Marina | February 4, 2014 | Hair |

Long, shiny and healthy-looking hair has always been something that a lot of women aim to have. It’s not so easy to achieve, though. With all the hair products we spritz, spray and slather on all over our hair and with all the harsh elements that we get our hair exposed to, growing long and healthy locks can be quite a challenge. Good thing there are hair extensions! Using hair extensions is one of the best shortcuts to getting longer hair. Just like your natural hair, your hair extensions also require some TLC to keep looking fabulous. Here are some tips on how to make your hair extensions last longer and look good all the time.

• Get good quality human hair extensions – the first step to making sure that your extensions will last is to get one that has superb quality, especially if you plan to use them for a long time. There are so many cheap hair extensions out there called ‘synthetic’ hair extensions and these don’t last very long nor look very realistic so try to avoid them at all costs. Instead, go for human hair extensions. These can be quite pricey but they really blend in with your natural hair better and they last much longer too.

• Shampoo and condition your clip in extensions – clip in hair extensions are perfect for those who are not so much into ‘long term hair commitments’. You can clip them in anytime you feel like sporting a hairstyle that requires long hair and then clip them off at the end of the day, thus the name. Now, just because you don’t sleep in on these extensions and don’t use them all the time doesn’t mean they don’t get dirty so remember to shampoo and condition them every now and then. Wash your hair extensions once a week or twice max as anything more than that may just dry it out and leave it looking awful.

• Minimal heat exposure – as much as possible, try not to expose your hair extensions to heat from styling tools, even real human hair extensions. Unlike your natural hair, your hair extensions aren’t connected on to anything that would moisturize them naturally. They don’t have natural oils anymore to keep them from being dry so exposing them to heat can ruin them. If you must, at least use a heat protectant before you do and try to keep the exposure down to a minimum.

• Store them properly – anytime you’re not using your hair extensions, you need to put them away in a clean and airtight container, away from direct sunlight. You can use any airtight containers but if you don’t have any, you can also use a Ziploc bag. Of course, make sure that the hair extensions itself is clean before you put it away.

• Brush before use – detangling your hair extensions should be done before you clip them in and not when they’re already on. That’s because all the pulling and tugging action could make the clips loose and the extensions may not cling on to your hair as you would like. To avoid this damage, detangle your hair extensions before you put them on by laying it down on a flat surface and then brushing it to work out the knots. When it’s all tangle-free, you can clip them and blend them in to your natural hair.