Q&A: How Do I Wash My Clip In Hair Extensions?

Great question.

Given the investment, it’s good to see you want to know how to properly care for your hair extensions. Since doing so will help keep them looking sleek and silky as long as possible.

Because even though they are within the budget of many anymore, you still want them to last, right?

Also the popularity of affordable clip in hair extensions comes as no surprise. They are a great DIY approach to longer or thicker hair that requires no tape, weaving, or time at the salon really.

So …

Those with thin fine hair styles can suddenly have an insanely lush, long layered look that you can only get with thick, tumbling tresses – anytime they want.

Those with one of the latest bob hairstyles can look completely different with longer hair for special occasions.

While those wondering what to do with short hair they have grown tired of have options galore.

The change they can bring about is nothing short of amazing. Clip in some hair and suddenly you look like a totally different person. Which is why many consider them a must have part of any “get pretty” tool kit.

Such is the appeal of natural hair extensions.

Even better, as was pointed out in 10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Extensions, you can curl them with your flat iron, or use hot rollers without giving it a second thought. In other words style them like you would your real hair. You’ll love how it turns out.

Okay but depending on how often you wear them, sooner or later you’ll need to wash them, just like you would your real hair. All the more sooner if you use the same styling products on them as you do your real locks. (Although you want to try to go easy on anything that might dry them out, like styling mousse?)

So let’s share a quick

Step by Step Care Guide For Washing Clip In Extensions

Naturally most sites that sell these will have a page dealing with how to care for them. Plus there were probably care instructions in the packaging they came in.

But just in case, this step by step process details what you need to know. Plus I’ve thrown in in several good-to-know type tips that you may not know.

Step 1: Remove any knots or tangles by combing through your extensions to ensure they are smooth and tangle-free.

Tip: Be sure you’ve checked to see that the clips are snapped shut. Otherwise there’s a chance they will get snagged in the hair.

Step 2: Shampoo works best on wet hair. This is why you want to thoroughly wet them with warm water squeezing out the excess before applying your shampoo.

Tip: Try to avoid getting the clips wet if you can. Just because.

Step 3: Moisturizing or shampoo labeled as nourishing is good. Some would suggest using one of the sulfate free shampoos too. The comparison most often used is like caring for silk blouse. Just like you would that blouse, you want to treat these extensions with the utmost care and use a mild, hair friendly product because it’s not like you are degreasing an engine or something. This is all the more important since it is unlikely they will get all oily like your natural hair may. Plus using a harsh shampoo risks drying them out.

You just want to work the shampoo into the hair starting at the bottom and working your way up the weft. Gently run your fingers, or your comb, through the length of the hair to work the shampoo throughout.

Step 4: After thoroughly rinsing the shampoo out of the hair with warm water next thing to do is apply conditioner. Conditioning them will enhance the shine, keep them soft, and maintain their suppleness.

Apply from the bottom and comb through the wet hair. Give the product a few minutes to work. You want the hair to soak up the moisturizing ingredients before again rinsing with luke-warm water.

Tip: You may think that cold water would work better. Yet I’ve seen some have reported that doesn’t get the product out of the hair as well as you might think. They find warm water is best. Best advice I can give is you may have to see what works with your extensions.

Step 5: While you can blow dry them, it’s best to let them air dry. If you are in a hurry or need them sooner than it would take to air dry be sure to use a good heat protectant spray so you avoid doing any heat damage to the hair. And be sure to use a moderate temp setting at most. Otherwise place them flat on a towel.

Tip: Lay them on one half of the towel. Then fold the towel over so you can blot the water out into both the towel above and underneath the hair.

Tip: You may want to think about applying a bit of lightweight Moroccan oil to give your wefts some awesome sheen. Or use a spray in deep conditioner.

Step 6: Clip them to a hanger of some sort to store them.

Easy, right?

How to Wash Clip In Extensions in Half the Time

Still nothing like seeing a demonstration of the process, right? Even better this video shows how to wash them way faster than some. And who couldn’t use some time saving tips? Plus she shares a secret weapon she uses to make this quick and easy.

Terrific’s Take:

Given this isn’t all that complicated, there is a point you want to takeaway from this. And it’s huge. Don’t go crazy with washing your extensions any more often than you have to. They don’t have to be washed anywhere near as much as your natural hair. And if you think about this just make sense.

They usually don’t get oily.

They usually don’t get a lot of product build up.

They usually don’t get any kind of weird smell to them.

So why overwash them to death? You just want to keep them clean and smelling fresh. No need to wash them weekly for sure. You are just drying them out faster than you need to. Instead wash more in line with how often you wear them.

That said, assuming you are getting quality hair, you do want to wash them right out of the pack before you wear them that first time. The point being vacuum sealing may rob them of their natural, luxurious volume. Washing them first will restore their luster and body.

So you see, with proper care these can last months and months and still look sleek, silky and totally enticing. Just like when you first got them.