Hair Extensions 101: Everything You Should Know

Whether or not you have thin hair that you happen to be on the lookout to bulk up, small hair that you want to lengthen, or are just in the mood to change up your hairstyle devoid of the motivation of a a lot more permanent change, hair extensions are a wonderful selection.

The subject of hair extensions is broad and elaborate. There are a range of unique styles — like hand-tied extensions, microlinks hair extensions, tape-in extensions, clip-in hair extensions, and halo hair extensions, to title just a couple — and every single form has its possess listing of perks and disadvantages. Aside from the charge, you may also want to know how to correctly care for your hair extensions and how lengthy they’ll last before committing.

If you’re contemplating trying hair extensions for slender hair for the initially time, we’re sharing every thing you need to know so you can obtain the most effective hair extensions for your demands with the support of 4 experts below.

Forms of Hair Extensions

“There are lots of distinctive hair forms and application methods readily available, so you can experiment until finally you locate the fantastic seem for you at a rate point that suits your spending budget,” Louise Bailey, founder of Hair Extensions London, tells POPSUGAR. In advance of we get into the diverse application styles, let us go about the two primary types of hair extensions: real human hair extensions and synthetic hair extensions.

“Human hair extensions are specifically what they audio like — they are created out of real, human hair from best to bottom, gathered from a donor,” says Julia Venturin, a hair-extension qualified at Luxy Hair. “Remy hair suggests all the cuticles (the outer layer of the hair) are intact, functioning in the exact same direction at the time of collection. This makes it possible for for nearly no tangling and guarantees that the extensions remain sleek and silky in the course of their life span.”

Synthetic hair extensions, on the other hand, are manufactured out of numerous artificial, blended fibers — no human hair. “These fibers are ordinarily very fine, plastic fibers that are produced to imitate authentic human hair,” Venturin states.

Below, we’re breaking down a handful of of the most common types of extensions.

Clip-In Hair Extensions

Clip-ins are potentially the least difficult, minimum time-consuming way of adding duration, thickness, and quantity to your hair, and a person of the best factors about them is that you really don’t even have to see a professional to have them installed.

“The fantastic, high quality clip-ins will seem and truly feel purely natural, they will last decades, there is no commitment, and you can fit and fashion them yourself,” states Tatiana Karelina, proprietor of Russian hair-extensions business Tatiana Karelina.

These types of extensions clip to your hair, and they occur in helpful when you want to modify up your hair for a specific celebration or incidence and you should not want to commit to a thing extra permanent. (You usually acquire them out soon after a day but can carry on to reuse them for extensive after that.) Today, clip-ins appear in all forms of lengths, textures, and colors, and you can commonly acquire them in packs. For an editor-accredited option, go through our comprehensive evaluation of Bellami hair extensions the model has a lot of weft hair extension alternatives.

Tape-In Hair Extensions

Tape-ins are viewed as semipermanent extensions they’re equivalent to clip-ins apart from that they can last for a longer period and are taped to your hair. They are also quite weightless, so you you should not sense weighed down even if you’re carrying a head whole of them.

“Tape-ins are applied by a experienced and can final for two months just before needing maintenance,” says Bailey. “The hair is reusable with this approach.”

Microlink Hair Extensions

Microlinks — also referred to as microrings or microbeads — are a well-liked different possibility to sew-in weaves and tape-in extensions. These are typically attached to strands of hair working with smaller tubes or rings, and they are claimed to be safer than other varieties of extensions mainly because they don’t harm the hair and scalp by putting also substantially pounds or strain on them. They also don’t demand the use of glue or adhesive, building them a whole lot less apparent in your hair.

Just one draw back, depending on how you glimpse at it, is that receiving a total head of microlink hair extensions can get everywhere from one particular to 5 hours to finish, but they can past up to two to a few months.

Sew-In Weaves

Installing a weave is a method that necessitates a bit extra labor. They are generally installed by a hairstylist who braids the hair down into a distinct pattern — both what is actually regarded as a beehive or straight-back again cornrows — prior to stitching bundles or “tracks” down to the braids. This can ordinarily consider everywhere from two to 6 hrs, based on how many bundles you are setting up (two or 3 is a superior amount) and how speedy your stylist is.

Weaves can previous wherever from 6 to 10 weeks, even though it’s vital for men and women who wear them to also make absolutely sure they are continue to frequently having care of their hair that’s beneath the weave.

Keratin Bond/Pre-Bonded Hair Extensions

Bonds are fused to the hair employing keratin and a heat gun. This system can choose a number of hours to full considering the fact that, like microlinks, every single extension is connected to your pure hair independently right up until the sought after look has been accomplished. These are not long term, but they do very last up to four or 5 months, dependent on particular routine maintenance.

UV Hair Extensions

LED or UV hair extensions are touted as the most seamless extension strategy to date. To get the glimpse, one strands of hair will be bonded onto your pure pieces of hair, applying a unique glue that will then be healed with a UV light to hold almost everything in spot. How lengthy the procedure usually takes depends on how massive the region that you are operating with is, and the effects very last for about six weeks. The expense is commonly about $250 for each session and about $1200 for your entire head.

Do Hair Extensions Damage Your Pure Hair?

Regrettably, there is a good deal of misinformation out there about hair extensions, like that they will injury your all-natural hair. In simple fact, this notion is generally untrue. Bailey points out that when used by a experienced and cared for effectively, damage is not probable. “If you might be looking at receiving hair extensions, it is really vital to do your investigation and consult with with a hair-extensions qualified to ensure that they are suitable for you and the proper hair form and item is used,” she suggests.

How to Care For Hair Extensions

Hair extensions require exclusive care. The better you treatment for them, the far more use you can expect to get out of them. The range-just one rule of dealing with hair extensions is to be gentle. “Brush them carefully with a comfortable-bristled brush, and stay away from making use of harsh substances or much too a great deal warmth,” claims Bailey. Venturin provides: “The much more you clean and heat design and style your extensions, the shorter their lifespan will be, so attempt to preserve the washing and products use to a minimum.”

Nonsynthetic extensions can and need to be washed just like the hair on your head. This allows avert solution, grime, and oil buildup on the hair. “Use a moderate shampoo and conditioner, trying to keep conditioners absent from the attachment factors,” suggests Bailey. Having said that, just as you really don’t want to overwash your personal hair, attempt to avoid washing your extensions far too much. “Compared with your possess hair, which receives all-natural hydration from the oils on your scalp, hair extensions do not have a natural hydration supply,” suggests Venturin. “As a result, holding them hydrated is important to preserving them shiny and in good ailment.”

Charge of Hair Extensions

If you’r wondering, how much do hair extensions value? That’s a difficult problem to solution because of to the many various sorts of hair extensions offered on the market — hair extension prices are based mostly on the hair you opt for, as properly as who installs it. “Large-good quality, hand-tied hair extensions will seem much more all-natural and very last extended than artificial extensions but involve a bigger price tag to acquire and install,” claims Brynn Reed, the guide extension professional at Mirror Mirror Salon.

Top quality extensions made from human hair, these types of as clip-ins, commonly vary from $100 to $350, whilst a lot more “everlasting,” long-sporting extensions that are skillfully installed can value $350 to upward of $2,000. Artificial hair extensions, on the other hand, are significantly less expensive.

Matters to Hold in Mind When Acquiring Hair Extensions

There are many advantages to extensions, but you really should consider your present hair schedule to decide if they are appropriate for you. “Extensions are not a wash-and-go model,” states Reed. “They will have to be blow-dried. Leaving extensions soaked for extended periods causes the wefts to split down and shortens the lifespan of your extensions. If you dedicate to extensions, you commit to the blow-out.” For those people unfam

Additionally, the haircut you have issues. Extensions are in a position to insert volume and length to your existing design, but in order for the last outcome to glimpse seamless, you are going to want to stay away from any blunt-design and style haircuts. “This makes the position so considerably more challenging to blend,” suggests Bailey.

Jessica Harrington is the senior splendor editor at POPSUGAR, the place she writes about hair, make-up, skin care, piercings, tattoos, and additional. As a New York City-based writer and editor with a degree in journalism and in excess of 8 yrs of sector experience, she loves to job interview marketplace professionals, hold up with the newest traits, and check new goods.