Thin Hair After Hair Extensions? How to Recover and Grow It Back

I feel you.

I’ve damaged my hair too and I had a lot of bald spots.

I was scared and I didn’t know if my hair would grow back.

But with time, it did.

My hair is still damaged, but it definitely is a lot thicker and stronger now.

In this post, I’ll talk to you about what to do if your hair is thin after extensions and give you multiple tips so that you can grow your hair back.

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Why is my hair so thin after hair extensions?

1. Hair extensions do damage hair

Many hair extension companies claim to have good hair extensions, but no hair extension doesn’t cause hair damage and eventual hair loss if used for a prolonged period.

Whether using temporary hair extensions like clip-ins or semi-permanent hair extensions like tape-ins, glue-ins, micro-link, or extra – they all cause added weight and strain to the hair follicles and scalp.

This is why you should always take a break every 2-3 months and leave your hair untouched so that it can recover from the hair extensions.

2. Application matters

If you have very fine hair, (I don’t mean thin, I mean very narrow individual hair strands – I am talking about the thickness of the strands here) and your hair stylist gave you very heavy extensions or attached it too tightly, then it can cause hair thinning.

Not everybody’s hair can bear the weight of hair extensions and if they didn’t use the right one or the right application, their hair could have suffered a lot of damage.

If the hair root got damaged due to constant tugging and the huge weight of the hair extensions, then hair loss can also occur.

3. You were wearing them for a long time

It’s very important to give your hair a break every 2-3 months.

When you wear extensions, especially if they were pulled and tightened, then the hair follicles can get damaged due to such long use.

Even when you are re-fitting your hair extensions or removing them, you have to go to a professional who is very careful and gentle when removing them.

This doesn’t just happen to women who were hair extensions.

Anybody who wears very tight hairstyles like high ponytails or buns for a long time will slowly start to see hairloss on the sides of the head.

Even women who wear very tight cornrows or braids for months or years are prone to hair thinning due to so much strain and pulling of the hair.

Now that you understand why your hair is so thin after hair extensions, let’s look into some ways we can strengthen and grow back hair after this damage.

How to repair hair after hair extensions

1. Cut off all the split ends and damaged hair

Your damaged hair is not going to do you any good.

Any hair that is damaged or split must be cut off, otherwise, you risk the split ends rising along the hair shaft and affecting fresh hair that is growing from the roots.

So, your aim right now is to remove all the hair extensions and cut off all the damaged hair.

Go see a professional for this, do not do this at home unless you have hair styling experience.

2. Prepoo with coconut oil

I have a detailed post on pre-pooing with coconut oil and honestly, it made a very big difference to my hair.

Coconut oil helps protect your hair from protein loss. It also coats the hair strands and seals the hair cuticles and helps it retain more moisture.

Now, when you wash your hair, water enters the hair shaft and the whole hair strand swells up. This causes it to become more prone to breakage and snapping off.

Coconut oil doesn’t let this happen.

Basically, it strengthens your hair.

Prepoo involves putting hair oil in your hair 1-2 hours before you shower.

Do not leave your hair oil any longer than 2 hours otherwise it will become difficult to take out and you don’t want any scalp build-up.

After 30 minutes to 2 hours of oil application, wash out the oil from your hair using a clarifying shampoo like this.

Using a clarifying shampoo will ensure that you are removing all the buildup without removing the natural oils from your hair.

3. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner

A moisturizing shampoo will clean your hair and remove all the product buildup and sweat without drying out your hair.

It seems silly to spend money on a good shampoo, but if you need to repair the damage caused to your hair by extensions, this is a must.

Your need to elevate your haircare to see quick results.

I only suggest the Morocaanoil Clarifying Shampoo because it is sulfate and paraben free and is keratin-enriched which means it will restore the protein loss in your hair and strengthen your hair.

The shampoo won’t dry out your hair but I strongly suggest following up with a conditioner after to soothe the hair.

3. Deep condition your hair at least once a week

I only will suggest the Arvazallia Hydrating Argan Oil hair mask and deep conditioner.

This is such a beautiful product that has helped countless people recover from damaged hair.

It deeply conditions, detangles, and hydrates your hair and you’ll slowly notice your hair elasticity and shine coming back.

This is a Godsend, I kid you not.

Read the reviews for this product and you’ll be convinced.

Deep conditioning once a week is something everybody should do if they have dry and damaged hair.

This is a practice I continue to do weekly and it doesn’t take much time.

After shampooing, just apply the mask and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing out with cold water.

4. Improve your lifestyle

Your nutrition is going to play a huge role in growing back strong and healthy hair.

I highly recommend reading up on which foods you need to eat to grow strong hair and nails.

Also, drink water.

For so many years I remained a hydrophobe, and my hair and skin suffered.

I always assumed that staying indoors and not exercising meant I didn’t need to drink much water.

But water is what will help you solve most problems.

It will flush out all the toxins from your body and help you get better skin, hair, and nails.

Simultaneously, make it a point to exercise.

Start small and work towards making your clean lifestyle a permanent change. It needs to be sustainable.

You can also take a hair supplement like Biotin or Collagen to help grow strong hair and nails.

I highly recommend checking with a doctor before taking these.

5. Massage your head every day for 5 minutes

Very gently, using only your fingertips, massage your scalp in round circular motions.

This will help your scalp have increased blood flow and circulation, allowing your hair to grow naturally strong.

More blood flow to the scalp and hair follicles, the stronger the hair.

6. Treat your hair with care

Do not use any tight hairstyles like buns or ponytails – this will cause more strain on the fresh hair and this will make it prone to breakage.

Do not use heat or comb your hair when wet.

Using curling tools, straighteners, and so on is going to severely damage your hair and cause unwarranted stress.

Just be gentle with your hair.

7. Have patience

You have to be patient when you are trying to repair damaged hair.

It can be very frustrating to wait for results, but trust me all these changes will have such a positive impact on your fresh hair growth and you are going to see a difference.

Please note that hair cannot grow faster no matter what you do. If any website claims to grow your hair faster due to some supplement, don’t believe it.

You can only make your hair stronger and shinier and healthier.

Goodluck!

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