How Often Do Hair Extensions Need Replacing?

Today’s hair extensions have come a long way from yesteryear’s offerings. Customers who get hair extensions report that the results yield far more natural results than ever.

But nothing lasts forever – not even hair extensions. So, how often do hair extensions need to be replaced?

Hair Extensions: Repair and Replacement

Like human hair, hair extensions need proper maintenance to look clean, neat, and well-groomed. While synthetic hair extensions will only last a few months, human hair extensions will last up to one year if properly maintained.

However, inserting hair extensions will also determine how long they should stay in your head. Clip-in hair extensions, for example, are designed to be temporary and should be removed almost immediately after use. Tape-ins, meanwhile, should be “moved up” or re-taped every six weeks.

Talk to your stylist if you’re not sure if your hair extensions need repair or replacement.

Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Extensions

Sometimes, you won’t need a stylist to tell you that your hair extensions must be repaired or replaced. Here are some obvious signs that your hair extensions have worn out their welcome on your head:

Your Hair Is Dry and Frizzy

Dry, frizzy hair is a sign that you’ve overexposed your hair and extensions to too much damage from harmful styling products, excessive heat from a hair dryer, and other harsh elements. If you’ve tried everything from a deep condition to a hair mask but still can’t get your hair extensions to look right, it’s time to get them repaired or replaced.

Your Hair Extensions Are More Than Nine Months Old

If you get human hair extensions, they can last up to a year if they’re well cared for. However, hair extensions can rarely last for the entire year, and you should consider getting them replaced at around the nine-month mark for this reason. This is especially true if you don’t properly brush your extensions with a boar or nylon bristle brush.

Your Hair Is Looking Brassy and Dull

Hair extensions are dyed to resemble your hair color but with a powerful coloring that is not applied to human hair for durability purposes. However, even the most potent dyes can and will fade over time. As the color fades, the hair extensions will begin looking brassy and dull. When this happens, not even the best dyes will “bring it back to life,” and it’s best to get them replaced.

Your Hair Extensions Start Getting Easily Tangled

When hair extensions have been in your head too long, they are no longer easily styled. Instead, they start getting easily tangled and matting on your head, making you look messy despite your best efforts. When extensions get tangled and matted easily, it’s time to replace them.

Your Hair Is Getting Coarse

Your natural hair will always have a bit of oiliness because your sebaceous glands will keep it moisturized. This is not the case with hair extensions – your “hair oils” will not penetrate them, no matter how hard you try. If your hair starts getting coarse because it lacks its essential oils, it’s because your hair extensions need replacement.

You Start “Shedding”

Over time, even the best-maintained hair extensions will begin “shedding” (falling out of your head in strands or clumps). This will especially be true if this “shedding” is accompanied by split ends. When your hair starts shedding, and that split ends accompanying shedding, it’s time to replace your extensions.

Other Things to Consider with Hair Extensions

There are other things to consider when getting hair extensions. First, be sure to get the right extensions for your lifestyle. If you live an active lifestyle, get semi-permanent or permanent extensions (like the tape-ins) rather than temporary (like the clip-ins).

You should also ask a professional about proper care. Hair extensions require specific care, from the types of products used to the particular brush needed for proper maintenance. Don’t just “wing it” – and don’t do the same thing to your “real” hair as your extensions. Sit with your hair care professional and discuss how to care for your extensions so they last as long as possible.

Above all else, do not trust your hair extension installation to an amateur. Let the experts at Therapy Hair Studio help you. Since 2008, we have been serving the greater Houston area and assisting people to look and feel their most beautiful. Contact us today to get the best hair extensions you’ve ever had!