Q. I wear strand by strand hair extensions and while I love them I feel like the hair sheds sometimes. After a few weeks my hair looks thinner than it did when I first got it done and I would like the fullness to last. Do you have any tips?
A. This is such a great question. No one wants to see all the hair they paid for on their bathroom floor. It's easy to blame the hair extensions or your stylist etc but oftentimes it is simple culprits that you can change. Here are a few tips for preventing shedding from Strand by Strand Extensions:
-
Lay off the heat at your roots: When styling your hair you need to be careful of applying too much direct heat to the roots of your hair which holds the bonds of your strand by strand extensions. Those bonds are reactive to heat and when you apply a boost of heat you are loosening the keratin bonds that hold it together and then you are applying tension to the rest of your hair with the blow dryer which allows the hair to slip out of the keratin bonds once the heat has loosened them. Instead use a microfiber towel at the roots to absorb the water and light apply warm or cool air to the bonds to allow them to dry and then style your hair with minimal heat at the bonds of your extensions.
-
Avoid citrus based products: I swear by this. Anytime someone complains of shedding I tell them to grab the products they use and read the ingredients if you see citric acid or any fruit based botanicals listed in the ingredients stop using the products. The citric acid is the main ingredient used to remove your extensions. The acid strips away at the keratin and when you use citrus based products on a daily basis you are eroding the bonds that hold your hair together.
-
Be gentle: Just because you paid for the hair doesn't mean that you can treat any which way you want. Don't use so much tension when putting your hair in ponytails or brushing your hair. Always use a loop brush when brushing your hair at the roots so that you don't damage the bonds of your strand by strand hair.
