Hair Extension Care: How to Properly Care for Hair Extensions At Home

Whether you're new to hair extensions or have used them in the past, it's always a good idea to refresh your memory on how to properly take care of them. It’s important to get into a good routine with your hair extensions from the start because good habits equal longer lasting extensions.

Read on to learn all about hair extensions care, tips and, tricks to ensure your set lives a long and happy life. While we talk mostly about clip-in hair extensions, the information is applicable for most types of high-quality human Remy hair extensions.

With regular care and attention, you can ensure your hair extensions last as long as possible and stay looking healthy. So, if you want to learn how to properly take care of your clip-in hair extensions, watch the video below or read on to discover all of our care tips and tricks.

Video Transcription

Hi my beautiful friends. It's Mimi here today. In today's video, I'm going to talk to you about tips and tricks on how to take care of your Luxy hair extensions, or for that matter, any hair extension that you may have. And these are the tips and tricks that I've learned through probably wearing hair extensions for now more than five years, so I'll be sharing you my personal tips and tricks. And in the end of the video, I'm going to share a really cool trick on how to get rid of these little layers that you have sometimes sticking out when you clip in hair extensions, so let's get started.

Now for the longest time, I've hesitated to make an updated version of hair care extension video because personally, and I have to confess here, I don't treat my hair extensions well. I'm going to show a typical situation of my day when I wear hair extensions. See my bag? Okay. Open the bag. This is what I do, honestly. I mean, this is embarrassing to admit, and Alex always laughs at me when I do this. But there's been so many situations in my day where it's the end of the day, or sometimes I'm on the plane. And it was funny because one time, there was this guy sitting beside me, and I just felt like, you know what, I don't care. He's going to think I'm weird and this is strange. This girl is taking hair off her head, but I just did it. I started unclipping my hair and just kind of throwing it in my bag, so I'm guilty of that.

Now regardless of how bad I store my extensions on most days, they still last me at least eight months. And I do have a few sets, but usually I'll stick to one set, and I'll wear it the most. So right now it's the ombre blond Luxy hair extensions. This is the ombre chestnut Luxy hair extensions. It's kind of hard to see because I'm holding it in a bunch. All right, so that was on a bad day. On a good day, I store my Luxy hair extensions in a box that they come in. And as you can see, this is an old box that I've had, I think, for over a year. What I would do on a good day, and what I recommend for you to do every time you wear your hair extensions is, you gather all the hair. One second.

This is what you do after you take it off your head. You gather the hair. You have your brush, and you brush out your hair extensions from the bottom up. And like I said, I am not the best at taking care of it, so usually I'll just go in with my brush and I won't be careful. But the more careful you are, obviously, the longer the hair extensions will last you. So here it is, nicely brush it out. If you see any knots, sometimes it's better to just separate the weft and brush it out individually, as you can see, nicely brushed.

See, when I first get the set, I'm more careful. But the reality is, after a few wears, I'm not as careful anymore. So I'll just twist it. This is what I do, like that. And then I'll just pull it. And this is what I'll have. I like to store it like that because it kind of creates a nice wave in the hair. If you want, what you can do is just put a hair tie. Now I have a hair tie here. Just tie it in a ponytail like that, so your hair doesn't tangle. And then you would still kind of roll it in a circle. You open the box, and you just slide that in the box just like that. Then you close the box, and your extensions are safely in the box. Beautiful. That's on a good day.

Now I'm going to talk about shedding and tangling in general in all hair extensions, including Luxy hair extensions. All hair extensions tangle. Let's just be clear. They all tangle because that's what hair does. Your natural hair may tangle. Personally, my hair doesn't really tangle a lot. But usually, if I don't wash my hair, after two, three days, it does start to tangle. Now with hair extensions, it's the same thing, how to avoid tangling in general. I'm going to give you a few tips, and these are the tips that I personally use.

Number one, the most important is always have a brush on hand. So when you're wearing hair extensions, you want to make sure you always have a brush on hand, and you just put it in your bag and just take it with you wherever you're going. If you're going to the restroom, you just go in, brush the hair as you're reapplying your lip gloss or something. So this way, you're making sure that your hair and the extensions don't tangle. Most tangling in hair extensions is actually created by the friction of your hair with the hair extensions. Personally, my hair is a bit more damaged. It has quite a lot of split ends, so when my hair tangles with extensions, it's actually my natural hair that's causing the tangling with the hair extensions.

Just imagine this scene in your head. Your natural hair is a bit rough and it's got split ends. And then you have beautiful silky hair extensions. You clip this on, and then throughout the day, everything is mixing. And what happens is you have a tangle. How do you prevent the tangle? You constantly brush through the hair. That's what it takes to have beautiful tangle free hair as you're wearing hair extensions. Now as we are on the topic of tangling, I want to tell you. Make sure you never, ever sleep with your hair extensions. That's probably the worst thing you can do to your hair extensions. When you're sleeping, again, your hair is there, and the extensions are clipped in. You're tossing and turning in your sleep. And the hair, again, is mixing and creating tangles. Just imagine the scene in the morning when you wake up and you try to pull your hair, and it's just like you're ripping the hair. It's happened before.

Speaking from personal experience, I want to tell. If you want your hair extensions to last longer, don't ever sleep with them. Number two, if you don't want your hair extensions to tangle, don't ever take a shower with them or go swimming with them. I know it would be nice to just pretend that this hair is yours, but the reality is, you need to take it off when you take a shower. Same thing will happen if you have the hair extensions clipped in your head and you're taking a shower. Everything is kind of in there mixing up, tangling, and it might be a disaster trying to pull it out of your hair after because you're going to lose your own hair as well, as you're trying to pull it out. So just think of your hair first, not the extensions.

Same with sleeping, if you're getting it tangled in your hair, you're putting your own hair at risk. Okay. And then of course, the hair extensions as well. So no swimming, taking a shower, or swimming in the ocean. You can still wear it to the pool party or to the sea, but put it up in a ponytail or put it in a side braid and don't go in the water with it. You heard me. No going in the water. All right, so that's that.

Now let's move on to the topic of shedding. Our natural hair sheds about 100 hair strands a day, same with hair extensions. Unfortunately, even though they are attached to a weft, just like with natural hair, as you will brush through them, as you will style your hair extensions, they are going to shed. Therefore, all of hair extensions, whether clip in or the ones you have bonded in your hair, they all have a lifespan, and it's anywhere from three, four months to a year or longer, of course, depending on how often you wear them, style them, and wash them. In order to prevent shedding, I'm going to give you some tips. And one of the biggest tips that I've learned, actually, through all of the five years, when I just started wearing hair extensions, I would use a lot of products in them. A, B, I would wash them I think every two weeks.

Now after wearing hair extensions for five years, I don't use as many products. I pretty much never use any product, only sometimes when I'm doing hair tutorials for you guys. And I want to just show you. I want to make a point. Okay, you have to have to use a hair spray. Spray it in your hair. Then I will use a product. But just in everyday wear, I don't use any more products on my hair extensions. The reason to that is, the more products I use on my hair extensions, the more often I have to wash them. The more often you wash your hair extensions, the more dry they become, the more they shed, and the less they will last you. Just remember, you only need to wash your hair extensions maybe every 30 wears. If you wear them daily, I would say wash them every month maybe. Again, depending on what you do with them. Do you style them? Do you put some products in them? Then you might have to wash them. If you don't really put any products in them, if you think you can go more with washing them, go more without washing them because they really don't need to be washed.

Our natural hair needs to be washed because there's grease and oil that's coming from the roots constantly onto the hair, therefore, we need to wash it. And that's why when we wash our hair, we mostly concentrate on the scalp because that's where the oil collects. With hair extensions, there's no scalp. There's no oil coming onto them, so unless you're putting a product, they're not going to get dirty, so that's my point. Also, when I style them, even when I'm curling them, I don't really put hair spray in them. They still hold the curl. The best thing to do, I think, when I curl them is, I'll take the weft separately and I will curl it on a barrel. Let's say this is the curling barrel. And I will curl it, and then what I will do with the curl, I will pin it with a clip, and I'll just let it set overnight or just for an hour. And that really makes the curl last a really long time, and therefore, I don't need to use a hair spray.

Now let's talk about coloring hair extensions. Personally, I never colored any of my hair extensions because I instead matched my hair to the hair extensions. And I think if you're getting hair extensions, that's the best way to go because you have to keep in mind, again, this hair is not attached to a scalp. So if you're going to color it, unless you're taking a lighter color and you're coloring it darker, which I think is more or less fine. If you're going to color, let's say ... If I were to say I'm going to color this into a lighter shade, the only way I would be able to do this is if I would bleach this hair. Now if I were to put bleach in this hair, it would really over dry the hair, and there would be no oil to actually heal the hair after the bleaching process. It doesn't mean it can't be done. It can, and many people bleach their hair extensions. However, keep in mind it definitely will shorten the lifespan of hair extensions.

Also, if you do decide to bleach or color your hair extensions, definitely go to a hair colorist who is specialized in coloring hair extensions. The reason you want to get somebody specialized is because they've done it before. They know exactly what they're doing. Now when you get your hair extensions done at a professional, or if you decide to do it at home, which you shouldn't do, but if you decide to do it at home, always, always, always test a one clip weft before coloring the full set just to make sure you even like the result. That way, if you're not happy with the color, you still have the rest of the set to wear.

And one of the last tips I want to share with you is the tip I've learned from my friend, Steph, who wears hair extensions pretty much every single day. And some of her sets are actually older than a year. So what she does when she washes her hair extensions, she will deep condition them. She'll put deep conditioner on her hair extensions and let it sit for overnight. And then in the morning, she'll rinse them off and they will be so soft and beautiful. This is a nice way to restore an old set of hair extensions, so I really wanted to share with you. I personally don't do it every time I wash my hair extensions. But I will do it also, to an older set that's older than a few months.

Now the last really cool trick I want to show you, and it will really save you life if you wear hair extensions and make your hair extension look a lot more natural in your hair, is getting rid of these short hairs. Now my hair is naturally not that short. It's about 17 inches long. And I still have this hair, especially when you wear it for a few hours. Your hair starts separating from the extensions, and the hair that's lower at the nape of your neck will start sticking out. And then everyone can tell you're wearing hair extensions. Pretty obvious. Isn't it?

Now I'm going to show you how to get rid of that. Now the first step is, I'm going to take out the three clip weft that is clipped at the nape of the neck. Once I remove that weft, this is where I have all these short hairs. What I'm going to do is gather them all together and clip the rest of the hair away. And then what I'm going to do is create a three strand braid, just a regular three strand braid. Now this will work whether you have short or long hair. Now I'm just going to grab a hair elastic and secure this braid in place. Now the next step is, grab this braid and just roll it into a circle. And then I'm going to need a couple of bobby pins just to secure this in place.

Now what I'm going to do is use this braid as the base for my three clip weft. And voila, no more short hairs. And I'm just going to show you what it looks like from the front. You really don't see any short hairs. There you go. It all looks like my own natural hair. And same on the left side, every strand is long now. I don't do this trick as much anymore because my hair's gotten longer, and it doesn't show as much. However, when my hair was shorter I used to do it all the time.

And that is all I've got for today. Now if you have any more questions, feel free to leave me a comment down below. I'll do my best to get back to you. Also, what you can do, you can email us at [email protected]. And we're always here to help you, and if you have any other special tricks or tips on how you take care of your hair extensions, I would love to hear from you, so make sure to leave a comment as well. Thank you so much for tuning in. I love you guys so much. I think there's a door, so I've got to go and open it. Thank you so much for tuning in. I love you. Bye.

SHOP LUXY HAIR EXTENSIONS

How long do hair extensions last?

The lifespan of Luxies can range anywhere between 3 to 6 months to a year or longer, depending on the general care they receive and how often they are worn. Remember, the more you wash and heat style your extensions, the shorter their lifespan will be, so try to keep washing and using products on your extensions to a minimum. The important thing to remember is that your hair extensions don’t have a natural hydration source like your own hair does, so keeping them moisturized and reducing dryness is crucial to prolonging their lifespan.

Storing Hair Extensions

It takes only a few minutes to put away your Luxy Hair extensions, and those few minutes can make all the difference to the quality and lifespan of your extensions. After removing your clip-in hair extensions, ensure that all of the clips are closed shut. When prepping your extensions for storage, we always recommend brushing the set. Always make sure you store your extensions in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight (like a closet, cabinet or dresser drawer). Also, ensure your extensions are completely dry when storing them to prevent mold and other bacteria from growing.

One option to store your extensions is in the storage box in which they come in. The pink Luxy Hair box is specifically designed so you can keep and reuse it as a storage container for your Luxies. Alternatively, you can also use an airtight container or a shoe box. Once you have brushed your extensions out, use a hair tie to secure the hair close to the base of the wefts as a ponytail, then gently roll the extensions into a circle and place them into the box.

Quick tip: You can also even gently knot the hair together if you want a light wave running throughout the hair the next time you wear your extensions.

Whether you’re looking for a place to store your Luxies while traveling, need to secure them while styling, or just want a more compact and multi-purpose storage alternative to the beautiful box they arrive in, the Luxy Hair Extensions Carrier is the solution you’ve been waiting for. It will help prevent damage and tangling, which in turn, increases the lifespan of your extensions. In comparison to the Luxy box, you can hang your extensions to air dry using the hanger provided before storing them in the Carrier. Storing your hair extensions in this way will also help maintain the shape of your extensions longer, which is great if you’ve styled the extensions and want to maintain the look for as long as possible.

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Below is a video showing how to store Luxy Hair extensions in the rectangular box packaging.

Products To Avoid

One of the most important things to consider when taking care of your extensions is to ensure that you are using the proper products. This will make all the difference in whether your extensions will tangle or stay soft and manageable. Be sure to check the ingredient listing and ensure you don’t see the words: SLS, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Alcohol Denat, Ethanol, SD Alcohol 40, Propanol, Isopropyl, and Propyl.

Purchasing sulfate-free and alcohol-free products is a necessity. These ingredients strip the hair of its natural oils which, in turn, makes the hair drier and more prone to tangling or matting. Prolonged use of these ingredients can affect the integrity of the hair, shortening the lifespan of your hair extensions significantly. Remember, products that are free from sulfates might not produce much lather, as this is the specific ingredients used to create those soapy suds, however, these products will do just as good of a job cleansing your hair extensions without stripping the hair of moisture.

Always be sure to do one simple thing before you buy any product…flip it over! Many products out there have sulfates and alcohol hidden in their formulas. Not all companies claiming to make sulfate-free shampoos are truly free of sulfates. This is why it is important to know what to look for when reading ingredients.

Additionally, using sticky products such as hair spray, hair gel, or hair wax, can and likely will clog up your extensions. Furthermore, the more products you use, the more you will need to wash them. Remember, over washing leads to dry and tangled extensions. Also, keep in mind that the products that you use in your natural hair can travel onto your extensions from constant head movement and heat from your scalp.

SHOP LUXY HAIR EXTENSIONS

How To Properly Brush Extensions

Make sure that you are always gentle with your extensions and that you brush them properly as this can also affect their lifespan. First, gather all the hair together by stacking all of the wefts on top of one another. Then, carefully brush out the extensions from the bottom of the hair slowly working upwards towards the root. If you come across a particularly pesky knot, take out the individual weft and brush it through gently. Never brush the extensions when they are wet as this is when it is the most susceptible to breakage. Instead, brush them before washing or once they are 90% dry.

For brushing, we recommend using the Loop Hair Extensions Brush. Alternatively, you can also use a wide-tooth comb or a soft bristle brush. The Loop Hair Extensions Brush is designed specifically for the use on all different types of hair extensions, as it has unique nylon “looped” bristles which easily glide through the hair and remove any tangles. It won’t cause pulling, snagging, or damage to your wefts, which you may otherwise experience with a regular hairbrush.

Watch the video below for a demonstration on how to brush through your clip-in hair extensions.

Preventing Tangling

While Luxy Hair extensions are made of 100% Remy human hair, matting and tangling is a normal occurrence with not just your natural hair but will all types of hair extensions. This can happen due to a lack of constant brushing, weather, or dryness. A common reason why extensions tangle and get matted throughout the day is because of a combination of sweat, heat, and friction. Also, keep in mind that when human hair is constantly moving around it mattes or ‘clumps’ together in pieces and should be brushed consistently to avoid this. During the day, we generate heat at the back area of our nape and scalp, and often times we sweat back there too. Your sweat is salty and acidic which can dry out your hair extensions. When you add additional hair volume to this combination and constantly move your head throughout the day, tangling and matting will occur.

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Weather can also contribute to tangling, whether it is due to the wind, humidity, or heat. Humidity adds moisture to the environment, causing hair to frizz and tangle. Heat will do just the opposite as it will dry it out. Thankfully, there are some simple ways to ensure that your Luxy Hair extensions remain smooth and tangle-free. First, be sure to brush the extensions periodically throughout the day with the Loop Hair Extensions Brush. Alternatively, you can also use a wide-tooth comb or a soft bristle brush. Always have a brush on hand so that you can give your hair a quick brushing. If it’s a particularly windy day, you can tie your hair up.

Here is a tutorial we created on how to use your Luxy Hair extensions for a thicker ponytail.

Along with brushing your hair to prevent matting and tangling, starting at the source and using proper hair care products make all the difference in whether extensions will tangle or be soft and manageable. Use products specifically formulated for dry and damaged hair, as they will help keep the strands healthy and nourished. Also, look for ingredients that add moisture to the hair like argan oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and so on. Purchasing sulfate-free and alcohol-free products is a necessity. These ingredients strip the hair of its natural oils and will affect their integrity. This, in turn, makes the hair drier and more prone to tangling or matting. For more tips and tricks, click here.

How to Reduce Shedding

Just like your natural hair, extensions will shed. Shedding is a common occurrence with hair extensions and because they are made of human hair, you can expect some shedding throughout their lifespan. As you brush and style your Luxies, some fall-out may occur so don’t be surprised or worried when this happens. This, however, does not mean to reduce the amount you brush your extensions as you can minimize shedding in other ways. Keep in mind, extensions are more likely to shed when they are dry and brittle.

The first and quite possibly one of the most important steps is to brush your extensions out before washing them and only once the hair is 90% dry. This helps minimize the possibility of breakage and shedding during the washing and because the hair is at its weakest point when wet. Always be gentle when brushing your extensions and be sure to brush them before and after each use to reduce shedding and breakage.

Washing your extensions too much or using products that contain sulfates and alcohol will strip the hair of its natural oils which will likely cause them to shed. Additionally, using a high temperature when heat styling runs the risk of damaging the hair which can then cause breakage and shedding. This is why we recommend to only use a low heat setting of 120C/250F. While our own hair may be able to handle a high heat setting, our hair is also constantly getting revitalized from the scalp, whereas hair extensions don't receive the same amount of nutrients or oil in order to look silky and shiny.

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Also, take into consideration that the more products you use, the more you will need to wash your extensions, so the best way to reduce shedding is to use a minimal number of products. Your extensions have a beautiful, healthy finish already so you shouldn’t need much product to enjoy them. If you want more hold when curling your extensions, try pinning up the curls and leaving them overnight or even just for an hour to ensure the curls stay in place without the use of hairspray. If you do want to reach for hairspray, consider a lightweight formula which you can still easily brush through. Extra strength hair sprays will clog up your extensions, which means more washing.

How Often Should I Wash my Hair Extensions?

Since your extensions aren't subject to the oils produced by your scalp the way your natural hair is, you don’t have to wash them as often. As a general rule, the less you wash your extensions the longer they will last. You can use your best judgment on how often to wash them, however, we recommend only washing them once there is a lot of product build up. If your extensions feel like they’re becoming increasingly difficult to style, this is likely a sign that there is product build-up and they need to be washed. We recommend washing them after every 30 wears or once a month.

Washing your Extensions

When washing your extensions, it's important you hydrate them as much as possible. Since hair extensions don't receive the natural nutrients and oils like our own hair does, it's important to ensure that your set is always nourished and moisturized by using alcohol and sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Sulfate and alcohol strip the hair of its natural oils which, in turn, makes the hair drier and more prone to tangling or matting.

We highly recommend applying a moisturizing sulfate-free and alcohol-free conditioner before and after shampooing. Sometimes, even skip the shampoo and only co-wash your extensions with conditioner! When washing, make sure to handle the extensions gently and to not rub them vigorously. Always be sure to rinse the extensions in cold water at the end to lock in moisture. After you are finished, carefully squeeze any excess water from the extensions and make sure that you never rub your extensions dry with a towel.

Hair Extensions

How to Wash Clip-In Hair Extensions

Drying

We don’t recommend blow-drying your extensions after every wash as doing this constantly will make them dry and more vulnerable to breakage. If you must blow-dry your extensions, be sure to use a heat protectant spray prior to blow-drying to extend the lifespan of your hair extensions. If you need to use your extensions immediately after washing them, the most important thing is to ensure that you are blow drying on a cool setting to prevent any heat damage and that you don’t brush the hair until it is 90% dry. This is because the hair is at its weakest point when it's wet. Instead, use your fingers to gently loosen any tangles. When blow-drying, start by focusing on drying the root of the weft first and then working your way down to the ends. Always blow-dry downwards as this will help to not only smooth the cuticle but it will also prevent the hair from getting tangled since it is being blown in lots of different directions.

We highly recommend air-drying your extensions wherever possible. When air drying, be sure to invest in a micro-fibre towel as it will remove excess water faster and it won’t rough up the hair (which can also cause tangles). Lay out all of the wefts on a flat surface and gently pat the excess moisture from the hair. A trick to preventing any frizz once the hair dries is to apply a small amount of hair oil to each weft to ensure the hair remains manageable and silky smooth.

Hair Extensions

4 ways to air dry hair extensions

Coloring/Dyeing Your Extensions

Luxy Hair extensions are offered in 32 beautiful shades ranging from Jet Black to Platinum Blonde, and Ombre to Balayage. Our extensions are made with a multi-tonal adapt coloring system, which means that there are subtle highlights and lowlights, lighter strands and darker strands throughout each set. This gives the shades movement, dimension, and depth. It also ensures that the extensions blend with your natural hair even if your hair color is a few shades off. If you are ever uncertain of your ideal Luxy match, simply e-mail our Support team at [email protected] with a photo of your hair taken in natural lighting. It will be our pleasure to help you!

If you happen to have a hair color that we don’t offer you can always have your extensions dyed a darker color since they are made of 100% Remy human hair. If you do decide that you want to color your extensions, it’s always best to head straight to the salon and find a professional who is experienced in working with extensions as you’re unlikely to run into problems this way.

We do not, however, recommend bleaching your hair extensions as they have likely already been dyed at the manufacturing level. Forcing bleach on hair that has already been dyed can be difficult, and finding alternatives like increasing the concentration of bleach or leaving it in longer to soak will only lead to damaged hair. Also, keep in mind that the color may not come out as intended because of the existing hair dye.

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When coloring your extensions, we recommend having a one 1-clip weft tested first prior to dyeing the full set to ensure that you're satisfied with the results. For some do's and don't's to dyeing your Luxy Hair extensions, please click here.