The Extension Lover’s Guide to Beautiful Hair
Extensions are trending more now than ever. With so many types of hair and installation methods, knowing where to start can be a little confusing. Follow these tips to learn where to start with getting extensions and how to get the most out of them.
1. Quality Hair is a Must
Everyone likes a bargain, but there is a time and a place for that. Hair is not something you want to go cheap on. Find yourself a good hairdresser who has access to top-notch hair, like Platform Extensions. Not only does cheap hair look cheap and unnatural, it doesn’t hold up. It tangles easily, it will shed and thin out much faster than expected and it can’t tolerate everyday elements like sun, wind and water.
2. Find a Good Hairstylist
Do not… I repeat, DO NOT, book an appointment with a hairstylist just because he/she is inexpensive. In the hair industry, inexpensive equals inexperienced. Groupon is the Tinder of stylists, it is not the place to find hair love. When searching for your perfect hairstylist, really do your research. Does your friend have amazing hair? Ask her who does it. Look on Pinterest, Instagram and Yelp. Social media is your best friend when hairstylist hunting.
3. Follow Home Care Instructions
Your stylist will give you home care instructions on how to get the most out of your extensions. This includes keeping them tangle free, braids before bed, keeping them moisturized and getting them moved up every 6-8 weeks to prevent damage to your natural hair.
4. Invest in Professional Products
Your hairdresser will recommend products to you. Listen to her! You wouldn’t buy a car and then never get its oil changed, would you? Of course not, it would ruin the engine. The same goes for extensions. It’s important to have good products to prolong the life of your extension hair. You might as well throw your new extensions in the trash if you’re using $3 shampoo full of sulfates from CVS.
5. Approach Sun, Saltwater and Chlorine with Caution!
Summer is meant for barbecues, those awesome red, white, and blue popsicles and soaking up the sun on the beach. Sometimes we get so carried away with livin’ and lovin’ in the sunshine that it’s easy to forget to take care of our hair. The sun, ocean and swimming pool can really dry it out. Extensions don’t grow from your scalp, so they don’t receive nutrients and oil that your skin naturally produces. The upside? You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) wash them every day but remember manually moisturize your extensions with oil often. The great thing about hand-tied extensions is that there is no glue involved, so you don’t have to worry about hair products breaking down the bonds or tape. Lather that beautiful mane in hair oils and heavy conditioners to your heart’s content. We encourage it! Kerastase and Iles Formula is a great option with a range of incredible, high-quality products to choose from. If you’re going for a swim, apply a moisturizing product prior to water contact. Your hair is a sponge, control what it absorbs. Braid your hair to prevent tangling during your swim and comb out immediately after.
6. Master the Art of Brushing
That may sound weird, but when you have extensions it is vital that you keep them tangle-free. Be sure to use an extension friendly brush. The Wet Brush is great for detangling the ends. When brushing through your extensions, hold them by the bond to keep from tugging on your natural hair.
Up by your scalp where your natural and extension hair meets, you should use a comb to work out any knots that may have formed. This is extremely important for preventing knots and matting.
7. Schedule Regular Appointments
The initial cost of extensions may be an investment, but move up appointments cost significantly less. These touch ups are important to the health of your natural hair. You should expect to book an appointment every 6-8 weeks to have your extensions moved up. If you decide you want to take them out, don’t wait for more than 8 weeks to do so. When there is too much regrowth between your scalp and the extensions, your hair is free to move and intertwine causing a matted jungle of destroyed hair. It’s anarchy. It’s chaos. It’s not pretty.
8. People Get Extensions for a Reason
This list may seem intimidating, but its bark is worse than its bite. Extensions are an amazing option to beautifully enhance, and in some cases, transform your hair. Extensions are known to add length, but did you know that they can be used to produce different results? Some people use them to add color without changing their natural hair color. Some use it for thickness, and some people use them to fill in gaps they may have while growing out a short haircut. Extensions have come a long way from the time that they were first introduced, and with the hand-tied method, they are more gorgeous than ever. Who says you can’t conquer the world with a good head of hair?