Hair Care

Hair extension aftercare is a different job from ordinary hair care, and this is where all of it lives. Shampoo, conditioner, deep masks, leave-in treatments, curl products, heat protection and brushes, each one picked because it cleans and conditions the hair without working loose the tape tabs, nano rings or weft seams holding it in.

The mistake almost everyone makes is treating the head as one surface. It is three. Your own hair grows from a follicle that feeds it and replaces it. Extension hair is cut hair, so nothing feeds it and nothing replaces it. The join between them is a third thing, with rules of its own.

Those rules are what quietly ruins fittings. Tape adhesive softens when oil reaches it. Nano rings slide when conditioner gets to the root. That is not a fault in the hair, it is product in the wrong place.

Where each product belongs

• Shampoo at the scalp and roots, massaged with fingertips, never scrubbed at the bonds
• Conditioner and masks on the mid-lengths and ends, clear of the join
• Leave-in sprays on damp length, combed through so coverage is even
• Heat protection over the whole length before an iron, tong or dryer
• Oils and serums on the ends only, in the smallest amount that works

To see everything at once, Shop All Hair Care has the range on one page. Shopping by symptom? Start at Shop by Hair Concern. The shelves worth knowing first are Sulphate Free and Curly Hair Products.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my normal shampoo on hair extensions?

You can, but it shortens the life of the hair. High street shampoos are built around sulphate detergents, which lift oil efficiently. Extension hair has no supply to replace what is taken, so the mid-lengths dry out and tangle.

How often should hair extensions be washed?

Two or three times a week suits most people, and less is usually better than more. Wash when the scalp needs it rather than on a schedule, because every wash is a detangling risk.

Why does conditioner have to stay off the bonds?

Because it does exactly what it is designed to do. Conditioner coats the hair and makes it slippery, and a slippery nano ring slides. On tapes the same ingredients soften the adhesive.

Do curly extensions need different products?

Yes, for washing as well as styling. Oil cannot travel round a bend, so the tighter the pattern the drier the ends. Curly sets need heavier conditioning, wet only detangling and a defining product.

Stylists who retail aftercare get 20% off retail on a trade account, rising to 30%, no sign-up fee and no minimum order. Apply at trade application, usually approved within 48 hours.