely damaged at 400 degrees fahrenheit and not all temperature gauges on irons are completely accurate so set the gauge to no higher than 380 degrees at the highest so it gives some room in case it is slightly hotter than indicated and you will not put a 400 degree iron to your hair.

Do not have any chemical services done anywhere other than with us. Perms, relaxers, colors and keratin treatments etc. can severely damage hair extensions and need to be performed only by us. We cannot be responsible for damage to your hair extensions otherwise.

Doing your hair extension maintenance at home each and every day is extremely important to protect your own hair and extend the life of your hair extensions. If you are enjoying your very first hair extension then it is important that you contact us with any questions so we can answer those for you. That being said we provide every client with our personal text numbers so you can contact us with any questions you need answered. The only bad question is the one you don’t ask so don’t be embarrassed to contact us for help. If you follow our home maintenance instructions you should be very successful and they are on this website so you can refer to them at any time. If you get into trouble and need help we are here for you. You can schedule a hair extension maintenance visit with us to show us your concerns and have us help you and answer questions. The current charge for this is listed in our hair extensions services menu and is charged by 30 minute increments. Our clients tend to take advantage of this for extra help during their first hair extension or the first time they wear a new hair extension method but rarely do our clients need this after their first hair extension because we train you well and you will be your own hair extension expert quicker than you would think, it really becomes second nature to you.

It is normal to lose about 100 hairs of your own per day due to the natural growth cycle of hair. Because your hair extensions are attached to your own growing hair you will sometimes lose some hair extensions. This is completely normal so do not panic.

If you are losing what seems to be an unusual amount of hair extensions then call us immediately so we can get you in and find out what is going on. If you are experiencing any form of hair loss due to medical conditions or medications then do not get hair extensions until this hair loss has resolved itself. If you are experiencing hair loss due to the hair extensions it is sometimes necessary to remove the hair extensions to protect your hair. We do not apply hair extensions to someone who does not have hair that we believe can safely support them so hair loss due to hair extensions from our salon is very rare but still can happen. Usually it is from improper care of the extensions which is why it is so important for you to come in for your maintenance visits so we can keep an eye on your hair extensions and the health of your own hair.

It is important to remove damaging build up from your hair extensions. This comes from oils and especially from chlorine that gets in from your shower and swimming pools. Salt water is also damaging. If you are on a well you may get a mineral build up as well.

Use our recommended chelating shampoo which clarifies your hair from these unwanted ingredients.

If you are going in a hot tub, pool or salt water then rinse your hair thoroughly with fresh water before entering because your hair will have a harder time absorbing these damaging ingredients if it is already full with fresh water.

After you are done then again immediately rinse with fresh water and chelate as soon as possible. If there will be a wait time until you can do this, apply a recommended leave in conditioner to protect the hair until it can be clarified.

Never braid your hair if going into a pool or the ocean. Your hair can contract and seize the braid turning it into a dreadlock and making it impossible to remove. Do wear your hair secured in a loose pony tail to help prevent tangling.

It is very important to only have our salon perform your hair extensions maintenance and service. We understand the extensions used as well as how to best care for them. Someone not familiar with this can cause great damage to the hair extensions.

We have come across hair extensions before that were applied by different stylists who did not follow correct procedures and/or did not make sure their client understood and followed through with proper maintenance and the results were at times very bad. We will be with you the whole way to ensure that your hair extension experience is the best it can be.

We are first your hair advocates and then your hair extension artists and hair stylists, so trust us and let us do our job to give you the best hair extensions that you can have and to keep them that way.