Hair extensions are clipped onto small sections of your hair with the help of techniques like weaving in, heat fusing, clamping with metal rods, wax or polymers, and gluing amongst others. Most of them involve a coat on the natural hair strands with some foreign substances. Some are said to last for weeks and some for months. The amount of time these will last properly in your hair depends on how well you maintain them.
- Always get the hair extensions placed in your hair with the help of a professional stylist. Some of the extensions might look easy to do by yourself, but doing so can definitely harm your hair.
- The extensions that you place in should not be too tight. If you are experiencing any sort of pain or discomfort, immediately talk to your hair stylist and get it rectified.
- Always go for extensions that are good in quality, even though they might be more expensive. You don’t want accessories in your hair that can cause damage later.
- Remember to take care of your natural hair. Hair that is damaged cannot bear much styling, even if it is only hair extensions. Oil your hair regularly, go for regular treatments and take good care of it.
Clip-In/Flip-In
Clip in extensions are the shiiiet!
- They are so versatile
- You can add fullness or length and completely change your hair style.
- Gentle on your hair
- Great for those who don’t like to commit
- Fairly low maintenance and can be used as needed
- Perfectly matched to your own hair (even color)
- Worn to any type of event(s)
Glue-In/Keratin Bond/Pre-bonded/Fusion
- These are attached to the hair via little keratin bonds at the tip of the extension which are fused with a little hot tool. These are extremely popular and look great, but require significant upkeep and regular salon appointments for maintenance. As well as that, you need to avoid putting conditioners, oils or heated appliances near the connection, as these things will weaken the bond and possibly lead to your extensions coming out much earlier than they should.
- For maximum longevity with this system, remember to condition only the lengths. If you’re blow-drying, dry the lengths first, then tip your head forward to dry your real hair–don’t blast the bonds with heat!
- Durability: 3 months, but if you look after them well by yourself you could get 4 or 5 months out of them or more.
Sewn-In/Weave
- Sewn-in extensions are ideal for coarse, curly or thick hair that’s able to handle them. They’re applied by being sewn into a tightly-braided section of the client’s own, natural hair.
- These extensions require serious upkeep and salon visits are advised every six weeks or so to ensure the section where it’s sewn is in good nick, and, as these extensions are woven into the client’s own hair, the stylist will also want to assess if they need to be “tightened up”.
- Durability: Depends on the quality of the hair and whether or not your own hair can handle the weight of the extensions. However, salon visits every six to eight weeks are highly recommended.
Tape
- They are connected by wide bonds that look like two bits of Sellotape. Your own hair is placed between them and they are set around the strands. The wide, rather than skinny bonds, ensure they don’t look less stringy and also prevents damage to your natural hair even after a few washes. They’re dreamy, luscious and if you’re kind to them they’ll last for months.
They Are re-useable and gentle on the hair
words like DAMAGING and MATTING around when they’re mentioned. Let’s up this misconception: tape extensions, if properly applied and cared for and made with good quality hair, are absolutely phenomenal. I had a full head applied in Russia, where they really know their extensions
- Durability: Things can get tangled as your own hair starts to grow, but they’ll be good for up to five or even six months without a big maintenance job.
Bonding
Bonding is a popular temporary weaving method and a great way to add volume or vibrant streaks of color to your natural hair. Tracks of hair are glued to the roots of your own hair with a special adhesive. To prevent damage to your natural hair, tracks shouldn’t be left for any longer than a week or two. There are 2 types of bond: soft bond which dries in the consistency of rubber glue and hard bond which dries to the consistency of crazy glue. Hard bond is only recommended for the small number of people for which soft bond does not hold properly. These permanent bond attachments generally last 4–6 weeks before a maintenance appointment is necessary.
Micro-bead Extensions
Micr0 – Bead’s involve clamping the little bead at the tip of the extension to your own hair. The connections are durable but not always uncomfortable.
- Durability: 3 to 4 months.
- Extensions aren’t just for length: they can add volume and or a subtle enhancement to your own hair.