Extension Aftercare Guide
Keeping your hair extensions looking soft, full, and seamless is a 50/50 team effort! What you do at home between salon appointments directly impacts how long your hair stays healthy, how secure your bonds remain, and how beautiful your extensions look every single day.
What Your Hair Needs
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Standard hard-bristle brushes catch on bonds, tapes, and wefts, causing painful snagging and ripping out your natural hair. A specialised extension brush glides smoothly over attachments.
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Holding your hair in a low ponytail with one hand while brushing from the ends upward prevents any harsh pulling or tension directly on your scalp and root attachments.
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Your natural scalp oils don't travel down extensions, so they need extra hydration. Applying salon quality conditioners, masks, and oils strictly from mid-lengths to ends keeps them soft and silky.
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Cotton creates friction overnight that leads to frizz, tangles, and breakage on delicate, lightened strands. Silk lets your hair glide smoothly while you sleep and retains moisture.
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Tying your hair in a loose, low braid or ponytail with a silk scrunchie before bed stops friction and tangling while you sleep.
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Gently towel-blot (do not rub). Apply a heat protectant, then blow-dry your attachments/roots on a cool-to-medium setting first before styling the rest of your hair.
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Run your fingers through your root area daily to check that individual bonds, tapes, or rings are not twisting or matting together.
What To Avoid
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Supermarket shampoos contain harsh sulfates and cheap cleansing agents that strip away your professional toner, fade your colour instantly, and dry out lightened ends leading to damaged hair.
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Hair is at its most fragile and elastic state when wet. Pulling a brush through wet blonde hair snaps delicate ends. Always detangle gently starting from the bottom up.
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Wash your hair 2–3 times per week maximum to preserve natural moisture and the lifespan of your extensions.
Always wash upright in the shower (never over a sink). Gently massage shampoo into your scalp between rows or bonds—never scrub in circular motions to avoid matting.
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Oils, conditioners, and heavy styling products break down adhesives instantly. Keeping them completely away from your bonds, tapes, and rings prevents your extensions from sliding out.
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Sleeping with damp hair causes severe matting at the roots. Always ensure your attachments, bonds, and tracks are 100% dry before going to bed.
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High heat from straighteners and curling wands will melt keratin bonds or weaken tape tabs. Always keep hot tools at least 2 inches away from your root attachments.
We recommend waiting 48 hours before washing your hair to allow your extension bonds and adhesives to fully set and cure. When you do wash, use a salon-quality, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, focusing shampoo on your scalp between the sections and applying conditioner strictly to the mid-lengths and ends.
This protects your attachments from slipping while keeping your extensions feeling silky, soft, and healthy from the start.
The First 48 Hours Keratin Bonds(6–8 Weeks): We recommend visiting the salon every 6 to 8 weeks for a professional wash, blow-wave, and general check-up to keep your extensions looking seamless, manageable, and thoroughly clean at the roots.
Keratin Bonds (Full Replacement): Keratin bonds typically last between 3 to 6 months before they need to be completely removed and replaced with a fresh set.
Tape & Weft Extensions (6–8 Weeks): Book your routine move-up appointment every 6 to 8 weeks to lift your tapes or wefts back up close to the scalp, relieve tension, and maintain a flawless, secure finish.
Maintenance & Refit Schedule
Recommend Product Ranges
Lightweight gentle cleansing, formulated to promote long-lasting moisture.
Hair Care Benefits:
• Cleanses while hydrating the hair
Formulation Highlights:
• For hair that needs rehydrating and can be difficult to comb
• Gentle formula softens without overloading
HYDRATE-ME.WASH is the ultimate thirst quencher for dry, parched hair. Infused with Kakadu Plum, a highly concentrated source of Antioxidant-rich Vitamin C, combined with nourishing Shea Butter, this super hydrating shampoo locks in essential moisture and puts the glowing goodness back into your hair.
Soothes the scalp while gently cleansing to minimize color fade, moisturizes and detoxes hair from color-distorting metals.
Benefits
- Gentle cleansing to minimize color fade*
- Color vibrancy for up to 10 weeks**
- 73% of consumers agree scalp comfort is improved after 1st use**
- Helps to detox hair from color-distorting metals
- Revitalized hair from first wash
*vs non-conditioning shampoo
**With regular use of Ultimate Color regimen from salon to home
***Based on external consumer agreement study
How to use
Step 1: Apply to damp hair and scalp, and lather.
Step 2: Massage, rinse and repeat if desired.
Step 3: Follow with the Wella Professionals Ultimate Color Conditioner or Miracle Leave-in Mask.
