Brush, Brush, Brush….
Yep, an integral part of having an excellent Great Lengths service is brushing. Your caring and knowledgeable Great Lengths artist will tell you time and time again to brush your hair morning and night, and after washing your hair. This should be done with the special brush made just for Great Lengths that is provided with your service.
And on that note: the brush should always be included in the service. Your stylist should not let you walk out the door without a proper brush.
When you make such a substantial investment of time and money in your hair extension service, upkeep can be just as important as installation. Educating a client on how and when to brush her hair is the responsibility of the Artist. How will a client know what to do otherwise?
I always like to give a demonstration before every new client leaves the salon. This is usually done at the end of her service. I show clients how I brush my own hair (God knows it needs it at the end of the day.) and answer any questions they may have regarding it.
So-Here is what you should know. Great Lengths should always be brushed row by row, starting at the nape of the neck. Separate a small section of hair at the nape while sitting in front of a mirror. split the section in half vertically, and drape each section to the front. HOLD ON to the hair, and begin by brushing the bottom first to remove the tangles, if any. If there are particularly difficult ones, you may use a wide-tooth comb on the FIRST FEW INCHES of the hair from the bottom-do not use a comb near the bonds. When you have finished the ends, brush over the ROOT AND BONDS.. you will NOT rip out the bonds. The brush is designed to brush over the bonds, and keep matting from occuring at the root. Take down another section, about an inch wide, and repeat the process until you reach the top of the head.
Thorough brushing can help prevent damage and the somtimes painful experience of matting Matting occurs when the hair the has naturally fallen out and is stuck in bond of the extension starts to make “friends” with the other bonds around it.
Now, there is something else I should address. This issue tends to be more noticable in dark-haired clients. after about 2 weeks, you may start to see small white bulbs at the attachment site… this is often mistake as hair being ripped out…I can assure you it is certainly not. What this is, is hair that has reached its’ life cycle and has quite naturally, fallen out. but, since the hair is trapped in an extension bond and has no-where to go, it hangs out, little bulb and all. if you have dark hair and this drives you nuts, you can always have your stylist throw a toner of colour on for you, which will cure the problem. These little white bits do eventually fall off, but it might take awhile.
On the other hand, if your hair extension seems to be ripping out with no bulb at all at the attachment site this is a problem. especially if it happens within the first month of installation, and especially if the broken hairs holding onto the extension look uniform, as if they have been cut. Now, this could be due to too large of a bond applied onto too small of a section of the clients; own hair, or the client is unessecarily rough with their hair (it happens..) or, the hair simply cannot handle extensions. If in worry or in doubt, book a check-up with your stylist and see what they have to say:)
“Take Care, Brush your Hair!!”
D