Hair Extensions Maintenance Checklist
There is maintenance involved when you get your hair extensions. Taking care of your hair extensions at home is key. During your consultation I will instruct you on all the aspects of home care. I will give you a copy of this Maintenance Check List to take home with you that gives you an idea of the expectations I will have of you to care for your hair extensions. I will also send you home with a maintenance kit which contains all the manufactures care products to keep your new strands shiny and healthy. I would hope that after you have spent so much money on your hair extensions that you would do all you could to care for them. Your efforts will decide how long you can wear them.
If you are taking very good care and following all the instructions, the less likely tangling will occur, which can cause breakage, and the longer you will be able to wear your hair extensions. It is completely normal to loose anywhere from.
| Extension Maintenance Check list |
| BEFORE ATTACHMENTS |
Have all color, cutting, services done atleast 2 weeks prior to your installation appointment. Relaxers/perms should be done no later than one week prior to appointment.
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| INSTALLATION DAY |
Shampoo hair with a clarifying shampoo twice. Rinse your hair for a full five minutes after each shampoo to ensure all residue is completely gone. Do not apply any products or conditioners (including leave-in's) as this cause the attachments to slip. Blow dry your hair straight down & very flat to your head. Do not style or lift it by the root. Make sure any comb, brushes, clips (physical tools, etc) you use on your hair are free from dirt & residue. All mechanical tools (flat irons, curling irons and blow dryer extension, etc.) should be wiped down with alcohol to remove residue. Do not make any changes to your hair after the consult. If you do not follow instructions, you void any & all guarantees.
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| THE FIRST 3 DAYS |
Do not shampoo or get our hair wet or damp.This includes swimming, exercises, ect. If you wear a ponytail, wear a low ponytail for the first few days. This is necessary as the bond needs time to cure. |
| MAINTENANCE APPOINTMENTS |
Make certain you attend all of your follow up appointments that were scheduled at the time of service. These appointments will be within the first 2 weeks of installation and every 4-6 weeks. Follow up appointments are necessary to ensure the longevity of your extenstions & to prevent damage associated with neglect. |
| BRUSHING YOUR ATTACHMENTS |
Beginning at the ends of the hair, brush out of all the tangles, holding your hair in hand to avoid unnecessary pulling from the root area. Work from the bottom, towards the crown. Remember to brush the root area to prevent matting of the attachments. Work in small sections (3 inches by 3 inches or so). When you get to the root, separate the strands from each other with your fingers. It is normal to have some shedded hair stick to each other, pull them apart. Then brush over the strands from the scalp right over the attachments. Do not let your hair mat & use only the extension brush provided in your kit. Tangles only get worse, so brush them out immediately. Brush your hair in this manner at least twice a day. Optimum recommended is 3 times a day
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| WASHING YOUR ATTACHMENTS |
Hair attachments are most easily shampooed in the shower. Wet hair thoroughly with warm or tepid water, never hot, place shampoo in the palm of the hands & stroke the scalp. Never use circular or scrubbing motions, as this will cause the hair to tangle. Always wash with your head tilted slightly back & not forward & only use the shampoo provided in your kit. Your goal is to clean your scalp rather than your hair as your scalp produces oils which attract dirt. Attached hair is processed differently than natural hair so can dry out quicker if you scrub it.
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| CONDITIONING YOUR ATTACHMENTS |
Use hands to squeeze excess water from the hair. Place conditioner in palm of the hands & stroke downward, taking care not to put conditioner on the attachments. Starting at midpoint of the hair shaft is best. At this point, you may comb through the hair with your fingers or a very wide tooth comb to get rid of any tangles. Do not use a brush on wet hair. Your attachments will not come out immediately if they get conditioner on them, but will last much longer if you avoid putting conditioner on them. You do not need to put conditioner on the scalp & only use the conditioner provided in your kit.
Rinse with cool water for a nice shine.
Pat your hair dry with a towel & squeeze. Do not rub, as this will cause tangles.
Add your leave in conditioner (recommended). You may apply styling products to the hair. Use a ph balancing product during or after every wet treatment such as Antitap. Remember to start at midpoint, the products will work their way up the strand with brushing & styling.
Do not use products containing sulphur as one of the main ingredients. Most products contain some small amount of sulphur. If you live in an area with sulphur water, this could eventually break down the attachment. Install a shower head filter. Try to avoid placing products that contain oils, conditioners or lubricants directly to the scalp or the point of attachment. This will cause the attachment to gradually soften & you will eventually loosen the attachment. Use these products below the point of attachment if reasonable. Use a silicone-based product instead of grease or oil based products.
You must wash your hair one to two times a week. Condition the mid shaft & ends well. Do not use products with balsam or henna. Attachment hair can react unpredictably with these products.
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| STYLING YOUR ATTACHMENTS |
Use a boar bristle brush instead of a pick type brush. Bristle brushes do not get caught on the point of attachment. Use a brush with soft bristles instead of hard bristles. You must brush your hair 2 times a day from root to ends to remove all tangles. If you do not, your hair can mat.
Wet hair does not hold any style so blow dry your hair with your fingers. When your hair is starting to dry, (80% dry) you may then dry your hair starting from the bottom in small sections with your styling tool.
Dry your attachments after every wet treatment to prolong the life of your attachments. Always dry the base area thoroughly to avoid attachment slippage or breakdown. Use medium to low heat when air forming and finish with cool air once the hair is completely dry. Never sleep with wet hair.
Avoid touching the point of attachment with a hot styling tool or heat. This can also loosen the attachment. |
| BEFORE BED OR EXERCISE |
Put your hair in a loose braid or a few scrunchies so the attachments do not tangle in the night before you go to bed. A satin pillowcase helps a lot to avoid tangles. Activities that results in a constant, damp environment, such as regularly scheduled aerobics, gymnastics, steam baths or saunas, may lessen the longevity of hair attachments. Precautions should be taken to avoid these conditions being repeated. A quick cool blow drying will help. Activities such as swimming require you wet your hair with Antitap or purified water before swimming & a shampoo & blow dry after. |
| 2 WEEKS BEFORE REMOVAL |
The removal process takes about an hour for a full head. If you did not keep up with your brushing, it could take anywhere from an additonal 4 hours or more. Knots are very hard to get out when not brushed for weeks at a time. Here is a list of things you can do to speed up the removal. 2 weeks before you have your attachments removed, start using deep conditioners & dandruff shampoos. (Dandruff shampoos for adhesive based human attachments only) Dandruff shampoos contain sulphur. If you need to color or relax your roots, this is the best time to do it. All tangles should be worked out, if any. Give yourself a deep hot treatment, half oil & half conditioner for up to 3 hours the night before removal. If you have made any changes to your hair or wish to make any changes to your next set of attachments, you must come in so we can make any necessary changes before installing the new attachments. Do not try to remove the attachments yourself as you may cause damage & voids any guarantees. |
| DAY OF REMOVAL |
Please come in with clean hair, no products or conditioners. They interfere with the removal & reinstallation process & any hair that is to be reinstalled that day. Removal & installation can be done the same day. |
| HAIR LOSS |
Some hair loss is normal, as with natural hair. Since a person's average natural hair loss is between 50 to 150 hairs per day and a full head of attachments covers approximately one half of the head, you can expect to see a small quantity of naturally released hairs trapped in the attachments after some time. This is quite normal and should not be interpreted as hairs pulled out of the scalp by the attachments themselves. Daily brushing close to the scalp and finger separation of the applied strands will avoid matting in this area. It is normal for the attachments to look "fuzzy" after a while. This is dependent on how your own hair will shed. You should not let the attachments become intertwined with each other as this means you are not brushing properly. |
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