Guide
Hair extension aftercare that actually matters
299 words
Four things decide how long extensions last: keeping conditioner and oil away from the bonds, brushing from the ends upwards while supporting the root, never sleeping on wet hair, and coming back for the refit on time rather than when it starts to bother you.
Conditioner belongs on the ends, never the roots
This is the rule people break most, and it undoes every method. Conditioner is designed to make hair slippery. Tape adhesive loses grip, rings slide, keratin bonds soften. Shampoo the scalp with your fingertips, then apply conditioner from mid-length down. This one habit is the difference between eight weeks and five.
How to brush without pulling
Hold the hair above the bonds with one hand, taking the tension yourself, then brush from the ends upward in sections with a loop brush. Brushing top down drags every tangle through every bond at once. Twice a day is enough, more is not better.
Wet hair is heavy hair
Water roughly doubles the weight hanging from each attachment point, and damp bonds are softer than dry ones. Sleeping on wet hair with extensions puts hours of extra load on the exact points that cannot take it. Dry the root area fully, always, even if you leave the lengths damp.
The refit date is not a suggestion
It is the single most ignored piece of aftercare. Bonds that have grown out catch shed hair and matt against the root, and the longer you leave it the more has to be cut rather than combed out. Book the refit when you leave, not when the extensions start to annoy you.
What you can ignore
You do not need a specific brand of shampoo, only a sulphate-free one. You do not need a silk pillowcase, though it helps with tangling. You do not need to avoid swimming or the gym, only to rinse and dry properly afterwards. Most of the product sold as extension-specific is ordinary product with a higher price.