Maintenance

How to maintain your hair

The habits that keep raw hair alive between installs. The Blog has the full wash, install and storage procedures; this is the short list.

Daily

Brush from the ends, never from the roots down
Start at the last few inches and work up. Holding the weft or the cap in your other hand means you are not pulling against the knots. If you meet a tangle, stop and work it loose with your fingers rather than forcing the comb through it.
Sleep on silk or satin
Cotton rasps the cuticle all night. A silk or satin pillowcase, or a bonnet, is the cheapest way to keep a bundle from matting at the nape. Loose hair in a high bun on a cotton pillow is how most sets die between washes.
Do not pile it on top of your head
A high bun, a towel turban, or a claw clip at the crown kinks the hair in the same place every day. Wear it down, in a low ponytail, or in a loose braid. The weft should hang, not fold.

Detangle while the hair is still dry
Wet hair stretches, and stretched hair snaps. Comb the bundle through from the ends upward before any water touches it. The Blog has the full wash procedure, step by step.
Cool water and a sulphate-free shampoo
Hot water opens the cuticle and lets moisture escape. If the bottle lists sodium lauryl sulphate near the top, it is too strong for raw hair. Anything sold for colour-treated hair is usually safe. Shampoo the roots; let the suds rinse the length.
Condition the length, not the weft
Keep conditioner away from the knots, where it loosens them over time, and concentrate it from the mid-lengths down. Leave it in for five minutes. If the hair has been installed for a while, use a mask instead and leave it for fifteen.

Press the water out. Do not wring it
Lay the bundle in a towel and press. Wringing twists the strands against each other and causes the frizz people mistake for the hair going bad. Change to a second dry towel once the first is soaked. Never brush it while it is wet.
Air dry where you can
Hang the bundle from the weft and let it dry in open air, out of direct sun. If you must use a dryer, keep it on cool and keep it moving.

Wash and dry it completely before it goes away
Hair that goes into storage dirty comes out worse than it went in. Product, sweat and oil keep working on the strands, and the weft holds water longest. Storing hair even slightly damp invites mildew and a smell that does not come out.
Satin or silk, never plastic
A satin bag keeps moisture in the hair rather than against it. Plastic traps humidity. Loose in a drawer causes tangling and crushes the weft. Hang it or lay it flat — do not fold it hard in the same place for months.

Raw hair takes colour. Bleaching past level 7 shortens its life
Have colour done by someone who works with raw hair regularly, and deep condition immediately after. Heat is the same story: a protectant, a moderate temperature, and no daily flat-iron. The hair will forgive a session. It will not forgive a habit.

For the full wash, install and storage procedures, open the Blog.