One of the most important things you can do to keep your hair extensions looking luscious, healthy, and fresh is to make sure you’re using the correct products. Using products with harmful ingredients can leave your hair extensions feeling dry, thin, dull, and frizzy. To help you maintain your hair extensions and keep them looking fresh, we’ve rounded up the top ingredients to avoid in hair products.
Look out for ingredients that read: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and SLS.
Hair products that contain sulfate can strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving your hair extensions dry, brittle, and more prone to matting and tangling. Sulfates cause dry scalps, flyaways, and follicle stress – which you’ll want to avoid, especially when you have hair extensions. Products without sulfate do not produce as much lather since they are gentler cleansers but, this doesn’t mean they’re not working! Make sure to check the ingredients list on the top and bottom of the bottle as they can be hidden from the main list of ingredients.
Look out for ingredients that read: Alcohol Denat, Ethanol, SD alcohol 40, Propanol, Isopropyl, and Propyl.
Hair products that contain sulfate can strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving your hair extensions dry, brittle, and more prone to matting and tangling. Sulfates cause dry scalps, flyaways, and follicle stress – which you’ll want to avoid, especially when you have hair extensions. Products without sulfate do not produce as much lather since they are gentler cleansers but, this doesn’t mean they’re not working! Make sure to check the ingredients list on the top and bottom of the bottle as they can be hidden from the main list of ingredients.
Look out for ingredients that read: Benzylparaben, Ethylparaben, and Propylparaben
Paraben is a preservative that provides hair products with a longer shelf life. Parabens can cause skin and scalp irritation, neurotoxicity, and have even been linked to causing issues with reproductivity as well as an increased risk of cancer.
Look out for ingredients that read: Polydimethylsiloxane
Dimethicone is a type of silicone that is commonly used in hair products including shampoos, conditioners, and serums. Dimethicone synthetically smooths and softens hair but, it also produces a silicone layer on the top of the hair. This silicone layer prevents water and other nutrients from penetrating the hair, leading to dehydrated, unnourished, and dry hair extensions.
Look out for ingredients that read: Paraffinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Cera Microcristallina, Microcrystalline Wax, Ozokerite, Ceresine Isoparaffin, Paraffin, and Synthetic Wax.
Mineral oil may seem like a healthy and nourishing product for your hair extensions, but it’s quite the opposite. Mineral oil is made from a petroleum by-product, which can suffocate your hair by creating a dense layer over your hair cuticles. This can lead to sebum excesses, irritated skin, and acne. Mineral oil is difficult to wash out of your hair extensions and can get trapped in your hair, even if you use professional shampoos to remove it. It can take several washes to wash out mineral oil, which can also wash out the color of your hair extensions and leave them looking dull.
Look out for ingredients that read: Formalin, Formic Aldehyde, Methanal, Methyl Aldehyde, Methylene Glycol, and Methylene Oxide.
Formaldehyde is most often present in Keratin treatments and other hair products. Formaldehyde is one of the worst hair product ingredients that you should avoid at all costs. It is a strong chemical that keeps your hair smooth but, it is linked to headaches, allergic reactions, eye issues, immune system problems, and has been linked to cancer.
Sticky products like hair gel, wax, hairspray, and heavy oils are widely used to keep hair in place and looking hydrated but, they should be avoided on hair extensions. These products can build up on your hair extensions and clog them, which will lead you to have to wash your hair much more often. Overwashing hair extensions can cause dry, brittle, and tangled extensions – which you don’t want!
This ingredient may come as a surprise to some since many view protein as a healthy ingredient to strengthen hair but when it comes to hair extensions, protein should be avoided. Protein-based products can dehydrate and prematurely dehydrate hair extensions, which can lead to irreversible matting and tangling of the hair. This also makes the hair susceptible to breakage, so it’s best to avoid all protein-based products to keep your extensions hydrated and healthy.
By avoiding these ingredients in hair products, you’ll be able to increase the longevity of your hair extensions and keep them healthy, smooth, and shiny. Make sure to check the labels of each product before purchasing to ensure it’s healthy and safe for your hair extensions. Below we have itemized all the ingredients in a list in alphabetical order. Simply run through the ingredients list and check to ensure none of these are included:
AVOID:
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