Summer Hair Extension Care Tips: How to Protect Your Extensions on Vacation
Updated: Oct 24
Beach waves, pool days and a ponytail in every photo. Vacation and extensions go together great, as long as you plan for the sun, salt, chlorine and humidity. Here's what I'd pack and what I'd do, for hand tied wefts, hybrid wefts, K-tips and tape ins alike.
Before you go
Get your move up done before the trip, not after. Extensions that are already grown out tangle faster, and a week of salt water won't help. If you're due for a toner or a trim on dry ends, do that too.
Pack your own shampoo
Hotel shampoo is almost never extension safe. Bring a travel size that's free of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate, plus:
a moisturizing conditioner and a leave in
a heat protectant
your extension brush
a few silk scrunchies
Never swim with dry hair
Dry extensions soak up pool or ocean water like a sponge. Before you get in, wet your hair with clean water, put a leave in through the mid lengths and ends, and braid it. When you get out, rinse with fresh water right away and wash as soon as you can. Chlorine left in all day is what dries hair out and can shift the tone on a blonde.
Brush more than you think
Wind, sunscreen, sweat and lying on a lounger all add up, especially at the nape. Brush before swimming, before bed and after a windy day. Start at the ends and work up, holding the hair at the base so you're not pulling on the bead, bond or tape.
Watch the sunscreen
Sunscreen on your shoulders can stain light extensions orange or pink. Let it soak in before your hair goes down, or tie your hair back while you apply it. I wrote more about that here.
Easy on the purple shampoo
It's tempting to fight beach brassiness with purple shampoo every wash. A little is fine. Too much of it breaks the hair down, so save it for when you actually need it.
Sleep dry
After a long beach day, dry your roots and the attachment area completely before bed. Sleeping on damp hair is the quickest way to wake up with matting at the wefts. Brush it out, put it in a loose braid, and use a silk pillowcase if you've got one. If you're wearing Hybrid Deluxe, blow it out smooth after washing or it mats.
Give the hot tools a break
Vacation is the perfect time for braids, claw clips and your natural texture. If you do use heat, use a protectant, keep the temperature moderate and keep it off the band.
And honestly? Vacation hair just hits different with good extensions. Swim, take the photos, wear the messy beach bun. A little extra brushing and the right shampoo is all it takes for your hair to come home looking as good as it left.
Kenzie Moon is a licensed stylist and the owner of Wefts + Waves in Grantsville, Utah. She has lived with hereditary hair loss since 2018 and has been making hair for her own salon clients since 2021.
Keep reading: all of our stylist guides.
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