We get asked a lot if you can use our heated tools on extensions. The answer is yes, depending on the material of the extensions. If they are human hair absolutely. If they are synthetic hair then they may not. A lot of synthetic hair becomes damaged when heat is applied to it.
It is also important to remember that human hair extensions, just like your natural hair, can suffer damage from the heat or from overusing heated styling tools. So keep in mind …
- Don’t overdo it. Just like you wouldn’t mistreat your hair, it’s important to give your hair extensions a rest from heat tools every once in a while. Doing so will help them last much longer.
- Use a heat protector like our Heat Guard. If you use high-heat tools like curling irons/rods or straightening irons, make sure to use a heat protector spray before you start with the tool.
- Curl before applying. If you curl your hair with an iron, it’s a good idea to curl your extensions separately. This is because of your natural hair and the extensions will have different textures and may require different curling times or higher/lower heat. By doing them separately, you reduce the risk of damaging your own and the extensions. Once applied, you can make small adjustments for blending.
Using A Hair Dryer
We recommend using one with multiple heat settings, like our 3800 Turbo Infrared Blow Dryer. When wearing hair extensions, it is best to use the lowest heat setting, and if you have the time or patience we would recommend using the cool setting, even though this can take considerably longer. If you are wearing pre-bonded glue hair extensions we would recommend using the cool setting when drying the roots of your hair. Too much heat from the hairdryer may cause the bonds to become sticky if it is hot enough to melt the keratin.
Using Hair Straighteners
You definitely want a straightener with multiple heat settings. Unlike the hairdryer we would not recommend using the lowest setting though, as this can cause you to have to go over your hair many more times to straighten it which is not healthy for your hair. Therefore we would recommend some trial and error in testing out different settings until you find one that is able to get your hair as straight as you would like it without going over the hair multiple times, or without having the heat up to the highest temperature. You will be surprised at how low the setting can be for this, as just because hair straightens have the highe heat setting it doesn’t mean you need to use it to get your desired effect.
Using Curling Wand
Curling wands are also absolutely fine with human hair extensions, however will also take some trial and error in how long you will need to leave the hair wrapped around the barrel to create your desired curl or wave. And as we mentioned above, the extensions may curl slightly different than your own hair so take your time with small amounts of hair to get an idea of how long you will need to leave before removing.
Using Heated Rollers
Heated rollers can also be used on hair extensions, and are particularly good for achieving a wavy look as they are not as hot as curlers or straighteners, and are therefore better for your hair. You will however need to pay special attention when applying them to ensure they are done so in a neat manner and do not become tangled around any of your bonds. If you have pre-bonded glue extensions be careful to make sure that none of the heater rollers is sitting against a bond, as this could cause the bond to begin to melt.
