General Hair Care

 It is essential to closely follow the advice provided in this document, failure to do so will highly risk the health and appearance of your own hair and your extensions

 The scalp area can sometimes feel tender, tight and itchy after your new extensions have been fitted. This is completely normal; your scalp will be adjusting to the extensions. This will settle in 3-7 days

 Your newly installed hair extensions should not be washed for at least 48 hours

 Hair extension strands and attachments should be separated daily, go through each row and strand at the scalp area and where required separate the extension from the neighboring extension (see picture), this will ensure the scalp area does not become matted. Alternatively, if you have the LA Weave method, you will simply need to brush your natural hair between your extension rows daily. Matting at the root means the extensions will need to be removed immediately. Removal of matting is charged at a rate of £50 per hour and can take up to five hours to remove. In some cases, not all of the natural hair can be saved. Please check your root area daily. If matting occurs please contact me straight away as I will need to extend the length of your next appointment or find another slot. The extensions will need to be removed to avoid further damage to the hair. DO NOT just turn up to your appointment with matting as I will not be able to maintain your extensions with matting in place. The original appointment fee will still be payable and in some cases I will not be able to offer further appointments to avoid damage to the natural hair

  When sleeping you should wear hair in a loose plait or use a soft scrunchy or Invisibobble

 Hair dye/bleach/toner should not be used near the ring/weft area. This will break down the keratin and therefore ruin the hair extensions

 It is not recommended to dye or use toning shampoos on your hair extensions as this can produce unpredictable results, damage and shorten the lifespan of your extensions.

 Removal should only be carried out by your hair extensionist

 Use dry shampoo if required between washes or just isolate the free natural hair to wash if needed

 In some cases various factors can cause your hair extensions to turn bright yellow, orange or peach! (particularly in the mixed blonde and lighter shades!) This is not a fault with the hair extensions or a  manufacturing defect, this applies to all human hair extensions from every single hair factory sadly. A chemical reaction occurs within the product which creates unsightly discolouration. The usual culprits are;

• Not using the recommended Hair Extension Shampoo and Conditioner. Products purchased from high street stores (Boots, supermarkets, Superdrug etc) contain many ingredients which will discolour your hair extensions causing a chemical reaction (brassy, yellow, orange, pink, peach, general fading) These products are not designed for hair extensions and should not be used
• Anti-dandruff shampoos and solutions, please do not use these under any circumstances. If there is any issues at all with your scalp we can arrange a removal so that the scalp can be treated separately. These will almost always cause discolouration and hair extension damage
• Not using adequate heat/thermal protection when using the hairdryer and/or hot tools
• Chlorine exposure
• Sweat left to dry on the root
• Hard water and water with a high mineral content
• Staining from Argan oils
• Face creams coming into contact with your hair extensions
• Hair extensions resting on the skin with Sun Protection Factor on
• Self-tanning products
• Exposure to high levels of UV rays
• Sea water

I strongly advise avoiding all of the above and I will not be able to help or advise if these points are not adhered to. Strand loss, slippage, discolouration, hair quality, heat damage, fading are all issues that will likely occur should the Aftercare instructions not be followed. Detailed Aftercare records are kept for each and every customer for insurance purposes to protect myself and my suppliers. All customers are made aware of the above in advance of any booking.

In some cases abnormal discolouration (where the extensions have gone yellow, orange, peach, brassy etc) can be reversed by applying up to two sachets of Malibu Hard Water treatment or Apple Cider Vinegar for up to half an hour. Applying lemon juice can also lighten where discolouration has occurred. This is always attempted at the customer’s own risk, client’s have had some success using these methods where nothing else has worked! I always recommend doing a strand test first.

 Absolute golden rule - if you want to leave your extensions air dry please carefully remove every single knot! Allowing your hair extensions to dry with knots will always cause significant damage to the cuticle causing the extensions to feel permanently knotty and unmanageable

 Blot the hair dry using a towel, avoid a rubbing action

 The Rapunzel Heat Protection Serum/Argan Oil or Protein Spray are applied to damp hair

 Always use a Tangle teaser or bristle extension brush, a brush that has bobbles at the end of the bristles will pull/hook the natural hair out of the extensions and cause the extensions to slide out

 Ensure you support the rings/weft by using your flat palm against the scalp to support your extensions during brushing.  Use your tangle teezer/bristle brush to brush the ends of your extensions, slowly working upwards to gently remove any tangles. Only begin brushing the scalp once the hair is completely tangle free. Our natural hair and extension hair are very fragile and vulnerable when wet/damp, please avoid 'stretching' the extension hair by brushing too firmly - this permanently damages the hair and results in a frizzy texture which  becomes permanently unmanageable and very prone to knots

 Next dry your roots fully using the medium setting on your hairdryer, avoid intense heat on the ring/weft area. Never leave the root area to dry naturally as this will damage the attachments and in some cases cause mould! Most importantly do not go to bed with damp roots - this is the quickest way to get matting at the root!

  Absolute golden rule - if you want to leave your extensions air dry this is fine but please carefully remove every single knot! Allowing your hair extensions to dry with knots will always cause significant damage to the cuticle causing the extensions to feel permanently knotty and unmanageable

 Section and blow dry without excessive pulling, ensuring the hairdryer (ideally with a nozzle) is pointed at the floor to smooth the extension hair

 Most extension slippage/loss is caused by continually brushing your wet/damp extensions whilst simultaneously blow drying as the scalp attachments are not being supported. The root should be supported at all times when brushing. The best way to avoid strand loss and slippage is to put your hairdryer down if tangles begin to appear, brush the hair 'supporting' the root to detangle, then continue blow drying

 Heated rollers should not be used near the root area

 You can straighten, curl and tong the extension hair as you would your own. Use a medium heat setting if available, about 180 degrees Celsius is ideal. 200 degrees Celsius is for Afro-Caribbean hair only. Heat protection is ESSENTIAL, this is not just to protect the extensions from heat damage but to prevent the hair extensions prematurely fading and discolouring. This can happen to our natural hair too so please be careful! As the attachments begin to grow away from the root area, take care not to burn the attachments with the hair straightener

 To prolong the life of your extensions I advise using one of the Rapunzel heat protection serums, argan oils or protein sprays. Please proceed with caution whilst using any other serums, oils, lotions and sprays as they may include chemicals which may permanently damage and discolour your extensions

Top tip! Once your hair is dry, use the cool setting on your hairdryer to cool down your face and scalp! 