Wash Day Routine: Hand-tied Hair Extensions (shampoo to blow dry)

Shampoo 2x – Move your finger-tips (no nails) in circular motions around the scalp and gently run along top and bottom of your rows.  I do a half wash in between wash days and use dry shampoo so 2 shampoos are necessary.  I recommend 2 dime size drops of shampoo to 1 quarter size drop.  

Condition mid-lengths and ends.  I mask 1x per week and use regular conditioner 1-2x per week.  

Towel blot to remove most of the water.  But now, don’t flip your head forward and wrap the towel around like you always did. That creates a lot of unnecessary stress at the root because the hair weighs more holding water.  Instead wrap the hair in a towel turban while standing straight up.  Start at the top of your head, twist at the nape and then secure at the top again.  This way the weight of the hair isn’t pulling on your natural hair.  It’s normal for your extensions to feel heavy when they’re wet, but you can take the stress off your scalp by wrapping it up.  The weight of the hair will be in the towel then.   

You don’t want your wefts to stay wet, because that could cause swelling, and lead to the hair needing to be replaced sooner.  So no air drying with extensions would be your best bet to prolong the lifespan of your investment.  Sorry, I know you might have thought you were doing a good thing by not putting heat on the hair and letting it air dry, but that’s not the case with hand-tied hair extensions.  You’ll want to make sure your wefts are dry sooner rather than later.  When the wefts swell to a certain point, they won’t be able to be re-installed, and then they’ll have to be replaced.  

I always begin by brushing out my wefts.  I hold the base of the wefts with one hand and my wet brush in the other.  I never put tension on the attachment points.  I always hold the extensions firmly against my head with my one hand so absolutely NO tension is being placed on my scalp.  Begin by brushing the ends, and work your way up to the roots.  Making sure to thoroughly brush out all the tangles, and getting the natural hair in between your rows well also.  Once hair is fully detangled, apply heat protectant.  I love the Formula 18 Shine serum for heat protection, shine and silkiness.  

For a quick, straight blowout I use my Mason Pearson (popular) brush or my Wetbrush Shine.  Wrap dry the front hairline first.  Then section out your bottom row and clip the rest up.  Work your way up in sections from the bottom to the top.  Finish with the crown.  I hold the section of hair out on the brush (in horizontal sections as wide as the brush head) and blow the hair from my scalp to the brush until it’s dry, then slide the brush down slowly without yanking on the hair or ripping through it.  As the hair dries, the brush naturally slides lower down the hair shaft with almost no effort.  So if you go nice and slow, there is very little work to do.  Let the heat seal the hair. 

*Always make sure NOT to brush directly through the seam of your wefts.  This can pull the hairs and make your seam not-so-seamless.  You know what I mean?  

Watch YouTube Short-  How to: Blowout your Hand-Tied Extensions