Oh No! Could Hair Extensions Be The Reason Why Your Hair Is Falling Out?

Jan 18, 2022 Aleyna Yilmaz

Let's paint a picture, you are wearing permanent hair extensions, and you are now due to get them lifted; you head into your salon, your hair specialist takes your extensions out, and you start to feel a little antsy. Your hair appears to be thinner and a lot lighter than you remember. Sound familiar?

Your hair is incredible, and a single strand can hold an even weight of 100 grams (WHAT?!?) But the operative word here is EVEN; if your hair extensions are applied, and you experience uneven tension, this can lead to breakage and fallout. This is why tight hairstyles are only sometimes ideal. When weight is travelling evenly through something, the weight is bearable. In extreme cases, prolonged uneven tension or pulling at the hair can cause traction alopecia. 

How to tell if you have had an uneven application? 

You'll feel it! If this is your first time wearing extensions, it's normal to feel some overall tension on the head as you aren't used to the added weight, but this is an undeniable and different sensation. If you grab a bunch of hair and pull straight, it won't hurt half as much as a single strand being pulled. You may also notice sores or redness at a particular portion of the scalp. These are all indicators of poor application, get in touch with your extensionist and see how they can help. 

How do I prevent a lousy application?

Hair is an investment, not only a financial one but your time; it takes time to research the quality of your hair extensions and who is putting them. Far too often, we have encountered poor application techniques discouraging customers from hair extensions altogether. 

Take the time to look at who is putting your extensions in, not just the best price and who does it the quickest, remember quality over quantity always. It'll save you the headache and not the one an uneven application will cause ;) 

My hair is thin; I'm a little scared to get hair extensions.

Firstly, why is your hair thin? Is this something that can be corrected, or does your naturally sits on the finer side?

Scalp health is essential for the best-looking hair; we suggest getting your scalp care and health in order before committing to extensions. If you are apprehensive about getting semi-permanent extensions, getting some clip-in hair extensions is a great way to ease into the world of hair extensions, as they are flexible and versatile.

Okay, but why does my hair look so thin every time I take out my hair extensions?

The average person loses between 50-100 strands of hair a day, now times that by the weeks before your next lift.

Let's say you lose 50 strands of hair a day x 6 weeks between lifts = you've lost 2,100 strands of hair; let's say half of those hairs remain stuck in your tape bonds. That's 1,050 strands of hair that could be trapped within your hair extension bonds. Now when you go to your lift/removal app, you down 1,050 strands of hair trapped in your extension bonds. My point is your hair still sheds naturally, and because of the method pre-bonded and sew in extensions use, your natural shed becomes trapped. So when removal times come, your hair feels thinner than usual. This is also why sometimes you notice the white hair follicle at your bonds; this hair has fallen out with no place to go.

Another reason why your hair might seem thinner than usual is your extensionist has had to thin out/ add layers to your hair to get your extensions to blend better. This is usually done while your extensions are already in, so you may not notice it, but it will become evident at your lift/removal appointment. This should also be communicated before application so your stylist can offer alternatives.

We've put together some of our best tips to keep your hair flourishing with extensions.

GET YOUR HAIR EXTENSIONS LIFTED ON TIME (PLEASEEE)

Take it from me, I once went three months without getting my Weft Extensions lifted (I KNOW) and let me tell you, I had next to nothing in hair after that. Don't do it!

Not getting your hair lifted on time or leaving for longer period, causes an excessive amount of un even tension to your hair and further knotting near the bond. So come lift time you may find you are losing unnecessary amounts of hair from the tangles at the bond.

For Tape Extensions lift times are just as crucial as generally after the period of 4-6 weeks the tape adhesive becomes a lot more difficult to remove again leading to unnecessary hair loss.

It is important to note that we naturally lose between 50-100 days strands of hair per day, and these hairs can get trapped in our hair extension bonds. So when you go in for your lift appointments, it's essential to bear this in mind.

Tape Extensions: 4-6 weeks
Weft Hair Extensions: 6-8 weeks.

SLEEP WITH YOUR HAIR IN A LOOSE BRAID AND SWITCH TO SILK.

We toss and turn during the night, our hair is all over the place, and there is friction between our hair and pillowcases causing unnecessary hair loss; platting or twisting your hair loosely using a silk hair tie keeps your strands in place and lessens the tension on your scalp.

We love using a silk nightcap and clipping our hair up loosely, alleviating a lot of pressure from the scalp as both your clip and cap act as an extra support.

Silk also helps retain moisture in your hair and skin!

GIVE YOUR HAIR A BREAK (and a spa day)

A more severe issue that may arise from prolonged tension of your extensions is traction alopecia caused by braiding, tight ponytails and hair extensions. It's super important that you give your hair a rest day and some TLC. Between your lifts, maybe opt for a couple of days or weeks to just let your hair breathe. We do a lot to our hair, but sometimes the best thing for it is to let it be.

A good scalp massage with some peppermint and lavender oil and our favourite Olaplex treatment at the salon can go a long way.

WEAR TIGHT HAIRSTYLES WITH YOUR HAIR EXTENSIONS SPARINGLY.

We love a good slick pony, but man, the post pony hair loss just isn't it, especially with hair extensions. Doubling the tension on your scalp, we don't need to say much with this one. Your scalp will let you know, wearing these hair styles every now and then is okay but prolonged use of tight hairstyles isnt it. 

You have been so used to seeing a full head of hair, so of course, when your extensions come out, you're going to feel like your hair is much finer.

Hair extensions are an investment, and it's tantamount that you are aware of the process and appropriate aftercare for your extensions to get the most out of them. hair extensions are just one part of having longer, fuller hair. You must do extensive research and understand the product at hand and people's experiences to avoid these scenarios.