Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing The Right Colour
Always choose a colour closest to your own hair. If the colour arrives and is not a 100% match, you can go to your salon to colour your own hair to match your extensions. If you do not want to colour your own hair, you can swop one or two of the packets for either a lighter or darker colour. This way the different hair colours are sandwiched or mixed together to create a colour closer to your own. If you would like to go for the last option, consult your stylist to advise you on the colour that would best suit you. Please read our terms and conditions if you would like to do an exchange.
Washing Your Hair Extensions
Always wait 48h before you wash your extensions after a hair extension installation at your salon. For proper aftercare make sure you wash and condition your hair extensions in one direction, from top to bottom. Avoid washing hair extensions upside down in the sink or scrunching your hair extensions. This will cause your extensions to knot. Make sure you wash underneath every tape when wearing tape extensions. If your shampoo does not reach every part of your scalp, the natural oils of your own hair can cause your tapes to move or slide out. Wash your hair when your scalp starts becoming oily to avoid the tapes from coming loose. It is suggested to use shampoo and conditioners that hydrate and moisturise your extensions. Only use advised hair products by our team or your professional stylist. Never use products containing protein/ keratin. Even though protein is good for your natural hair, it will make your extensions feel hard and dry and can cause premature breakage and damage. The moment you feel your hair extensions are becoming dry, immediately change your product. Swopping products from time to time is good to avoid product build-up. Do keep in mind that your hair will need more moisture in winter or in dry seasons. Using moisture treatments and hair oils that keep the extensions hydrated, soft, shiny and protected. Blonde hair will also need extra moisture as hair is chemically lightened. TIP: Never brush wet hair. Wet extensions will come loose and slide out. Dry your hair at the roots first to ensure the bonds/tapes are secure before you start to brush.
Drying Your Hair Extensions
Treat your extensions just as well as you would your own natural hair. You can curl it, straighten it, tone and darken. Most importantly avoid bleaching. This will enable happy hair. Happy you! For proper aftercare, please be careful not to use high heat on your extensions. This can cause your ends to burn and you will experience hard, frizzy or split ends. Use a heat protection product for aftercare before your use any heat on your hair. Do not use heat on wet hair as your extensions. Use heat on dry hair. Never style hair with the temperature higher than 160 degrees. Hair extensions are not a wash-and-go product. Always style your extensions with low heat to make sure your extensions look sleek and healthy. Heat styling will seal your hair extension cuticle to create a sleek look Add a good quality hair oil afterward to add shine to your hair. Hair oils are a great aftercare product to keep your hair from feeling dry.
Brushing Your Hair Extensions
Brush your hair from root to tip twice a day. Brush over your hair extensions, close to the root where your own hair and the hair extension bond is attached. This is the area where knots can form easily. Brush your hair gently with a boar bristle brush. Make sure you don’t pull your own hair when brushing, as extra tension on the hair follicles should be avoided to prevent hair loss. For proper aftercare, brush your hair extensions when dry to avoid damage. Wet hair extensions are extremely elastic and your extensions can snap or your tape / keratin bonds can slide or fall out when brushing wet hair extensions.
Sleeping With Your Hair Extensions
Make sure your hair is 100% dry when going to sleep. Sleeping with wet hair will cause your tapes or bonds to knot or come loose. It is important to sleep with your hair in a bun or plait. Sleeping with your hair extensions loosely tied up will help to prevent knotting and friction that can lead to breakage. Tucking away your ends in a bun is also a great way to protect your extensions’ ends from breaking off. Brush hair from root to tip before bedtime. Make sure your own hair is brushed in between your extensions to prevent knots from forming. If your hair is knotting at your scalp, it is recommended to do a treatment on your own hair when you do your maintenance at your salon. Root knotting happens when your own hair’s cuticle in between the extensions are not aligned. TIP: Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is a great way to keep your hair beautiful for longer.
Colouring Your Hair Extensions
Hair extensions have already been processed with colour, therefore we do not advise having any additional chemical processes done on our hair extensions. If using colour on extensions is insisted by a client, we advise that the colour must be tested first on a single strand before colouring all your hair extensions. Colour on hair extensions always come out different than on our own natural hair. It is very important to never bleach hair extensions as it will break and damage the hair. Avoid colour on the tape bonds. *Should you choose to colour your hair extensions, SynSational Hair cannot be held liable for any changes to the hair quality or take any responsibility for the colour results of the hair.
Cutting Your Hair Extensions
The more layers you have in your own natural hair, the easier it is to blend extensions when installing the hair. Use professional hair scissors to cut your extensions. Normal wear and tear will also cause your ends to go thinner and shorter over time. This is a normal process for all human hair. After installation, do not tie your hair up in high ponytails or buns for 2 weeks. Your extensions need to settle first as tension on the scalp can cause damage or hair loss. It is highly advisable to cut extensions when dry, not wet.
Swimming With Your Hair Extensions
Chlorine water and saltwater are not good for your hair extensions. It is not advised to swim with extensions. As an aftercare measure, when you go swimming, we recommend applying a leave-in conditioner or hair oil on your extensions to seal the hair. Put the conditioner as close as possible to the tape bond or keratin bond / micro ring where knotting can occur (Do not put the conditioner or oil directly on the bonds). Immediately after swimming, make sure you rinse the chlorine or saltwater from your extensions and condition your hair again. This should be done in order to protect the hair from drying out and knotting. Do not tie wet hair up after swimming, but let your hair dry naturally. Wet, tied up hair will cause the tapes to come loose, fall out or knot badly. Apply hair moisturiser or conditioner after swimming for extra moisture and proper aftercare. Refrain from certain sunscreens as they can cause hair to change to a pinkish/red colour.
When Your Tapes Feel Sticky and Fall Out
Do not brush your hair extensions when your hair is still wet. Never sleep with wet hair extensions. Always dry your extensions properly before bedtime. Don't use conditioners, treatments or hair oils on your scalp / keratin / tape bond. Only use shampoo to clean your scalp. Conditioners should be used on mid-lengths to ends. Wash your hair often or as needed. Your hair’s natural oils can cause your tapes to slide out or become sticky. Wash your hair every 2-5 days or when necessary. Wash in between and under each tape to avoid oil build-up. Only install tape that was cleaned properly. Remove the old tape glue and wash the hair extensions with shampoo before installing. Conditioners and treatments must be used on mid-length to ends only. Make sure the bond remover is washed off properly before re-taping. Only apply new tape to dry hair extensions. Clean the old sticky residue from the natural hair before installation/ maintenance. Make sure your own hair is washed, preferably with a clarifying shampoo before installation. The clarifying shampoo will make sure that all residue on your natural hair, which can cause your tapes to slide out, will be removed. A clarifying shampoo will remove all product build-up on hair. Be careful to colour hair before an installation. Colour forms a protective layer over the hair, which can prevent the keratin glue from sticking to your hair. Straightening treatments should also be done at least a week before an hair extension installation is scheduled. Do not use direct heat on your tape bonds when styling. If straightening or keratin treatments are done, it must be done at least 1 week before the extension installation is scheduled, and make sure the hair has been washed 2-3 times before the installation date.
When Your Tapes Shed Hair
If hair extensions stay wet for long periods of time, eg swimming, exercising or sleeping with wet hair, possible shedding can happen. Never brush your wet hair extensions as bonds/tapes are soft when wet. With doing maintenance on your extensions, leaving the extensions in a treatment overnight is a good idea, but keep the bonds/tapes dry. Using any type of oil to remove extensions, eg coconut oil, baby oil etc will cause shedding. Using strong chemical removers on the bonds/tapes will cause shedding. Washing hair with conditioners and treatments over the bonds or applying oil on or close to the bonds will cause shedding. Using excessive heat on the bonds/tapes either with installation or when styling will cause the bond/tape to crack and the hair will begin to shed. Never use heat higher than 160 degrees and for no longer than 1-2 seconds. Tape extensions must be completely dry before the old tapes are pulled off the bond. Wet tape is elastic and pulling on the tape will cause the tape to stretch and crack which will lead to shedding. Excessive brushing will cause the hair in the bond/tape to pull out and shed. When tapes are re-bonded on the wrong side the netting can come loose and start shedding. A small amount of shedding per month is normal, as it is part of wear and tear.
How to Remove Your Hair Extensions
Never try to remove your extensions by yourself. Always let a professional remove your hair extensions. When removing your extensions, use surgical spirits or the SynSational Hair Extensions Remover to remove tape hair extensions. Available to purchase. Do NOT use alcohol or any other bond removers on tapes. Using products other than surgical spirits will cause a breakdown of the tape bonds which will eventually cause shedding. There will be a sticky residue left behind in the client's hair after a removal. This is removed by using oil-based products. Massage the oil into the hair for +/- 2 min and then GENTLY brush the residue out. Do keep in mind that some clients will have more residue than others. This has to do with the products that your clients use to wash their hair, or using heat styling tools on her tapes. hair, and we would gladly advise. After removing the tapes, gently pull the old tape off. Place the sticky side of each tape to the sticky side of another tape when removing, to ensure that no sticky residue touches the top outer part of the tape bonds. Wash the bond remover off the hair extensions properly. You cannot re-tape hair when there is still bond remover on the hair. Leaving surgical spirits on the tape hair can cause discoloration of the extensions and even breakdown of the bonds which will cause shedding. Wash the hair extensions within an hour of removal. When the extensions are completely dry you can re-tape the hair with the SynSational Hair re-bonding tape. Do not use any other tape brand to ensure lasting wear. Make sure your client’s hair is washed with a shampoo only just before installation. Oil on the scalp can cause the tapes or bonds to not stick properly, which will lead to hair extensions falling out. Washing natural hair with clarifying or anti-residue shampoo is recommended before installation to ensure there is no product build-up on your clients hair, which can cause tape to slide out. When using straightening treatments on your client's hair, it is recommended to wait a minimum of one week before installing the tapes