You brush your hair every day without thinking about it. With extensions, that daily habit matters more than almost anything else you do. Brush the wrong way and you'll put tension on the attachment points, cause tangles at the root and shorten the life of hair you've invested in.
Here's how to brush extensions properly.
1. Start with the right brush
A regular paddle brush with stiff pins can catch on weft tracks, tapes and bonds. Look for a brush designed to glide over the attachment point rather than rake through it.
The Mane Baby brush uses a blend of boar bristle and nylon on a cushioned pad. The nylon works through tangles, the boar bristle smooths, and nothing in the pad is sharp enough to catch a weft or bond.
2. Always start at the ends
Never start at the root and drag down. Tangles collect at the ends, and pulling a brush through them from the top pulls on your natural hair and the attachment points.
- Take a small section.
- Brush the bottom few centimetres until it's smooth.
- Move up a little and brush down through the ends again.
- Keep working upwards until you reach the root.
3. Hold the hair above the attachment
With your free hand, gently hold the section just below where your extensions are attached. That way, your hand takes the pull of the brush — not your natural hair or the weft. This one habit makes a big difference to shedding.
4. Brush in sections
Brushing all your hair at once means the brush only reaches the top layer while tangles build up underneath, near the wefts. Split your hair into two or three sections and work through each one.
5. Brush before you wash
Always give your extensions a thorough brush before washing. Water tightens tangles, so anything you don't brush out beforehand becomes much harder to deal with afterwards. More in how to wash hair extensions at home.
6. Be gentle when your hair is wet
Hair is more fragile when it's wet. You can brush wet extensions, but only gently, from the ends up, ideally after applying a leave-in conditioner. We cover it in can you brush wet hair extensions?
7. Brush a few times a day
A quick, gentle brush in the morning and evening stops small tangles from turning into knots near the wefts. Carrying a small brush helps — the Mane Baby Mini fits in a handbag.
Habits to avoid
- Brushing from the root down — it pulls on attachment points
- Backcombing or teasing near the wefts — it creates matting at the root
- Yanking through a knot — work it out slowly from the bottom with your fingers first
- Going to bed with tangled hair — tangles set overnight. See how to sleep with extensions
- Using a brush with stiff pins that catch on bonds and tracks
A quick routine
- Section your hair
- Hold above the attachment
- Brush the ends first, then work up
- Repeat morning and night
The brush made for this
Mane Baby was created by extension specialists, and our brushes were designed for exactly this routine. The Original is for a proper brush-out at home, the Mini goes in your bag, and the Brush Duo gets you both for $59.90. Shop Mane Baby brushes.