Hair Extensions, what's all the hype?

This is one of my favorite topics to speak about because I LOVE Hair Extensions! They can be absolutely life changing for some and they are so much fun. So let’s get into it!

what are Hair Extensions used for?

Hair Extensions have been around for years and they have evolved immensely! They used to be heavy or bulky and typically were used as a way to quickly add in hair to make it appear fuller. As the years have passed, Extensions have evolved to be so natural looking that some can even be used visibly without any detection, how crazy is that?!

Hair Extensions can be used for a number of reasons but the most common uses are to add volume, length and thickness. They can also be used to correct haircuts, fill in gap or holes within your natural hair, or they can used to add thickness around the face where the hair tends to be more fragile and thin. For some, they can even be used to thicken up naturally thinning hair.

Personally, one of my favorite uses for Hair Extensions is to add color to the hair! A Stylist can use Hair Extensions to give a guest a complete Balayage or Ombre look just by adding in a few extensions without ever lightening their natural hair. If you’ve ever wanted to try out a fun vibrant color but didn’t want to fully commit, most brands of Hair Extensions come in a wide range of fashion colors!

Hair Extensions are for everyone! Whether you have long hair, short hair, fine hair or even thick hair there are tons of ways to use them. Guests who have short hair but want more volume and thickness, or some who have long hair but want more volume, or you have super thick hair but you want to add in a fashion color without actually coloring your hair. I mean the options are truly endless!

What kind of Hair Extension methods are out there?

The list of Hair Extension applications are endless but my top three favorite are Tape In, Hand Tied and Beaded.

I personally wear Bellami Tape In Hair Extensions and I cannot say enough good things about them. I find them the most comfortable, no issues with slipping and they lay flat on the head so you can’t feel them when you run your hands over them. I also find them very easy to maintain, wear up and are fairly reasonably priced. This Extension Method causes virtually no damage when cared for correctly. Bellami Hair carries great quality hair so the longevity of your Hair Extensions will range six months to a year. Of course this is mostly determined by your at home care. I also love that the individual wefts are much thicker than the average company out there, so you don’t need as much hair to blend. Bellami also offers a wide variety of colors and lengths to fit everyone’s needs!

The Hand Tied Method is one of my newest techniques that I’ve added to my list of services, and I absolutely love them. There are a few reasons I’m an advocate for this method and one of these is that they are completely customizable! After a full installation of Hand Tied Hair Extensions, I can apply a full custom color on them to match your hair color perfectly. This means that these Hair Extensions will one hundred percent match your natural hair and be virtually invisible! So if you like to wear your hair up, down, in braids or any style of your choice even if they are show you will not be able to see them. Count me in on that! There is also no glue, tape, and direct contact with the hair so say goodbye to damage! Hand Tied Hair Extensions are a great option for most individuals, but I particularly love these for fine to medium hair.

Last but not least, Beaded Hair Extensions. This is one of the first methods of Hair Extensions that I learned and they are a wonderful option for those to prefer a more traditional method. Beaded Hair Extensions come in two options: individuals and wefts. Individuals are individual hair strands that are beaded onto your hair in rows and wefts are strings of hair placed into your natural hair with beads. Individuals move much more naturally and are great to use for fillers throughout your hair. Wefts are one of my favorite methods for guests who have a lot of hair that are looking for length, because they are much thicker and larger in quantity so they cover more ground. Both of these methods are quite a bit of maintenance for two reasons. One of these is that Individuals can be damaging if tugged on or if there is a lot of tension on the hair. This tension can cause the entire strand to break or be pulled out from the root causing bald spots, so be very delicate with this method. The wefts if not brushed properly can cause serious dreading so you want to make sure your taking the time to maintain these properly as well. If you are looking for extensions on the less expensive side of the spectrum this is a great option!

What is the maintenance look like?

For most Hair Extensions, six to eight weeks is the required time frame to come in for a move up. Of course you can come in sooner or later than that time frame but I would keep in mind your personal Stylists recommendation.

Brushing regularly is super important to avoid dreading, it’ll help to move oils down to your natural hair and to make sure that your scalp is getting the stimulation is needs to be healthy. Investing in great hair products is crucial for the health of your hair and the extensions. Hair Extensions do not get natural oils like our hair does, so make sure you are using good quality products on them to insure their life span. My absolute favorite line for Hair Extensions is the Olaplex System! I also highly recommend getting a good cleansing shampoo to do every so often to make sure you’re detoxing your scalp and not creating build up around the extensions. Plus it’s so invigorating!

Last but not least, make sure your Stylist during your move up is giving your natural hair the love it needs. With my guests I always make sure to keep up on their haircuts, do a deep conditioner or Olaplex treatment to keep their hair healthy and strong. This is also a great time to do any scalp treatments to help cleanse and rebalance it!

The Bottom Line..

You need these in your life! Whether you have long hair, short hair, fine hair, or any other hair there are so many creative ways to use Hair Extensions to give you the perfect Pinterest Hair. If you are interested in learning more you can always come visit me in the salon for a free consultation [click here for bookings] and we can go over all your options, pricing and so much more!

xoxo,

shelby alexandra