How to Wash Hair Extensions

I have made a short video explaining the best way we have found to wash permanent hair extensions while in the shower.

You can purchase the DEEP MUK product range and our hair extensions on the online store below.

www.hotstuffbeauty.com.au/shop 

Hair Extension Application Methods

There are quite a lot of different ways to apply hair extensions, we would like to explain and compare them here so you are able to make an educated decision on what will be the best method for your hair.

Once again, all information in this blog stems from my own & our clients personal experiences, and if you have any other experience worth sharing, please add a comment below :)

MICRO BEADS - These are our preferred method of application, as they are easy to apply and remove, don't use any heat / glue / chemicals to apply or remove, and can be less damaging on your hair than other methods. In saying this though, you want to make sure you're getting the right type of micro beads, there are quite a few different varieties - copper tubes / screw lined / double beads / silicone lined.

We personally recommend the silicone lined beads, as they have a thin silicone ring inside the bead, so that when it is clamped shut on your natural hair, it acts as a protective layer between the metal bead and your own hair. Some of the cheaper metal beads can cause breakage at the roots from the thin edge of the bead pulling and rubbing constantly during normal wear. This also means that if you do accidentally pull your hair too hard and some extensions come loose, it is less likely to pull your own hair out. Our beads also have a protective coating which means the colour will not chip off and leave metal bits in your hair.

Micro beads come in several different colours so that your extensionist is able to match the bead colour to the colour of the roots of your hair. If the beads are positioned and applied correctly, you should not be able to see the beads at all while wearing your hair extensions. However, for those of you with extremely thin or very blonde hair who are worried about the visibility of the micro beads, some other methods can be better suited. My hair is very thin, though when I have it dark, you are unable to see any beads at all, but when I had light blonde hair, you were able to see them through my hair, so I used a different application method.

It is recommended to have micro bead hair extensions maintained / moved up every 2 months to avoid damage or matting of your natural hair. We will discuss hair extension care in another blog. 

 Here is a photo of the micro bead application. © Hot Stuff Beauty

TAPE WEFT / SKIN WEFT - This method is currently becoming more and more popular. The tape weft extensions can give a much flatter feel when applied and generally have a faster application time. They can also provide a more natural look for some people with shorter or thinner hair, as the sections that are applied to your roots are wider than the individual strands of the micro bead method, and will give a less 'separated' look. However, because the applied sections are wider, it can be more difficult to wear your hair up with the tape wefts applied. You generally need to wear your hair in a low, loose ponytail and avoid twisting or folding the tape sections when using hair bands and clips. You are unable to pull your hair back tightly at the sides as the tape sections are not as flexible / maneuverable as the beads.

The Tape wefts are good for blonde hair as they are harder to see than the beads, however, if you tone your hair a lot using a purple or blue shampoo, the tape tends to hold onto some of that colour and get a slight purple / blue tinge going on after a while, so it is important that you keep your hair clean and dry at all times and make sure none of the tape sections are showing through. Check the back of your head in the mirror if you are worried, get your hair in the right position / style and add a little hair spray to avoid hair moving / parting at the back without your knowledge during the days.

Tape weft hair should also be maintained around every 6 weeks. Since the extensions are applied to larger sections of your natural hair, if they become too grown out, you can risk pulling your hair too much at the roots and causing breakage.

Tape weft hair is also applied using heat and the tape can leave a gluey residue in your hair once the extensions are removed. To remove / maintain them a keratin disolver or acetone type chemical is used to disolve the glue on the bond and your hair. This is typically not so good for your hair, which is why we prefer to recommend the methods which don't use heat / chemicals, but the tape does also have it's good sides, so it's kind of personal preference as to which you prefer.

 Here is a photo of the skin weft / tape hair extensions. © Hot Stuff Beauty

SHRINKIES - Shrinkies can be great on some people and not so great on others. Like the skin weft. Heat is still required to apply them. They can be less visible in lighter hair, but they usually require more frequent maintenance as they can slip out easier. They also tend to hold on to the colour of toning products, and are more difficult to remove than micro beads.

Shrinkies are applied like a bead, but instead of being metal, they are a thin plastic tube which generally comes in clear or black, they are heated once applied and shrink around the extension and your hair to keep it in place. This can also result in some glue (and sometimes melted plastic) staying in your hair for a while after removal. Removal of shrinkies generally takes longer than removal of the other methods, as the tube has to be crushed to get out, which often also results in your hair extensions needing to be rebonded before you can re-use them.

More time = more expensive.

 Shrinkies / Shrink Tube Application

There are other methods available, which we do not personally use in our salons, although we used to provide the fusion method, but stopped a couple of years ago due to clients having too many problems with them.

Fusion Method: Hair Extensions being directly glued into you own hair. You generally leave them in much longer (months and months) before having them taken out, but usually are unable to re-use the hair, and your hair at the roots can be quite damaged from not being able to brush it while the extensions are in. Application and removal is quite time consuming, and once again requires heat and chemicals to be used on your hair.

Sewn In Weft: Wefts are traditionally designed for thick, already long hair - such as African hair. They are applied by being sewn in to a very tight braided section of your natural hair, and are usually not able to be applied to the sides, only the back of your head. If your hair is fine, the weight of the weft can break your natural hair at the roots, and so can the tightness of the braid. You also cannot get to the braided section of your hair to dry / wash properly, which can leave your hair quite bad upon removal.

If you have any questions, opinions, or other feedback, please feel free to leave a comment. :)

How to Take Care of Hair Extensions - Do's and Dont's.

DO Keep your hair clean. Always wash after exercising or swimming.
Sweat & dirt can build up and cause tangling or loosening of your extensions.

DO Use recommended shampoo and conditioner. Your extensions will dry out
more than your normal hair, so it is important to keep them as soft and manageable
as possible by using the appropriate products. We recommend 'Muk' Hair care
products. You can purchase these in our store and online. Avoid any hair products with protein or alcohol, as these will cause build up, stickiness and dryness of your hair extensions.

DO Brush regularly, but gently. It is recommended to use a hair extension loop brush
(sold by Hot Stuff Beauty) on your hair extensions. Always brush from the ends while
holding your hair at the roots to avoid pulling on your extensions. You can also purchase these brushes for just $15 on our website: www.hotstuffbeauty.com.au

DO Use a heat protective spray when using heat on your extensions (blowdrying &
straightening). You can let microbead and shrink tube extensions air-dry, though
skin weft extensions should be blowdried on medium heat at the roots for a couple of minutes after washing to avoid shedding. Overall, however, the less heat you use on your hair extensions, the longer they will last.

DO Use a leave in conditioning treatment, spray or smoothing serum or Moroccan oil to keep your hair soft, smooth and to avoid tangling. These are also available on our website.

DO Sleep with your hair extensions in a loose plait or ponytail. This will avoid pulling
on the extensions, and possible tangling while you are sleeping. We also recommend using a scrunchy or loose hair tie when wearing your hair extensions up during sleep. A scrunchy will not pull too tight and it will be easy to get your hair out in the morning, whereas some small tight hair bands can get a bit stuck if you move around a lot in your sleep, some can even cause hair breakage.

DO Make sure you return every 2 months to have your hair extensions maintained.
As your hair grows, the extensions grow out with your hair and it is important to not let them get too grown out, to avoid damage to your natural hair.
Some of your natural hair will come out during your maintenance, this is normal, and is just the hair that has naturally maulted and become stuck in the extension bonds. Think of it as 2 months worth of hair you would normally find in your hair-brush.
Tape extensions should be maintained every 6 weeks, as they are on larger sections of hair and become heavier and move around more once your hair has grown, if left too long can cause more damage and pulling at the roots.

DO Keep any hair extensions that come out. It is normal for some of your extensions
to come out. Some people lose none, but most people will have some come out
just from general wear and tear. You can visit your hair extension technician to have them re-applied individually, or keep them until you have your maintenance done.

It is important to remember that your hair extensions will not last forever, but by
following the recommend instructions you will get the best life out of them. We
hold no responsibility for the condition of your hair extensions after you have
left the store, as we do not know what you will do with them, however we are able to help with any questions you may have.
All our staff wear or have worn our own extensions and look after them correctly,
and can prove that our hair is good quality and can easily be kept in good condition. 

No Refunds Available.

DON'T Play with your hair extension beads or bonds, or pull on them at any time.
This can cause them to come loose, slip or pull out your hair.

DON'T Bleach or perm your hair extensions. You can dye the hair darker with a semi-permanent colour, or tone blonde hair lighter with a purple shampoo or moose, but bleaching or any other chemical treatments will cause the hair to dry out a lot and possibly become unmanageable.

DON'T Use cheap shampoo's or products with alcohol or protein in them. They
can dry out or cause product build up on the extensions and cause them to become difficult to manage. We can not guarentee the quality or life-span of your hair extensions if you choose to use non-recommended hair care products.

DON'T Apply conditioner to the roots of your hair near the bonds, this can cause
the extensions to slip out or become loose and slip out later.

DON'T Brush your hair vigorously, you likely paid a lot for your hair, be gentle with it.

DON'T Leave hair spray and product in your hair after a night out. Always brush
your extensions before bed to avoid tangling.

DON'T Remove hair extensions yourself. You can pull out your own hair at the roots.
Please make an appointment to have the extensions removed professionally.

DON'T Use hair straighteners or blowdryers directly on the hair extension bonds.
It can cause the bonds to come loose, hair to shed, or extensions to slip out.

DON'T Hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding your hair
extensions.

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR NEW HAIR!

All information here has been written originally by Hot Stuff Beauty from our own experiences. We do not mind if you link your own clients to this page, although we would appreciate no direct plagiarism. You can purchase professionally printed hair care brochures with your company logo on them to provide to your clients, through our wholesale website: www.hotstuffstore.com.au

Different Types of Hair Extensions.

Those of you who have had good hair extensions before, and are completely and utterly in love with them (like myself) will have a general knowledge of how to look after them, and should be aware that they are slightly more work than looking after your own hair, but that most of the time, the end result is worth it.

Sexy Hair = Feeling Sexy = Boosted Confidence = All Round Happiness :D 

I would like to discuss in this blog, the differences between the different types of hair available on the market, so that those who are considering getting hair extensions, or that already have had hair extensions can find out a little bit more about their options before having them applied. I will have another blog written soon about the different application method options.

I have naturally very thin hair which tends to split easily, and when it grows past my shoulders, looks kind of pathetic because there's not enough volume to do anything with it. This is genetic for me unfortunately, and there's nothing I can do about it...
except either have a short hair style (which I don't like at all), or wear hair extensions!

This is me, without and with hair extensions.

I have been applying and wearing hair extensions for the last 5 years. I have tried almost every method and different type of hair imaginable. Some has been absolutely fantastic! And some has been total shite and kind of f*cked up my hair for a while.

So I would like to discuss here the different types of hair available, what I have found to be great, and what I will recommend you stay clear of if you are looking for quality hair extensions to be a part of your life. 

** Please keep in mind all things discussed here have stemmed from my own, and my clients personal experiences only, and I am certainly not having a dig at any specific ethnicity, companies or products, these are simply things I have found from my own research and experience. If you have any other opinions that you feel are worth mentioning, please leave a comment. **

1) ASIAN HAIR EXTENSIONS. I personally, have never had a good experience with Asian hair extensions. I do know people who have managed to wear them and look after them for up to a year, but myself personally has never been able to put up with them for longer than 2 months. They seem to become very dry, knotty, and hard to manage. I think that this is because the hair has been highly processed (obviously most Asian hair is naturally black - but most of the hair used for extensions is bleached very light and then dyed to popular colours using fabric dye - not hair dye, and then coated with a silicone treatment), it feels great at first, but quickly becomes quite unmanageable. Also if you are of Caucasian descent like myself, you will find the hair just doesn't really tend to blend well with your natural hair, as it has a different texture. I do have several Asian clients though who like to wear the Asian hair extensions, although they still tend to need to replace them with new ones around every 3-6 months.

So much hair on the market, being sold online (usually for quite cheap prices), and through many suppliers who simply advertise their hair as "100% Human Hair" (and don't mention where the hair is from) is Asian hair. I don't personally recommend it or use it in our salons (we used to), but we had too many complaints about the hair quality that we stopped using it. Asian hair can be more affordable than other hair types, although as I mentioned previously, usually doesn't last as long, and can be quite difficult to maintain.

There are suppliers and salons out there that will sell you Asian hair but will tell you it is better quality, because it does feel fantastic at first (be wearing of overly shiny & silky smooth hair coated in silicone - it washes off and doesn't last) so it can be very difficult to know for sure what you are getting. I know this because it has happened to me several times. This is why I always test every new product on myself and my close friends, so I know what the quality is like over time and how long it will last.

2) INDIAN HAIR EXTENSIONS. Can be really good or really bad. A lot of well known (and expensive) hair extension salons use Indian Hair. It has a good reputation for being easy to maintain, soft, light and long lasting (provided you treat it right of-course). However I have had the unfortunate experience of using Indian hair that tends to shed a lot (low quality bonding), or get a lot of split ends and tangles. It is normal if some hair comes out at first after or during application, although when it continues to happen throughout the life of your hair extensions, can be annoying and costly to replace. I suggest if you are dealing with this to discuss re-bonding options with your hair extension technician. 

We do use Indian hair extensions on our clients and we also supply it wholesale to other salons and technicians around Australia. We have our Indian hair custom made to our specifications including making sure the bonds are high quality and the extensions will not shed. It took us about 3 years of samples and testing to find a supplier we were happy with. Our clients tend to get around 6 months to 1 year out of the Indian hair if it is looked after correctly. The main difference between Indian hair and Russian hair, is that the Indian hair tends to go a bit more fluffy and requires more frequent brushing / styling.

 Client during and after full head of Indian Hair.

3) RUSSIAN HAIR EXTENSIONS. I have found Russian hair extensions to be the creme de la creme of the hair extension world. The hair seems to stay soft and easy to manage for a lot longer than other types of hair. It can still get dry (all hair extensions generally will since they are dead hair - always remember this and don't expect them to just be like your real hair) but when using the right hair care products, the hair will stay silky smooth and look and feel far more natural than the other types of hair. Russian hair is generally more expensive than the other hair types, although can last for up to or over twice as long, saving you money in the long run if you intend to wear your hair extensions for a long time. It is also far less of a hassle if you are not someone who wants to put a lot of effort into your hair every single day (like myself). I like to do my hair nicely on weekends and some week days, but there are also many days that I am just too busy (or tired) to bother to do anything with my hair, so I simply brush it and put it into a pony tail / bun / or clip for the day and it just stays there nicely until I take it out at the end of the day. I also find with Russian hair the hair care routine is less strict as the hair is far more forgiving if you don't follow set hair extension care rules, for example, I sleep with my Russian hair in a pony tail (24" hair), I let it air dry, and I swim in the pool or beach with it completely out, and it still manages to stay in good condition.

 Client after application of Full Head Russian Hair.

We generally try and recommend Russian hair extensions to most of our clients as we know how much nicer it is, although we still like to provide the Indian hair as a cheaper option. We also sell clip in hair extensions in the Indian hair, for people who only like to have extensions on special occasions, or who aren't ready to make the permanent commitment just yet...

Here's a photo of me (posing with Bob Marley's Star in LA) on a day where I just
let my Russian hair extensions air dry, and brushed them a couple of times.

If you are looking to have hair extensions applied soon, or if you are a hair extension technician wondering what type of hair to use, I do personally recommend you either go with Indian or Russian hair, try and avoid buying cheap hair from ebay - you really have no idea what you're going to end up with, and PLEASE have them applied professionally and know what you need to do to look after them, otherwise you really do risk some serious damage to your natural hair.

Our online supply store is now online at: www.hotstuffbeauty.com.au/shop
Or you can give us a call / txt or email if you have any questions.
0407 825 064 / sales@hotstuffbeauty.com.au

Thanks for reading :)

Carissa xo

Please subscribe if you would like to be kept up to date with more of our posts!
And if you have enjoyed reading through my blog, please take a second to click on one of the adverts on this page to show support x