Sunday, November 23, 2008

How to Clean Your Hair Extensions

It’s very important to treat your hair extensions properly to ensure the longevity of them. We highly recommended that you wash your hair 3 to 4 times per week, especially after active events like swimming or exercising. Your hair can be washed with cold or warm water, so the choice is up to you! If you are planning to deep condition your hair, just leave the conditioner in for 3 to 5 minutes before rinising it out with warm water.

The most important part is what you do after your hair is washed. You must be very careful and treat your hair with care… this includes not rubbing or ruffling the hair. It’s best to put a towel on your head and let the water soak into the towel. You must never sleep on wet hair, sleeping on wet hair extensions is known to matte the hair badly… this is a surefire method to ruin your extensions so don’t do it!

Your hair must be combed everyday, especially after each wash. We highly advise that you comb the hair from the ends upwards, this method helps prevent shedding by keeping the pressure away from the wefted area near your scalp.

It’s best to these advice tips, brushing your hair each day is an especially important thing to you. You can train your self to brush first thing in the morning, just lean your head forward and use a soft brush to gently brush your hair from the root end toward your scalp. We care about our Indian hair extension customers and want them to learn how they can help ensure the longevity of their hair.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Tips on Hair Extension Care

Taking care of your hair extensions will not give you a lot of extra work. Here are just a few tips that will help to keep your extensions and your hair in a better condition.

First of all follow the instructions given to you by your stylist.

Washing: Keep your hair clean. Hair tangles when dirt and sweat build up, wash your hair after exercise, swimming etc. Brush your hair and remove all tangles before washing it. Wash your hair going in a downward motion. Use a good quality shampoo, your stylist can advise you what product is best for your hair. When lots of water is added at once to very dry hair, hair can swell up and tangle. Gradually wet the hair and brush gently before you completely wash it. This is more common with less expensive extension hair.

Styling: When brushing use a soft bristle brush, start at the ends of your hair and gently work your way up. Always brush in a downward motion. Do not brush harshly. Brush your hair 2 or 3 times a day. Heat is your one of your hair's biggest enemy, the more you use it, the shorter your hair extensions will last. Be careful with the use of blowdryers and curling irons. It is best to let your hair dry naturally.

Exercise: Wear a cap when swimming or keep your hair out of the water. Chlorine and salt water can cause the hair to tangle and mat up. It is recommended to wear your hair up or in a ponytail when you swim or exercise

Sleeping: Never sleep on wet hair, make sure your hair is completely dry before you go to bed. It is also recommended to wrap your hair together or gently tie it up to prevent tangling.

Hair care products: Use a good (leave-in) conditioner to keep your hair soft. Don't over do it. To much conditioner or any other hair care product can cause a build up and tangling. Avoid hair products that contain alcohol. Alcohol makes hair dry. Ask your stylist what would be the best products for your hair. hair extension products

Hair treatments: Don't perm, color or any other chemical process to your own hair extensions. Let your stylist take care of that.

In general it is better not to brush synthetic hair and keep this hair away from all sources of excessive heat.ProHair synthetic hair extensions can be brushed in exactly the same way as one would brush the natural hair but it is essential that the correct type of soft bristle brush is used and ProHair Daily Conditioning Spray.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Different types of human hair extensions

Human hair extensions are the most popular. The hair used for your hair extension is for the greatest part responsible for your looks and the life span of your extension and is therefore of great importance. It is goodto know some more about it before visiting a salon. There is a large variety of human hair used for hairextensions. When a poor hair quality is used your human hair extension can become a nightmare. It can result in dry, brittle hair that tangles constantly. When it comes to hair there are two basic sections, the human hair extension and the synthetic hair extension. On this page we explain more about the different types of humanhair used for extensions.

Human Hair Structure (the cuticle)
Hair is made of different layers. The outer layer, called the "cuticle", is made up of overlapping layers of long cells. They lie on the surface aligned in the same direction like the tiles on a roof with their free edges directed towards the tip. The cuticle locks in essential moisture and protects the hair against outside elements. A healthy cuticle is much more than just a protective layer. Much of the shine is due to the cuticle, light reflects from their glossy surfaces. This, together with the pigment within the cortex, gives hair its characteristic appearance. Hair without cuticle would appear dull and lifeless, it would dry out and become brittle.


Human hair extensions
The human hair used in the hair extension industry comes in different qualities. In general we can say that we get what we pay for, the lower the price of your hair extension the less hair quality we can expect. The highest quality hair will still have all it's cuticle perfectly aligned in the same direction. If the cuticle scales are not facing the same direction, hair will interlock like Velcro, this will lead to matted and tangled hair.Cheaper hair is very often placed in an acid bath which completely destroys the cuticle. To restore the shine this hair is covered with a silicon layer. It looks beautiful but after a few washes the silicon is removed and the hair matts, tangles, and becomes dry.

European human hair does not necessarily come from Europe. It is a group name for different hair with an almost similar structure. Indian hair, Latin American hair, European hair, the only exemptions are Asian hair and African hair (their structure is very different).
Typical European human hair is relatively thin and has an oval cross-section.
This is a popular hair type for a human hair extension.

Asian hair (mostly Chinese hair) is very often used for human hair extensions. This hair is thicker than European hair and has a round cross-section. It is dark black.
To prepare this hair for use in hair extensions it is usually made thinner (acid bath) and lighter. This hair is less expensive.

Indian hair has a very similar basic structure as European hair. In general this hair type is of a very high quality. However the method of collection is very essential. When different types of hair are mixed with cuticles aligned in different directions this hair becomes of a much less quality and therefore less expensive. To prevent tangling the cuticles must be removed and the hair is covered by silicon. Hair companies in Korea and Indonesia are specialized in this type of hair.Collected in the right way with all the cuticles present and in the same direction this hair is one of the best hair types available for use in a human hair extension.

Remi hair is a name you will hear when you shop around for hair extensions. They claim to use only the finest and most beautiful human hair in the world with all cuticles in the same direction.
Synthetic hair is man-made fiber that is made to look like your own hair. It produces a different sheen than human hair, moves differently and therefore does not blend with human hair. New fibers are developed continuously that are better resistant to heat and have an appearance closer to human hair. It comes in a large variety of colors. This hair is the most inexpensive. Sometimes this hair is mixed with human hair and a combination is used for a human hair extension. In most cases this is of course not the way to do it. Both hairtypes need a different after care.

The majority of hair sold today is non-cuticle hair, which is less expensive. So if you want to spend less money on your hair extension this could be fine for you as long as you realize that this hair will probably start matting, tangling and become dry a lot sooner than a higher quality hair.

Overheating is one of your hair's biggest enemies, the damage can be as deep as the cortex which is in the middle. Be careful not to use too much heat when you use a blowdryer or curling iron. It is best to let your hair dry naturally.
Chemical treatments like color and perm can be harmful as well. Go to your stylist for advise, they should know what is best for your hair. Brush your hair gentle to prevent damage. This is not just better for your hair extensions but it will also keep your own hair healthier.

European and Indian Remi hair is the most popular for a human hair extension but also the most expensive.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Curly Hair Care

These are what I've found to be the basics of caring for naturally curly hair. The main key is moisture.

My Keys to Keeping Curly Hair Moist

Curly hair has a tendency to feel really dry. Because of the curves and corners of our individual hairs, the natural oils have to work much harder to flow down the hair shaft. This may be the reason many women decide tostraighten their hair--trying to capture the shine and sleekness that comes with straighter hair.

Those of us who have made the choice to embrace our curls also know what it is to make sure there is a balance to having curls: full of bounce and body, yet moist and manageable. I have learned some tips from fellow curly-haired divas.

* Baggy with Moisture
* Use conditioner during wash days (Co-washing)
* Moisturize hair daily
* Seal moisturized hair with oil
* Steaming
* Regular deep conditioning

Baggy with Moisture

What does it mean to baggy with moisture? To put it simply it is applying moisture to the hair (either withwater, conditioner, leave-in or any combination of these) then using a conditioning cap to cover the moisturized hair. I usually do this at night before I go to bed. Be careful not to put too much moisture on the hair before baggying or else you will have a wet neck, wet pillow...you get the idea. It's also possible to pass the limit of moisture intake for your hair, so be sure to monitor your hair's condition when first starting out. You can do this after your shower/hair cleansing, before or anytime you feel your hair needs the extra moisture.

I usually leave the cap on my hair for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. Start with about 15 minutes at first, and then if your hair seems to respond well to it, you can increase time until you find the limit. The limit is when your hair absorbs so much moisture that it becomes mushy and lifeless--you don't want that--so, as I stated before, try it in small increments first.

Side note: If you have good moisture levels, but your ends are looking worse for wear, then you can make a ponytail, apply moisture to your ponytail (just the ends or the whole pony), then put a small plastic bag around your ponytail to give a concentrated infusion of moisture to your hair ends.

Co-Washing

Since curly hair is more prone to being dry, it is important to keep as much moisture as possible in the hair, while keeping the scalp clean. How to do all this? Conditioner to the rescue! Yes, you read right--conditioner.

I was not sure when I first found out about using conditioner as a way to cleanse my hair while keeping moisture levels high in my hair. As my Grandma says, I've gotta see this for myself. So I got into the shower and wet my hair. I almost reached for shampoo out of habit, but passed it over for conditioner instead. I poured a small amount into my palm and concentrated the conditioner on my scalp, working it in like shampoo. After messaging it in, I rinsed it out and finished my shower. It still felt weird not to use anything with suds in it, but I forged on. After letting my hair dry, I gave co-washing the litmus test: scratched my scalp.

I was almost scared to look under my nails. When I did I saw...nothing! My scalp was as clean as if I used my suds--couldn't believe it so I tried it again on another part of my scalp. Same thing; nothing. On top of it, my hair was feeling quite good, not as stripped as it usually did.

I was told the reason for this. Little known to me many conditioners contain a bit of the same ingredients that shampoo has. The action of scrubbing the scalp is actually the legit reason the scalp gets cleaned, not just the fact that there are suds on top of my head. This actually made sense to me. Now I use co-washing as a regular part of my hair cleansing regime. My curls behave much better, and the growth I've been getting is starting to show in my length because I get to keep moisture in my hair, which keeps my hair from breaking as much as it used to.

Moisturize Daily

Depending on many factors, some of us curly haired divas need to make sure we keep on top the moisture levels in our hair. Using a tiny bit of conditioner, leave-in or other moisturizer give curls relief from the thirst that it suffers on a constant basis. Make sure that you are using the correct weight of moisturizer for yourhair. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to know what will work right from the start. What works for one head of hair will not necessarily work for another. Unless you are one of the lucky ones to get it right from the get-go, it is a game of trial and error. At least it was for me =)

Seal with Oil

When you mention putting oil on the hair, many people will run and hide. Oil conjures images of flat, limp, lifeless hair. This is true depending on the oil. As a matter of fact, there are cultures where applying particular oils to the hair results in luster, body and health of the hair. Yes, heavy oils will weight hair down, and may be more suitable for a hot oil treatment before cleansing.

Steaming

Steaming is simply applying conditioner, then using steam to open up the cuticle of the hair. This allows more to get into the hair shaft. The result is much less frizz in humid temperatures. Less frizz means better maintained curls!

Regular Deep Conditioning

Deep conditioning is a valuable part of your haircare regime. The key word throughout this post has been keeping curly hair moist. If you've read about the steaming, then deep conditioning is simply the same thing without the steam. If your hair is coarse (like mine) deep conditioning may benefit you if you do it about 2-3 times a week. If your hair is not as coarse, about 1-2 times a month. If you're one of the lucky ones who rarely has a problem with your hair, deep conditioning might still benefit you--you just won't have to do it so often. Think of it as a treat you can give yourself every now and then.