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By Relax & Glam September 29, 2022
Why do my hair extensions feel drier in the winter? Believe it or not the winter months cause as many hair issues as the summer months with your hair extensions, and you're own hair for that matter. So what are the common problems suffered in the winter when wearing hair extensions? 1). Dry hair Like your natural hair, continually changing from the freezing conditions outside, to the likely hot and dry conditions inside you house will dry your hair extensions out very quickly. In order to protect against this your aftercare must be on point! Not only by using the correct aftercare products ( Foxy Hair requires Foxy aftercare ) but utilise all extras too! Don’t just go for the basic shampoo and conditioner it simply won't cut it and you’ll still end up with dry hair. Add a weekly Boost treatment, leave in conditioning spray, thermal protection serum and Argan oil into your routine and this will give you hair the best chance of survival. 2). Hat hair Many people don’t even consider this one, as well as everything mentioned above, but do you wear woolly hats? Many people don’t realise that your woolly hat absorbs a huge amount of moisture from your hair leaving your already damaged hair potentially worse still. 3). Matting hair As soon as you get those big winter coats out of the cupboard with the big collars, have you considered how much matting this will likely cause you hair rubbing especially at the nape of the neck? Again there isn’t much you can do here, as you need to wear your coat, but potentially think about braiding your hair or putting it in a ponytail to simply limit the damage caused. 4). Static When temperatures dip your hair can pick up an electrical charge from the dry air, making it very unmanageable. The only real fix for this is moisture you hair will be crying out for it so make sure your aftercare routine is on point or you quickly find your hair extensions are suffering badly! 5). Stretchy hair This actually relates to the symbiotic relationship between two things you hair needs, moisture and protein! Too much moisture and not enough protein will cause it to stretch and stretch while feeling gummy and mushy. If this is the case its back to basics as your not nourishing the hair correctly and by using our products and a Boost treatment this should work wonders, and let's face it we do offer a leave in conditioning spray for just such a situation. Remember though to always blow dry bone dry and straighten the hair never leave wet! Too much Protein and not enough moisture is more tricky but still fixable as long as you haven’t gone too far. Basically a good wash first off to thoroughly clean the hair. Then you need moisture, so deep condition 2-3 times per week, paying special attention to the ends or you’ll get split ends which is a whole different issue again. Winter is a tough time for hair extension wearers, as let's face it, all your extension hair is dead so 100% relies on you for its care or very quickly in this season it’ll be ruined! Ensure you don’t cut corners, your Foxy Hair Extensions require Foxy aftercare used 2-3 times per week. An absolute must is foxy shampoo and conditioner but weekly Boost , thermal protection serum and Argan oi l will only help make it look and feel fantastic. Also ensure after every wash your hair is blow dried and straightened without question and you’ll have #HairThatRox all winter too!
By Relax & Glam September 29, 2022
If you have blonde hair, I’m sure you are aware that your hair can be temperamental when it comes into contact with certain chemicals. This is the same with blonde hair extensions, in fact even more care and attention needs to be given. Just as you would your own hair, your extensions need to be protected and cared for carefully to avoid any discolouration. If you find your hair extensions are turning brassy, peachy or pink, this is because something has triggered a chemical process altering your hair pigmentation. Why does hair turn orange? The pigments found in hair colour is what helps you to achieve your desired shade. Pigments counteract the tones already found in your hair. When dying hair blonde, violet and ash pigments are used to neutralise the warm tones in your hair. As with all coloured hair, in time the pigments will be lifted through washing and the natural colour pigmentation reappears. Easy mistakes can trigger and accelerate this process, and hair can turn brassier faster than expected. This is why it's so important to use the correct gentle recemented products at all times. Why have my hair extensions turned orange/pink/brassy? It's important to understand that extensions are much more porous than your hair. As the hair is no longer attached to the scalp, they no longer receive any natural nutrients to provide a protective barrier. This makes extensions more prone to damage and discolouration than your natural hair. This porosity is why hair extensions can turn a peachy shade. The hair extensions at Relax & Glam are supplied by Foxy ... sourced from Indian, Russia and Mongolia and typically are much darker when originally sourced. The hair goes through the lifting process in order to make it blonde. The following triggers can cause discolouration of hair extension pigment: water mineral content, chlorine, sea water, sun/sunbed uv ray exposure. Our hair is exposed to all of these triggers on holiday abroad. For this reason, we recommend wearing clip in hair extensions on holiday so that they can be removed during the day and worn at night when they are less likely to be damaged. We have also found that strongly pigmented oils and shampoos/conditioners can stain the extension hair, hence why it's so important to only use the recommended products at all times. Why do these triggers discolour extension hair? Hard Water Water content has an enormous impact on the texture, colour and manageability of your hair extensions. Hard/high mineral content water can leave limescale and residue on your hair. With your natural hair, the scalp produces the necessary and needed oils to counterbalance these minerals. However, hair extensions do not. After repeated washing using this water, your hair extensions can become dry and tangled and can break. When you are abroad, most often you find the water mineral content very high. Chlorine/Swimming Pool water Chlorine is a chemical put into water with the aim of keeping it clean. Chlorine can strip the hair of oils, colour and moisture, leaving it dry, brittle and discoloured. We recommend tying your hair up into a tight bun avoiding contact with the water at all times. Sea Water Salt water is damaging to your hair and your hair extensions. Salt is a natural dehydrator and will strip your hair of moisture and natural oils. This will lead to discolouration as the salt water will remove the ashy/violet pigmentation from your hair leaving it brassy. Sunlight and UV Rays The sun and UV Rays have a significant impact on your skin and hair. Our skin browns in sunlight and also acts as a natural hair lightener. Therefore, it also affects your hair extensions. Sunlight can lighten the colour of the hair extensions quicker than it would your own. Often leaving your hair extensions looking a lighter shade than your own. We recommend wearing a hat/cap in the sun as a way of protecting the extension hair. When using a sunbed, we recommend wrapping the hair up in a towel. How to correct and reverse discoloured hair extensions ? Before restoring your hair extensions it’s a good idea to work out the reason for this discolouration the first place. Doing this will help you avoid it in the future. It’s important to realise that hair extensions discolouration is not a product fault and is preventable with a little extra care taken in your aftercare routine. Extension hair is a natural product and will behave like your natural hair. If you have just returned from a holiday/sunny climate then this is the cause. If not, you may need to assess the water content in your area and look to invest in a filtered shower head. To restore your extension colour you will need a product that will re-introduce the ashy/violet pigment back into the hair. A silver shampoo/toner may be used under the careful guidance of an experienced colourist. As the extension hair is more porous than your natural hair, this needs to be watched very carefully as the pigment grabs quickly and results can become undesirable. If you feel it's down to the iron count in your water, we would suggest a product called ‘Malibu C Hard Water Hair Remedy’.
By Relax & Glam September 29, 2022
We understand your predicament; You want to keep heat away from your hair extensions for fear of causing damage. So, you try to air dry them. And you’re left with fluffy, unmanageable hair that just doesn’t look very healthy, leaving it hard to style. It is said so! often… ''Help, I’m struggling with managing my hair extensions, I’m taking such good care of them, I’m not even applying any heat '' …. Alarm bells! Your hair extensions need heat! Heat helps to seal the hairs cuticles, leaving it smooth, shiny and manageable. Feel free to air dry your extensions until they are 80% dry, that’s no problem at all and actually we would recommend doing this, but you MUST dry the final 20% with a hairdryer, pointing the airflow to the floor and using a round brush. You must also finish off with good quality hair straighteners , we recommend a ‘wide plate’ version. Making simple sectioning easy, and consistent Closing or sealing the cuticle layer will ultimately control the condition of your hair extensions. A properly closed cuticle layer will seal in moisture, leaving the hair more flexible and manageable and less prone to breakage. Because heat is recommended to style your extensions you also need to be protecting the hair with a heat protectant. Using only the best from Foxy Thermal Protection Serum is the perfect product for this. Designed to go hand in hand with hair extensions, this luxurious serum can be applied to wet or dry hair and doesn’t leave the hair sticky. It’s our number one selling aftercare product, and for good reason….it works as both a heat protectant and a hair smoothener
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