How to Wash Hair Extensions Correctly

Washing is where most extension hair gets ruined, and not through neglect — through washing it like your own hair. Your hair gets oily and needs regular washing; extension hair does not, and every wash costs it a little moisture it cannot replace. The routine below is what we give clients at the fitting.

Before you get in

Brush thoroughly first. Wet hair tangles far more easily than dry, and a tangle at an attachment point that meets water becomes a knot. Brush from the ends up, holding above the attachments, until it runs through cleanly. Our brushing guide has the technique.

Check the products. Shampoo should be sulphate-free; sulphates strip the hair and it cannot recover the way your own hair does. Conditioner should be something you are happy to keep well away from the roots.

The wash

Stand upright. Do not tip your head forward over a basin or a bath. Upside down, the hair falls over the attachment points and tangles around them. Standing in the shower with your head up, it hangs straight down and stays that way.

Shampoo the scalp, not the hair. Work a small amount into the scalp between the attachments with your fingertips, gently, without scrubbing at the attachments themselves. Then let the water carry it down through the lengths as you rinse. The lengths do not need scrubbing; they need rinsing.

Rinse until the water runs clear. Shampoo left at a tape panel or a keratin bond weakens it over time.

Condition from mid-length down. Take the conditioner from roughly ear level to the ends and leave it a minute or two. Never at the attachment points: conditioner softens, and at a keratin bond that is exactly what you do not want; at a tape panel it works into the adhesive. Rinse thoroughly.

Drying

Squeeze, do not rub. Wrap the hair in a towel and press. Rubbing tangles wet hair and pulls at the attachments.

Let the attachments dry completely. A damp keratin bond or a damp tape panel weakens over time, and hair that is tied up wet at the roots can go musty. Air-dry with the hair down, or use a hairdryer on low, held well away from the roots and pointed down the hair shaft.

Do not go to bed with it wet. Wet hair that tangles overnight tangles at the roots first, and that is where the strain goes. If you must wash at night, dry it fully before the loose plait. The sleeping guide covers the rest.

How often

Two or three times a week is right for most people. Extension hair does not get oily from the scalp, so it does not need daily washing, and each wash takes a little moisture. If you train hard in Chennai heat, rinse the scalp with water on the other days rather than shampooing the whole head. Dry shampoo is fine on the scalp between washes as long as it does not build up at the attachments.

Swimming

Chlorine and salt water both dry extension hair badly. Wet it with fresh water and apply a leave-in conditioner to the lengths before you get in, so it absorbs less of the pool. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water as soon as you get out, then wash as normal. Tie it in a loose plait while you swim so it does not tangle. Clip-ins come out before swimming altogether.

After washing: the leave-in

A leave-in conditioner or a light serum on the mid-lengths and ends after every wash is the single product that most extends the hair’s life, because it replaces the moisture your scalp would give your own hair. Keep it off the roots. That is the whole routine; the full picture is in our complete care guide.

Frequently asked questions