Now you’ve got your fabulous hair extensions, how do you look after them to keep them in top condition?

Correct aftercare is essential to maintain the quality of your hair extensions and to help prolong their life. It is important to not only follow the correct advice, but to also use the correct and recommended products. Failure to follow correct aftercare advice could cause damage to the hair extensions and decrease their lifespan.

We advise professionals to provide your clients with adequate aftercare advice for them to follow at home, to ensure and maintain the longevity of their hair extensions, and to benefit from our Hairsurance® Scheme.

Allergic Reactions

It is the responsibility of the stylist to conduct a patch test for allergies prior to fitting, this should include testing for allergies to the tape adhesive, metal rings, or any other adhesive used on the hair extension. Patch testing can be done during the consultation or before the appointment takes place. This should take place at least 48 hours prior to the full fitting to allow time to observe any allergic reactions.

Colouring and/or Toning

We do not recommend or advise that our hair extensions are coloured and/or toned. If you proceed to do so this would be entirely your responsibility and at your own risk.

Human hair extensions can be coloured, but you should bear in mind that the hair extensions have already been through a chemical process, it is at your own risk if you decide to dye them as it may affect the hair condition and damage them. For this reason, it’s a good idea to dye your hair before getting hair extensions installed, and having the hair extensions colour matched to your desired colour.

Application

Our extensions should only be applied by trained professionals. You should avoid mixing different brands and origins of hair extensions as this will increase the likelihood of issues being experienced by the end user, especially, as the characteristics of hair will differ between brands and origins.

The hair should be clean and dry before application, you may wish to use a pre-application shampoo with deep cleansing properties, but this is not a must. Do not use conditioner, masks, or any other styling products before application as it will increase the risks of slippage and adhesives from not adhering to the natural hair properly.

Washing

We do not recommend that you wash freshly applied hair extensions for the first 48 hours, this will allow any adhesive to harden or bond effectively.

Do not wash hair extensions every day, we recommend that you should wash your hair no more than 3 times per week. Over-washing could lead to dryness, damage, and unnecessary wear and tear to the hair extensions.

Before washing you should de-tangle the hair from ends to root using a gentle brush such as our Tangle Tamer or our Pin Tail Comb.

Wash the hair in an upright position using Remi Cachet Shampoo in lukewarm water, ensuring that you do not massage vigorously or twist the hair.

Massage the shampoo gently into the scalp and over bonded areas letting the suds run through the lengths of the hair.

Using Remi Cachet Conditioner, ensure that it is only used on the middle and ends of the hair - avoid putting product on the root area and areas where extensions are attached, making sure to rinse thoroughly to avoid any build-up.

Drying

After washing, avoid rolling or rubbing the hair, instead gently squeeze out the excess water and pat dry with our Extension Towel.

Apply Hair Oil to damp hair, starting at the tips gently rub the oil into the hair moving upwards, avoiding the bonded areas at the roots.

Gently blow dry the hair using our Brush & Blow Brush on a cold setting to begin with, this avoids any problems with the bonds softening or rings corroding, then proceed to blow dry the hair as normal.

Do not leave hair extensions to dry naturally, the moisture can soften the bonds/tapes and cause them to fall out.

Styling & Finishing

You can use a variety of heat tools on the hair, these include but are not limited to; straightening irons, tongs, crimpers, heated rollers, and hair dryers. You should use a low temperature if possible. Ensure your hair is thoroughly dry and cool styling.

You should use Miracle Mist to protect your hair and hair extensions at all times when working with heat.

You must keep heat away from adhesive and the bonds at all times, as this may cause them to melt or come loose from your natural hair.

A variety of products can be used on hair extensions, these include hairsprays, serums and oils. You should avoid all bonded areas, as this may result in slippage.

Brushing

It is important to use a professional hair extension brush on or near the extensions, we recommend our Paddle Brush or Tangle Tamer. This is to prevent the hair from tangling or matting. Our hair extension brushes are specifically designed to flow through the bonds. Using the incorrect brush may pull hair from the bonds or cause unnecessary damage to the hair extensions.

When brushing hair extensions, you should always start to brush your hair from the bottom then slowly move up towards the top of the head to the root area. We recommend that the bonds are held when brushing to prevent excess tugging, and to prevent forcibly removing the bonds.

If the hair extensions are tangled, you should be careful when brushing and use our Miracle Mist to help detangle the hair.

You should gently brush your hair thoroughly at least once or twice a day to prevent natural knotting and matting. Try not to over-brush your hair as this may result in damage to the hair itself and cause unnecessary wear and tear.

Avoid brushing the hair extensions when wet as they are more fragile, this makes them more likely to snap or break. Our Waving Comb is recommended for use when wet.

General Advice

When it comes to sleeping, avoid going to sleep with wet hair - always make sure your extensions are completely dry to avoid any potential problems occurring. We suggest putting your hair into a loose ponytail or plait before bed which helps to prevent the hair from tangling or matting.

If swimming, coat your hair thoroughly with a mixture of water and Remi Cachet Conditioner and tie it back to help prevent the chlorine and sea water from affecting your hair. Wash thoroughly afterwards and apply a generous amount of Remi Cachet Conditioner.

We recommend that you regularly separate the bonds of your hair extensions. Hair that sheds naturally daily can become trapped in the bonds and cause them to matt or tangle together. Skipping this step can result in large matted areas that are extremely difficult to brush out and can result in loss of hair.

It is vital that you only use high quality products compatible with your Hair Extensions. We only recommend the use of Remi Cachet Haircare Products to prolong their life and to benefit from our Hairsurance® Scheme..

Discolouration & Fading

It is important to understand the difference between discolouration and fading, they both present themselves in a similar way, but are very different. They both also naturally occur, but can be avoidable. It is vital that you understand that discolouration or fading can (and do) occur when using hair extensions, understand why it occurs, and how it is fixed. Educating yourself on these points will help if they do occur, and help to manage your expectations.

Hair extensions, especially blonde colours, can discolour over time, or when exposed to several different environmental factors. You should take additional care to avoid hair extensions coming into contact with products that contain UV protection (as well as other ingredients), these include but are not limited to; sun protection creams, false tanning products, and certain heat protection sprays. Contact with these products can change the hair to a pink, peach, or copper colour, especially, when combined with high mineral content water (hard water) which then causes a chemical reaction with the hair extensions.

Discolouration is more common during the summer months, this is usually due to the warmer weather and the use of products that can contribute to the cause of the discolouration. It is also the time that most people go abroad on holiday, this then exposes the hair extensions to harder water than they may usually use, swimming pools, seawater, and an increased use of sun protection products. Be under no illusion, discolouration can still occur at home, as well as abroad.

We would recommend using Malibu C Hard Water Sachets or the Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Kit to remove any buildup or mineral deposits on the hair and rectify any discolouration that may have occurred. You should attempt to treat the hair immediately after discolouration has occurred as the longer it is left, the more difficult it is to remove and return the hair back to its original colour. You can also use these products as a preventive measure if you live in a hard water environment, or use problem products on a regular basis.

It is worth noting that some brands of oil contain artificial colourings which are known to stain the hair, especially when combined with heat. These brands should never be used as the staining is difficult to remove. We only recommend using Remi Cachet Hair Oil as this is a clear hair oil.

There are many factors that can cause hair to fade and all hair, natural and hair extensions will fade throughout the duration of wear. Fading is a natural occurrence and is due to how hair colour works, and what comes into contact with it that may cause fading to occur at a quicker rate than it normally would.

There are several things that can contribute to the hair fading quicker or strip the colour and/or tone from the hair, these include but are not limited to; certain ingredients in haircare products, UV protection sprays, and abrasive products, general wear and tear, and electrical styling tools. Ash shades and bright colours are particularly prone to fading due to the way in which they are originally coloured and/or toned.

It can be difficult to return the hair extensions to their original shade once they’ve faded, it would require the hair to be recoloured. Although the hair can be recoloured using professional products by an experienced and trained professional, we would not recommend this as it can cause damage to the hair and doing so would be entirely at your own risk.

Removal & Maintenance

Hair extensions should only be removed by a trained professional to avoid damage to your own hair and scalp, we do not recommend self-removal for this reason.

A regular maintenance appointment is vital to maintain the longevity of your hair extensions and protect against any unnecessary damage to your own hair or scalp. It is important to routinely have the hair extensions removed and refitted depending on the method and in-line with your own hair growth.

The correct removal products should be used depending on the method, we would only recommend the use of Tape Remover for tape hair extensions, Bond Remover and Removal Pliers for pre-bonded hair extensions, and Return Spring Pliers for ring/lock method extensions.