Hair Extensions Wash: How to Clean Them Without Damage

When you wear hair extensions, add-on strands of hair attached to your natural hair for length, volume, or color. Also known as hair wefts, they’re meant to blend in like your own hair—but they don’t care for themselves. Washing them wrong is the #1 reason they tangle, fade, or fall apart fast. Most people treat extensions like their natural hair, but that’s a mistake. Your scalp produces oils that naturally condition your hair. Extensions don’t. They’re dead hair, stored for months, treated with chemicals, and then glued, sewn, or clipped onto you. If you wash them too often, with the wrong shampoo, or while they’re still wet at night, you’re shortening their life—and your money’s worth.

There are different types of extensions, and each needs a slightly different approach. Halo hair extensions, a single strand of hair attached to a thin wire that sits on top of your head. Also known as circle extensions, they’re easy to take on and off, so you can wash them separately and let them air dry flat. Sew-in hair extensions, hair wefts sewn into braids along your scalp. Also known as weaves, they’re meant to stay in for weeks, so you can’t just take them out to wash. You need to wash your scalp gently without soaking the tracks, and use a spray bottle with diluted shampoo to clean the extensions while they’re still in. Clip-ins? You can wash them every 8–10 wears. Tape-ins? Wash them less often—once every two weeks max—because the adhesive weakens with too much water.

Here’s what actually works: Use sulfate-free shampoo. No conditioner on the roots or clips. Always wash in cool or lukewarm water—hot water opens the cuticle and causes frizz. Gently run your fingers from top to bottom, never scrub. Let them air dry on a towel, never wrapped in a towel or slept on wet. And never use a blow dryer on high heat unless they’re 100% human hair and heat-safe. Most people ruin their extensions by treating them like they’re indestructible. They’re not. A good wash routine can make your extensions last 6 to 12 months. A bad one? They’ll look stringy and fake in under a month.

What you’ll find below are real, tested tips from people who’ve been there: how to wash halo extensions without tangling them, why you shouldn’t wash sew-ins every day, what shampoo actually works for blonde extensions, and how to store them so they don’t get matted between uses. No fluff. No marketing buzzwords. Just what keeps your extensions looking fresh, soft, and natural—long after the salon visit.