Product Must-Haves For Hand-Tied Hair Extensions

Hand-tied hair extensions are a serious investment. Unlike other types of extensions, hand-tied extensions are made of real human hair and require time and effort for both installation and upkeep. This is why using high-quality products is super important when it comes to protecting your investment. 

Many drugstore hair products are filled with synthetic fillers and chemicals like alcohol, that are damaging to natural hair and can be downright detrimental for extensions. Finding the right products might feel overwhelming with so much variety available, but don’t worry we’ve narrowed it down for you. 

You don’t need to be a product queen for this info to be relevant to you, even the basics like shampoo and conditioner are important to your extensions! So let’s dive in.

Photo Courtesy of Oribe 

Shampoo and Conditioner

While our natural hair produces oils that are designed to keep our hair shiny and healthy, hand-tied extensions add on more hair than your scalp is accounting for. This means that these natural oils probably aren’t having the desired effect on your extensions.

In order to ensure that your extensions are getting moisturized and won’t become dry and damaged, you need to compensate with the right shampoo and conditioner. We recommend Oribe Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner to get the job done! 

This product is amazing for keeping your scalp, natural hair, and extensions healthy and happy. The Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner add shine to every inch of your extensions, especially the ends where the hair can be at risk of breakage. 

Remember, with high-quality products, a little goes a long way, so make sure you aren’t using too much which can also be bad for your hair. 

Photo Courtesy of Oribe 

Dry Shampoo   

Figuring out your hair washing routine with hand-tied extensions can be a little tricky. On the one hand, you don’t want to wash your hair too often, because this can loosen extensions and cause them to dry out. On the other hand, you don’t want to walk around with hair that looks unwashed half the time.

This is where finding the right dry shampoo can be a lifesaver. On the days between washes, we suggest, you guessed it, using Oribe Gold Lust dry shampoo. Just like regular shampoo and conditioner, Gold Lust is perfect for adding shine.

Again, too much dry shampoo can dry out your hair so don’t overdo it!

Detangler

The number one rule in hair-care extension maintenance is to brush your hair, often. But brushing your hair when it's a tangled mess can do more harm than good. Tugging on your matted hair can cause the hand-tied wefts to come loose, which is the last thing you want.

Using detangling products can solve this problem instantly. We suggest using Oribe’s Run-Through Detangling Primer after getting out of the shower and before brushing your hair. This product is also perfect for protecting your hair extensions this summer after going for a swim.

This detangler calms even the most stubborn of knots, so you know it's safe to run a comb through your hair without worrying about damage. This specific detangler also provides the added bonus of heat protection. 

Heat protectant is important for both sun exposure this summer, as well as heat from styling tools year-round. 

Photo Courtesy of Oribe 

Heat Protectant

Speaking of styling, anyone with hair extensions knows that styling is half the fun of long hair. That being said, maintaining your hair extension’s life span means not overdoing it with heat exposure from blow driers, curling irons, and straighteners. 

To avoid heat damage, we suggest using a heat protectant or heat-specific styling spray before you get started. We love Oribe’s Royal Blowout heat styling spray, which really gets the job done. 

It strengthens your hair extensions and repairs split ends, while simultaneously speeding drying time which means you can significantly cut down heat exposure. It also makes your hair super soft, while also adding body. If that isn’t a win-win, we don’t know what is.

Hairspray 

Hairspray is an important component for holding your styled locks in place. But many hairsprays have ingredients like alcohol in them that can dry out your hair at best and cause permanent damage at worst.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to put all hairspray on the shelf. Using a hairspray like Oribe’s Superfine hairspray will prevent this damage and keep your hair extensions looking flawless at the same time.  

We shouldn’t have to tell you by now, but don’t use too much! Overusing all hairsprays can leave your hair knotted, which we know is bad based on the reasons we’ve already covered.

Filling your beauty arsenal with products that are good for your hair extensions is just as important as the effort you put into choosing the stylist that will install your extensions. Over-the-counter products just don’t make the cut and the few dollars you might save will come back to haunt you. 

Using quality products is instrumental when it comes to protecting your natural hair and prolonging your hair extension’s lifespan for as long as possible. Trust us, once you go Oribe, you can’t go back.