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Aftercare and maintenance

Sometimes as a stylist you get asked a question from a client, or you come across a situation in salon that you don’t quite have the answer too. We have put together a little guide to our most commonly asked questions. Hopefully you will find this guide useful and it answers your question(s) but if not, please feel free to contact us at sales@foxyhairextensions.net and our friendly sales team will look to get back to you with in 24 hours (during office opening hours).

HAIR PREPARATION AND AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS

This is of the upmost importance and this step must not be skipped. The natural hair needs to be prepared thoroughly before application of any method of hair extension with a clarifying shampoo. You client must also not use conditioners and/or styling products after the clarifying shampoo. Failure to do this step correctly may lead to hair extensions falling our or shedding.

In every order we include a free hair extension aftercare sheet. We do this so that it can be passed onto the client. Detailed in this sheet is everything the client needs to know about their new hair extensions and full instructions on how to take care of the hair.

We recommend you talk to your client upon consultation regarding the use of the correct aftercare products, so these can be purchased alongside the hair, thus activating the Foxy Hair Guarantee. Should the client decide not to use the correct aftercare products then neither ourselves as a supplier, or yourself as the stylist can therefore be held responsible for the loss of hairs quality resulting in incorrect product use. We ask that stylists using Foxy hair support us in recommend the correct aftercare products.

No hair extensions, no matter the method should be kept in the hair any longer that 3 months (12 weeks). This is for the safety of the natural hair. We recommend the following maintenance schedules:

Pre Bonded, Mini Link & Nanos:
Every 4 weeks. Stylist to rotate the bonds at the sides and on the hairline. Trim the extension hair to keep it fresh. Check over the extension hair and the bonded areas and make aftercare recommendation as you see fit (approx. 1 hour).

Tape Hair:
Every 4-6 weeks. Stylist to rotate the tapes at the sides and on the hairline. Trim the extension hair to keep it fresh. Check over the extension hair and the bonded areas and make aftercare recommendation as you see fit (approx. 45 mins)

Hair Weaves:
Removal and re-application (or fresh hair) every 6 weeks. Trim the extension hair to keep it fresh. Check over the extension hair and make aftercare recommendation as you see fit.

Hair Length Golden Rule
In order to ensure the extensions, look as natural as possible we recommend the following golden rule: Extensions should not be more than double the length of the client’s natural hair.

COLOURING OF HAIR EXTENSIONS

If your client is a weave wearer then typically we would expect the hair to be removed and re-applied every 6 weeks. We would therefore recommend performing any colour services at the point.

When we are talking about bonded hair or tape hair the we would recommend a t section tint/foils only, thus avoiding any bonded or taped areas. It’s important that no colour and/or bleach is applied to the bond or tape area. Damage will occur in this instance and the hair extensions will shed and/or fall out.

We typically don’t recommend coloring hair extensions. The hair has already been through lengthy processing. Please remember that when extension hair is sourced, its typically very dark and needs to be pre lightened to the shades you see on our colour ring. Putting the hair through additional processing may compromise the hairs quality. Some stylists are more than happy to pop on a gentle semi-permanent colour to re-freshen up the shade, typically we would only advise 1-2 shades darker. Or a gentle semi-permanent colour for fun/fashion shades. There may also be instances whereby a toner may be the only option other than removing the extensions i.e., see our hair discoloration section above. However, please note that any colouring of the extension hair is done so at the client’s own risk and we would never advise attempting to lighten the extension hair under any circumstances.

HAIR QUALITY

This has happened due to incorrect product use. The extension hair no longer benefits from nutrients from the scalp as they would with natural hair. It’s of upmost importance that the extensions are kept nourished via the use of the correct Aftercare Products. As well as the Foxy Shampoo and Conditioner, we also recommend regular use of the Foxy Hair Extension Boost (a deep repair conditioning treatment) and daily use of either our Leave in Conditioning Spray and/or Argon Oil. Your client also needs to be aware that the over use of heat can contribute to drying out the hair, so we also recommend our Hair Extension Serum which doubles up as a heat defence product and as a smoothing serum. Your client may also notice a difference in the texture of her hair extensions during the winter months due to the excessive cold weather. Regular treatments are recommended.

A common question we get asked, specifically during the summer months. A number of factors can contribute to the change in colour:

Hard Water
Many foreign countries, and indeed certain parts of the uk, have hard/high mineral content water which can dry out hair extensions and/or discolour the extension hair, specifically in the lighter shades. When the natural hair is washed with hard/high mineral content water, the hairs natural oils work to counterbalance these minerals, however, with extension hair this cannot occur. You may wish to recommend to your client to consider investing in a hard water filter if her area is affected by this.

Sun cream/Tanning products
These products can discolour the extension hair if it comes into contact. We advise to thoroughly wash hands after applying products of this nature and tie hair up and away from the shoulders.

UV Rays
Sunlight acts as a natural hair lightener and can have a significant impact on skin and hair. Prolonged UV rays can lighten extension hair. We recommend to always wear a hat in the sun, especially in very hot climates in order to protect the extensions from the strong UV rays.

Swimming pool chlorine
As well as discoloration, often a green/blue tinge, chlorine can also cause severe matting, stripping the hair of moisture. We strongly recommend staying well away from chlorinated water, this includes hot tubs as-well as swimming pools.

Excess heat
Any heated appliances should be set to no more than 185 degrees. High temperatures and too much heat too often will cause irreversible damage.

Firstly, you will need to work out why the discoloration occurred in the first place. It’s important to realise that hair extension discoloration is not a product fault and is preventable with a little extra care in the aftercare routine. If your client has just returned from a holiday abroad then it’s safe to assume that this is the cause. If not, then it is down the hard/mineral water in her area.

To restore the original colour we suggest the use of a gentle toner/silver shampoo, thus ensuring the violet pigments are put back into the hair, counterbalancing the orange/pink/peachy tones. Of course, this does not come without risk. Please be aware that extension hair is very porous, and you need to make sure it watched very carefully whilst the toner/shampoo is on the hair. This would be one of the only times we would recommend the use of toners/silver shampoo on extension hair. We also recommend that this is carried out only by a professional, we wouldn’t recommend your client carries this out herself at home.

Examine the keratin bonds. Ensure that they are sealed fully top and bottom thus prevent any water or product getting inside the bond. If the bonds have turned white, or a milky colour, this means that a chemical product has come into contact with the bond, typically meaning they have either been using incorrect aftercare products or they have coloured over the bonded areas. It can also mean that the bonds are not being dried thoroughly after washing as per the aftercare instructions.

In this instance the extensions will need to be either re-sealed or in extreme cases, re-tipped and re-applied.

If the extensions are snapping throughout the length, the extensions have been allowed to become dry and damaged.
Individual bonded hair extensions can also shed if you, as the stylist, trims too much of the keratin away when trimming down your flat or stick tips. Ensure you trim no more than half way down the bond.

Ultimately this occurs due to damage to the hair extensions or incorrect aftercare routine. Please remember, hair extensions are a natural product. As with natural hair which can become prone to knotting, so can the extension hair.
We advise that our aftercare routine is followed at all time, brushing the hair regularly, with the correct brush and washing 2-3 times per week.

Ensure the products are thoroughly rinsed as product build up can cause matting.

If the client is experiencing matting at the root of the natural hair, then this is because they have not taken enough care and attention to brush thoroughly where the extensions are attached and/or have not separated the extensions on a regular basis once they started to grow down.

Bunching occurs when the cuticle is damaged or not closed. To avoid damaging the cuticle, ensure excessive heat is not used, follow the correct aftercare routine and ensure the extensions are well nourished.

To ensure the cuticle is always sealed, blow-dry as per the aftercare instructions, never leave to air dry or blast dry and straighten/curl only up to 185 degrees.

Ensure regular deep repair treatments are used on the hair to prevent this occurrence.

If the client is complaining of sore spots, redness or and itchy scalp then this needs investigating. If it’s within the first 2 weeks of application, then a little discomfort is normal and to be expected whilst the scalp gets used to the extra weight. It should settle within 2 weeks.

If it’s beyond 2 weeks, then the hairs application needs looking at. Ensure that there is enough of the natural hair taken inside of the bond/tape sandwiches to support the extensions. Ensure the sections are nice and clean with no stray or trapped hairs. Ensure there is enough room between the scalp and the bond/tape, so it can move freely. If your client has micro rings/tubes applied, then consider they may be allergic to metal (this should have been picked up upon consultation but sometimes it isn’t always known).

If it’s a weave wearer reporting itchiness, then unfortunately this is something that often comes with territory but can worsen if product is allowed to build up. Ensure the client is thoroughly rinsing her shampoo out at every wash. The use of an alovera ointment will help to sooth the itching. The client needs to refrain from scratching aggressively at the scalp. If she does so she may experience sore spots, blistering or scabbing.

Is your client overdue her maintenance? Bonded, links and tapes require rotating on the hairline sections every 4 weeks. Leaving it longer than this can start to cause discomfort in these more fragile areas.

HOLIDAYS ABROAD

Wearing extensions abroad is a big risk, and one that we do not recommend. A combination of sea water, chlorine, hard/mineral water, UV rays and sun cream can all contribute to extension hair discolouring, matting and drying out. We recommend talking a set of clip in hair extensions abroad instead, these can be worn on an evening when it is less likely that the extensions will be exposed to the above factors.

Please note: hair extensions are taken abroad at the clients own risk and Foxy Hair Extensions cannot be held responsible for any drying out of the hair or any hair discolouration.

HAIR METHOD SUITABILITY

Tape hair – Especially great for fine hair. Avoid if the client is excessively oily.
Pre Bonded Flat Tips – The most versatile, great for all hair types
Pre Bonded Mini Link Tips – Not suited to clients with oily hair
Pre Bonded Nano Tips – Especially great for fine hair. Avoid if the client is excessively oily.
Hair Wefts – Suited to all hair types but we would recommend that hair hits the shoulders or longer for a good blend.

Tape hair and wefted hair are both great choices for clients with a lot of hair/thick hair which is shoulder length or longer as it allows for bulk to be built up easily and seamlessly.