Spring and summer bring about a few circumstances in which we need to take extra care of our hair extensions.
Swimming in pools, lakes, and oceans with hair extensions
Whether a salt water or chlorinated pool/hot tub, the muddy Mississippi, or Riviera Maya, it is Best to wet down your hair with clean water beforehand. Your hair will absorb the clean water like a sponge and not have any room to let the pool water in. I also recommend adding some conditioner to your hair before diving in. Treated water can be very drying to extensions and natural hair alike, causing extra tangles and friction, so let’s be proactive. I have found that keeping the hair as aligned as possible is best for de-tangling after swimming. Bubble braids are a great way to do this and are super cute, too. Regular braids can have the hair wrap and tangle around itself too much. Here is a tutorial for bubble braids
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Sunscreens for hair extensions
Blondes beware! A vast majority of commercially available sunscreens are known to discolor blonde extensions and turn them pink/peach/orange. Avoid this by using sunscreens free of benzones. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are best for at least your upper body where your hair will touch. Watch out for aerosols being sprayed near you! Be careful not to get caught in the danger zone. Here is my favorite extension friendly sunscreen. But formulations change all the time, so do a test strand!
Windy motorcycle/boat rides with hair extensions
Wind tangles are a whole new kind of torture trying to undo. Bubble braids are perfect for containing your extensions while keeping the hairs nice and aligned (tutorial linked above). I recommend making sure everything is very well brushed before hand, because things will get rough out there in windy conditions!
Helmets, hats and sunglasses with hair extensions
keep in mind that you can’t just throw on a helmet or hat like you used to. Be mindful of the corners of your rows so you aren’t forcefully pushing them down each time you put one on. Sometimes slipping doesn’t happen all at once, but slowly overtime from small events happening over and over. Sunglasses are also a common culprit of weft disturbances that can happen slowly from repeat events of sticking them through your wefts. Just be gentle!
Ponytails with hair extensions
Remember to keep your wefts laying all the way flat or flipped completely up in your ponytails. Avoid situating your pony in the middle of your head where your wefts would be pulling straight back. This will keep the corners of your wefts safe. When tightening your ponytails, tighten by pulling strands from the very center of your hair tie, not by splitting the entire pony in half and pulling like our instinct would have us do!
Wedding hairstyles with extensions
At this point, most wedding stylists have had many clients with hair extensions and will know how to work around them. I just recommend using as many elastics as you can so you can use less Bobby pins if you are doing an updo! A low pony is one of my favorite event styles right now. It’s classy and timeless and perfect for formal events. And generally a safe way to have someone do your hair!
Have fun this summer!
-S
