Congratulations on investing in your new set of hair extensions, or maybe you are stopping by to see what on earth the maintenance is for this investment if you’re considering them! If you are leaving the salon from your first install, I’m sure you are full of excitement and all the feels but I know it can be a bit overwhelming to make sure you are taking the proper steps for caring for your hair correctly & that’s why I created this guide to take the stress away and make sure you are doing things the right way! Trust the process, don’t overthink & buckle up for one of the most satisfying investments for your hair!

The Steps

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After Application: 

• Do not wash your hair or get it wet for 48 hours: This includes excessive sweating from working out. Avoiding this allows for the attachments of the extensions to fully set into your hair.

• Sleep with your hair down the first 3 nights: This includes a loose braid or low ponytail.  It is common after installation to experience some scalp sensitivity. 

Everyday Day Haircare Routine:

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Brush your hair 2-3 times per day minimum

When should you brush? 

• Before washing, 
• Anytime hair is wet
• Before bed 
• After sleeping 
• Prior to using hot tools to style hair 
• Before putting your hair back, gently section out your hair in 4 sections, 2 sections in front & 2 in back brushing your hair from ends to roots using a boar bristle brush, removing all tangles before moving forward. 

*This is VERY important to ensure your extensions will be tangle free. If your natural hair tangles easily, brush more frequently. 

•  Curly girls brush once in the morning and once in the evening 

• If wearing K-tip extensions: Brush directly over each row of attachments with a boar bristle brush. Brushing directly over the attachments is essential to keeping your extensions from any matting or knotting around the attachment.

Washing & Styling 

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• Don’t ever sleep with wet hair! If you wash your hair at night, the attachments of your extensions MUST BE DRY before sleeping on them. Please don’t ever wash your hair upside down or every single day. The more often your hair is wet and remains wet at the attachment, the less longevity the bond or adhesive will have to adhere.

• Be gentle when washing your hair extensions: No vigorous scrubbing around the attachments. Instead, wash your hair in a gentle, massaging motion, working in a circular pattern with your fingers, never piling wet hair on top of your head when shampooing. 

• Shampoo your scalp, condition your ends: Residual shampoo rinsing through your ends will be enough for cleansing – the ends of your hair do not require the same cleansing as your scalp. Thoroughly rinse all shampoo and conditioner from your hair extensions, and rinse your hair until water runs clear. Do not vigorously rub or scrub a towel over your wet hair. Be gentle! Instead, remove excess water by squeezing gently with a towel.

• Silk pillowcase or Cap: Helps reduce tangling & good in general to have. Sleeping with your hair braided or a loose low bun at night reduces the ability for your hair to tangle while you are sleeping. When your hair has less room to move around, the less it can tangle. 

• Heat Styling: Keep your irons below 380F– This temperature also protects your natural hair and your hair color. Higher temperatures can cause too much stress on your natural and second hair. 

• Always use a blow dryer with a nozzle attachment when drying your extensions. 

Avoid high heat settings near the attachments of your extensions when blow drying. Medium heat is recommended. 

–Blow dry the attachments of your hair before drying the lengths of your hair. 

–Wait until the attachments of your extensions are completely dry before using a round or styling brush to finish drying your hair.

•  The heat from excessively warm water or a hot dryer running over the attachments can wear down the attachment prematurely. It is best to avoid exposing your hair to excessive heat and moisture when wearing extensions. 

• Important to note: If you have hard water, you must use a demineralizing shampoo. Hard Water Wellness by MalibuC is our preferred shampoo to treat hair that is exposed to hard water. 

Products To Avoid When Wearing Extensions:

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• Any product purchased from the drugstore or any non-professional cleansers containing natural oils sulfur, dandruff shampoos such as head & shoulders, etc. 

• Styling products and cleansers with excess alcohol.

• Styling products, shampoos, or conditioners with citrus properties, peppermint, tea tree, or mentholated ingredients.  

• Products purchased from Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, or from similar outlet stores on your hair extensions – these may have a salon label, however, are not guaranteed to perform as expected and can cause undesired results on your hair extensions.

• Please only use salon quality products provided or recommended by your hairstylist.

What To Expect When Wearing Extensions:

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• While you are wearing any method of hair extensions; your natural hair will still shed during the normal shedding cycle. Throughout your extension wear; your natural hair attached to the extension strand will also still shed as normal. It is important to keep your naturally shedding hair contained by brushing on a consistent and regular basis. 

• During the full wearing period of your hair extensions, you can expect to see a small quantity of naturally released hairs trapped in the attachments and little white bulbs on the root of hair that has shed. This is normal and should not be interpreted as hairs pulled out of the scalp by the extensions themselves. The average person loses 50-150 hairs per day and throughout the period of your extension wear, some extension loss is normal and to be expected. Brushing thoroughly over each attachment allows for the naturally shed hairs to lay on the outside and around the attachment itself.

•  Not brushing over the attachments potentially allows for your own shedding hair to tangle around the extension attachment; eventually causing matting and tangling of the strands. So brush, brush brush and brush some more! I can’t stress this enough.

Swimming, Workouts, & Lifestyle Awareness

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• Keep your hair loosely tied in a braid or pony while swimming to minimize tangling

• Wet hair down and use conditioner on the ends of your hair before swimming. This minimizes the absorption of any minerals or chemicals in the water, which can be drying for your hair + hair extensions

• After swimming – Shampoo, condition, and dry attachments as soon as possible. Use a demineralizing or swimmer’s shampoo when exposed to excess salt + chlorinated water to prevent bond breakdown. Malibu C Swimmers Shampoo is great for this.

• When doing yoga or workouts: If hair becomes wet, dry attachments as soon as possible after workout.

• Saunas and/or steam rooms: Excessive exposure to heat and moisture may decrease the longevity of your hair extension. 

• When boating or any other activities with excessive wind, keep your hair tied back to avoid tangling. Hats are perfect for this type of activity.

• Tanning & sun exposure: Keep your hair wrapped in a towel when tanning indoors. Some tanning lotion oils and sunscreens may discolor your extensions, you will recognize it by an orange or yellow tint. With this being said please use caution when applying. Tie hair up in a low bun, braid or keep in a hair hat when applying.
•  Spray tanning & mystic tanning solutions: Can stain lighter colors of hair. Keep your hair wrapped in a towel or turban when sunless tanning to avoid staining your extensions. 

I know!I know ! This is a lot of information that was covered but you will be happy you have this to reference back to if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed. Wishing you a seamless transition as you enter this journey of hair extensions!