Sun, Sea, Sand, & Swimming pools on Blonde and other colour Hair Extensions

IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE WE BEGIN - Not to alarm you here, most hair

extensions are and will be fine with only a small proportion of wearers that will ever experience a problem

Whether you are a regular swimmer or like to relax by the pool once a year, protecting hair from chlorine damage is a concern to many. Here are some factoids and help notes

Whether you are looking for information on what happens if you leave chlorine in your hair, how to protect your hair from chlorine, or hair products for chlorine protection, we have your essential guide to chlorine and hair.

When swimming with your Extensions, always ensure they are tied up! Try to avoid getting your Extensions wet. Remember swimming pool chemicals can alter the colour of your Hair Extensions especially blonde & light colours. The same also applies to sun cream and too much exposure to direct sunlight. Glamour's Essential Hair Extension Care System Keratin Spray used in conjunction with the Glamour Essential Argan oil is an excellent method to neutralise and wash away all the chemicals and chlorine from the swimming pools, providing also protection from the sun with it's in built UV Filters and heat protect. Followed by our Leave in Condition to moisturize your luscious tresses, spray this liberally throughout the day, it's a good idea to fill a protein spray and a leave in conditioner in the small travel size spray bottles (cheapest we have seen are B&M, Poundland)

What Does Chlorine Do To Your Hair?

Chlorine affects hair by removing the natural sebum, leaving it dry and brittle. Sebum is the natural oil produced from the scalp, and is responsible for keeping our hair soft and smooth. When the hair is exposed to chlorine, the sebum is stripped away, resulting in chlorine damage. Signs of chlorine damage to hair are tresses which are dry, brittle, difficult to brush, or discoloured. ALWAYS make sure you wash the chlorine out of your hair gently and rinsing lots more than normal to make sure all the chlorine is out to prevent drying of the extensions. Follow by a deep condition using our Glamour Extensions Boost and our Glamour leave in conditioner to ultra protect

Holiday

Due to the factors above, holidays are the number 1 time in which hair extensions are likely to change colour, as they are exposed to higher levels of chlorine, hard water, sun and sea water.

Even if you do not get your hair wet in the pool, and don’t take a dip in the sea, just the act of washing your hair in the shower can be enough to have you wondering why your hair extensions have turned pink.

The water from other countries is very different to that at home, and the sudden change can cause discolouration to occur.

Hair Extensions Changing Colour can be A Common Problem

First things first, whilst alarming and disappointing, this is in fact a very common issue experienced by many hair extension wearers.

Your hair extensions are not faulty, they are simply suffering from a very common problem experienced by many hair extension wearers…and here we explain how.

Blonde Hair Extensions Are Most Likely To Change Colour

Now discolouration can of course happen to hair of any colour, however for the purposes of this article which focuses on more extreme colour changes, we shall be talking about light caramels and blondes exclusively, as these hair extensions are more likely to turn orange and suffer more extreme forms of discolouration than darker shades.

What Causes Hair Extensions To Change Colour

Its simple, blonde hair extensions turn orange due to the way in which they are coloured.

In order to achieve the beautiful shades of blonde we have become accustomed to, violet and ash pigments are required to neutralise any warmth in hair that is coloured from dark to light, this is what gives blonde hair its beautiful neutral tone. If hair is dyed blonde, and no violet or ash pigments are applied, depending on the original colour of the hair, the colour will look much warmer, brassy is the term blondes like to call this effect.

Now this is where it gets a little tricky. Blonde hair becoming brassy is common place in the blonde community, and light brown/blonde hair extensions turning orange is the same issue, its just that many fail to make the connection between the 2 processes.

The reason blonde hair extensions can turn this unsightly shade of orange, is because the violet and ash pigments have been lifted away from the hair, exposing the warmer pigment underneath.

Why Do My Hair Extensions Look Pink/Orange

When the pigment underneath is exposed, this will show as a much deeper orange than a natural blonde would experience in terms of brassiness, and the reason for this is due to the original colour of the hair extensions.

As hair extensions are typically sourced from Asia, they will start their journey as black or dark brown, and are lightened to various shades of blonde. All hair colours have their own natural pigment, with dark hair having a deep red natural pigment, and natural blonde hair having a light yellow pigment. As the natural pigment of hair extension hair is dark red, if the violet/ash pigment is stripped away this will show through, creating the symptoms of discolouration you are experiencing….bright orange tones.

Can I Fix My Hair Extensions That Have Turned Orange?

Hair extensions that have turned from blonde to orange have simply suffered the result of violet/ash pigment stripping away from the hair, exposing the natural pigment underneath, therefore you can breathe a sign of relief in knowing your hair extensions are not faulty, and that you are not alone.

In the majority of cases hair extension discolouration is easily fixed, you just need to reapply those ash/violet pigments. Consult your local hairdresser to explain what has occurred, and he/she should be able to guide you through the processes of reintroducing violet/ash pigments to the hair to tone the colour, and eliminate the orangey/brassy colour you are experiencing.