Caring for your Clip in Hair Extensions

Undercover Glamour’s clip in hair extensions are made of 100% Human Hair, so they can be treated more or less in the same way as your own hair.  However, there are a few things you should know about human hair extensions before you get started.  When your hair gets damaged it begins to split and break off, making each strand of hair shorter but since your hair is still attached to your head, it will continue to grow and therefore keeping it looking long and luscious.  With hair extensions, they do not keep growing, and as such, over time they begin to lose their shine and quality as they will become shorter and more fragile. 

So, how long will your Undercover Glamour clip in hair extensions last?

This entirely depends on how often you wear them and how well you treat them.  For heavy use you may wish to treat yourself to a brand-new set every 4 to 6 months.  For moderate and gentle use, you should get 6 months to a year, and for light usage you would be looking at over a year.  Remember to brush your hair extensions gently and hold them just below the weft/ clips when brushing to prevent any excess shedding.  Our company director and model, Catherine Peck has been using her same set of Undercover Glamour extensions in dark brunette for nearly 2 years now.  Please note, she only wears them a few times a week and has not used hair spray on them and also brushes them gently.
Here is my information on how to prolong the life of your hair extensions, from storing the hair extensions through to washing and colouring them.

Storing your Hair Extensions:
You can either store your hair extensions in the original Undercover Glamour packaging, or in a similar storage case, or even a large wash bag can work well.
After using your hair extensions, they should be combed or brushed gently before placing them in the storage bag.  Remember to hold them firmly under the weft/ under where the clips are to prevent any shedding when brushing them through. This will prevent tangling while they a stored away.  Once brushed, I find it useful to fold the extensions in half and put a hairband round before storing them as I find this helps prevent tangling.  I find that this also gives them a nice, natural wave for the next time I wear them.

Washing and Drying your Hair Extensions:

Washing your hair extensions will reduce their life span as the hair no longer has its natural oils to replenish itself.  As soon as you wash your hair extensions the quality will not be as perfect as when they were brand new.  If you wash your hair extensions, it will be at your own risk as we cannot control the products and processes used.  However, we understand that you may need to wash them at some point due to usage, or using hair spray on them, so please note our recommended best practise if you are going to wash your hair extensions. 

The most important part in maintaining the quality of the hair extensions is selecting the right type of shampoo and conditioner to use.  It is recommended to use a sulphate free and paraben free shampoo and conditioner, you can see our recommended shampoos and conditioners below. 

We recommend using shampoo first to clean them, especially if you are washing to remove hair spray.  After washing with shampoo, we recommend using conditioner to help give them a lovely smooth, shiny look.  If your hair extensions are not dirty but just starting to look a little dull then just use conditioner on them to save time. 

Make sure you have combed through your hair extensions before washing, so they are tangle free, then get your hair extensions wet and smooth the shampoo down the length of the extensions, do not rub in as this will cause tangling.  The same applies when adding the conditioner.  It is important that you do not use hard water on the hair extensions as it will damage the hair.  If you have hard water, we recommend that you boil some water, then let it cool, and use this water to wash and rinse the hair extensions in, or you can even using bottled water. 

It is the calcium and magnesium that are the true hair ruiners in hard water.  This can cause dull limp hair, and straw-like hair texture as hard water has a way of stripping hair of its natural moisture and shine.  Hard water is worse on hair extensions as they do not have their natural oils to replenish.  It is also not advised to use hard water on your own hair, and to solve this you can get shower head filters.  Although, shower head filters do not stop the calcium and magnesium completely they do reduce them getting through greatly, which will help to protect your hair.

You can rinse the shampoo off in another warm bowl of water (or pre-boiled water if you have hard water) and then re-fill the bowl and rinse again.  The same applies for rinsing the conditioner off.  Then pat dry with an old, dark coloured towel as a small amount of colour may run, again, please do not rub the extensions as this will cause tangling.  You can use the hair dryer to blow dry the hair extensions or you can simply leave them to dry.  If using the hair dryer use a cool to medium temperature.

Recommended Shampoos:

While we don't recommend washing your hair extensions, if you decide that you must wash it, or the hair has become very dirty and unmanageable, then we suggest using a gentle shampoo and conditioner such as Morrocanoil, Palmer's Coconut Formula or Argan Products.

Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner feature a gentle, moisturising formula that infuses dehydrated hair with antioxidant-rich argan oil, Vitamins A and E, red algae and other replenishing nutrients.  Moroccanoil's Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner will leave your hair extensions looking healthier, with increased manageability and shine.

Moroccanoil hydrating shampoomoroccanoil hydrationg conditioner

Palmer’s Coconut Oil w/ Vitamin E Conditioning Shampoo and Repairing Conditioner - this is sulphate free and paraben free.

Palmers coconut oil shampoopalmers coconut oil conditioner

Hollywood Beauty Argan Shampoo and Conditioner - These products are also sulphate free which makes them perfect for hair extensions as it is gentle and will not damage the integrity of the hair.  They are full of nourishing Argan Oil, which will help to keep your extensions looking healthy and shiny.  Our Company Director tested washing our hair extensions using the Argan Shampoo and Conditioner and they worked beautifully.

hollywood beauty argan shampooHollywood beauty argan conditioner

 

Why do we recommend using sulphate free and paraben free shampoo and conditioner?

Sulphate is made using an acid which make it easier to remove grease and oils from your hair but in the process it removes all the natural oils in your hair that keep it nice and smooth.  It is harsher on the hair than a sulphate free option.  Seeming the hair extensions no longer have natural oils, it is better to use a milder shampoo.

Sulphates also strip away the pigmentation from hair dyes, all of the hair extensions have been dyed, so the colour from the dye will fade faster.  As the sulphates strip the hair of their natural oils the hair will become brittle and unmanageable, this is especially the case with hair extensions.

Paraben is made of para-hydroxybenzoic acid.  It is best not to use any acid based products on the hair extensions as mentioned above they no longer have any natural oils to help protect the hair strands from harsh chemicals.  So as mentioned, mild shampoo and conditioner is best.

Parabens are used in shampoos as a preservative to help extend the shelf life and help mix the ingredients of the shampoo.  We recommend using paraben free shampoo on your own hair as well as on the hair extensions.  Shampoos with parabens have been linked to causing dry, dull, brittle hair because it can tear apart the cuticles.  As your own hair grows and repairs this is not so noticeable but really shows when using on hair extensions.

Should I use a leave-in Conditioner?

Our makeup artist and stylist, Alex Waring recommends using Argan oil or Moroccanoil on the ends of the hair extensions if the ends are starting to look a little frizzy or dry.  The oil will rehydrate the hair.  It is also great to use on the ends of your own hair.

moroccanoil treatment argan oil

Curling and straightening your hair extensions:

As the hair extensions are human hair you can curl and straighten them as you would your own hair.  It is easier to style them before putting them in your hair.  When you have clipped them in you can curl again or straighten with your own hair to help blend them in to create a natural look.  Please do not use heat over 180 degrees on your clip in hair extensions.

Can you dye the Hair Extensions?

Please note that any alteration to our products is at your own risk as we cannot control the products used or the processes used, as stated in our Terms and Conditions.  However, we have carried out some tests using different hair dyes and bleach on the products which were successful in our experiments, and you can see the products used, and our results here, www.undercover-glamour.com/news/canyoudyeclipinhumanhairextensions as mentioned above, we are not responsible for any failed outcomes.

 

Clip in hair extensions in 12 inches to 24 inches