Hair Care Guide

Extensions are human hair without a human attached. That one fact explains almost every care rule below: there's no scalp feeding them oil, and no blood supply repairing damage. Everything you do to them is cumulative and permanent.

Treat them well and you'll get six to twelve months out of a set. Treat them like your own hair and you'll get six weeks.

1. Brushing

The most common way people destroy a set is brushing it wrong.

Use a loop brush or a soft-bristle extension brush — never a fine-tooth comb through wefts
Always start at the ends and work upward in sections. Starting at the top drags every tangle down into one knot at the weft.
Hold the weft firmly above where you're brushing so you're not pulling on the bonds or clips
Brush two to three times a day, and always before washing and before bed
Never brush when wet. Wet hair stretches and snaps. Detangle before you wash, not after.

2. Washing

Wash far less often than you think — every 15 to 20 wears, or when build-up makes them feel heavy and limp.

Detangle completely while dry
Rinse under lukewarm running water, letting it flow downward — never pile the hair up and scrub
Apply a sulphate-free, alcohol-free shampoo and stroke it gently downward. Don't scrunch or circle.
Rinse until the water runs completely clear
Condition the mid-lengths and ends only — never the wefts, tapes or bonds, which will slip or loosen
Rinse with cool water to close the cuticle
Press out the water in a towel. Don't wring, twist or rub.

Avoid entirely: sulphates, parabens, alcohol-heavy products, purple shampoo on anything but genuine blondes, and any "clarifying" or "volumising" formula — they strip fast.

3. Drying

Air-dry flat on a towel wherever possible — it costs nothing and adds months. If you must blow-dry, use the cool or lowest heat setting with the nozzle pointing downward, and never dry the wefts or bonds directly.

Never go to bed with damp extensions. Damp hair plus friction is how matting starts.

4. Heat styling

This is where lifespan is won or lost.

Always apply a heat protectant to fully dry hair first
Keep tools at or below 180°C. Human hair extensions scorch at temperatures your own hair survives.
One slow pass beats three fast ones
Keep hot tools away from clips, tapes and bonds — heat weakens the adhesive and can melt clip silicone
Give them heat-free days. Overnight braids and heatless curl rods get you waves for nothing.

5. Storage

Brush before storing, every time
Store flat or hanging — a hanger with clips, or the box they arrived in
Keep them dry, out of direct sunlight, and out of humid bathrooms
Never store damp, and never stuff them in a drawer or handbag
A satin or silk bag beats cotton — less friction

6. Sleeping and swimming

Clip-ins: take them out. Every night. No exceptions.

Tape-ins, wefts and bonds: sleep in a loose braid or low ponytail on a silk or satin pillowcase. Cotton grabs hair and causes friction damage overnight.

Before swimming: saturate the hair with clean fresh water and work in a leave-in conditioner. Hair already full of fresh water absorbs far less chlorine and salt. Wear it up, and rinse thoroughly the moment you're out. Chlorine left to dry in extensions causes irreversible dryness and, on blondes, green tones.

7. Colouring

You can go darker. You cannot reliably go lighter.

Extension hair has already been processed, so bleach usually destroys the cuticle and the set with it. Deposit-only colour and toners are generally safe on Remy human hair, but always have it done professionally and always test on a small hidden weft first.

Never apply colour to the wefts, tapes or bonds. Colouring is done at your own risk and isn't covered by our returns policy.