I believe someone had posted a topic relating to this and no one responded, but I believe it's just as important to know how to care for your REAL hair while wearing extensions.  I myself have been wearing the sew-in method for a couple years now (on and off), and have noticed that although my hair has grown quite fast, it's also grown thinner!  I have heard and also read from other hair experts who say that extensions can cause thinning primarily b/c of the lack of oxygen and nutrition that your real hair succumbs to.  While they say this, NOWHERE has anyone discussed how to care for the hair while wearing extensions.  Don't get me wrong, I love my extensions and they look fabulous, but how in the world can I take better care to prevent further thinning of my own hair...I'm not planning on wearing a weave forever ya know!  Right now I use the KeraCare line which has proved to be a miracle on keeping my hair and weave pretty healthy.  But does anyone know of products, like some sort hair serum that can be used on the hair shaft to prevent my real hair from growing thin.?

well, I know Jenny and I got FUBAR'd, but thats because we bleached while they were in.  I think the bleach got trapped and ate away at the hair.

(ps) lack of oxygen and nutriants?  Real hair is dead, I didnt think it made a difference.

Whether or not your hair becomes damaged after wearing extensions has to do with the way they were installed, it has nothing to do with what products you use, or lack of oxygen and nutrients.

For sew ins, the braids should not be too tight.  For individuals, it depends on the method.  Care needs to be taken in removing glue methods, and you have to make sure that enough of your own hair is supporting the weight of the extension.  In other words, dont' use a small amount of your own hair and attach a large extension strand to it, or over time it will stress the roots and you will have thinning.  Sometimes it takes a few years until it happens.

Great responses, especially from purrmachine.  I have a very good stylist who def. doesn't do my sew-in tight.  But the lack of nutrients concept (atleast what i heard), is due to the fact that especially with a sew-in, your real hair hidden underneath is missing a lot of the routine shampoo/conditioning and thus is not kept as healthy.  Who knows...maybe I'm just imagining things

one of the things i do regularly with my clients whether it be hairlocs, tubes and shrinkies,

instead of just moving the extension up, i take down all the extensions, wash, deep condition(under the dryer), trim hair and then reapply extensions, this give the hair an opportunity to have the strands applied in different places and i can condition the hair properly.

and as a regular occurance, i send my clients home with professional products as a gift to them, this insures they use good products as well.