Heat damage, dryness, frizz, and discolouring are all hair problems that many of us struggle with through the summer months. Heatwaves, chlorine, and humid temperatures all contribute to our tresses looking less than their best at this time of year. This, in turn, might leave you feeling a little hesitant when it comes to sunbathing or taking a well-earned dip in the pool.
Understandably, you might wonder how to take care of dry hair in summer without over-washing or using too many different products. Your hair extensions will often face the same challenges during the sunnier months as your natural hair.
Here at Cliphair, we’ve been helping customers look after their extensions since 2007. After more than 17 years of real conversations about holiday disasters, pool-day tangles, and sun-faded blondes, we’ve pulled together everything you actually need to know.
This is practical advice from people who deal with real hair extensions every day, not a generic checklist produced by bots. So, whether you’re wearing tape-ins, nanos, or temporary solutions like clip-in hair extensions, let’s make sure you care for your hair pieces the right way this summer.
How Summer Actually Affects Your Hair Extensions
Before we go any further, a quick note about our hair pieces here at Cliphair: our extensions are made from 100% Remy human hair. This means you can treat them much like your own hair as far as washing and gentle heat styling are concerned.
As you’ll learn in this guide, though, summer can be tough on even on the highest-quality human hair pieces. So, it’s well worth being knowledgeable about certain “summer hacks”.
Why sun, sweat, and chlorine are a bigger problem for extensions than natural hair
Your natural hair is constantly coated with oils from the scalp. Extensions, well, aren’t. As your hair extensions don’t benefit from the same natural oils that your own hair gets, they can be especially prone to ultraviolet (UV) and chlorine drying them out, as well as faster matting and tangling.
The specific colour of your hair extensions can also affect the risk. Chlorine and hard water can turn light blonde shades brassy or green-tinged.
We’ve written separately about the relationship between hair extensions and chlorine, including the side effects that you can expect.
As for general hair extension care throughout the summer, the same principle applies across the board: protect, rinse, and rehydrate.
Does this apply to all extension types?
Yes. Whether you spend your summer wearing tape-ins, nano rings, other permanent extensions, and/or clip-ins, a careful and diligent care approach will be needed, with the pressures of this season in mind.
However, the practical steps for this will differ depending on the types of hair pieces involved. After all, clip-ins and halos can be easily taken out before swimming or heavy sun exposure. It’s a different situation for professional extensions that are designed to stay in. When it comes to the likes of tape-ins and nano rings, the focus needs to be on protecting them while they’re fitted.
Protecting Your Extensions From Sun and Heat
Choosing the right sunscreen
Sunscreen is sunscreen is sunscreen, right? It all protects your skin. Alas, the reality’s not always as simple as that, with some formulas not being greatly kind to hair extensions.
Many traditional sunscreens contain oils or chemicals that can transfer onto your hair while you’re applying them. Such products can be risky if you’re wearing bonded extensions, given that if they reach the attachment points, they may cause certain tapes or nano bonds to loosen.
It’s typically safer, then, for professional extensions users to turn to water-based or mineral formulas with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, as they’re less likely to leave oily residue on the hair. However, you should still take care when applying them, keeping product away from the bonds themselves. Apply the sunscreen to the hair like a leave-in, not just your skin.
For our full rundown on what works and what to avoid, read our dedicated guide to the best non-staining sunscreen for hair extensions.
Protecting your extensions from direct heat
Strong sunshine acts much like another heat styling tool. Spending hours in direct sunlight will gradually dry out your hair, especially if you’ve already blow-dried, curled, or straightened it earlier that day.
So, as much as it might sound like stating the obvious, try not to combine heat styling and a lot of sun exposure on the same day, if possible. In the event that you do need to straighten or curl, apply Heat Protection Spray first.
Donning a wide-brim hat or scarf is another super-simple way to limit UV damage and colour fade. Regardless, stay out of the strongest midday sun when and where you can.
If you’re travelling
Bringing clip-ins or spare pieces with you? In that case, be sure to pack them in a satin or silk bag, and keep them out of hot luggage and direct sun. You certainly won’t want to leave your extensions in a humid and closed suitcase where moisture can build up.
Find further storage and travel advice in our guide to heat proofing your hair.
Swimming and Water Care (Pool, Sea, and Chlorine)
If you wear clip-ins
This is the most straightforward scenario. You simply take your clip-ins out before you swim, store them somewhere dry, and put them back in once your natural hair is dry and untangled. This’ll help ensure your extensions avoid any kind of chlorine, salt, tangling, or water damage.
Still considering whether temporary hair pieces could be the right ones for you? Look at the possibilities in our clip-in hair extensions collection.
If you wear tape-ins, nanos, or other professional extensions
As these hair extensions stay in, you’ll need to place the emphasis on protecting them rather than removing them yourself. Never attempt self-removal or self-refitting of tape-ins, nano rings, or other permanent methods. Leave this job to a qualified extensionist instead.
Before you swim, detangle your hair pieces thoroughly, before braiding or putting your hair in a loose bun. To provide a light barrier, apply a leave-in conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends, keeping the product away from the bonds. Rinse with fresh water as soon as you’re done swimming, followed by washing and conditioning properly when you can.
Our permanent extensions collection includes a range of professional options that could serve you well through the summer and beyond.
Chlorine, salt water, and colour
Chlorine and salt both dry the hair, in addition to raising the risk of discolouration on lighter shades. If you spend a while in the pool or sea, you can’t depend on simply rinsing quickly and nothing else.
That’s why it’s a good idea to give yourself the full lowdown on chlorine with our guide to its side effects for the hair. For protective updo ideas that you can count on working well in the water, see our article on the best hairstyles for swimming.
Washing, Hydrating, and Brushing Through Summer
Washing routine for hot weather
Choosing the right shampoo for your extensions is always important anyway. However, it becomes even more crucial during the summer to place your trust in a sulphate-free and alcohol-free product.
After all, this is the time of year when sweat, sunscreen residue, and salt all build up faster. Plus, your extensions will already be drier than normal due to sun and/or chlorine exposure.
It’s just as well, then, that Cliphair’s Deep Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner are formulated without sulphates or parabens. These are products that you can be sure will cleanse gently and help lock in moisture, while leaving your extensions soft and manageable.
Deep conditioning and hydration
The summer is typically a time when you’ll need deep conditioning more often than in the winter. Once a week is a good frequency to aim for if your extensions feel dry or rough.
Apply our Deep Moisture Hair Mask to damp mid-lengths and ends, and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes (or longer if the hair is particularly thirsty). Rinse well to finish. Concentrate on the lengths rather than the roots or bonds.
Brushing without breakage
Humidity can cause even well-maintained extensions to become tangled and matted quickly. So, instead of waiting for knots to appear, remember to brush little and often throughout the day whenever conditions are sticky.
For this, make sure you only use an extension-safe brush. This is important because of how traditional brushes can pull unnecessarily at tapes, bonds, or rings. Our own Detangling Brush at Cliphair is designed to prevent any such issues. It’s suitable for all hair extension types and provides a safe way to detangle both wet and dry hair.
When it comes to the brushing itself, always start at the ends and work gradually upwards towards the roots. Support the hair with your free hand to minimise unnecessary tension on the attachment points.
Choosing Extensions For A Summer Holiday
What tends to hold up best in heat and humidity
Light, breathable styles and protective updos generally cope better with heat and humidity than hair worn down all day.
Halo extensions and ponytail pieces are low-maintenance temporary options that travel well and that you can easily take out when you swim or sleep. For protective styling, pair them with satin scrunchies or hair ties from our accessories collection.
Click through to learn more about the essentials of going on holiday with hair extensions.
A quick reminder on application
Tape-ins, nano rings, and other professional extensions should always be fitted and removed by a qualified extensionist. To put it another way: these aren’t tasks to be done at home.
What if you do want something that you can easily put in and take out yourself while on holiday? In that case, clip-ins and halos are very much the “DIY-friendly” choices.
Conclusion
Follow the steps we’ve laid out in this guide, and your extensions should come through the season soft, shiny, and tangle-free. If they’ve taken a battering during your time away, our article on how to restore hair extensions after a holiday will help you bring them back.
For more summer product ideas, see our rundown of the 10 best haircare products for summer. But making sure you don’t get things badly wrong is just as important, which is why you might also want to swot up on 10 hair mistakes to avoid this summer.
