Ez BEAUTY TIPS | HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR HAIR EXTENSIONS

Hi Everyone!

Before I get into this post, I have got some exciting news to share... Over the course of being a blogger, I have received requests to guest post on sites or write an article for a publication, but I never felt confident enough to do it at the time. And the one time I committed to one such request, it was a terrible fail!

This time round I feel confident enough to share my beauty knowledge and I am praying I will do a good job :). Below is the product of my first contribution.

StyleMeAfrica is a site that celebrates all things African fashion and style, and they approached me to infuse some beauty for the month of June. My first post is about how to care for your hair extensions, I have already talked about this here on the blog, but with this post I provided step-by-step instructions and added more details. Enjoy!

Step 1: Condition

I like to start with the extensions dry. I read somewhere that you should look at hair strands like you would a sponge. When dry, a sponge is better able to absorb more liquid, than if it were used to accomplish the same task when wet. Same applies with hair extensions, starting the cleansing process with them dry causes the strands to benefit a lot better from the products being used.

First things first, tie up your bundles using a rubber band (you may use a hair band if you prefer), tie the band as close to the weft as possible. Then proceed to apply a moisturizing conditioner of your choice, distributing this evenly through the strands, avoiding the weft. Run a wide-toothed comb through to further ensure the conditioner is distributed evenly. Once you have completed all the bundles you pop them all in a carrier bag or covered in a bowl, and leave to sit for about 15-30mins. Dependent on how damaged/dry your extensions are, you can deep condition using heat by placing them in a microwavable bowl and popping that in the microwave for about 2mins, then let it sit out for another 10mins. Ensure you don’t leave the conditioner in the extensions for too long.

Product –The conditioners I recommend are: Herbal Essences, Tresemme or Hairven. But feel free to use whatever good moisturizing conditioner you have.

Step 2: Shampoo & Rinse

To rinse, you will begin with a shampoo. Apply some shampoo to the wefts, add some water just to the wefts to get some suds going, then wash using the palm of your hand going over the weft in circular motion. Focus the shampoo on just the wefts, and once you feel you’ve washed enough then rinse.

Rinse holding the weft under the faucet and letting the water run through the bundle. The shampoo being rinsed downwards from the weft through the actual extensions, allows it also work through. Run your free hand downwards, over and over in one direction, until you rinse out all the shampoo and conditioner. You will not need to apply the shampoo directly to the hair strands, shampoos can be stripping/drying and we don’t want that. The shampoo running through from the weft is enough to get the job done, trust me

Product – Shampoos I recommend are pretty much the same brand as the conditioners I listed above.

Step 3 Air-Dry:

You should air-dry your extensions by laying them out flat or hanging up on a laundry line. You can spritz some moisturizing leave-in conditioner if you must. A small amount of leave-in, do not drench. If you are in a rush, you may use a hand-dryer after spritzing the extensions with some heat protectant. If you use heat protection, you won’t need a leave-in, too much product will weigh the hair down. So bear in mind that if you don’t feel you need to use a leave-in, please skip that step.

This cleansing steps will work if you have a weave installed. Just apply the conditioner to dry hair as normal and cover with a plastic cap. To shampoo and rinse, dilute some shampoo in an applicator bottle or spray bottle and apply directly to the wefts and plaits on your scalp. Make sure you get every line. This will help cleanse the wefts and as your scalp as well. Rub your fingers through each plait, just to work the shampoo in, and then rinse through as normal.

Laters,

Ez xxX