1. Bi-Weekly Shampoo If Not Weekly
Once hair is cut from a donor's head, it stops receiving much-needed nutrients that nourish and keep the hair soft, shiny & tangle-free. It's therefore vitally important to maintain and treat your natural hair extensions with the appropriate maintenance products that will restore/maintain their natural softness, and silk and keep them tangle-free.
Proper maintenance care using the appropriate product range will ensure that your hair extensions keep their luster and last you for a long time. We recommend you use mild shampoos & conditioners; preferably sulfate-free and silicone-free hair care products.
Always detangle your hair before wetting it using a wide tooth comb or wig brush. Just like you would treat your own hair, wash it ladies!. Some ladies prefer to co-wash (using only conditioner), But keep in mind you still want to use a clarifying shampoo to remove all debris. If you wash your hair weekly you can switch in between a regular shampoo and co-washing.
2. DEEP CONDITION
It is important you condition your weave, especially with curly hair. Conditioning helps with detangling, define curl pattern (if any), and adds moisture to the hair ( that was stripped by clarifying shampoo if you did not co-wash. You must retain moisture in the hair to prevent it from frizzing or tangling.
3. HOW TO DRY
Ladies, There are levels to this weave game! Sure you can opt for a wash and go but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We recommend sitting under a dryer for at least 1 to 2 hours to make sure your entire hair is dry ( even the braids). Make Sure To Use a medium setting to minimize heat exposure. If your braids are not dry you run the risk of having ungodly mildew smell to your hair as well as unsightly molding.
(If bundles are not yet installed keep them in a low light exposure setting to air dry, that works wonders as well!)
3. BEDTIME
If you have either a natural wave/straight or curly extensions, be sure to tie these down and use either a silk or satin cap to cover your hair before going to bed at night. ( Having a silk pillow is a plus, definitely for those who wake up with their scarf on the floor) Before going to sleep, you should:
1. Braid your hair into a large loose braid at the back of your neck
2.Undo braid after waking up and dampen it by spraying it with a water bottle;
3.Comb through the hair, starting at the ends and moving upward
4.Let hair air dry, then style as you wish.
4. MINIMUM HEAT/ COMBING
The purpose of wearing a weave is mostly to give your natural hair a break, so do just that. If you wear your extensions straight, wrap it with a few Bobby pins at night to avoid using heat daily, and if you opt for voluminous curls, pin curls are you solution. Only use heat if you must and that goes for your leave out too! You don’t want a crispy burnt leave out.
Always keep your extensions tangle-free. Brush or comb gently and avoid any excess tension. Always comb or brush the hair from the bottom up, small sections at a time. The more careful you treat your extensions the longer they will last.
5. DON’T DRENCH YOU EXTENSIONS IN PRODUCTS
In the case of weave and products , we do not believe the more the merrier. Using numerous products will leave your extensions stringy and greasy and cause build up. A small amount of Argan oil goes a long way as it’s lightweight, nourishes, moisturizes and smoothens hair strands, reducing dryness, brittleness, and frizziness.
DO’S AND DONT’S
1. DO always seal your wefts. This is not an option but rather a priority and should be done before any installation.
2. DO not split the weft. Although many stylists like to do this - please know that splitting wefts are not necessary and will do more harm to the hair than good.
3. DO clip the ends of the hair every 6/8 weeks or at the time of re-install
4.DON'T cut the wefts. If you cut the wefts, seal each end with weft glue right away.
5. DON'T use bristle brushes as they tend to latch onto hair fibers and rip them from the weft.
6.DON'T tie your hair back or pin it up too tightly and never when it is wet. This pulls and stretches the hair wefts, causing it to shed and split.