How to Look After Your Clip- In Hair Extensions

Looked after well, hair extensions can really last for quite a long time (and at almost £100 per set it's probably in your best interest to prolong their life as much as possible!). This is definitely something I never used to put much thought into - and constant backcombing, loads of heat styling and over washing meant from about the ages of 17-21 I was having to buy extensions every three or four months. Luckily they were a bit cheaper then, but it was still an expensive habit and I could have quite easily made them last a bit longer if I'd have followed some of these tips!

Limit Heat
This can be a difficult one, as even good quality extensions can be unruly after they've been washed due to the fact that they tend to be quite thick and wavy. It can be tempting to go running to the heat styling tools to get the look you're after, but there are loads of styles you can achieve with no heat at all. I spoke about my favourite way to curl extensions without heat in this tutorial, and you can also leave them plaited overnight for nice beachy looking waves. Scrunching through with some mousse will also give relaxed waves without frazzling them with heat. Whenever you use heat on your extensions, always make sure you use a heat protectant - I can't stress this enough. Unlike the hair on our head, extensions receive no natural oils from the scalp and so are already prone to drying out; this will occur even faster if you don't protect the hair extensions from heat.

Wash and Brush Carefully
While good quality extensions are quite resistant to brushing and styling, they're not indestructable and so you're still going to want to be as careful with them as you would be with your natural hair. When you're washing them be careful not to knot or tangle them up; I find gathering them together and securing at the top with a hairband, then washing them in the sink keeps them as smooth as possible. I prefer to air dry my extensions, but again if you need to use a hairdryer don't be stingy with the heat protectant. If like me you only wear your extensions for a couple of hours each time you definitely don't need to overwash them anyway. When it comes to brushing always be as gentle as possible, use a wide brush or detangling brush (I use a Tangle Teezer) - if you hack through with the wrong brush or comb, you're going to pull out a load of hair from the weft, and eventually break and ruin your extensions.

Use The Right Products
Using a mild shampoo or one formulated especially for hair extensions will help to keep them looking nicer for longer. Some shampoos (especially products designed for dandruff and oily hair) can be overly harsh and strip and dry out the hair, which again is one of the quickest ways for them to deteriorate. The same applies with conditioner; something that's deeply hydrating will help to keep them soft and sleek for as long as possible. Using a deep conditioner and a hair oil in the same way you would with your natural hair will keep them looking nice and prevent the stiff and ratty looking mess that you get from uncared for extensions. If you're new to extensions I definitely recommend checking out SimplyHair. They have everything you'd need to look after extensions, from specially formulated products to the correct combs and brushes.

Follow these tips and your clip in hair extensions will not only last for a lot longer, but will look healthier and shinier throughout their lifetime too. For tips on how to care for permanent hair extensions (as well as advice on colour matching, the correct tools and practical information about extensions) this page offers some great informative guides.

What measures do you take to look after your clip in extensions?