I put lemon juice on my extensions to fix a sunscreen disaster... and it actually worked
This weekend the internet tempted me to try an experiment on my extensions.
Backstory: We were in Vegas and I broke the cardinal rule about the sunscreens to avoid because of the ingredients that can turn your extensions peachy-orange. I know this. I preach this. But when it's +40 degrees Celsius outside and the sun is literally scalding my skin…I'll take anything I can get lol.
Then Saturday night happened. I had two sick toddlers. I got puke in my hair and in a fit of overstimulation, I grabbed my pliers and impulsively took my extensions out lol. I just had the ITCH that they needed to get out of my hair as fast as humanely possible. I'd already had two move ups so I knew I was due for a re-install, and my colour was due for a touch up too. I like doing my bigger colour appts with my extensions out, so my actions are justified lol.
I was examining my extensions out and these peachy orange ends were screaming…I didn't feel like they were that bad in my hair until I took them out. I remembered seeing on a TikTok that lemon juice and seltzer water can pull discoloration out of hair. So… in the name of science (insert Bill Nye the science guy theme song) and knowing full well I could be ruining my extensions that are only 2 months old, I decided to try it.
Buuuuuut…. I didn't have real lemons. And I didn't have seltzer water…lol bad start to my experiment. What I did have was the bottled lemon juice and a vodka soda in my fridge... so that's what I used lol… at least the Nutrl was lemon flavoured.
Do I recommend this? No.
Did it work? Actually….YES.
It actually pulled the discolouration out and the peachy tone was gone. But my extensions felt soooo dry after, I feel like it stripped the moisture right along with it. I followed up my experiment with a Fibreplex treatment on them, which is the same backbar treatment that we do complimentary to your extensions during re-install appts because I feel like that treatment makes your extensions feel like BUTTER.
Before
After
So yeah... would I actually recommend raiding your fridge for lemon juice and seltzer if you ever break the sunscreen rule like I did? Not really. Come see us instead, we can fix it properly and treat the hair so it doesn't suffer for it after. But if you were wondering if the TikTok is true... it is. Just don't skip the moisture step after or your extensions will hate you for it.
If your hair's feeling dry from sun, chlorine, or your own questionable at-home science experiments lol, here's what I'd actually reach for instead:
A weekly hydrating mask
A leave-in conditioner you apply before bed and brush through, especially through the summer when your hair is drier than usual
A heat protectant every single time you use hot tools, dry ends and hot tools are not friends
And if you're due for a move up or a re-install anyways, just let us handle the damage control properly instead of DIYing it lol
