What are Hair Extensions?

Hair extensions refer to taking human, animal or synthetic hair and adding to it to your existing locks for increasing length and volume. There are also combinations of types with many different methods used for extensions like weaving, stranding, bonding, braiding and using clips. These are further divided into different variations depending on your hair stylist’s experience. Human hair is preferred by most. It is more authentic and is available in many colours in the market.

A decade ago, people rarely wore hair extensions and even when they did, they never revealed it. With the wide range of products available in the market nowadays, you can always select the ones that best suit your style and budget. There are temporary ones as well as costly extensions that require a huge commitment of time to setup and maintain.

The Basic Terms

Each brand uses their own jargon to refer to different hair extension procedures. But these are the commonly used ones understood throughout the beauty world. As always, ask for help when in doubt and explain clearly to your stylist what exactly you’re looking for.

Fusion attachments like Glue-in, Sealing, Bonding or Adhesive: A risky procedure, fusion attachments use glue or other adhesives to attach the hair onto the hair, close to the scalp. If done incorrectly, this can cause damages to the skin or hair, causing skin disorders, pain or even bleeding. If you wish to try them, make sure you are using someone who is qualified to attach them. Do not attempt to do so yourself. An example of this type of product is the one that I use, Great Lengths. Once applied, the act like normal hair and are sealed to your hair by heated bonds.

Clip-on: These are the cheapest and easiest hair extensions available in the market. Made from human or synthetic hair, they can be clipped on just for an event and removed later. They are attached using combs, bobby pins or clips and are covered with hair on top. Special effects with synthetic colours such as blues and pinks are the latest clip-on hair extension trends. These are best used for one-time use only, as they can fall out of the hair easily and can be seen when the hair is moved around. Great for just adding a bit of length to a pony tail or adding a few bright colours to your hairstyle.

Microbraids: Similar to gluing, but instead of using adhesives, the hair is instead braided into place. There are different methods like braiding all the way to the end or just for connecting the hair with the extensions then let it hang loosely. This is a time consuming effort as each section needs to be worked on individually. This procedure causes minimal damage, but is very expensive and also time consuming to remove.

Cornrows: This is a braiding procedure that lies tightly against the scalp. The hair extensions used are much longer and are combined with your hair at the front or beginning of the section and cornrowed together. Cornrows sometimes go all around the head or they may be just a few inches long with the hair hung loosely or it could even be braided all the way to the end. There are a wide variety of options with cornrowing hair. Usually, they’re braided very tightly. So, you might experience a slight headache right following the procedure. These are the ones you see when you are holiday in places like Fiji.

Find out the best method to suit your budget and the style you’re going after. Get opinions and advice from friends and, of course, your stylist. Clip-ons are easy to put on and remove. For the other procedures, it is highly recommended you seek the services of a professional. They’re trained to give proper advice, apply the extensions and will teach you ways to take care of the extensions as well.

Contact me today to talk about getting hair extensions that look natural, last a long time and provide shine and volume to your hair.