Rescuing Your Holiday Extensions

If you installed extensions for the holidays, you might find that your month old install needs a quick rescue from funky smells, scalp itching, and scraggly looking edges.

Here are some tips to help you battle these common nuisances and keep your install on point for the next few weeks.

We (Don't) Want The Funk

Unpleasant odors emanating from your install develop when the tracks beneath your extensions are not frequently cleaned and/or not properly dried. 

In order to get optimum cleansing when washing your install, shampoo your tracks twice before applying a moisturizing conditioner. After rinsing out the conditioner, use a blow dryer or sit under a hooded dryer for ideally 30 minutes—focusing the heat stream on the hair tracks.

If you're planning to get active for the new year, then your install will require more frequent washing. Schedule at least one wash per week and follow up with ideally 30 minutes of drying. Furthermore, after each exercise session, dry your sweat dampened tracks with a blow drier set to cool or low heat in order to prevent the formation of mold on your braids.

SOS! This Itch!

Scalp itching can become increasingly intense the longer you wear your install. Common culprits responsible for itching include the use of mineral oils, petrolatum, and heavy oils (for e.g. castor oil) on the scalp and the general buildup of dirt/grease/bacteria on the hair scalp.

Quick fixes to alleviate itching include washing hair with a clarifying shampoo that has tea tree oil—which is a natural antiseptic and antifugal treatment. Additionally, avoid moisturizing tracks with products containing mineral oils/petrolatum (for e.g. Doo Gro Growth Stimulator, Blue Magic Hair Oil). Instead use products such as pure shea butter or pure avocado oil—only applying them to hair tracks not the scalp.

Slicking Down The Scraggle Monster

Remember when your install was fresh and your edges lay perfectly? Recapture that magic and ditch the scraggly edges by applying a good deep conditioner and leave in conditioner to your edges. This will ensure that the hair edges are soft and malleable; thus, well prepped for the application of edge control gels.

When choosing an edge control gel, choose a brand that does not have alcohol in the ingredient list (as alcohol dries out and breaks the hair edges). Additionally, use your finger or a soft tooth brush to apply the control gel instead of hard bristle brushes—which can tear up your edges and contribute to a receding hairline.

Looking for 6A-7A grade straight extensions in Grand Cayman. Phone or W/APP the Beauty Project at 345-924-0052. We stock on island Brazilian, Peruvian, and Malaysian Hair. We do fast deliveries for George Town, West Bay, Prospect, and Savannah.

Jazz Up Straight Extensions

We recently voted silky straight hair as one of the hot picks for the holiday season.

Versatile and blendable, straight textured extensions are a must have for any harinista looking for glamorous yet low maintenance holiday hair.

Many hairnistas, however, come up short on the glam factor as they fail to add extra styling elements which prevent their straight extensions form sitting limply on their heads.  

Here are some guaranteed ways to jazz up your straight extensions:

A FRESH CUT

A great cut with layers to flatter your face and add volume can do wonders to spice up drab looking straight extensions.

Go for the famous LOB which celebrities from Ciara to Zoe Saldana have rocked to great effect. The great thing about the lob is that there are multiple variations. Therefore, you are sure to find a cut that will flatter and suit you.




Or opt for modern asymmetrical FRINGES that will add some texture around the face and break up the monotony of your extensions. Look for inspiration from style icons like Naomi Campbell, who is famous for her fierce bangs and fringes.

COLOR

Embrace the holiday cheer by adding color to your hair. After all, extensions are a perfect way to experiment with hair color without damaging your own natural hair with hair chemicals and dyes. 

Turn up the glam dial by opting for hot trends such as tastefully done blue/teal ombre hair or lavender highlights.




Looking for 6A-7A grade straight extensions in Grand Cayman. Phone or W/APP the Beauty Project at 345-924-0052. We stock on island Brazilian, Peruvian, and Malaysian Hair. We do fast deliveries for George Town, West Bay, Prospect, and Savannah.

Mastering the Leave-Out

Your leave-out can make or break your weave.

A leave-out that is not properly maintained will stand out against your extensions and will ruin the realism of your sew-in.

Hairnistas with texlaxed or natural hair textures often encounter the most difficulties blending (or prolonging the blending) of their leave-out with their extensions.

 Their traditional go-to to master unruly leave-outs has been to use a apply heat. However, as any hair dresser will tell you, frequent application of heat will fry your hair and will make the dry, heat damaged strands more difficult to blend with your extensions.

To control your leave-out, instead, adhere to the following:

Apply a moisturizing conditioner to your leave out once every 3 days.

While it's not necessary to condition your hair in its entirety every 3 days, make sure to condition your leave once every 3 days to keep it moisturized. Hair that is properly moisturized feels softer and maintains a higher luster; thus, will be easier to blend with extensions.  Here are the conditioners we recommend for leave outs:

5 Minute Cowash Straight from Eden Conditioning Treatment	Deep Conditioning Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning

After flat-ironing, apply beeswax or a beeswax based product to leave out.

Applying beeswax to freshly flat-ironed strands acts as a barrier against humidity—the culprit responsible for your leave-out's rapid reversion to its kinks and coils. The key is to use a small amount. Too much and your leave-out will be a greasy mess!