Hair Extensions

Celebrities like Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Lopez are long time addicts of hair extensions. The attraction is the great length, body, height and volume extensions add to natural hair. In the words of Tracy DiMarco from hit American reality TV series, Jersylicious, “the higher your hair the closer you are to heaven”.

When extensions first emerged they were made of synthetic hair which can be a nightmare to manage. Fabric conditioners were needed to keep the extensions soft, and combing was next to impossible. Blow drying had to be done on a cold air setting for the synthetic portion of the hair and hot air for the natural hair, which was time consuming and irritating. So the only head this hair looked great on was Barbie’s!

Recently natural hair for extensions has become much more readily available, making it easier and cheaper to have extensions done in your local salon. Using real hair instead of synthetic strands makes the extensions less noticeable, more flexible and puts less tension on the hair. They are applied strand by strand and the hair line and parting areas are avoided for discretion.

There is such a wide range of hair available today. Remy hair is a top quality, virgin, non treated hair, which means it has never been dyed, straightened or permed. Spanish hair is also a top quality hair commonly used. Natural hair extensions can come in 3 forms:

·         A bag of hair held together by a string (with loose ends)

·          A bag of hair in strands individually pre-bonded with a keratin glue (U-tip)

·         Stick tip little strands that look like shoe laces at the top (I-tip)

One bale of this hair weights around 50 grams and comes in a ponytail which would be about as thick as a 20 cent coin. It should be perfectly straight and shiny, with all strands the same length.

How it works...

To get the best results, you must make sure your hair is coloured or highlighted before you have extensions put in. First you must have your hair matched for colour with the correct extensions, which will be easy for any good hairdresser. If you have highlights in your hair you will need more than 1 colour, which may cost extra.

While washing your hair prior to having extensions put in, do not use any conditioners, oil treatments or serums, as this can prevent keratin from bonding to your hair and cause slip. The day you get your hair extensions done, make sure your hair is freshly washed and blow dried nice and straight. 

There is a choice of two systems for attachment of extensions to the hair. Both look exactly alike...

·         Micro Beads, sometimes called Micro Links, are little silicone or metal beads clamped onto the hair, strand by strand. Micro Beads can be removed by unclipping the bead or link on top of the strand of hair.

·         Pre-Tipped keratin bonded extensions are put in with a glue product strand by strand. Keratin bonded extensions have to be removed with acetone.

Maintenance...

Provided the hair is real, you may wash, colour, cut, blow dry or style any way you wish. You will need a special wide-bristle brush to avoid shedding.

Extensions can last anything from 2-4 months. Since extensions are not growing from the root they are starved of oil from the scalp so to keep them looking healthy it’s necessary to apply a conditioning treatment at least once a week. 

If you’re blonde and wondering how to get your roots coloured with extensions, you can only have a T-Bar or Masking done when the extensions are in. Colouring cannot be applied to the bonds, which is why you need to have the perfect colour when the extensions are first bonded.

When blow drying your hair, it’s a good idea to use a cold or medium air setting, as you do not want the glue to melt. 

To view availability in the best salons for hair extensions, click here