Having a new head of hair transforms your look and self-confidence! Yet if you’re not aware of some of the normal side effects, these feelings of excitement could turn into worry or stress. So let’s stop this from happening and learn the knowledge that is essential for keeping you feeling excited and looking great after you leave our chair!
To help you maintain that boost of confidence following your hair extension appointment, I wrote this to address the typical post-appointment experiences. So I’ll cover what might seem concerning but actually isn’t, explain why certain things happen, and give you tips on what to keep an eye out for.
As you may already know, your hair has a natural growing direction, this is caused by the angle of your hair follicle. We train our hair follicles all the time by styling our hair a certain way. During your hair extension installation, we slightly alter this natural direction by grouping small sections of hair together with your extension. If you have ever worn a hat for too long or styled your hair pulling it in a direction you don’t normally, you may already be aware that this redirection of the hair may cause some discomfort and sometimes itchiness.
I’m here to say not to worry! This may be alarming if you are not expecting it, and trust me I know firsthand how annoying it can be, but once your follicles adjust this discomfort will go away. It usually takes anywhere from two days to a week to completely subside. If you are experiencing extreme pain or discomfort lasting longer than a week reach out to your specialist!
Slippage is when an extension strand slips down the natural hair with the bead, or out of the bead resulting in the strand falling or hanging lower on the natural hair shaft. What do we do to prevent this happening to you? All of us at Hairline Divine do a quality check of our beads as we thread them, minimalizing the chances of us using a damaged bead, we also ensure that we double clamp the bead down to make sure it is secure, and we do a slight durability test after a maintenance or install to ensure they are secured. Other than bead quality and installation mistakes, other factors that could cause slippage are, using oil treatments on the scalp (on & over the bead area of the hair extensions), excessive pulling such as trying to pull through tangles in the hair, and using products with silicone ingredients.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to completely avoid this and you shouldn’t be surprised if you lose one or two following your appointment. Just keep those strands and bring them with you so we can get them reinstalled during your next appointment! If you are losing them frequently or more than 5 fall out, immediately reach out to your specialist so they can work out what is happening.
You won’t notice this at home but during your maintenance appointments, you may be shocked to see your specialist brushing out what seems to be a lot of dead hair. Do not panic, this is just your natural shed. You naturally lose an average of 50-100 strains of hair per day, but since our extensions are holding onto those hairs, they stay in place until we remove the bond and brush them out! That’s one of the reasons we tend to advocate booking regular maintenance appointments.
Not so much of a “what-to-expect” but more so a “words-of-caution”. A lot of girls get hair extensions and then dream up a bold new look to match their new length and volume. It is very important to always contact your hair extension specialist before using any chemical treatments or harsh products on your hair. It can lead to permanent damage to your natural hair and it’s never advised to do so with extensions installed.
To ensure you continue enjoying the beautiful transformation and the boost of confidence your new hair extensions bring, it’s important to keep up with their maintenance. Regular appointments are important for maintaining safe sections as the natural shedding weakens the original sections made to support the extension strands. As we naturally shed about 100 hairs a day, 8 weeks is about the duration a typical client can go before those sections should be redone as the fewer natural hairs supporting the extension strand will put additional weight & tension on hair follicles which could cause damage if left too long. Maintenance also helps keep your overall look clean and it keeps your extensions looking their best. Maintenance appointments are a chance for any necessary adjustments to ensure that they are perfectly placed and blended as they were on the first day. Also, remember that we’re here for you, if you have any questions or concerns about your hair extensions—whether it’s about aftercare or something unexpected—please reach out to your hair extension specialist.
At Hairline Divine, we’re committed to supporting you throughout your journey with extensions, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help or advice. We want to ensure your new hair always looks flawless!
