With your new hair extensions fitted and feeling like a force to be reckoned with, it can be easy to forget that your hair extensions need just as much, if not more, tender love and care as your natural hair. After paying all the money to have your luscious locks extended, it is important to ensure you take care to preserve the hair. Using the best shampoo for hair extensions, along with conditioner, will help to prevent the hair from falling out, bonds dropping and will help to avoid split ends. Lucky for you, it’s fair to say that we have our fair share of experience and expert advice to lend a girl in need of a helping hand. Through professional hair treatments and products, you can ensure that you maintain healthy hair that lasts a long time, minimising maintenance appointments and maximising your gorgeous look.

Best Shampoo For Hair Extensions: A Regal Envy Guide

As two of the most used products on your hair, finding the best shampoo and conditioner for your hair type as well as your extensions can be tricky. You will need to look out for several things, as some chemicals can damage the bonds and dry out your hair. The key is finding a solution that leaves your scalp and locks looking clean, fresh and shiny while protecting your hair extensions.

After having your hair fitted by your professional extensionist, you will be given a long list of aftercare advice to make sure that you can maintain healthy locks. It is always important to keep this advice in mind and while it may hurt the piggy bank at first, buying good quality and specially designed products is a must if you are to keep that natural shine. But what makes a good hair product? Here is how to know whether a shampoo or conditioner is right for your extensions:

shampoo and conditioner

Best Hair Extension Shampoo

Shampoo helps to cleanse your hair, getting rid of all the grease and oil build up as well as adding nutrients to your locks. This is why it is important to make sure that your shampoo has all the necessary ingredients to keep your extensions in tip-top condition. You will be applying shampoo to the scalp, which makes it important to find a product that will clean not only the hair but also protect the extension bonds or wefts. Here’s everything you need to know about finding the perfect shampoo for hair extensions as well some tips on how to look after your hair:

What Shampoo Should I Use?

So, the first step is to find the shampoo, which in itself is a task! The best option is to look for a product that has been specially designed for hair extensions, such as our hair extension shampoo. The reason for this is that the shampoo has been designed to hold the bonds together to make sure that they don’t slip while also clarifying the scalp to ensure that no dirt or oil builds up around the bonds. For example, our clarifying shampoo cleanses the hair to protect the bonds and should only be used a maximum of once a week. While these products may be slightly more expensive than your everyday drugstore brands, they will be significantly more protective and effective for hair extensions.

If you know that your hair is more oily or dry, then you should also look into products that are right for your hair type. Everyone is different, which means that while your best friend may be using one high-end brand, it may not work best for you. Some of the best shampoos for different hair types include the following:

  • Dry Hair/Itchy Scalp – Always look for moisturising shampoos that promote moisture retention and hydration. If your scalp is flaky, then you may also want to consider anti-dandruff shampoos, as they are often softer on sensitive skin. Healthline has an array of remedies for those suffering from dry hair and itchy scalps.
  • Damaged Hair – We all love a bit of heated styling, but it can severely damage our hair. Try using a repairing or fortifying shampoo as these products will contain more protein which will help to strengthen your hair. Hair World Mag has pieced together an article on how to strengthen hair naturally, so we suggest taking a look if your hair is riddled with split ends.
  • Oily Hair – Greasy hair is a girl’s worst nightmare when in a rush; there are multiple causes for this to occur, but there are shampoos that can help if you find that you have particularly oily hair. You will need to make sure that the product is light, as heavy shampoos will only weigh down the hair. Also, try and stay away from moisturising shampoos, as this will only add to the oil.
  • Colour-Treated Hair – You want to make sure that you are not only protecting the hair to make sure that it doesn’t split, but you will also want to find a shampoo that keeps the vibrancy of the colour while you wait for your next hair appointment. Opt for purple or colour-protecting shampoos, depending on your hair colour. You can find further tips on how to protect colour-treated hair over on The Every Girl.

shampoo bottler

How Often Should I Wash My Hair?

Having a routine is everything; it keeps us in check and makes sure that we don’t wake up in the morning with our hair giving us a wet look feels that we don’t envy. However, did you know that washing your hair too often is extremely damaging to your hair extensions, even if you only wash your hair when it looks greasy? In fact, most of the time, our hair looks greasy because it’s used to being washed every other day. You should aim to wash your hair at a maximum of every other day, but that can even still be too often. We would recommend trying to stretch it to every third day or even every fourth if you can handle it! While it may seem like your hair is too greasy not to be washed more than twice a week, be patient because your hair will start to train itself and produce less oil. For more tips on tackling greasy hair, take a look at our previous article.

The reason your hair produces oil in the first place is to clean the hair and provide nutrients, so you want to make sure that you’re not getting rid of all those nourishing natural oils. There are many ways you can reduce the appearance of oily hair, such as using a dry shampoo in between washes or through the following:

  • Use a clarifying shampoo
  • Wear your hair up
  • Rinse with apple cider vinegar
  • Avoid using heated tools too often

drying hair

Best Conditioner For Hair Extensions

After washing your hair and before your relaxing bath, it is always important to make sure that you add a touch of conditioner for hair extensions. As your hair extensions will be made from 100% human hair, they will need the same treatments as your natural hair and will also be prone to the same damage, such as split ends. This makes it really important to find a conditioner that thoroughly protects your locks, and here is how to do it:

What Conditioner Should I Use?

When choosing conditioners for hair extensions, it is important to do your research before putting your hands in your pockets. There are hundreds of hair masks and deep conditioners that you can choose from, but only a handful and good for hair extensions. Due to conditioners adding oil to the hair, some can cause micro or nano-ring bonds to loosen, prompting the hair extensions to fall out. This means that you want to find the perfect balance between nourishing the hair and protecting the extensions.

The best conditioners for hair extensions are those that contain lots of protein and coconut oil. The protein will help to rebuild any damaged hair while also strengthening the natural hair; this is particularly important for those that are looking to grow their natural hair and are wearing extensions for length in the meantime. Coconut oil, on the other hand, helps to retain a lot of moisture, which will add nutrients and moisture to the hair. If you are looking for optimal results with your hair, then we would advise using our specially designed hair extensions conditioner with our hair extension shampoo.

women conditioning hair

How Should I Condition My Hair?

A mistake that many of us make is to lather our hair from roots to tips with conditioner in the hopes that our hair looks fabulous 24/7. However, especially when it comes to hair extensions, you will actually be doing more harm than good. Never apply conditioner of any kind to the roots of your hair for two main reasons; the first is that the roots already contain a lot of nourishing oil, so all you will be doing is making your scalp more oily, and the second is that it can cause the bonds to slip. Instead, only apply a generous amount of conditioner to the ends of your hair extensions and gently brush through using a professional detangler before rinsing using lukewarm water to lock in the moisture.

brushing through conditioner

Best Products For Hair Extensions

A whole host of products are now available to help you to maintain those luscious locks, and it’s worth investing in a few to make sure that you can keep those bonds tight and extensions looking healthy. Washing your hair can end up taking a lot of nutrients out of your hair, making it important to put it all back in without making it look greasy again. So here are some of our top products that we think you should add to your hair care routine:

  • Hair Oils – Add a pea-sized drop of argan oil to your hair to keep it looking shiny while adding moisture to dry hair.
  • Hair Mask – At least once a week, treat your hair to a nourishing hair mask that not only does good but smells amazing!
  • Leave-In Conditioner – Apply to dry or wet hair to add another layer of protein, but make sure not to add it too close to the bond.

If you don’t want to buy a new hair mask and instead prefer making your own, take a look at our previous article for some of the best DIY hair masks that you can easily make at home!

applying hair oil to hair

How To Wash Hair Extensions

When washing your hair extensions, it is important to take care of them as best as you can, as this will ensure they last for as long as possible. Washing hair extensions does not involve the same process as when you wash your natural hair, so if you want your new shiny locks to keep their same look, you will need to update your washing process.

If you have gone for clip in hair extensions, then you will only need to wash your hair when you start to see a build-up of product, however; for typical hair extensions, you will need to wash them about 2 to 3 times a week.

There are a few tips that we recommend following when washing your hair extensions to minimise any damage or a lacklustre look; these include:

  • Brush Them Out: To minimise the risk of any knots that may occur, make sure to thoroughly yet gently brush them from the bottom to the top. Our experts recommend only using a wide-toothed comb or a soft bristle brush to ensure you don’t damage the extensions.
  • Be Careful: For the whole process, make sure you are gentle and aren’t pulling on the extensions too hard. We also recommend only using lukewarm water when you’re washing your extensions.
  • Shampoo & Conditioner: From here, the steps to washing your extensions are really the same as washing your normal hair; make sure not to condition your roots and then thoroughly wash the product out!

After washing your hair, allow the extensions to air dry or purchase a micro-fibre towel. If you’re in a rush and need your hair to be dry as soon as possible, apply a heat protectant and use a hair dryer, however; we recommend only using the dryer on the cool setting to not damage the hair.
washing hair in the shower

Taking Care Of Your Hair

Making sure that you have a few products at hand to combat those greasy hair days, as well as ensuring that you maintain healthy and well-protected hair, can help you to look flawless no matter what your day brings.There are a host of products from all ends of the budget scale, making it easier for you to find solutions that work best for you. However, it is always important to do your research first, and it is always recommended that you use high-quality and professional products for maximum results! Take a look at our other hair products to find one that exactly matches what you need.

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