When it comes to looking after your hair extensions, making sure you have the correct hairbrush for daily use it super important.  A common mistake that many hair extension wearers make is to continue using their existing brush when their hair extensions have been fitted, or when brushing their clip in hair extensions, and this can lead to damage.

There are a number of reasons why hair extensions require a brush that has been purpose designed for them.  A hair extension brush must serve two purposes equally, it must be strong enough to work through lots of hair, as hair extensions are often very thick and long, however it must also be gentle enough to not pull too hard on the bonds when brushing (if wearing permanent hair extensions), and not causing any breakage.  As well as this, the brush must have the ability to brush right up to the roots without getting stuck in the bonds or cause them to tangle.

By using a normal hair brush on your hair extensions, you could be causing a number of issues which may either damage your hair extensions, or reduce the length of time that they last.

If using a normal hairbrush when detangling, it is likely that you will have to work the brush quite hard against the hair extension knots in order to brush them smooth, especially when the hair is wet.  When hair is wet, it is at it weakest and the most vulnerable to damage. Brushing your hair with a normal hairbrush after washing is likely to result in damage to the hair cuticle, cause breakage, and disruption to the hair extension bonds.  The same applies if you brush clip in hair extensions with a regular brush as the hair will stretch and snap, destroying the hair strand by strand over time.

When it comes to brushing hair extensions, there are 3 different types of bristles you should be using.  The first isn’t exactly a bristle type, however it serves the same function, and this is a wide tooth shower comb.  As we have detailed above, wet hair is when hair extensions are at their weakest and prone to damage, so it is very important you take great care when brushing your wet hair extensions and a shower comb is a great way to do this as the spaces between bristles are wide and force you to go slow.

The second type of bristle is a round head bristle.  This is a more traditional bristle you would find on a brush, however for it to be compatible with hair extensions it must be super flexible.  This allows the bristles to bend and work with your hair extensions rather than tugging and pulling.

The final bristle type you will need is a boar bristle.  These are short, denser bristles which work to smooth the hair’s cuticle and to reduce static.