How to restore your tangled, matted extensions (bleach bath)

Some of us have saved and invested our hard earned money in "high quality" brazilian, indian, peruvian hair extensions. After spending all that money, we fix/install the extensions. The first month, the hair is bouncy, shiny and swinging. By month 2, it is sort of shiny, not as bouncy and not quite swinging. By month X, the shine, bounce and swing are all gone. With all the money we spent to get these extensions, we expect it to last for ever. Surely, that is not too much to ask? Is it?

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OK, here is the thing:

Even high quality extensions if not properly cared for will tangle and trust me, it is not that easy to care for extensions. The weekly conditioning, heat free styling, treatments etc. Who has time for that? So you may find yourself in the situation where you brush your hair in the morning, it looks nice and sleek, but by the time you get to school or the office, it is big, puffy, tangled and out of control. If this happens, don't throw it away and start saving for a new one, don't call the girl that you bought it from and rain abuses on her. All you have to do is bleach bath the extensions and you can restore its shiny, bouncy, swinging form.

Here is how to go about it:

What you'll need:

Household ammonia (if anyone knows where to find this in Lagos or Abuja please let us know in the comments below, gracias)
Clorox bleach (regular, no fragrance)
Shampoo
Conditioner
Hot water
The hair extensions
Rubber gloves
Wide tooth comb (for detangling)
3 Basins (Or you can use your kitchen or bathroom sink)

The procedure:

1. Wear the rubber gloves

2. Detangle the extensions as much as possible using the wide tooth comb and your fingers

3. Pour some water into the first basin and add a few drops of shampoo. Mix it till there is a bit of a lather

4. Pour one gallon of hot but not boiling water into the second basin and add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of clorox bleach to the water

5. Submerge your extensions into the bleach mixture (2nd basin), then using your wide tooth comb, comb the extensions continuously for 3 mins while keeping it submerged in the mixture

6. Remove the weave from the mixture, squeeze and dip the extensions in and out of the water and shampoo mixture that you prepared in  step 2 for about 1 min

7. Rinse with water

8. Pour out the shampoo and make a fresh one

9. Pour 3 cups of hot water in the 3rd basin and add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the household ammonia

10. Dip the weave in and out of the ammonia mixture continuously for 1 to 2 mins, while still combing through with your wide toothed comb

11. Dip the weave in and out of the fresh shampoo mixture that you made in step 8

12. Rinse and condition with your moisturizing conditioner (silicon mix, hello hydration, Vo5 etc)

13. Rinse

14. Airdry


With these short steps you can take your tangled extensions from this:

To this:

Caution:
- DO NOT let the ammonia and bleach come in contact with each other, the resulting fumes could be fatal

- When bleach bathing your extensions work in a well ventilated area.


 You can get clorox bleach from pretty much anywhere park and shop, goodies, dream plaza etc. Try to get the regular unscented one. Household ammonia is a cleaning agent so you may find it in the cleaning area of the supermarket.

xoxo
B