How to Protect Your Tape-In Hair Extensions

Hair Extensions Need Love, Too

There is a world of hurt that’s waiting to happen to your hair extensions. The very water that you use everyday can make a difference in the texture the quality of your hair. Taking care of your hair extensions may mean finding the best possible ways of cleaning your hair extensions, and it may involve a small change in your routine. Though you would not ideally need to make huge changes to accommodate hair extensions, anything that benefits your hair also benefits your skin, and caring for your skin reduces the possibility of premature aging. If your hair or hair extensions feel or look dry, dull, tangled, matted, or sticky, there is something that you can do to help yourself. Your local salon, or the place that installed your extensions will, most likely, have products to help you with maintaining your hair extensions, but if not, or if you aren’t interested in purchasing the salon products, there are things you can do in your home to care for your tape-in hair extensions.

Try a Water Softener

This is only going to be an option if you live in a house, or in a multi-family building with easy access to the water tank. A water softening system can run anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and can be installed professionally, or you can install it yourself. Please be aware that, while water softeners contribute to amazingly soft hair and skin and quick lathers, they are potentially detrimental to the environment. Water softeners remove what makes water ‘hard:’ minerals and some debris. Depending on where you live in the country, hard water may not be a problem, but if your showerhead has build up around the spout, or if your faucet is forming calcium rings, your water is hard.

Change Your Showerhead to a Filter Showerhead

Far less expensive and far more environmentally friendly, filtered showerheads are another great way to protect your hair and skin from low-quality water.  Chlorine is the main target for water filters, but some of the water-hardening minerals will also be removed. It is possible that your hair care professional may have some idea of where you can find an effective filtered showerhead, or you can check your local home improvement store. While this will not make your hair and skin as soft as the water softener system, there will be a noticeable improvement in the feel of your hair and skin within a couple of washes.

Use Jugs of Purified Water

This is every bit the hassle it seems. Whether you are using the filter on your sink with a bucket, or going to the store to buy jugs once each week, this is, by far, the most tedious option available to maintain your tape-in hair extensions. Tedious though it may be, you are in completely control of what goes on your hair. Water companies are generally good about informing the public of the mineral content of their products.

Use a Hair Treatment

Of all of the options for maintaining your hair extensions, this is the easiest. A good old-fashioned hair treatment will make your hair soft and manageable, maybe even restoring to fresh-out-of-the-salon shiny!