How to prevent your hair extensions from tangling.

During lock down I understand that a lot of you are going to be struggling to care for your hair extensions due to not being able to attend your regular maintenance appointments. Here are some tips to help you keep your hair in the best condition possible until you can return to your stylist.

Untangling matted hair extensions...

1. Make sure that you separate your natural hair from sewn- or glued-in extensions.

You’re more likely to tug and damage the hair extensions and your natural hair if you try to detangle them in one mass. Clip your natural hair out of the way, so you can work on detangling the hair extensions without pulling on it and causing breakage.

Once your natural hair is out of the way, it's a good idea to divide the extensions in smaller sections before detangling. That will minimise the pulling and tugging on them.

2. Detangle minor tangles with your fingers. If your hair extensions are only slightly tangled, you may be able to use your fingers to remove the tangles. Your fingers will be more gentle than a comb or brush, so you won't pull or tug on the hair too much. Comb through the extensions with your fingers, but work slowly and gently until the tangles are removed.

3. Use a wide tooth comb for major tangles. While wetting the extensions help make it easier to detangle them, hair is also more fragile when it’s wet. To avoid breakage and other damage, choose a wide tooth comb rather than a brush or fine tooth comb. The wide space between the comb’s teeth helps to gently detangle rather than pulling or tugging at the hair.

4. Hold the extension right above the tangle. You don’t want to pull on the hair in your extensions as you run the comb through it or you may cause breakage. To keep from tugging too hard, use your free hand to hold the extension just above the tangle or knot.

Prevention of tangling your hair extensions...

1. Brush your extensions regularly with a natural bristle brush. To keep your hair extensions from getting tangled in the first place, it’s important to brush them regularly. Use a soft bristle brush to comb through them before and after each time you wear them.

2. If your extensions are sewn or glued in, brush them along with your natural hair two to three times a day to keep them free of tangles.

3. Braid your extensions. The longer the length, the more likely your extensions are to tangle. You can keep your hair extensions free of tangles by braiding them. If they’re glued or sewn into your hair, braid them with your natural hair.

Any type of braid that you prefer will work for keeping the extensions free of tangles, but a simple 3-strand braid is usually the easiest.

4. Avoid using styling products with alcohol. If your hair extensions are made of natural hair, you can use the same styling products that you use on your natural hair for them unless you have an exclusive product for the bonding material your stylist has used, for example, hair in recovery hair extensions. However, to keep a glue bond or resin bond from breaking down don’t use products that contain alcohol.

5. Moisturise the mid lengths and ends of your hair extensions with a light oil. If your hair extensions are smooth and moisturised, they’re less likely to tangle. To keep your hair extensions properly hydrated, massage a small amount of a light hair oil into them at least once a week. Argan, coconut, castor, olive, and jojoba oils are all good options.

If your extensions are sewn or glued in or you wear them everyday, you should apply the oil daily.